Hogwarts' Shinobi

Chapter 32

From the framed rules that littered the walls to the silence in the hallowed halls of Hogwarts, it was clear that Umbridge was up to something and that something was not okay. The students who once felt free to laugh and joke around in the hallways disappeared, replaced by the much quieter shells of themselves.

Many of the staff there felt like their jobs were being threatened as well. The pink wearing lady making several trips around the school in order to quiz them all and it was only so long before Sakura found herself tangling in her web of lies.

In fact, on the 15th of September 1995, Sakura found herself stopped in the medical quarters by the woman. The large room deprived of students for there were currently no potions, care of magical creatures or quidditch lessons going on which meant no injured students.

The ministry woman entered the room briskly, nose turned up in the air in distaste as her puckered lips curved into a frown. Her short arm moved downwards as she looked down her nose at the clipboard she held clutched to her chest.

"Sakura Haruno. If you would please answer a couple of questions for me, it would be greatly appreciated." 

Despite her seemingly polite question, it was quite clear to all that heard that the woman was not asking but telling. The option of declining was not even there, the statement phrased as a question simply for formality. "Alright, I will be right with you."

Green eyes met brown as the woman opened her mouth to protest, but Sakura was having none of it. If she had to do this interview, it would be in her own time. Besides, labelling and checking stocks was vital, failure to do so correctly could result in potential death.

Ticking off one more item, she turned and walked out of the storeroom, hanging up the clipboard as she left, "I've finished the storeroom Madame Pomphrey, nothing urgent needs to be done." Then she turned to look at the woman perched precariously on one of the beds. 

"Let's begin then, shall we?" Sakura suggested, Umbridge simply nodding in agreement before looking down at her board.

"So, Ms Haruno, how long have you been working at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? May I know your age?" Umbridge began the second question clearly not from her list, but from her own curiosity. Not that Sakura could entirely blame the woman, the majority of the people she had treated over the years were older than her.

"I am currently 15 years old and I have been working here at Hogwarts for the past 4 years, this would be my fifth." she gave Umbridge a challenging smile as the woman's face distorted to one of annoyance. 

She could only assume the prospect of her being so young and being so powerful upset the woman. Maybe she'd been deprived of power at Sakura's age and this freedom made the ugly monster, known to some as jealousy, rear its head.

"Your current career path is medical, do you intend to go elsewhere in the future, when you come of age, or do you intend to remain here?" 

Sakura hummed to herself for a moment, she had never really thought of that. She'd always assumed that she would remain here at Hogwarts, but the prospect of new scenery was appealing to her. Age was a problem, of course, but she was quite sure that her reputation preceded her and she would be able to work at any medical centre she desired.

"Why I am not quite sure, I will probably remain here though. If not, travelling sounds quite nice..." 

Sakura trailed off, travelling was a luxury that she did not often indulge herself within this life nor her past. Of course, she would be lying if she said she remained in her homeland for the entirety of both lives. But she'd never gone elsewhere simply for personal pleasure, only for work.

Umbridge scribbled something down on the parchment attached to her clipboard before continuing to quiz the girl who was more than willing to answer her questions.

"Thank you very much for your compliance, Ms Haruno. I will let you know your results within the week. Have a good day now."

Sakura sighed with relief as the woman wandered off in search for Madame Pomphrey in order to interrogate her as well. The moment she left the room, Sakura disappeared through the large doors that connected the hospital quarters to the remainder of the school.

Classes were just beginning to finish and the next begin as she strode towards the dungeons where the potions classroom was. As far as she knew, Snape had a class next, but she would be able to vent her frustrations to her before then. The man may even have his own interrogation next and she wanted to give him a heads-up, not that a warning would help him to psychologically brace himself properly.

With a sigh, she pushed the oak door to the room open and walked quickly between the benches where the students would normally work. The man in question was tucked away in the potions storeroom, probably preparing for the next lesson.

If she remembered correctly, it was a Slytherin and Ravenclaw -the fifth years- that he had for 6th and 7th period that day. That was probably another reason she had found herself going down to the dungeons that day, the idea of having a conversation with Draco was quite tempting. 

She hadn't been able to talk to him properly over the last few weeks with all the chaos the school was trying to quash. Her job more demanding than ever with the worryingly large amount of students coming to her in private with various comments engraved into their hands.

-

Snape was certainly surprised to see the girl when he turned to walk into the main classroom. The pink-haired girl looked drained of energy and she'd clearly not been taking care of herself properly; her greasy hair giving Snape a run for his money. With a look on his face as close to a smile as he could muster without losing face, he walked up to the girl.

"Are you okay, Sakura?"