Harry Potter and the Greek Gods

{18} High Inquisitor

JASON'S POV

I was the first one up in the boy's dorm, as usual. I had gotten ready for the day before the sun had begun to peek through the curtains. I studied my classmates for a moment, wondering whether or not to wake them up, or at least Percy, but I decided against it. Instead, I wandered down to the Common Room, which was almost entirely empty, aside from a few students who seemed to have fallen asleep there. 

I sat down cautiously in one of the armchairs next to the fire with a book one of my professors had recommended. 

I had barely gotten a few pages in before I heard footsteps. I glanced up to see Hermione descending the stairs from the girl's dormitory looking exhausted, but ready for the day nonetheless. 

"Hi." She mumbled, slumping down on the couch across from me.

"Hi." I replied, "Is something wrong?"

"No, everything's fine. I just didn't get much sleep last night."

"Why not?" I asked, having already started to view Hermione, Harry and Ron as my charges.

"We stayed up late talking to..." She trailed off.

"Who?" I pressed.

She glanced around and then leaned closer before answering.

"Sirius."

I nodded, reminding myself to tell Percy and Clarisse about it later, and hopefully the others as well if we got time. Cross house friendships or relationships weren't always widely accepted.

"What did you talk about?"

"That's a long story."

"I've got time."

That was all it took to get Hermione to recount the events of the last few days, including Harry's detentions, Ron's brother's letter and their talk with Sirius. By the time she was finished, the Common Room was flooded with people, including Ron, Harry, Percy and Clarisse. 

Once she did finish, we headed down for breakfast. While the rest of us dug into breakfast, Ron and Percy especially, Hermione anxiously awaited the arrival of the owl carrying her copy of the Daily Prophet. I was busy muttering a prayer to the gods under my breath, instead of burning food for them. They had given us a pardon from it, at Hecate's insistence, but we still had to honour them. 

I looked up when Hermione gasped in surprise and horror. The front page of the Daily Prophet displayed a large photo of Professor Umbridge, smiling widely at the camera. The headline read 'MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM; DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED FIRST EVER HIGH INQUISITOR'.

"Umbridge- High Inquisitor?" Harry muttered, his toast dropping from his fingers, "What does that mean?"

Hermione began to read aloud:

"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 the goings-on at Hogwarts for some time,' said Junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley. 'He is responding to concerns voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve of.' This is not the first time in recent weeks that the Minister, Cornelius Fudge, has used new laws to effect improvements at the wizarding school. As recently as 30th August, Educational Decree Number 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-"

"She's been a what?" Harry interrupted loudly.

Hermione hushed him and continued to read. All Jason could do was sit there and listen in disbelief to the lies the article was spouting. 

So the gang is all caught up. I was debating putting in the infamous Umbridge at Divination scene, but this chapter is more like a filler to keep the story moving until the real stuff starts. Besides, I think we all know that scene pretty well.