Background Check, and Preparing to “Bug Out”
Ministry of Magic, Anti-Animagus Holding Cell, 10:30 AM, Monday, June 26, 1995
As he and Tonks (as the Junior Auror preferred to be called) neared the lifts that only visited the Ministry levels with Detention Cells, Kingsley Shacklebolt quietly said, ”Finite”, ending the Notice-Me-Not Charms on himself, Tonks and their new prisoner, Dolores Umbridge. While it wasn’t unusual for Aurors to be seen bringing Wizards and Witches into custody, the Senior Auror didn’t want to cause a riot by prematurely exposing the identity of this one; she was universally disliked by her co-workers and subordinates, some of whom were actually Halfbloods and Muggleborns. Fortunately, the area around the lifts was currently deserted.
”Mr. Shacklebolt, Ms. Tonks! I see we’ve gotten an early start this week!” Celestina Cooper, the Morning Shift Head Guard on duty, greeted them. “Let me…Merlin’s Beard!” she exclaimed, as she spotted Umbridge’s signature pink garb.
”It gets better,” Tonks wryly replied, as she displayed Dolores’s Dark Mark.
”Oh, this is too good to be true!” Cooper—a Muggleborn who had no use for Umbridge’s prejudices whatsoever—was almost giddy. Taking a moment to settle down, and seeing her prisoner’s Magic-Suppressing Handcuffs, the Head Guard ventured a guess. “Anti-Animagus cell, Auror Shacklebolt?” Celestina asked, hopefully.
”Those were the Minister’s instructions…,” Kingsley gladly confirmed. “…by the way, those are his ‘cuffs. Please do us all a favor, though, and administer another dose of Veritaserum, before our interrogation.”
“Another dose?!” Cooper said. “This day is getting better and better!” She passed the Potion around to the Aurors—who both confirmed the contents—then re-dosed the Death Eater. After this, there were parchments, accounting for the Potion’s use, to be filled out and filed, as well parchment-work for a pair of wands…for Cooper and Tonks’s examination of Umbridge uncovered a second wand, identified as coming from Knockturn Allley.
”Dumbledore’s going to love this!” Kingsley predicted. He and Cooper chuckled, when Tonks made a similar prediction about Fudge.
~~~~~
Only after giving the wand-less Umbridge the second dose of Veritaserum, then securing her in the cell, Transforming her clothes into standard black-and-white prisoner garb, and finally having Cooper activate the necessary Wards, did the Senior Auror nod to his subordinate. ”Ennervate!” declared Tonks.
As Dolores Umbridge, former Senior Undersecretary to Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, awakened, she blinked while taking in her surroundings, and realized she was in serious trouble, especially when the interrogation began.
”What is your full name?” Head Guard Cooper asked.
”Dolores Jane Umbridge,” the Witch replied warily.
”When were you born?”
After a brief, blushing hesitation, Umbridge confessed, “August 26th…1961.” As she remembered what she’d inadvertently said in Fudge’s office, Dolores was terrified that, at only 33 years old, she was seeing her entire future crumble before her eyes. Her fears were quickly confirmed when the Aurors, after Cooper’s departure, took over the interrogation.
”Tell us about your time at Hogwarts, Madam Umbridge,” Shacklebolt “requested”. Both Aurors would have memories of the confession, to fuel Pensieves for decades; however, Junior Auror Tonks was tasked with also taking down Umbridge’s statement manually. Both Aurors were shocked by the prisoner’s words….
~~~~~
Umbridge spoke first of her hatred toward her Muggle mother, and her shock—yet pride—of actually being Sorted into Slytherin as a Halfblood. (She’d been hearing rumors, onboard the Hogwarts Express, that only Purebloods were allowed into the House of the Snakes.)
Early on, her Head of House, Horace Slughorn, had feelings of déjà vu that Umbridge would eventually become as dangerous as former Head Boy Tom Riddle, the Wizard who later emerged as Lord Voldemort. (Unbeknownst to Dolores, Slughorn had tried to block the path she seemed to be taking, by never naming her as a Prefect, or nominating her to be Head Girl…which only added to her anger and determination.)
At 16, though, the Slytherin acquired her Apparition License long before the Christmas break, shocking and even scaring Slughorn. Soon after, Umbridge joined Voldemort’s Death Eaters. After finding alternate ways to leave the Hogwarts castle and grounds, Dolores secretly met with Voldemort, who first identified her as an Animagus—her form turned out to be a poisonous Common Toad—and then started training her how best to use that form.
While she’d never intentionally killed anyone in either human or Toad form (although a couple of Wizards had met untimely deaths, due to mishandling the amphibian, during some of her early Transformations), Umbridge was forced, during the interrogation, to confess that she had, in fact, been sent to help infiltrate the Ministry, with the ultimate goal of killing both Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter…and, most likely, Cornelius Fudge.
~~~~~
Ministry of Magic, Animagus Registration Department, 11:00 AM
”How am I supposed to meet the Minister’s requirement that I get this done by Noon today?” bemoaned Rita Skeeter, as she gazed upon the crowded room full of young Wizards and Witches, all waiting to speak to the two people—one Witch and one Wizard—who were in charge of registering new Animagi. Rita—whose alternate form was a beetle—never suspected that so many others had the ability…and dealt with it legally.
”If you’re still in the Waiting Room at 11:45, I’ll just run back to Minister Fudge’s office…,” began Bill Weasley…but he never had the chance to finish….
”There’s no need for that, Big Brother,” interrupted Percy confidently. Bill and Rita chuckled, as the younger Weasley then puffed his chest, and donned an air of superiority, as easily as donning his robes.
Stepping up to the Witch at the desk, Percy assumed the same officious attitude that he’d initially developed at home, in self-defense among the wildness of the Weasley boys (especially the twins). This attitude was what had initially landed him under Minister Fudge’s “wing”, since Cornelius’s attitude (until two nights ago, at least) had matched Percy’s; it was as if the man was looking at a younger version of himself.
”Minister Fudge himself has asked me to ensure we get a quick registration of this woman…Class 2,” Percy said, before stepping aside to indicate Rita.
After blinking in surprise at the statement…and the woman Percy’d indicated, the Witch stuttered, “Oh…uh…of course, Mr. Weasley. Right this way, Ms. Skeeter….”
As Percy turned back to his companions, he first gave Rita an encouraging wink of the eye, at which the Animagus relaxed visibly. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as bad as she’d feared….
The twinkle now in Percy’s eye caused Bill to actually drag his younger brother out of the office, and into the empty hallway, where they both collapsed in laughter.
~~~~~
”Oh, Perce…that was priceless!” Bill gasped out, after he’d stopped laughing, and caught his breath.
”It was fun, too!” Percy replied, enjoying the feeling, and wiping tears of mirth from his own eyes. “Oh, before you ask, ‘Class 2’ means an unregistered Animagus has been identified…self-confessed, in fact, and the authorities are not to be involved.”
”How long should this take?” Bill asked.
”Well, there’s still a stack of forms to fill out, of course, and pictures to be taken, but we should be able to give Cornelius a good report by 11:45,” was Percy’s first prediction.
”Five Galleons says someone from this office will be called down to the Holding Cells, today, to do the same with Umbridge, except she’ll be a ‘Class 5’, the highest level. That means automatic Azkaban, for at least three years, on top of what she’ll get for being a Death Eater,” he continued.
”Hopefully, she’ll never know the difference,” Bill said, making a “smooching” sound. “Shall we make it 10 Galleons?” He held out his hand….
Percy laughed again. “I withdraw the bet!” he chuckled, realizing he’d forgotten their recent discovery about the Witch. “How about we go to my office while we wait? I’ve got some things to get rid of….”