Veracity - ✔️

Eighteen

"Information is only useful
when it can be understood."
- Muriel Cooper

It didn't take long for something in the Wizarding World to go haywire, and unsurprisingly, it had something to do with Hogwarts and Harry Potter. So, like any good journalist, Athene had packed a quill and parchment and set off to the Wizarding School. Athene had seen many strange things during her time at Hogwarts, but the silence that greeted her upon her arrival was likely one of the strangest.

The halls were eerily quiet, but it wasn't due to the lack of students. There were several in the hall; some walking to class, others sitting at the windows. But none of them spoke. Every student that Athene passed on her way to Headmaster Dumbledore's office was dressed exactly according to the dress code. There were no loose ties, no rolled sleeves, and no missing robes. Everyone was perfectly dressed. Quite simply, it was unnerving.

She was just about to reach the hidden staircase to Dumbledore's office when a shrill voice echoed through the hallway. "Miss Atkinson, I believe. You have not been granted permission to be here." Professor Umbridge was dressed head to toe in pink - just like the first time Athene had met her. Her hair was piled atop her head in old fashioned curls and pink lipstick was smudged across her lips. The students in the area stopped and stared at the situation, but they didn't dare speak.

"I'm just here to speak with Headmaster Dumbledore and then I'll be on my way."

"You must not have heard," Umbridge released a cackle and stepped towards Athene, "Albus Dumbledore is no longer headmaster. He was relieved of his duties some time ago and I have taken his place as Headmistress."

How odd that a woman like that would want anything to do with such a position. "Well, then I suppose I've come to talk to you. May we speak in your office?"

"Follow me." Much to Athene's surprise, she did not ascend the spiral staircase. Instead, they maneuvered through the corridors until they reached what Athene remembered to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and the office that was attached. "What can I do for you today?" Words failed Athene. Her eyes were glued to the many plates lining the walls with cats depicted on them. They moved like a picture, but their eyes were dead and soulless. They were just as unnerving as the last time she had been there. "Miss Atkinson?"

"Sorry," Athene drew her eyes away from the creepy decorations. "I heard there was something going on in Hogwarts and I wanted the public to be informed. I would like to interview you, as well as some of your students, about the change in authority."

"I only have a few moments, but that should be enough. You'll have to forgo speaking to my students. They're rather busy preparing for the upcoming exams." Athene watched as Umbridge sat in the large chair behind the desk and motioned for her to take a seat.

"That would be perfectly fine," Athene ground her teeth together as the lie slipped past. "I would like to start with the previous headmaster's departure. Why did he decide to resign?"

"He didn't resign," Umbridge poured herself a cup of tea and took a long sip, "The Ministry decided that he was no longer the appropriate educator to lead our students in the right direction." Athene wrote avidly on the parchment in her hands as the words spewed from pink stained lips.

"And did he leave the position willingly?"

"Of course, he knew that the Ministry had the best interest of his students in mind so he decided to leave the school immediately." Something in Athene's stomach twisted at the woman's words. As much as Athene wanted to believe what she was saying, there was something Umbridge was trying to keep hidden. "Now that the Ministry has a strong grip on our students' education, Hogwarts will be a safe learning environment for all of our students. Albus Dumbledore was reckless and he needed to be replaced."

"What prompted this dismissal?"

"Well," Umbridge took another sip of her disgustingly pink tea, "there were several issues that the Ministry took into account."

"Such as?"

"Albus Dumbledore was well on in years. Some of his ideas were beginning to seem outdated." Umbridge continued to evade answering the question. "The Ministry knew that it was time." Athene recognized that she wouldn't be getting anywhere with this conversation.

"Thank you, Headmistress. I think that will be all that I need." The two exchanged forced smiles and Athene fled the office with Umbridge waving goodbye from her desk. Athene rushed through the corridors and she didn't stop until she reached the library. She figured that she would find someone that she recognized there. And she was right. Hermione Granger was reading a large book closer to the back of the library with no other students around her. "Hermione?"

The girl in question looked up, concern written on her face. "Athene?" Her voice was no louder than a hushed whisper. "What are you doing here?"

"I've just gotten out of an interview with Umbridge," she couldn't help the shiver that wracked her body, "about her new transition to headmistress."

"I bet she had nothing but lies to share."

"I think you might be right." Athene handed the young Gryffindor her notes and watched as she scoffed at every point.

"This is a bunch of bullocks. All of it is wrong." Athene grabbed the parchment back and wrote down everything that the student had to say. "Dumbledore only left to keep Harry from being expelled. You see, we started a group called Dumbledore's Army last semester when it became clear that Umbridge wouldn't be teaching us anything and we got caught. As punishment, she made us write lines with those awful quills and was prepared to expel Harry for his leadership of the group. Dumbledore took the fall and the Minister was going to send him right to Azkaban. Can you believe it?" Athene shook her head, of course she couldn't believe it. "But Dumbledore disappeared, thank Merlin, and he hasn't been seen since."

"And Umbridge has been terrorizing students ever since?"

"She takes pleasure in posting her little decrees and handing out punishment. Poor Harry is serving detention with Mr. Filch this very moment."

"Thank you very much, Hermione," Athene packed away her parchment, stood from the table, and offered the young woman a hand to shake. "If you have any more information, don't hesitate to contact me."

Author's Note:
So, I'm going along writing and such, and I just came to the realization that I have no idea what I'm going to do for the next book. So now I'm going to research and figure out what the heck I'm going to write about... I mean, I have some ideas (big ideas that are going to change the course of Epeolatry forever) but how to fit them in has completely flew over my head...