Personally she didn't like having to play the games of extortion and blackmail, but in the Ministry of Magic it was the only way to survive all the internal politics and daily backstabbing that was common practise.
...
The office itself was totally opposite to her own, furnished with over-the-top displays of wealth, even a new golden framed portrait of the Minister hanging from the wall, looking like some conquering hero of old.
Naturally, as an experienced Ministry official she was no push over when it came to the dirty inner workings of politics, otherwise she would have been removed a long time ago from her coveted position as Head of Magical Law Enforcement and replaced with someone far more flexible and amenable to being bribed. The Minister's office said one thing to her about the man, he was weakness and greed personified. She disapprovingly eyed the golden frame.
As a matter of pragmatism, she knew that the Minister had to put on a display of power and prestige, since he was greeting and dealing with foreign ambassadors on a regular basis. But this was just too much! It wasn't refined or subtle or tastefully elegant either; this lack of subtlety actually did the opposite, it implied weakness, that the Minister had to overcompensate with ostentatious displays of wealth to show his importance and power, rather than just allowing his title and personal bearing to achieve the desired result with a tiny bit of staging help.
Then there was his toad-like Senior Undersecretary, someone who she personally thought had far too much power and too little oversight for her position, and the totally wrong attitude for the job. But that was standard operating procedure for the Ministry, where most of the high level people got their jobs based on connections and personal favours they or their family's held, rather than skill or personal merit.
One of the main reasons she disliked Madam Umbridge so much was that the simple minded witch was often the voice encouraging the easily led Minister to create tougher anti-creature laws, due to her prejudiced beliefs concerning the inferiority of the so called 'half breeds.'
It was this kind of stupidity that she loathed most, since it would be her and her aurors that were meant to keep the delicate peace with a pitiful budget. Whilst she was willing to admit tougher rules were often a good thing, long experience told her that you also needed a carrot, an incentive to encourage people to behave, rather than just using the stick to enforce the law. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Magic was all about using the stick, sometimes it seemed like that was all it knew.
Thankfully, discussing new legislation and amendments to existing law wasn't the purpose of this meeting; the Minister actually wanted an update on her department's efforts to catch Pettigrew. Once more checking herself over, she straightened out her dark red Auror robes, whilst repositioning her gold badge on her upper chest. It had the words 'Head of Law Enforcement' engraved prominently under the scales of justice.
Entering the Minister's private office, she purposefully walked over to the man's desk whilst ignoring the offered seat; she just wanted to get this meeting over and done with as quickly as possible. "You wanted to see me Minister?" She asked dryly, as she noticed the slippery Lord Malfoy sitting peacefully in the corner, faking boredom and disinterest in her, but she knew better.
"Oh yes, has there been any progress in catching that Pettigrew fellow?" Fudge asked, as she noticed the Minister's ever widening belly.
Ignoring the presence of Lord Malfoy, she gave her rehearsed response, "Yes, last night we almost caught him thanks to an anonymous tip; he barely managed to escape us this time. He escaped by shifting into his rat animagus form and fleeing into the muggle sewerage system. We tried to track him, but there were hundreds of the rats down there," she lied whilst turning her nose as if in disgust.
She now knew that Lord Malfoy had manipulated the Minister into asking these questions for him, to reveal any information his own hidden informers throughout the Ministry hadn't been able to find. "We know he's getting desperate and is running low on gold; I personally expect he'll be caught by the end of the month, unless he goes to ground."
"That's good news," the weak willed Minister proclaimed, a smile growing on his chubby face. "See Lucius, there is no need to release the dementors from their guard duties, Madam Bones here has the situation well in hand," he praised.
"Thank you Minister. If you would excuse me, I need to get back to my department," she stated, in a business-like fashion.
"Of course my dear," the Minister offered magnanimously before waving her off.
She fought the near overwhelming urge to smirk in triumph as she quickly escaped the office before she could be asked any more questions. She studiously ignored Madam Umbridge who tried to stop her, since she had no time for the Minister's lackeys, especially not today. She was a woman on a mission, a mission to bring justice and order to a lawless magical world.
...
( Hogwarts Library )
"Neville Longbottom must leave Hogwarts!" Dobby exclaimed to the Gryffindor, trying to make the young boy understand the danger he was in without revealing his master's evil intentions. "Hogwarts is not safe for you!"
"Tell me elf, tell me what you know, who is your master? Stop speaking in riddles!" the young Gryffindor demanded, as he fought the urge to disappear.
"Hogwarts is not safe!" he said, as he jumped up on the desk, accidentally knocking off some library books as well as a full inkwell in the process. "Bad master wants you dead," the slave bond compelled that he throw himself into a bookshelf in punishment for revealing his master's intentions.
"Tell me who your master is!" the Boy-Who-Lived demanded, his voice steadily rising. "And I'll stop him."
"I can't," he said miserably, as he fought the slave bond's urging that he return to his home. "Hogwarts is not safe," he repeated once again, desperately wanting the boy to go home and be safe.
"You already told me that! Tell me something useful elf!" Neville shouted in annoyance, his voice echoing around the library.
Clicking his fingers, he faded from sight just as a scary looking witch appeared around the bookshelves, "What are you shouting about Mr. Longbottom? This is a library, not the Great Hall. What have you done to those books, you hooligan?!" Madam Prince screeched, her accusing finger pointing at the ripped and torn library books lying around the floor in the slowly spreading spilled ink.
"I didn't do it, a house elf did!" Neville protested.
"Of course, a house elf did it, and I'm a fresh flesh eating ghoul!" the enraged librarian said with a mighty dose of ridicule. "Detention this Saturday. I'll be speaking to your head of house as well to discuss additional punishment."
"I didn't do it, I swear!" Neville voiced in protest, as Dobby faded back to his home, feeling the strong need to punish himself.
...
"So you agree then?" Harry asked Daphne, the Slytherin pushing her long, blonde hair out of her eyes as he leaned against a teacher's desk, in an old, disused classroom. The school was practically littered with these abandoned classrooms, showing just how far magical Britain had fallen.
A predatory smile appeared on Daphne's features, one that told him there would most certainly be a price for her assistance, but he expected no less from her. "Yes, but I require a favour in return."
He gave his own smile, "Naturally. I never expected you to do it for free, but what did you have in mind then?"
"I don't know yet, give a girl some time to think," she countered with a huff.
Knowing that he really shouldn't agree to anything without some idea what he was agreeing to, he was confident that Daphne's favour wouldn't be too demanding. She knew how the game of favors was played. "Fine," he sighed in agreement, grateful that his friend had agreed to be his eyes and ears within the school whilst he was 'gone.'
"Are you going to tell Padma?" Daphne asked, as he moved to leave the abandoned classroom.
He hesitated a second before giving his answer. "No."
"Any reason why? She is your best friend after all," Daphne pushed, trying to understand his decision.
It took him a moment to realize Daphne's game; she wanted to know where she ranked within Harry's group of friends. "Padma, whilst she is a very good friend, can't lie all that well. Someone will figure it out, probably her twin, Parvati.
She, in turn, will spill the beans to Lavender, and from there the whole school knows. Plus her reaction to my 'death' needs to be realistic, genuine distress would be ideal if this whole thing is to be believed," he explained to Daphne. "Unlike you, I trust you can both keep this secret as well as not give away that it's all staged by your reaction. With your cold persona, no one will question your lack of emotions in public."
"That means you won't be telling Tracy either, or Blaise for that matter," she noted to herself.
...
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