Hp: Hermione and Darkness

"Well, I guess so people don't think they are working together in the Order," Harry said. "But he gave me a copy of this magazine called The Quibbler, and there was an article about Sirius. I still have to read it and then give it to him—"

Hermione gave an exasperated sigh. "Can we get on with it?"

"Yeah, yeah," Harry said. "So there we are, sitting in Mr Weasley's office, and this guy, Perkins, comes running in. He tells us they changed the time of the hearing to eight instead of nine and changed the location to the big courtrooms on the tenth floor."

"Why would they do that?" Ron asked blankly.

"So Harry would miss the hearing," Hermione said, the realisation hitting her.

"Exactly," Harry confirmed. "Luckily, we were so early that we could get there before they cancelled it, but they said I was late."

"Did they even pretend that they tried contacting you?" Hermione asked.

"Oh yeah," Harry said. "They said they sent an owl to let me know, but I didn't see any owl. Did you guys?"

"No," Ginny said.

"Bloody git," Ron cursed. "What got in that Mafalda Hopkirk's knickers to make her try to screw you like that?"

"I don't think it was her," Harry said. "It was the full Wizengamot."

Ginny gasped. "The what? For a bloody underage magic infraction?"

"Obviously, Fudge is abusing his power because he's terrified," Hermione said grimly. "He's testing how far he can push it." Her knowledge of European history, especially circa the late 1930s, made this whole thing all the more ominous.

"Yeah, Fudge was there," Harry said. "He ran the thing." He paused and looked at Ginny and Ron. "Percy was there too, taking down the transcription."

"That no-good, rubbish bastard," Ron growled.

"He didn't even look at me once," Harry said. "I know it sounds stupid, but I was so nervous, and all I wanted was a familiar face, you know?"

"That's not stupid at all," Ginny said, reaching out to put her hand over Harry's. "I'm sorry, my brother is an arse."

"It's okay," Harry said. "Because Dumbledore showed up right around then. Though, to be fair, he barely looked at me either."

"What is his problem?" Ron said, his anger at Percy spilling over to the Headmaster.

"I dunno, but Fudge was so mad he was there that he kept stuttering. But then they started asking me all kinds of questions but wouldn't let me answer. They just kept asking question after question, and I couldn't explain anything. It was maddening," Harry said. "But a few of them seemed impressed that I could produce something called a corporeal Patronus which—"

"Is a fully formed Patronus, not just smoke or vapours," Hermione finished.

"Exactly. I think the woman was Madam Bones, Susan's aunt. Anyway, I finally was able to explain that the only reason I cast it was because of the Dementors. Everyone went nuts. Apparently, Fudge had 'forgotten' to mention that small fact," Harry snarled.

"Small fact, my arse," Ron said.

"Fudge backpedalled and said that I was just telling a story and that it was 'convenient' that Dudley couldn't see it since he was a Muggle, so it was just me at my word—"

"Which has been completely destroyed by The Daily Prophet," Hermione added, her stomach knotting. This was well-planned, and it was utterly terrifying. The forethought that went into it was chilling.

"Exactly," Harry said. "But that's when Dumbledore stepped in and brought forth Mrs Figg as my witness. She's the Squib that lives in Dursley's neighbourhood and helped spy on me for Dumbledore."

Hermione noted Harry's choice of words. He had so much anger inside him that she worried about the coming year.

"But everyone could tell Mrs Figg was just repeating descriptions of Dementors she had read in books rather than what she saw, and I thought it was all over… but Dumbledore took over and talked circles around them all. Fudge said something like, 'Why would Dementors be randomly in Little Whinging?' and Dumbledore agreed, saying, 'Oh, I don't think any of us believe the Dementors were there by coincidence… I think they were ordered there.' Then this horrible woman (I think they introduced her as the Undersecretary?) got all defensive and asked if Dumbledore was inferring that the Ministry sent the Dementors or that the Dementors weren't under the Ministry's control."

"Why was she horrible?" Ginny asked.

....

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