Faery Heroes

Chapter 32: Educational Decree #24

Disclaimer: For someone whose position originally only allowed her to evaluate instructors, did Umbridge create numerous Educational Decrees under her own authority, thereby overstepping the bounds of her position, without anyone calling her on it? If so, I don't own the Harry Potter franchise; it belongs to J.K. Rowling, Scholastic Press, Warner Bros, and whoever else she sold the rights to.
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Three shadows worked silently in the night to force their way into the extravagant manor before them. "Being the Minister of Magic sure doesn't pay well, does it?" Harry asked sarcastically.

Luna shrugged, peering at the runes of the ward pick in her left hand while a faint white light shone from the wand in her right. Sighing, she slipped it back in its sleeve and drew out another. "Well, where else were the bribes he took from Malfoy supposed to go? At least we now know that he didn't blow all the money on high-priced prostitutes."

"...Thank you for that mental image. I don't know how I could have gone the rest of my life without picturing Fudge doing the horizontal tango with a call-girl."

"Happy to help," she replied, finally finding the secondary focus she had been looking for. "Would you return the favor and explain to me again why we're robbing his house in the early early morning rather than in the afternoons like we've been doing?"

"Two reasons. First, Dobby said his wife leaves the house at irregular intervals, so waiting for a decent opportunity means we won't necessarily be as prepared as we need to be. Second, you were the one who wanted to restart the D.A. Even if it's only five of them, we still have to worry about arranging times to meet, and I have a feeling Saturdays and Sundays are going to be the most convenient days for everyone. That means either slowing down our heists — thereby giving the Purebloods more chances to improve their wards — or doing them in the dark."

His blonde lover huffed and ran her chosen pick along the ward boundary, disabling the last of the manor's defenses. "Mione, are you still casting that stay-asleep charm?"

"...Dormire, dormire, per totam noctem dormire. Done." A yellow mask turned to regard the Ravenclaw. "And correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm not the one who suggested keeping them unconscious while we robbed them blind."

"You're wrong," answered Luna, her tone light with laughter. "Come on, let's get this over with and return to the castle."

-O-O-

Agatha Fudge woke with a pained groan. Why is the bed so uncomfortable this morning? Cracking her eyes open, she blinked a few times before what she was seeing registered, and then she shrieked. "Cornelius, Cornelius, get up!"

"Huh? Wha' goin' on, honey?"

She grabbed him by the lapels of his sleeping shirt and shook him fully awake. His jaw dropped as he took in their beautiful bedroom... or at least what used to be their beautiful bedroom. All the portraits in their golden frames, the rich velvet curtains, the mahogany dresser, her overflowing jewelry box, even the bed they had been sleeping in; everything was gone! All that was left was the blanket the two of them were laying upon and an ugly painting of a smiling fox head on the ceiling above them.

"Call the Aurors! We've been robbed!"

-O-O-

BY ORDER OF
The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts

All Student Organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded.

Any Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students.