In the Melancholy Moonlight

Chapter CXII: Venomous Tentacula

GEORGE:

Lucy always looked exhausted after a full moon, but generally, the trend was that she looked less and less tired as the days went on. But when she showed up to breakfast on Tuesday morning with Hermione, a couple minutes after Harry and Ron had appeared, she looked as if she hadn't slept in a year. Fred and I exchanged a look, making the unspoken decision not to say anything.

Tactful as ever, though, Harry took one look at her and asked, "Are you alright, Lucy? You look exhausted."

"Yeah, I'm fine," she muttered without looking up at him. "Wonder when the mail's arriving with whatever the hell Percy mentioned last night."

"Percy?" Fred and I asked at the same time.

"Yeah, he sent Ron a lovely letter last night with a delightful P.S. intended for me. Ron tore it up as soon as I wrote my reply, though, so don't bother asking to read it. Not worth reading, anyway."

"Git," Ron commented with a roll of his eyes.

The mail arrived then, and the letter from our darling git of an older brother was forgotten as Lucy reached forward for the newspaper. She instantly dropped it as if it had burned her. Umbridge — or, more appropriately, as I had heard many times whispered behind hands, Umbitch — was front and center, smiling. The headline above her was even worse.

MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM

DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED FIRST-EVER "HIGH INQUISITOR"

"This can't be good," Lucy whispered.

"'High Inquisitor?' What does that mean?" Harry asked.

Lucy grabbed the newspaper again and began reading out loud, her voice trembling more and more as it went on and on. Fred and I opted to read over her shoulder instead of listen along — we'd both always been fast readers.

   In a surprise move last night, the Ministry of Magic passed new legislation giving itself an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

   "The Minister has been growing uneasy about goings-on at Hogwarts for some time," said Junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley. "He is now responding to concerns voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve."

   This is not the first time in recent weeks Fudge has used new laws to effect improvements at the Wizarding school. As recently as August 30th, Educational Decree Twenty-two was passed, to ensure that, in the event of the current headmaster being unable to provide a candidate for a teaching post, the Ministry should select an appropriate person.

   "That's how Dolores Umbridge came to be appointed to the teaching staff at Hogwarts," said Weasley last night. "Dumbledore couldn't find anyone, so the Minister put in Umbridge and of course, she's been an immediate success totally revolutionizing the teaching of Defense Against the Dark Arts and providing the Minister with on-the-ground feedback about what's really happening at Hogwarts."

   It is this last function that the Ministry has now formalized with the passing of Educational Decree Twenty-three, which creates the new position of "Hogwarts High Inquisitor."

   "This is an exciting new phase in the Minister's plan to get to grips with what some are calling the 'falling standards' at Hogwarts," said Weasley. "The Inquisitor will have powers to inspect her fellow educators and make sure that they are coming up to scratch. Professor Umbridge has been offered this position in addition to her own teaching post, and we are delighted to say that she has accepted."