Chapter 10
"Did you really get attacked by Dementors?" Blaise demanded as he sat down next to Harry.
He hadn't managed to be alone until the weekend. Luckily, most people were avoiding him. That was the only upside to everyone thinking he was a liar.
"Yes," Harry said blankly. Blaise gave him a worried look. "I'm-"
He tried to say he was fine, but the words stuck in his throat. Harry knew Blaise wouldn't believe him anyway, given they had the same "I'm-not-being-abused" mask.
Blaise studied him for a moment. Then he said, "Which Muggle witnessed the Dementor?"
"My cousin, Dudley."
"But he knows about magic, don't the Ministry know that?"
Harry snorted. "They were also supposed to send Aurors to check what was going on, given I used a spell that can only be used in self-defense, but as I'm the Boy-Who-Lies...."
Blaise swore in Italian. "What happened with the trial?"
"I let Dumbledore deal with the shite," Harry shrugged. "I did have two back-up plans in case he couldn't save me, but this is his bloody fault. He brought in a witness, my Squib neighbor Mrs. Figg, but she didn't actually come in until after the Dementors were gone."
Blaise frowned. "Squibs can see Dementors?"
"Apparently. Even if they can't see them, they can feel them," Harry added. "They barely believed her, though."
"Well, maybe you should write a letter to Director Bones," Blaise suggested. "She's a fair woman, and was neutral in the war. You can ask her about the Aurors failing to check up on you. I think you should use my owl, though, your snowy owl is a bit noticeable."
"Yeah," Harry said absently, scratching his nose with his left hand. Blaise froze. "Wha- oh, fuck."
"Harry," Blaise said, with a very calm voice, "who is making you use a Blood Quill?"
"Is that what those bloody things are called?" Harry muttered. "I got detention with Umbridge the night after the opening feast."
"What?! Teachers never do that!" Blaise growled. "And Blood Quills are illegal for a reason! Even the worst of those on the Dark side don't use them! The Dark Lord doesn't use them! And on a child?????"
"Why are they illegal?" Harry asked slowly.
"Prolonged use leads to blood loss and eventually death," Blaise said automatically. "And if you're writing the same message over an over, like apparently that bitch made you do, it becomes like an Imperious Curse or a compulsion."
"What's a compulsion?"
"A kind of magic that makes you do one thing you would usually never do, and makes your brain believe it's natural," Blaise said sourly. "Those are also very illegal, especially with minors."
Harry growled in annoyance. "I don't trust any of the adults, and Dumbledore is currently ignoring me, for some reason."
"I think in this case," Blaise said, "the Dark Lord would take care of it for you."
Harry blinked. "He hates Blood Quills that much?!"
"Yes."
"Bloody fuck."
"Yeah."
"Could I borrow your owl for that?" Harry asked. "I don't want to use a school owl, and I don't want Hedwig anywhere near him."
Blaise smirked.
Dear Lord Voldemort,
I normally wouldn't write to you, but someone told me you hate Blood Quills enough to stop them being used against me. Well, Dolores Umbitch isn't just making me use them. I saw a couple of other people hiding their left hands. She's making them write the same thing over and over.
She's also not letting us actually use magic, and the magic she's teaching us isn't helpful in self-defense at all.
From,
The Boy-Who-Wouldn't-Die
Potter,
Just because I'm getting rid of the woman doesn't mean I'm not going to kill you.
The Dark Lord Voldemort
"LUCIUS!"
Lucius approached the Dark Lord quickly but carefully. "M-my Lord?"
"You recommended Dolores Umbridge as the Defense professor, did you not?" the Dark Lord hissed, looking infuriated.
"Y-yes-"
"She's using Blood Quills on CHILDREN," his master snarled, causing every Death Eater in the room to gasp in horror and anger. "Tell the Minister to appoint someone else, and to arrest her! NOW!"
Lucius bolted. He was so lucky his wife wasn't in the room.
"Lucius, what is it?" Cornelius asked in surprise when he entered the office, a look of dread on his face.
"My son just sent me a letter," Lucius rasped. "Dolores is using Blood Quills on multiple students."
Cornelius blanched.
"And my wife found out," Lucius lied.
The Minister looked horrified. He was well aware of Narcissa's terrifying protectiveness of children.
"We can't just immediately arrest her," Lucius insisted. "We need to gather more evidence. Let's tell the Heads of Houses first, but not Dumbledore, and have them find out how many children were affected, discreetly."
"Yes, of course," Cornelius said quickly. "But who should I appoint instead?"
"My wife," Lucius said after a pause. "She actually received her Defense NEWT, and would have gotten a Mastery had she not chosen to pursue a Healing Mastery instead."
"Dolores didn't get a NEWT in Defense?"
"And barely passed her OWL."
The Minister cursed. "Of course. And I think I'll send you and a few Board members to inspect the other teachers, as well."
"It might not be best to send me," Lucius cautioned. "We don't want to antagonize Dumbledore. Perhaps just send Penelope Macmillian, Buster Abbot, Vivian Selwyn, and Alexander Fawley; they were neutral in the war."
As far as Dumbledore was aware, of course; Alexander and Vivian had been and still were part of the Outer Circle.
"Yes, that might be best," Cornelius agreed thoughtfully, although he was still a little pale. "I would ask that you not tell your wife that I chose Dolores."
"I told her during the summer," Lucius admitted. The Minister's face lost all color. "I will have to deal with her wrath later, too, Cornelius." He shuddered; that woman was more terrifying than the Dark Lord when it came to protecting children....
"LUCIUS ABRAXAS MALFOY!"
"Why isn't Umbitch in Azkaban?" Harry asked, outraged.
"She claimed it wasn't her intention to hurt children," Blaise sneered, "and that she wasn't going to use them repeatedly."
"HAH!"
"She probably also blackmailed several of the judges," Blaise added darkly. He called Umbridge something foul in Italian.
"At least Professor Malfoy is actually helping us," Harry said with a sigh. "She's actually really awesome."
"Don't tell Heir Malfoy that, he'll get a bigger head than he already has," Blaise snickered. Harry laughed.