Nightwalker 16

Merry Christmas! I'm sure you're all quite happy with how quickly this chapter came out, huh? I'm hoping to make this a regular thing...

Okay, in all seriousness, I'm really, really, really sorry that it took so long. As some of you might know, my computer problems have been reaching epic proportions these last two years, and I have literally lost almost an entire chapter on more then a few occasions. But thanks to everyone bugging me the past year and a half, I finally completed the long awaited death scene!

So enjoy this monster of a chapter, everyone! Your patience has certainly earned it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Hellsing. No money is being made from the writing of this fic. Any parts you recognize are property of J.K. Rowling, as the article in the Daily Prophet remains mostly unchanged.

The next morning, Harry rose fully rested for the first time in quite a while. His hand had almost fully healed, and the throbbing had disappeared completely. And the fact that Umbridge wouldn't be able to get him back in her clutches made it all the sweeter.

While he was searching through his trunk for a change of clothes, he found the bottles that Alucard had been nice enough to leave. Taking one of the bottles without checking what species it was and stowing it away to try later, Harry headed down to breakfast.

"Harry!" He heard Hermione call as soon as he walked in, but rather than sounding happy, she seemed much more frantic, "Quick! You need to see this!"

Ignoring the eyes of everyone who happened to hear her shout, he hurried over to the Gryffindor Table. On the table laid out in front of her was the daily prophet, and on the center of the front page was an overly realistic, smiling photo of Dolores Umbridge.

"Remember Percy's letter?" She asked him while he was still taking in the picture. To his embarrassment, he'd completely forgotten in the meeting with Alucard. "Well, it wasn't nearly as difficult to find what he was talking about as I was expecting."

Harry's eyes immediately moved down to the article beneath the picture.

MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM

DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED FIRST-EVER "HIGH INQUISITOR"

In a surprise move last night the Ministry of Magic passed new legislation giving itself an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "

'The Minister has been growing uneasy about goings-on at Hogwarts for some time,' said Junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley. 'He is now responding to concerns voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve.'

"This is not the first time in recent weeks Fudge has used new laws to effect improvements at the Wizarding school. As recently as August 30th Educational Decree Twenty-two was passed, to ensure that, in the event of the current headmaster being unable to provide a candidate for a teaching post, the Ministry should select an appropriate person. "

'That's how Dolores Umbridge came to be appointed to the teaching staff at Hogwarts,' said Weasley last night. 'Dumbledore couldn't find anyone, so the Minister put in Umbridge and of course, she's been an immediate success, totally revolutionizing the teaching of Defense Against the Dark Arts and providing the Minister with on-the-ground feedback about what's really happening at Hogwarts.'

"It is this last function that the Ministry has now formalized with the passing of Educational Decree Twenty-three, which creates the new position of 'Hogwarts High Inquisitor.' "

'This is an exciting new phase in the Minister's plan to get to grips with what some are calling the "falling standards" at Hogwarts,' said Weasley. 'The Inquisitor will have powers to inspect her fellow educators and make sure that they are coming up to scratch. Professor Umbridge has been offered this position in addition to her own teaching post, and we are delighted to say that she has accepted.'

"The Ministry's new moves have received enthusiastic support from parents of students at Hogwarts. "

'I feel much easier in my mind now that I know that Dumbledore is being subjected to fair and objective evaluation,' said Mr. Lucius Malfoy, 41, speaking from his Wiltshire mansion last night. 'Many of us with our children's best interests at heart have been concerned about some of Dumbledore's eccentric decisions in the last few years and will be glad to know that the Ministry is keeping an eye on the situation.'

"Among those 'eccentric decisions' are undoubtedly the controversial staff appointments previously described in this newspaper, which have included the hiring of werewolf Remus Lupin, half giant Rubeus Hagrid, and delusional ex-Auror 'Mad-Eye' Moody. More recently, his insistent that a vampire, Harry Potter, be allowed to attend classes.

"Rumors abound, of course, that Albus Dumbledore, once Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, is no longer up to the task of managing the prestigious school of Hogwarts. "

'I think the appointment of the Inquisitor is a first step toward ensuring that Hogwarts has a headmaster in whom we can all repose confidence,' said a Ministry insider last night.

"Wizengamot elders Griselda Marchbanks and Tiberius Ogden have resigned in protest at the introduction of the post of Inquisitor to Hogwarts. "

'Hogwarts is a school, not an outpost of Cornelius Fudge's office,' said Madam Marchbanks. 'This is a further disgusting attempt to discredit Albus Dumbledore.'

(For a full account of Madam Marchbanks' alleged links to subversive goblin groups, turn to page 17)."

"Well, that answers one question." Harry sighed, sitting down next to the twins and Hermione, "No wonder Dumbledore hasn't fired her yet."

"But this is completely ludicrous!" Hermione fumed, "'An immediate success'? Who's writing this? Rita Skeeter?"

"No." Ron shook his head, "Skeeter at least had some kind of facts in her pieces. This is straight rubbish."

"Still, these 'inspections' should be good for a laugh." Fred shrugged, "McGonagall will rip her apart."

"If Harry doesn't get to her first." George added with a grin, "After all, looks like you can't avoid her anymore. Even you wouldn't be able to independently study every single class you're taking."

"...Seriously tempted to try…" He sighed, "At least today's Saturday, so we won't have to deal with her until monday at the earliest."

"Brilliant!" Ron sighed happily, returning to his breakfast with vigour, "Harry, wanna go for a fly? Maybe you could help me out a bit before the first practice."

"Sure Ron." He replied, drinking a quick glass of blood while chatting with his friends.

Albus Dumbledore, after reading the Prophet, knew he would be receiving visitors at some point. What he hadn't expected was them to be waiting for him when he came back from breakfast.

"Dumbledore." Fudge said with a victorious smirk from a conjured armchair.

"Cornelius." He said, calmly sitting in his chair and removing one of his calming drought laced lemon drops, "And, of course, our new… 'High Inquisitor', was it?"

"That's correct." Umbridge grinned, "Please don't insult our intelligence by saying you don't know why the Minister for Magic, as well as the High Inquisitor have come to your office on a saturday morning."

"I've never been one for insults, Dolores." He replied, "Facts always have been the more effective method of winning arguments. I'm sure that will become apparent in due time. So, since we can rule out you acknowledge Voldemort's-" Both of them, along with the armed auror guarding Fudge, winced at his usage of the name, "- return, I can only assume that this is about Harry Potter."

"Correct, Dumbledore." Fudge nodded, his face already red with anger, "Dolores tells me that you allowed the boy to 'drop' Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"No, I did not." He replied, and Umbridge grinned.

"Then I must find Mr. Potter." She chuckled, "He'll have another week of detention for skipping class."

The way she said 'detention' made his skin crawl. "I'm afraid he's not been skipping class." Dumbledore said, stopping her from getting out of her chair, "He has indeed opted for independent study for his OWLs, a right afforded to him under the Hogwarts charter. If a student shows himself to be of a high enough caliber to realistically and safely execute the tasks required for study of a class, he is under no obligation to attend formal lessons."

"I'm well aware of the charter, Dumbledore!" Fudge said angrily, and by the sound of it, he just managed to avoid saying something he'd regret, "However, this… thing, is a danger to the entire school! It's bad enough that you allow him to return, but to remove him from supervis-"

"That is enough." Dumbledore said in a tense voice, and Fudge stopped dead. The effects of the calming drop was quickly approaching their limit, and letting Fudge continue would doubtlessly exceed that limit, "There are two things I am going to correct you on, Cornelius. "He said, placing up one finger, "First. Mr. Potter is not a threat to anyone. He may have the potential to be dangerous, but only when deliberately provoked. If I were to expel him over that, I would need to expel every student over the fourth year."

Raising another finger, he added, "Second, I take extreme offense to you implying I do not care for the well being of my students. Contrary to what you might believe, despite my trust in Harry, there has not been so much as a second of his time at Hogwarts where he has been unsupervised. Removing him from your class is ultimately safer since he won't have your bigotry to provoke him."

"Then remove the boy and we'll be on our way!" Fudge said, backing away from Dumbledore as much as possible without getting out of his chair. The auror already had his wand drawn, and was nervously looking to Fudge as though asking if he'd really have to attack.

"As I have told you multiple times since Harry Potter's trial, It is my policy to never turn away a student who is willing to learn simply because of who they are. Be they werewolf, vampire, fairy, or human, if they wish to learn peacefully, they have a place in Hogwarts." He countered, "Harry has shown no aggressive behaviour since attending school, and as such, he will be allowed so long as I am headmaster."

"I have multiple reports of Mr. Potter threatening other students!" Umbridge shouted, and he turned his glare from Fudge to her.

"And I have multiple reports of other students harassing Mr. Potter. Shall we compare, Dolores? I'm sure you'll see there's a connection."

"You're leaving me no choice but to go to the Department of Magical Education." Fudge said smugly, "I can have the Hogwarts charter changed in a matter of hours."

"You probably could." Dumbledore admitted, removing a stack of letters from his desk, "But I have a trump card as well."

"What's that?" Fudge asked, bewildered by the sudden threat.

"Well, the first one is a letter requesting a formal investigation into the conduct of your office pertaining to the Harry Potter Trial." He said, showing the letter to Fudge, "Addressed, as you can see, to Madam Bones. The rest… well I'll leave those to your imagination."

"You..!" Fudge hissed, "Are you blackmailing me, Dumbledore?"

"Good man, if I were going to blackmail you, I would have done so long ago. "He replied, enjoying watching the minister's mind work, "No, I've enclosed, among other things, information I've tried to make public in regard to Voldemort only to have you muzzle the Daily Prophet. If I cannot go the press, I will go to the people. Each of these is addressed to an incredibly influential member of the Wizengamot, the ICW, the Dark Force Defense League, and two dozen different publications. Tell me, Cornelius, can you censor them all?"

The minister's face was literally going purple, and he was clutching his armchair hard enough to turn his knuckles bone white. Umbridge looked the same shade, but she managed to at least maintain some semblance of calm.

"He's bluffing, Cornelius. " She smiled, reading Dumbledore's expression, "If he had all of this prepared, he'd have used it already."

"I had no interest in fancy titles." Dumbledore replied, meeting her gaze with one of his own, "I do not care for the title of Chief Warlock or Supreme Mugwump, or even the Order of Merlin. But this school is my life, and if Cornelius attempts to force me from it I will fight like my life depends on it!" Giving her a small smile, he added, "Though you're right. I only prepared this recently. When a certain student reminded me that there are still people who'll listen to an old coot like me."

Fudge watched their exchange with worry, but evidently, he wasn't impressed with Dumbledore's answer, "Very well, Dumbledore. If you won't be reasonable, we'll go above your head."

"And I as well." Dumbledore said, rising from his chair, "And in case you were going to have my letters stopped, Dobby."

The house elf popped into the room with a low bow, "How may I be of service, Professor?"

"I need these letters delivered immediately." He said, handing them to the elf, "Please use whatever spells are required to ensure that they are who they say they are. Hand them directly to the addressed."

"Yes sir." Dobby bowed, disapparating before the trio from the ministry could react.

"I'd hurry if I were you." He said, blocking access to his floo, "You've a lot of work to do if you're going to change the school charter."

It didn't take long after taking to the sky for Harry to completely lose track of time. Below him, Ginny was helping Ron practice. Almost on instinct, Harry started to survey the field, looking for any sign of the golden snitch.

As his eyes passed over the stands, he saw that they'd amassed a small crowd of spectators. Most of them were Gryffindors who arrived early to watch the new team in action, but there were a fair few others. Malfoy's gang, of course, was mocking everything they did. Further away, The girls who were sitting with Daphne were watching him intently. In the center of a group of Hufflepuffs was Ernie, who gave Harry a small salute when he saw him looking, then mimed punching in Malfoy's direction. Though amused by the offer, Harry shook his head.

All too soon, he saw Angelina take to the sky, along with Katie, Alicia, and the Weasley twins.

"Harry." She said, "Sorry if it sounds a bit rude, but mind clearing off the field? We can't run drills with the air too crowded."

"No problem." He smiled, then turned towards the keeper hoops Ron was protecting, "Kick ass, Ron!"

Ron waved back, and without further ado, Harry launched his firebolt into a full speed dive. A couple of the hufflepuff girls in the stands screamed, but he just grinned and pulled out at the last moment, skimming across the grass and coming to a stop outside the field.

"Showing off, Potter?" Malfoy sneered from the stands, and Harry shook his head.

"I figured I'd try and teach you something, Malfoy." Harry replied, shouldering his broom ,"After all, if you fly like you always have, Slytherin's going to come in last place for sure."

Leaving Malfoy to glare hatefully at him while he walked away, he couldn't help hearing Ernie and the hufflepuffs laughing at Malfoy's expense and talking about his final epic dive.

"This is outrageous!" Fudge snarled, slamming his fist onto his desk, "Dumbledore, damn you…"

"This isn't a problem, Cornelius." Umbridge assured him confidently from her desk, "A bunch of nobodies raising their voices means nothing. And the trial, of course, you did nothing wrong. So long as we control the Prophet, we control everything."

"Isn't a problem?" Fudge repeated back like he couldn't believe his ears, "Nobodies? These are respected men and women who built this ministry! Every single one of them is demanding my resignation! And we only control the Prophet for the time being. If public opinion changes, they'll throw us off the broom in a heartbeat!"

"Then we won't let public opinion change." She replied.

"And how, pray tell, do you suppose we do that?" Fudge asked.

"Dumbledore's entire 'theory' is based on the words of an unstable and dangerous half breed, along with some circumstantial rubbish." She said, "All we have to do is redirect their anger where it belongs. At the boy."

"Oh?" Fudge said, unconvinced by her idea, "And how can we do that? You haven't managed to find anything even remotely useful this past week."

"I may have one idea." She grinned, "What if, for example, Potter wasn't the only one? What if there was another half breed?"

Fudge's expression lit up , "Are you serious? Can you prove it?"

"Not yet, but I will." She answered, "I'll have the answer by the end of next week."

"Good. Good." Fudge sighed in relief, "I'll hold the Prophet at bay then. Once we've dealt with Potter, Dumbledore's credibility will be in shambles and I'll finally be able to reassert control over the Ministry. Then we can sweep this meddlesome investigation in the rug." His smile faded slightly, and he added, "Dolores, if this doesn't work, my career is sunk. But before I go, I'll see to it that the highest ministry post you'll ever get is cleaning the owl droppings for the Pest Advisory Board!"

"You've nothing to worry about." She said, raising from her chair and taking a pinch of floo powder, "I'll be in touch."

All too soon, the weekend came to an end, and Harry had to once again be on guard for Umbridge. He was already prepared for Umbridge to inspect every single one of his class. But surprisingly, she didn't take the opportunity to inspect either his History or Potions Class (which went extremely well, thanks to a drink of hag blood with breakfast) monday morning. In fact, none of them had seen her at all since Saturday morning.

"This can't be good." Harry said, taking a sip of blood at lunch.

"It doesn't have to be a conspiracy." Hermione reprimanded him, but even she didn't sound at all convinced.

"Harry's right. She's up to something." Ron said, glancing up at the staff table and Umbridge's empty spot, "She's wanted a chance to get at Harry since he dropped her class, and now she's passing up the chance? It doesn't smell right."

"I'm with you." Fred said as he and George took their seats beside Harry and Ron.

"Just saw the toad in question." George added, "Inspecting charms."

"Anything out of the ordinary?" Harry asked quickly.

"Nothing much." Fred shook his head, "She asked Flitwick a few questions, observed the class for a while, then started asking us questions."

"Most of them were about Charms or Professor Flitwick, but…" George said, glancing up at the table to check if umbridge was there, "Your name came up a few times."

"Surprise, surprise." Harry sighed, "What'd she say? Ask if I'd eaten anyone yet?"

"Can't really say for sure." Fred replied, "Must've used some kind of charm since we couldn't hear clearly even with the extendable ears, but whatever it was wasn't any good. The only people she talked to was-"

"The Slytherins?" Harry guessed, and the twins nodded grimly.

"Judging from her expression, I'd say that she didn't learn anything useful, but…" George frowned.

"But she hasn't given up yet." Ron sighed, getting another helping of lunch, "She'll never give up, will she?"

"Probably not." Harry groaned, draining another cup of blood, "I can put up with it for a while, but-" He stopped talking and just jerked his shoulder towards GInny, who was talking with several of her friends further down the table.

"If she does anything to Ginny…" Fred whispered menacingly enough that even Harry shivered.

"She shouldn't have any way of knowing, should she?" Hermione whispered as well, "Wasn't that the reason Dumbledore gave everyone these goblets? So that no one would be able to see that Ginny had to drink blood as well?"

"She shouldn't be, but…" Harry sighed, "I've got a feeling she knows something."

"Maybe you could try seeing the future again." Ron said quickly, but Hermione slapped his arm.

"Ron, Dumbledore already told him not to. Last time you said he could barely stand!"

"Besides, I can't control it." Harry shook his head, "Last time, All I saw was a jumble of images that didn't make any sense."

"Yeah, I guess." Ron mumbled, looking worriedly at Ginny laughing with a few of her friends.

"Worrying about it won't do us good." Harry said, downing another glass, "We'd better get moving. We do have to get to Trelawney's for next period."

Ron groaned, pushing away his plate, "Don't remind me. I still have to jot down a few dreams in my diary."

"Ronald!" Hermione hissed, "I thought you finished your work last night!"

"I did, for every teacher that wasn't completely mental." he replied, getting up and heading for the door.

Bidding Hermione goodbye, Harry followed after him. As he left the Great Hall, however, someone whispered his name from just outside. He turned his head and saw Daphne Greengrass standing up against the wall.

"Potter."

"Greengrass." He responded in kind, moving away so that others weren't stuck behind him.

"Can we talk for a minute?" She asked, nervously watching the entrance to the Great Hall, "I've got something you might want to know."

"Harry?" Ron said, doubling back when he saw Harry had been cornered by a Slytherin, "Everything okay?"

"Fine." he answered, "You go on ahead. I'll catch up once I'm done."

"If you're sure." Ron replied, giving Daphne a nervous look before heading back up the stairs.

"Follow me." Daphne said with a small sigh of relief, leading him down one of the corridors behind the grand staircase.

"What's with all the secrecy?" Harry asked when she not just lead him into an abandoned room, but cast several privacy charms on the door.

"You have to ask?" She replied, "A Slytherin going against her house by helping Harry Potter? Given that the Dark Lord's back, I'd probably be killed if this ever got out."

"You believe me?" Harry said, blinking in surprise.

"Of course I do." She scoffed, "Everyone in Slytherin knows. Draco's made sure of that much."

"Then why help me?" He asked back, and she shrugged her shoulders.

"In all honesty, you pretty much forced my hand." She replied, leaning against the wall, "After all, you told Draco that you overheard what I told him at the start of term feast. He doesn't believe you. He's sure that I told you myself."

"He's not really big on brains, is he?" Harry joked, and she actually cracked a smile.

"No, he certainly isn't. Since then, he's been trying to turn the rest of the house against me."

"I'm surprised he didn't try to do something about it himself." Harry shrugged, and faster then he would've been able to see if he weren't a vampire, Daphne's wand was pointed at his face.

"You'd do well to remember that I can take care of myself." she smirked, stowing her wand having made her point, "Either way, my only saving grace is that some of the older students are willing to take my side over Draco's. That would change quickly if news of this little meeting got out."

"Then why take the risk?" Harry asked her, "If you're taking such a big risk, why meet at all?"

She snorted, "It's the only long term strategy available where me and my friends and family keep breathing. The stalemate ends the moment the Dark Lord moves out into the open. With Draco's father's reputation, the older students won't resist when it's clear they're on the losing side. I can handle Draco and his goons on my own. The younger years as well. But I'm screwed if the sixth and seventh years get involved."

Harry listened politely to what she was saying, but instead of replying, he waited for her to continue.

"So, here I am." She said, gesturing to the room, "I want to strike a deal with you, Potter."

"What kind of deal?"

"As if you haven't guessed part of it." she answered, "Once my situation inevitably takes a turn for the worse, I want you to help protect me and those close to me."

"And how exactly would that work?" Harry replied, "After all, Slytherins hate me. Wouldn't they just target you to spite me?"

"Potter, you don't get it." she shook her head, "They'd target me because they would think they can get away with it. No student in their right mind would pick a fight with a vampire from the line of Dracula who was already the top defense student in our year before you were transformed. They'd fear the monster in front of them much more then the monster outside the school."

"Gee, thanks." Harry said sarcastically at being called a monster, but she shrugged her shoulders.

"I call it as I see it." She said calmly, "I'm not asking for charity though."

"Meaning?"

"I'm going to assume that you want to know what Umbridge is up to?" She asked, and Harry's face lit up, "Of course you do. Discovering your enemy's goal is a no brainer. Unfortunately, she'd never talk to anyone who she thought would talk to you." The moment Harry realized what she was implying, she grinned, "Exactly. As far as she knows, I'm a noble slytherin who wouldn't dream of helping a Gryffindor, especially not you."

"So, I help you when you need it and you supply me with information from Umbridge?" Harry asked she nodded.

"That sums it up pretty well. Fair enough?" she asked, extending her hand. Harry nodded and shook it.

"I think I can manage that."

"Good." She smiled, "Earlier today, Umbridge got us together in Ancient Runes and asked us to keep an eye on your friends. According to her, you're not the only vampire in school. She doesn't know who it is, but she wants us to keep an eye open. Apparently, she'll make sure that whoever finds this vampire gets straight O's on their owls."

Harry froze up immediately and she nodded.

"I don't know who she's talking about, and frankly, I don't want to know. Just let them know that Umbridge is looking, alright? I'll keep my ears open in case I hear more."

"Sure. And Greengrass-" He said as she opens the door to leave. "Thanks." He smiled when she looked back.

"Remember our deal, Potter." she said, waving to him before walking back out the door.

The detour with Daphne had cost him a few minutes, but by some miracle he was able to make it to the astronomy tower without any trouble, climbing out of the trapdoor just as period began.

"You okay?" Ron whispered once he took his seat, "What'd Greengrass want? She try to threaten you?"

"Not now." Harry replied, "I'll tell you and Hermione tonight. Suffice to say it's not good news."

"Hem, hem." A chilling voice said from the entryway in the middle of Professor Trelawney's lecture on the usage of incense to improve the accuracy of dream predictions. Harry inwardly groaned as he and the rest of the students turned around and saw Professor Umbridge standing in front of the trapdoor holding a clipboard in her right hand. "Good afternoon, Professor. "She smiled, walking to the front of the room, "I trust you received my letter, indicating the time and date of your inspection?"

Trelawney looked livid, but she didn't respond verbally. Instead, she gave a curt nod and continued the lecture, ignoring her as best she could. If Umbridge was angered by this treatment, she didn't show it. She seemed quite content to sit in Professor Trelawney's armchair, making an occasional note on her clipboard for a good portion of the class.

Harry couldn't help but notice, however, that she was almost went out of her way to glare at him with a wide smirk, rubbing it in that he wasn't able to hide from her just by dropping out of Defense.

"So, Professor." Umbridge smiled once the students had been left to their work, "How long have you been at this post?"

"Sixteen years this January." Trelawney replied proudly.

"Impressive. I'm sure that you must have really impressed Professor… Dumbledore, correct?" Umbridge continued, jotting something down as she went.

"I did." Trelawney replied, "He recognized, of course, that my talents warranted his personal attention."

"Ah, yes…" Umbridge nodded thoughfully as she continued the notes, "Your talent… I believe that your Great-Grandmother also possessed 'The sight'?"

"That's right." Trelawney said with a look of relief, "She's remembered as one of the greatest in all of history!"

"Of course she was." Umbridge hummed, but it sounded more like a stifled laugh, "Well, if I can just get a prediction, I'll be almost done here."

"I-I'm sorry?" Trelawney stuttered.

"A prediction." Umbridge repeated, "Surely you can predict something? For example, what is tomorrow's weather? Which house will have the lead for the house cup before dinner tonight? How long until Professor Hagrid returns? Pick whatever you like."

"T-The inner eye cannot be opened on a whim." trelawney said, taken aback by the remark.

"Yes, I see." Umbridge sighed, making yet another note, "Then I'll talk with a few students and-"

"W-Wait!" Trelawney called out fearfully, and Umbridge stopped a few feet away, "I can see something. I see… darkness. A storm of ill-intent, and you are its target! You are in grave danger! Flee, while you can! It will be upon you soon!"

"...Is that all?" Umbridge scoffed, "Surely you could predict something more believable than that. I hope you're simply feeling under the weather. It would be a shame to have to remove a fellow educator so soon after I start inspections." Ignoring her almost falling back into her chair, Umbridge moved her chair over to the other side of the room and sat with a few ravenclaws.

Harry clenched his fist angrily, but drove her out of his mind and focused on the work in front of him. she couldn't actually fire her over one failed prediction, could she?"

Before long, Umbridge got to her feet and smiled at Trelawney again, "I believe I have everything I need. You will receive the results of your inspection in ten days time. Good day."

Trelawney glared daggers at her when she climbed down the ladder, fingering her wand as though she were wondering if she could get away with throwing her off of it. As soon as the door closed, she started ranting for the remainder of class, vowing that Umbridge would not be the end of her and swearing to relish in Umbridge's sorrow when her predictions came true.

When class was finally over, Ron halfheartedly went to Defense Against the Dark Arts class while Harry returned to the common room to do his potions homework before he forgot. Snape might not have been his usual self the last few lessons, but he had no desire to invite the old Snape back by neglecting his work.

The essay was on the importance of temperature control in advanced potion making. Unlike with the practical application, Hag's Blood didn't help him understand the finer points of the theory, which meant he was forced to open a book and try to write up something resembling a proper essay.

After a half dozen rewrites and about an hour of cursing, Ron and Hermione returned from class and sat beside him at the table.

"Ow, my back." Ron groaned, stretching while he took out his 'Defensive Magical Theory' textbook, "You're lucky, Harry." Ron grumbled, "She must've realized people were treating her class like History of Magic, so she brought in these really uncomfortable chairs."

"Any idea how to make sense of this nonsense?" He asked Hermione hopefully, "I've been rereading his chapter for the last hour and a half, and I don't get it at all."

"But you were doing so well this morning!" Ron groaned, "I was hoping you could help me out with it!"

Harry handed him the empty bottle of hag's blood. Alucard had been kind enough to write a short list of the benefits that could be gained from each (and a few cons as well). From Hags, he got dream manipulation (used to hilarious result in History of Magic class to make Malfoy wet himself), near perfect recollection of potion recipes, as well as resistance to their effects, and retractable claws. It also mentioned fear and madness inducement, but those were a little too much, even for Malfoy.

"...That can't be fair." Hermione said, reading the bottle that was in Ron's hand.

"I figure it's safer to use it now then during an exam." Harry shrugged, "Besides, the effects are temporary. by tomorrow, i'll be using the book like everyone else."

"Wicked." Ron grinned, "But why didn't you save it for the OWLs? You could've gotten an O for sure!"

"That's cheating!" Hermione hissed, "using it for classwork is one thing, but that's-!"

"I'm on your side, Hermione." Harry assured her, and Ron sighed, handing the bottle back to him.

"Well, whatever." Ron said before his expression perked up, "Oh yeah. What'd Greengrass have to say?"

"Daphne Greengrass?" Hermione frowned, and Harry froze. He'd completely forgotten about Daphne's warning.

"On our way to Divination, she said she had to talk to Harry." Ron replied, "So what's the deal?"

"Right…" Harry said, looking around nervously. The rest of the common room was starting to fill up now that classes were over for the day, "Not here." He said, getting up and putting away his things, "Let's find someplace a bit more private."

Both of them looked worried, but they didn't say anything and followed him out of the common room.

The corridors weren't too crowded, but any chance of being overheard was too big a risk. Finally, they found an abandoned classroom on the sixth floor and slipped inside without anyone noticing.

"What's with the secrecy?" Ron asked once the door was shut.

"Greengrass and I made a deal." Harry replied, "She wants my help in case Malfoy's group tries anything."

"And?" Hermione asked once it was clear that that alone wasn't enough to warrant all this trouble.

"In return, she promised to pass along any information she gained from Umbridge." He replied, "Apparently, Umbridge knows there's another vampire at Hogwarts."

"What?!" Both his friends shouted, though Ron's voice actually echoed, and Harry was almost deafened from his enhanced hearing.

"I don't know how she knows, but she does." Harry sighed, sitting in one of the desks, "The good news is that she doesn't know who it is. Unfortunately, by now, she's probably enlisted all of Slytherin house to help her look."

"We've gotta do something!" Ron said immediately, "We've gotta warn Ginny! Or maybe Dumbledore?"

"Good idea." Harry nodded, thinking for a moment, "Hermione, go down to the third floor. Dumbledore's office is behind the gargoyle. The password is chocolate frog. Tell him what happened."

"Got it." she said, running out of the room.

"Ron, find the twins." He said, and Ron opened his mouth to protest, "Listen. I lent them the map. Use it to find Ginny."

"What about you?" Ron asked nervously.

"I'm going to look for her now." He responded, rushing out the door with Ron not far behind him.

While Ron ran to check Gryffindor tower for the twins, Harry quickly searched the entire fifth and sixth floor, leaving the seventh to Ron in case the twins weren't there. The first place he went on the fourth floor was the library, hoping that Ginny had gone there to study.

The place was just about packed, like it usually was, except for one table. Despite every other table being completely filled, there was only one person sitting in the back corner. He recognized the girl sitting there as Luna Lovegood. She looked up as soon as he came in and closed her book, gesturing to him at the same time.

"Hello, Harry Potter." she said, putting the book back into her bag, "It's nice to finally meet you. I want you to know that I won't judge you just because you're a vampire. In fact, my father and I had Rufus Scrimgeour over for tea when we were writing an interview with him."

"Hi, Luna." He said quickly, "Listen, have you seen Ginny? It's important."

"Of course I've seen Ginny." Luna smiled with the same dreamy expression as usual, "She might be a vampire, but she's not invisible, is she?"

Harry froze, "How did yo-"

"It really was cruel of Professor Umbridge to line the chair with blessed silver though." Luna continued without even acknowledging his question, "It was uncomfortable for us, but Ginny was in such pain… And when she asked for a new chair, Professor Umbridge gave her a dete-" Luna stopped talking when Harry sprinted out of the library with all the speed he could. A couple of people yelled after him, but he didn't even acknowledge them.

She found out. The thought that she could expose students to silver hadn't even crossed his mind, and now Ginny was paying for it. It was just after five, so Ginny was probably already in Umbridge's office…

Running even faster, he jumped over the banister and fell straight down to the third floor, then over another to land on the second floor. Her office door was only a few feet from where he landed, so he grabbed the doorknob. Instantly, his skin started to burn and he let go reflexively.

"More damn silver-!" Harry growled angrily, and kicked the door was all his strength. Rather than kicking it in, the door shattered completely. Umbridge and Ginny both jumped in shock.

"Potter." Umbridge said smugly, looking at the remains of her door, "Surely you could have knocked? I'm afraid that I'll have to give you another week's detention for th-"

Harry didn't even hear her. He walked up to Ginny, who was shaking by the desk. The familiar blood quill was back on the desk beside a sheet of parchment. His stomach turned when he saw the lines written in blood.

Lying Vampires deserve to be punished.

"W-What are you doing here?" She asked, "How did you even know I was here?"

"Sorry." He responded bitterly, "I should've told Dumbledore last week."

"Excuse me!" Umbridge hissed, "I will not be ignored!"

Harry looked over at her, and she recoiled. His usually green eyes were redder than the blood on the parchment.

"Come on, Ginny." He said, "Hermione's already gone to get Professor Dumbledore. She's done once we tell him about her detentions."

"I'm afraid that you're wrong about that, Mr. Potter." Umbridge laughed softly, reaching into her desk and removing a scroll of parchment, "Cornelius gave me this as insurance."

Harry snatched the scroll out of the air after she threw it, and unfurled it slowly.

Educational Decree Number 24:

All punishments within Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, whether student or faculty, are subject to review by the High Inquisitor.

"As long as I have that, Mr. Potter, I cannot be touched." She smiled, "Now, Ms. Weasley, sit down and continue. As for you, Mr. Potter-" With a wave of her wand, the remains of her door attempted to restore themselves, but the results was a half destroyed mess, so she banished it with another wave, "I think that a month of detentions and removal of privileges should teach you to interfere with your betters."

Harry glared angrily, grinding his teeth together so hard he could taste his own blood. The parchment in his hand was reduced to a fine powder. Ginny paled, looking at him pleadingly before walking silently back towards the desk.

Just like that, Umbridge would win. She wouldn't stop unless someone made her.

Unless he made her.

"No." Harry responded, grabbing Ginny's armmuch to her surprise..

"I'm sorry?" Umbridge asked with her toadlike grin.

"I said No." He repeated, and she giggled again.

"I see." she said, pulling out another piece of parchment, "In that case, I suppose I have no choice. If you're going to refuse to listen to your teachers, then I'm afraid you're no longer welcome at Hogwar-"

"The one who's not welcome here is you." Harry replied coldly, and she jumped back with her wand out,

"I will not be threatened by a beast like you!" She shouted, the tip of her wand glowing black, "I am Senior Undersecretary for the Minister! I am Dolores Umbridge!"

"You're the beast." Harry answered, his eyes glowing red. Suddenly, the entire world was engulfed in darkness.

"W-What is this!?" She roared, firing a curse where they'd been standing just a second ago. When she did, the room came back into focus and she breathed a sigh of relief.

But it wasn't her office.

She was standing in the atrium of the ministry, surrounded on all sides by creatures of all shapes and sizes. Giants and merfolk, vampires and werewolves, Goblins and veela, and a hundred other species she didn't even recognize. Every eye in the room was locked onto her, staring emotionlessly at her.

"Well!?" She shouted, frantically turning around to make sure that none of them tried anything, "Stay back! Make a path! I am Senior Undersecretary for the mi-"

"Human…" One of them whispered, and the rest followed its lead. The ominous chanting sent a chill down her spine, and they all took a single step forward.

"Bombarda!" She screamed, blowing a hole through them and running for the elevator. All of them ran after her, repeatedly chanting in a soft voice that still echoed all around her. Repeatedly slamming the button didn't call the elevator, and the approaching beasts weren't far behind her. In desperation, she ran for the stairs. At the end of the long flight of stairs, she saw the minister's office. Sighing in relief, she tried to open the door, only to find it locked.

"Cornelius! Open up!" She shouted, pounding on the door in front of her, but there was no sound on the other side and the creatures were coming at her faster and faster. Unwilling to wait with the monster right on her tail, she blasted the door down without another word. The inside was too dark to see anything, but she ran through without looking.

Suddenly, she was falling.

"Good evening." A low voice said from just behind her, and she spun around, coming face to face with a man dressed in entirely in red. A red fedora on top of his head hid most of his face from view, but she could just make out the rims of a pair of sunglasses over his eyes, "It seems you've finally reached the end of the line.

"What are you talking about!" She shot back, and her body jerked to a stop. Instantly, the darkness faded. In its place, she was suspended in the air high above the Hogwarts ground. Above the forest, even the birds and thestrals were frozen, as she was. There was nothing supporting her, and she couldn't move her body.

"Hatred has been your undoing." The man grinned, revealing a pair of savage fangs, "You despise part-humans so much, it was easy even for a complete novice to drive you out of your mind. They say your life flashes before your eyes as you die. Is it true?"

"What are you talking about?!" She repeated with a loud scream, and he chuckled.

"I've frozen your sense of time." He grinned, "Of course, it would be effortless for me to save you, but…"

"Then save me!" She screamed, and he removed his glasses.

"You want to live longer that much?" He asked softly, hisred eyes look back at her with unconcealed contempt, "Truly, you're a disgusting human being. But, as you wish. I'll prolong your life just a bit longer."

Hope flashed across her face, but only for a moment before the world once more descended into darkness.

All around her, she was again surrounded by beasts of all shapes and sizes, this time, they were all baring their teeth at her.

"You reap what you sow." He smirked as his body disappeared into the darkness, "You assaulted my fledgling, insulted Seras', and to top it all off, you caused the death of my master. This death is too good for you, but the boy gets first call to your filthy blood."

"Y-You said you'd save me!" Umbridge screeched, and the first of the beasts tore into her flesh. The pain was almost beyond imagination, but she could hear his response even over her earsplitting screams.

"No. I said I would prolong your life." He replied, "Every second will now last a hundred years. And I promise, you won't die from this. So savor the pain for the rest of your miserable life."

Umbridge couldn't stop screaming, even as they tore her apart, but no matter how brutally they attack her, she couldn't even die. For years on end, the beastly hoard tore the flesh from her bone, only for it to grow back in time to be destroyed again. When the end finally came, she was almost glad.

Mere minutes after he sent Miss Granger back to the common room to find Miss Weasley, Dumbledore heard a loud blast from the side of the building, and leapt to his feet. Immediately afterwards, he heard a terrifying scream echoing up from the outside. sticking his head outside the window, he looked down just in time to see the pink form hit the ground. Summoning his broom with a wave of his wand, he took off and soared down before the inevitable student body could arrive.

Touching down just beside her, he placed a finger to her neck, but as expected, she was dead.

Looking up, he could see that the source of the blast had been the fourth floor, in the library. Several students were looking down at him.

"Headmaster!" Professor Grubby-Plank said, rushing across the grounds with her wand out, looking nervousl around, "Is it Death Eaters? Are we under attack?"

"There is no attack." He shook his head, conjuring a barrier around Dolores' body to ensure that the evidence would be protected, "However, I need you to stay here until the aurors arrive."

"Aurors?" she frowned, then her eye fell to the body and she gasped, dropping her wand in shock, "Is that..?"

"It is." He said grimly, mounting his broom again.

"How could this have..." She whispered to herself, and he answered her before she finished.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." He said, kicking off the ground. The students who gathered around the hole in the wall of the library took a few steps back to allow him to land, and Madam Pince shuffled to the front of them.

"Headmaster!" she said quickly, "Professor Umbridge, she-"

"Breathe, Irma." He said, setting his broom aside on the wall. Turning to address the students, he cleared his throat, "Everyone, I'm afraid that the library is closed for the remainder of the night, All of you, please return to your common rooms. If you have any concerns, please address them to your head of house or myself. Madam Pomfrey will also be available to any students in need."

The crowds dispersed surprisingly quickly for a Hogwarts crowd, though the fact that someone just died likely contributed it.

"Now, please tell me everything that happened." He said, taking a seat at the table and offering the opposite seat to the school librarian.

"There wasn't anything out of the ordinary." She shook her head, "Then, all of the sudden, Professor Umbridge came running in, looking positively ghastly. She started pounding on the wall, shouting something about Cornelius, then, she just blasted a hole in the wall and walked off. We tried to stop her, but there was just no time…"

"This is not your fault, Irma." Dumbledore assured her, and she nodded her head. Her entire body was shaking, and it took her a few seconds to continue.

"After she…. I kept the students back and sent a message to your office and Madam Pomfrey just in case she could…"

Dumbledore shook his head grimly, "There is nothing anyone could do. She died on impact."

"What now?" Madam Prince asked, glancing at the wall.

"Please go to Professor McGonagall. let her know what happened." He answered, getting up again, "I need to report this to the Ministry. Professor McGonagall will take charge while I'm away."

"Yes sir." She responded, running out the door to find the deputy head.

With the immediate plans for the school already underway, he had a much more dangerous undertaking. Dolores Umbridge might have been the scum of the earth, but she was not without her allies, and such a sudden suicide was completely out of character for her. He wouldn't be the only person to jump to the obvious conclusion.

There was no doubt that Fudge would hold this against Harry, no matter how little evidence there was to work with. If he didn't play his cards exactly right, Fudge could use this as the excuse he needs to assign a new headmaster. If that happened, it was the students who would suffer most of all.

"Dobby." He said calmly, and the elf apparated behind him.

"Master Longbeard." He bowed with an affectionate nickname.

"Dobby, I'm going to be out for a while. Please watch Harry for me." He instructed calmly, "And have Winky watch Ginny Weasley."

"Master Harry and the Lady Weasley?" Dobby asked, "Whatever for, sir?"

"Protection." He answered, conjuring a cloak, "You have full authority to act as you see fit in the course of the task."

"Understood!" Dobby said happily, "I will tell Winky immediately."

Leaving the elf to his assigned task, he returned to his office and through the floo to the ministry.

"Harry, what happened?!" Hermione asked as soon as Professor McGonagall herded her, along with the twins, Ron, and another group of students, into the common room, "Professor McGonagall said that the school was in lockdown. She said that Umbridge was-"

"Hermione." Ron said sharply, jerking his head towards the rest of the common room, all of whom were hanging on her every word.

"It's true." Katie Bell said softly, drawing everyone's attention, "She used an exploding curse on the wall of the library and jumped."

"She really was mental." Lee shook his head, "Must've finally cracked."

Most of them muttered their agreement with Lee's assessment, but the twins were silent. Instead, they looked at Ginny, who was sitting in the corner, away from prying eyes and ears.

"What could've happened, though?" One of the fourth year girls asked her friend.

"Ginny, didn't you have detention with her?" Romilda Vane asked Ginny, and thankfully, everyone turned away from Hermione and the Weasleys who looked shocked. Both the twins clenched their fists in frustration, something that didn't escape Harry's notice.

So Hermione had told them exactly what Umbridge's detention consisted of.

"Is that true, Ginny?" Parvati asked her immediately, oblivious to the other Weasley's reactions.

"...Yeah." Ginny mumbled, , "She just… ran out of the room."

"Weird." Lee shrugged, "But maybe we'll actually get a teacher next time."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Lavender Brown frowned, "Unless Professor Dumbledore finds someone else to teach, Fudge can appoint whoever he wants thanks to that Educational Decree."

While everyone was busy discussing Umbridge's abrupt suicide, Harry slipped upstairs unnoticed by everyone but the Weasleys and Hermione, all of whom were gathered around Ginny.

On the summit of the mountain overlooking Hogwarts, a tall woman let out a small laugh as the authorities investigated the incident.

"So, you've finally made it back, Count." she grinned, "Finally… I've waited half a century to have my revenge."

"Milady." A man said, apparating behind her and kneeling, "Regarding Madam Umbridge's death-"

"Sweep it under the rug, Rufus." She ordered.

"My lady, I can't cover it up so easily. Madam Bones and the Minister would never allow-"

She stopped him by gripping him by the throat as tightly as she could without killing him. His eyes widened and he struggled desperately to pry her finger from his neck to no avail.

"I didn't ask if it was easy." She said, staring back into his panicked eyes, "I told you to do it. Remember, I can take your immortal life as easily as I gave it to you. Do not question me again."

Letting him go, he started taking deep breathes immediately. "Yes… ma'am." He gasped, "I will close the investigation as quickly as possible."

"Very good." She smiled coldly, staring back at the school as he disappeared again, "I've already taken your master. Who should I take from you next, Count? Your protégé, your fledgling, or the boy?"

I hope that the death scene was good enough for you guys. It changed quite a bit from how I originally envisioned it, but frankly I like this way better this way. For those of you hoping Harry would drink her blood, sorry, but I don't think Harry would have enjoyed having a stomach ache for the next week.

Next chapter (Whenever that is, since I've given up trying to give you a timeframe), Harry deals with the fallout of Umbridge's death, Alucard will probably pay him (and possibly Ginny) another visit, and there might be a clue as to the identity of the mystery woman at the end of this chapter. Hint: If you're familiar with the Dracula's legend, you might know a few possibilities.

So, until then, go ahead and review. Believe me, without them, this chapter wouldn't have gotten written for another year and a half.