The Cupboard Series 5: United We Stand ...

Chapter 17

As quickly as he could, Percy Weasley waved his wand over the parchment to dry the ink that he'd just written and rolled up the top of the parchment, allowing him extra room to write his next set of notes down.

Currently, Percy was perched in a corner of the meeting room behind a tiny table, trying very hard to be inconspicuous, while at the same time ensuring that he got everything of importance written down, just as a good Junior Assistant to the Minister should. This wasn't his first meeting and he'd been complimented on his dictation and note-taking skills many times, but in this cut-throat world of politics within the Minister's Office, one slip-up could easily earn one a demotion.

Noting the Minister turn her gaze to the next Department Head in line, Percy quickly dipped his quill in his ink bottle before holding it poised and ready.

"Amelia, how fares the Department of Magical Law Enforcement? I trust that you have managed to finally catch some of the miscreants doing our society harm, hmm?" the simpering girly voice of the Minister for Magic, Delores Umbridge asked.

Percy lowered his head, making a note with his quill, allowing his face to be hidden.

'Miscreants'? Really? he wondered. Call them what they are: murderers, torturers and rapists.

Amelia's lips thinned even as her eyebrows drew together.

"No. We haven't," she replied shortly.

"Surely you are making this a priority? After all, our magical citizens are being hunted and killed. One must find those responsible so that they can be punished."

"My Department is doing the best that we can," Amelia stated. "We're under staffed, working on an extremely limited budget and we're forced to react rather than be proactive in our investigations. If you'd agree to putting the new wards around the Ministry ..."

"We have had this discussion, Amelia and my answer is firm," the Minister interrupted with an off-hand wave of her hand. "This is the Ministry of Magic. It is here that the power of the wizards and witches of our mighty realm govern diligently and effectively for the betterment of all. Our own ward-masters have determined the most efficient wards that we need; and remember that human ingenuity is far superior to anything that a goblin could ever conceive of, let alone create."

"But Minister, those wards have been proven effective," Amelia argued. "They can detect anyone with a Dark Mark! I firmly believe that there are infiltrators within this building passing on information to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

"I find that I must question that very effectiveness," Umbridge replied. "Aren't these the very same wards that that school has erected?"

"Yes," Amelia replied and Percy could see her wondering where this line of questioning was going.

"And there you have it," Umbridge replied. "And after what they did to poor Walden Macnair, bouncing him off of them to land fifty miles out to sea, I refuse to even consider them. It was just lucky that he was able to apparate back to dry land and didn't catch a nasty cold. No, there is no way that I am willing to authorise something that could be so detrimental to those who were marked when they were under the vile imperio curse.

"I will not have those innocent people suffer the indignity of being shunted into one of your holding cells every time that they come in to work. And by continuing to ask for these wards, it seems to me, dear Amelia, that you don't trust your fellow witches and wizards. We all must stand together, trusting in each other to do our duty to magical Britain, for the good of the people.

"Do not ask again or I will be forced to consider whether you can, in fact, actually do your job with the great resources that you have been given."