The Past Can Hurt - Book 1: Philosopher's Stone

If one could look at Umbridge right this second, you’d see her pacing, left, right, left, right.

You’d hear her obnoxiously pink heels clicking along the stone corridor.

You’d see her face in a permanent snarl, not too dissimilar to Professor Snape’s, at the thought of the Potter Brat, and yes, it needs to be capitalised.

You see, all Umbridge could think of was ways to teach the Potter Brat a lesson. The Quills just weren’t working, and she needed something to permanently silence him.

Now the seventh floor is where Umbridge just so happens to be pacing. Do you see where I’m going with this?

She also is pacing alongside a specific wall that so happens to have the door to the Room of Requirement. 

With all the thinking of permanently silencing the Potter Brat, a door appears.

Startled is the word Umbridge wouldn’t want you to think about how she reacted to the door appearing. No, she was simply surprised, and her curiosity overwhelmed her enough to enter without caution, not that she needed it. No, all there was, was a desk, several books and a couple of letters, one addressed to her.

She sat at that desk and opened the letter.

Umbridge hastily put her letter down and tried opening the blank books that had nothing other than numbers upon them. She then tried the letters to Harry Potter and The Population of Hogwarts but couldn’t open them. She picked her letter back up.

In response, Umbridge taps her 8’’ birch wand onto the letter with a clear “Yes!”

The letter goes on to tell Umbridge a plan, a brilliant plan.

Umbridge cackles with an evil grin at the plan to show who the actual Harry Potter is. It was so brilliant it could never go wrong.

The next day, Umbridge begins to execute The Plan. She begins by informing the Minister that a select group of people from the Ministry will be needed at Hogwarts on a specific day, the day before Hallowe’en. 

Next, she implements a few new Educational Decrees; No Students are allowed without all four Heads of House and the Defence Against the Dark Arts Permission.

Now, students were kept from leaving.

All students must eat in the Great Hall for ALL meals.

She’d seen students from all Houses missing for meals, including Harry Potter. Now they’ll all be there when it’s time.

Students must be present at all lessons.

That Brat was skipping her lessons. She had to do something, this one wasn’t a part of The Plan, but she had to. How else was she supposed to give him detentions for lying?

It was time.

The Golden Trio sat at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast, well Hermione and Ron were eating, and Harry was falling asleep. His head drops as his body finally falls asleep, his head almost going into the bowl of cereal. The only stopping him is that Ron catches his head in his hand. 

"Harry?" 

"Hmm? Wha' 'Mione?" 

"Do you want to spend the night in the Chamber?" 

Harry looks up at Hermione with tired emerald green eyes and dark purple circles underneath, "all three?" 

"Yeah, mate, all three of us. You, me and ‘Mione."

"'Kay. 'M sleep now." 

As Hermione goes to reply to Harry, a sudden quiet goes across the hall as everybody watches the short toad-like thing dressed in a bright pink outfit stand at the front of the room with a smile, "Hem Hem. Thank you. You may have heard what Mr Potter has stated about You-Know-Who being back. Hem Hem. This is a lie. A lie in which I’ll be able to prove wrong with these books.”

Everybody suddenly notices the stack of books in front of Umbridge.

“Hem Hem. These books will reveal the truth about everything. The truth about Harry Potter! Hem Hem. But first, a couple of letters came with these books that must be read. There is hem hem, unfortunately, a letter for Potter and for the whole of Hogwarts. Hem Hem. I’ve also already invited the Minister and selected Ministry employees to arrive in an hour.”

The letter to Harry floats over to the tired young boy, who sighs deeply before opening it up. He skims it briefly before looking up to see everybody looking at him.

Fortunately, even a tired Harry is a smart Harry. As he reads, ‘when the books are read, you’ll, unfortunately, be affected by what’s happening in the books. When in pain in the books, you’ll feel that pain in real time. Your emotions won’t be affected, nor if you fainted or been put to sleep. No damage will appear, and it only lasts as long as that section is being read’. Harry hands the letter to Ron and Hermione, who looks shocked and upset about him being in more pain any more than he already has.

The Hall doors burst open as the following letter floats over to Dumbledore. The Minister: Cornelius Fudge, Percy Weasley, Amelia Bones, Kingsley Shackelbolt, Alastor ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy.

“Hem Hem. Just in time, Minister! We have one last letter to read, and then we’ll begin!”

A group of chairs appear at the Staff table.

Dumbledore opens the letter and begins to read;

A splattering of light gathers at the entrance of the Great Hall, and everyone named who wasn’t already there appears. The only people not there were the Dursleys when a whale and a giraffe suddenly fell from the sky.

No, wait, it’s just Vernon and Petunia Dursley.

Pop!

Ah, there’s Dudley, holding a House Elf's hand. Why? We don’t know.

Dumbledore smiles at them all, “welcome! We were just reading this letter and then beginning the reason we’re all here! Take a seat! Take a seat!”

Snuffles ran at Harry, jumping into his arms and licking his face.

Harry just blinked at the large black dog, then looked at Ron and Hermione, “there’s a dog on me.”

Suddenly a hand pats his shoulder. Harry looks at it, seeing the white scars on lightly tanned white skin. He follows the arm up to the owner's face, Remus!

“‘Fessor! Your dog. S’on my lap. ‘Mione 'm tired.” Harry's face plants into Snuffle's fur, and he hears Ron stifle his laughter.

While this happens, Vernon’s face has been slowly turning purple, and Petunia’s a ghastly white. 

“Pet! Pet! There are Freaks everywhere!”

Vernon spots Harry. He glares and starts storming towards him when he and Petunia appear at an empty table on the other side of the hall from Harry and a silencing charm on them so no one can hear him scream.