Sacking that Silvery-Haired Man . . . by Ron x Hermione
Chapter Notes: This is an . . . odd side of Umbridge. It was written for an informal challenge on the forums. It’s also for the Spring Term challenge.
NOTE: I do not own Dumbledore and Umbridge. They are the rightful property of J.K. Rowling and associates.
NOTE: I'm not sure if I'm putting this in the right place . . . if not, then could you please redirect me? Thank you very much for your time and modliness!
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They stalked past each other every day, neither one having the courage to tell the other how they felt.
As she walked down the deep, dark, intricate hallways of Hogwarts, she thought about her days at the school, and how she had enjoyed them immensely. She took pride in her numerous tortures of Harry Potter, supposedly the Boy Who Lived. He had had his last detention with her the night before, and she couldn’t say that she was happy about it. That boy deserved quite a bit more than a few detentions to set him right in the head. She had taken complete satisfaction to the numerous nights he had come to her that week, always leaving with a fresh, bloody hand from his endless writing. She had known what the quill would do to him- that was why she had always given him that exact one. Harry Potter was one of the people that she disliked on the spot; he was disruptive, and she felt that he just wanted attention for his scar.
She had just finished sacking that hag, Trelawney. Trelawney had been worthless to the school, and had had too much knowledge for the Ministry’s liking. Even though she wasn’t a true Seer, Professor Trelawney had heard things- too many secrets- for her own good. She had been sent packing just minutes before and, to say the least, she hadn’t left quietly. But, of course, the former teachers that had been there much longer than her, mainly Minerva, had challenged her, and Trelawney had eventually been able to stay, but had been revoked of her teaching position. She had been ordered to fire Trelawney from the beginning, but she hadn’t wanted to appear too suspicious towards Dumbledore.
Dumbledore.
She didn’t know what to think of him.
She knew that she had to hate him; it was her job to get rid of him. She had been hired to sack all of the teachers that came even close to resembling someone that would even try and overthrow the Ministry. It was her duty to find all of those teachers, and Trelawney had not met her mark. Her teaching skills weren’t the best, either. Everyone knew that Hagrid would probably be her next victim, but only she knew the truth.
She focused on Dumbledore more than she should have, she knew, but when she got a look at that long, silvery hair, and heard that deep, soft voice, she had to scold herself.
”You’re supposed to be trying to get him sacked!” she screamed inwardly, walking past the stone gargoyle next to the opening to Dumbledore’s office. She stopped dead, daydreaming into the dark hallway.
She thought of that every night . . . going up there- in his office- just one time . . . She let her mind drift off into a peaceful and satisfying daydream . . .
“STOP IT!” she nagged again, closing her eyes. She took a deep breath, and then slowly let it out.
She had to stop thinking of the old man that way. It was completely unethical- her job would be risked if she started a relationship with him.
But who was to say that he hadn’t thought of her that way?
She shook her head again as she rounded the arched corner to go on to the staff’s dormitories. She nearly almost ran into Him.
“Dumbledore,” she said tartly, in her girly, high-pitched voice, stepping back.
He stopped at the sight of her. “Dolores. You know that you can call me Albus.”
“Well, Dumbledore,” she argued, completely ignoring his last sentence, “It’s not in the Ministry’s best interest for me to get friendly with this staff. I’m just here to keep you all up to standard in teaching here.”
“I don’t approve of you firing my teachers, Dolores. They are all like family to me, and to see them being treated this way is not to my taste.”
Am I to your taste?
She shook her head once again and closed her eyes. Dumbledore looked at her oddly. Before he could say something, she continued, “Well, as you can see, Dumbledore-” Her girly voice was very pronounced on the last word. She pulled out a handsome scroll of parchment with the Ministry’s seal. Dumbledore knew what it was.
Dumbledore put his hand to his face and rubbed his temple softly. “Please, I don’t need to hear this again-”
But she interrupted him. “Ministry of Magic’s Decree Number forty-seven.” “Dolores Jane Umbridge, High Inquisitor of Hogwarts- that’s me-” she added, “Now has the privilege of hiring or firing new and old staff for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, signed Cornelius Fudge, etc . . . etc . . .” she sighed and looked up at him.
“Yes, I know, Dolores,” he replied harshly. “I’m tired of you harassing my students and staff.”
“Yes, well-”
“I wish that you’d harass me,” he said slyly.
She didn’t take the hint.
“Well, I’m not supposed to evaluate you until later in the year-” she said, flipping through the attractive scroll of parchment. “-Not until after I’ve made all of the other arrangements with the rest of the . . .other teachers.” But not teachers for long . . . she thought sneakily. “It is my job to find out if the faculty here is up to standard.”
He took a step closer to her.
“I find you very . . .” he paused, searching for words. “Fiery, Dolores. I don’t think that you are living well among us here at Hogwarts. I want your stay to be pleasurable.”
“I would if I could spend it with you,” she told herself.
She scolded herself mentally again and replied, “Well, I can assure you, it’s quite fine.”
“Well, I can tell that most of my students, except for the Slytherins, I see- forgive me- particularly dislike you.”
“If you haven’t noticed, I don’t care what the other people here at this place think of me! I will have order, Dumbledore!” she screamed at him.
“Oh, I’ll give you order . . .” he said, taking another step and leaning in to kiss the woman.
She kissed him back. Everything that she had ever thought of surged through her; this was mad! She was kissing a man that had betrayed Fudge- betrayed the Ministry, for Merlin’s sake! But as she kissed the old man . . . she had to-
They broke apart at the sound of students coming around the corner, heading back to their own dormitories.
The two tried to look angry at each other, which was usually what others saw.
The kids walked on by, hardly even noticing them there. None of them knew what the two had just been doing . . .
Dolores straightened her shirt, trying to look superior.
“Albus,” she said matter-of-factly.
Dumbledore smiled, realising that she had finally said his first name. “Dolores,” he said, mildly amused.
Silence followed for the longest time.
“So . . . six o’clock, my office?” he asked hopefully.
She turned to look at him slowly.
“Definitely.”