Empty Vessels, Dolores Umbridge, PG-13
Title: Empty Vessels
Author: lazy_neutrino
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: cruelty to a cat
Prompt: 53) Moral cowardice that keeps us from speaking our minds is as dangerous to this country as irresponsible talk. The right way is not always the popular and easy way. Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character. -- Margaret Chase Smith (1897-1995), long-time Republican U.S. Senator from Maine.
Summary: After a fact-finding visit to Hogwarts, Dolores writes to Cornelius. Set at the very end of GoF.
Author's Notes: Thanks to snorkackcatcher for a fast and helpful beta.
My dear Cornelius,
I made my preliminary visit today and I am sorry to have to tell you that it is much worse than we thought. I have made some notes for your benefit.
The main problems, of course, lie in Gryffindor House. As you feared, my dear Minister, and as I was so loath to believe, the Head of House seems actively to encourage a culture of questioning and dissent among the youngsters in her care. 'Seen and not heard' is not a maxim young Gryffindors are familiar with. Were I a Gryffindor I should gladly assume this extra responsibility, but alas...!
Dolores paused. She put down the pink quill and reached for the teapot. Pouring a generous measure, she lifted the cup daintily and took a sip. An iced biscuit, perhaps? Not yet, she told herself. It was so easy for a witch alone to let herself go and slip into indiscipline. An iced biscuit when the letter had been sent, but not before.
She glanced at the white kitten beside her, asleep in its cage. The dear thing. It gave a tiny grunt and turned over so that it lay on its back, front paws against its chest as if it were begging. A flick of her wand and the cage door fell open. The kitten did not move.
The plate was on a side table. An octagonal piece in fine bone china, she suspected it had once been part of a set. Just inside the edge ran a fine gilt line and the unknown artist had embellished the china with a delicate pattern of cornflowers and forget-me-nots. She picked it up and examined it. There was no flaw. It was perfect.
She put the plate down again and picked up her quill.
By far the worst is the boy Potter. He seems to delight in challenging authority and his lies have brought him not the notoriety he deserves but the fawning adulation of some of the more credulous children in his House. I fear that his upbringing has done damage that will be hard to undo, but perhaps it is not too late. A little loving discipline can work wonders at an impressionable age.
Dolores felt her lips tighten. That one of the noblest Wizarding families should have produced an errant child such as this! The corrupting influence of Mudbloods could not be underestimated. They posed a threat to every decent witch or wizard. She shook her head. It was no good raising this with Cornelius; the Minister was as generous as he was kind and he was not yet ready to listen.
But her time would come. Potter was only a child - a wicked child, to be sure, but a child nonetheless - and no match for a witch in her prime. If Cornelius could be made to see -
She read through what she had written, pondering her next words. No need to mention the debacle that had befallen the teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts; the Minister was well aware that the children had been exposed in recent years to both a lunatic and a werewolf (and here her lips tightened again; what had been the point of her work at the Registry if this could be allowed to happen?).
That the Headmaster should countenance the teaching of Unforgivable Curses to fourteen-year-old witches and wizards is something that still shocks me to my core. You remember, Cornelius, how Dumbledore opposed the casting of these by qualified Aurors only a few years ago. How quickly his views have changed!
If I were Headmistress, I assure you -
Not yet. She had not prepared her ground thoroughly enough. Dolores drew a careful line through the words, watching as they Vanished from view.
She reached for her wand and considered the white kitten. Perhaps kitten was the wrong word; its limbs were coltish and it had lost the wide-eyed, fluffy look of the true kitten. A teenage cat, then, on the brink of adulthood.
'Preservo.' The wand shuddered in her hand. On the desk the kitten's body jolted and fell back.
I urge you also to investigate the background of Rubeus Hagrid. I shall make his lessons my first priority. Such a hulking lout is an unfit role model for young minds. I have asked him to send me lesson plans but I am not sure the fool can write.
A faint 'miaow' came from beside her. In the centre of the octagonal plate, a white kitten had appeared and was looking around. It saw Dolores and howled.
'You're better off,' she told it. 'No harm, no unhappiness, no pain. You're better off.'
The kitten howled again.
'Silencio.' In time it would adjust. She sipped her tea and contemplated the letter. So difficult to put the ideas across without appearing to do so. But one must never be obvious.
To conclude, then, my dear Cornelius, there is indeed much work to do. We are at risk of losing a generation if we do not act. It is vital that we have someone on the spot and I notice that Dumbledore has once again advertised for a teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts. My own experience is - of course! - strictly theoretical, but how useful it would be for the Ministry to have someone reliable at hand. In the event of Dumbledore failing to appoint a suitable candidate, I humbly offer my services for the role.
Most sincerely,
Your long-term colleague and devoted Friend
Dolores
She read the letter through, nodding. Her priorities were clear. Replacing Hagrid with a competent teacher would be simple. McGonagall would be powerless once Dumbledore was removed, and Dumbledore had linked himself and his fortunes irrevocably to the Potter child. Discredit Potter, therefore and Dumbledore would fall. How fortunate that Potter had already antagonised Cornelius.
Discredit Potter - that was something she would consider further.
In the octagonal plate, the white kitten had gone to sleep. She stroked the china with an indulgent finger. The dear thing.
The kitten's body was still stretched out on the desk. Dolores picked up her wand and flipped the empty carcass into the bin.
--
Author: lazy_neutrino
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: cruelty to a cat
Prompt: 53) Moral cowardice that keeps us from speaking our minds is as dangerous to this country as irresponsible talk. The right way is not always the popular and easy way. Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character. -- Margaret Chase Smith (1897-1995), long-time Republican U.S. Senator from Maine.
Summary: After a fact-finding visit to Hogwarts, Dolores writes to Cornelius. Set at the very end of GoF.
Author's Notes: Thanks to snorkackcatcher for a fast and helpful beta.
My dear Cornelius,
I made my preliminary visit today and I am sorry to have to tell you that it is much worse than we thought. I have made some notes for your benefit.
The main problems, of course, lie in Gryffindor House. As you feared, my dear Minister, and as I was so loath to believe, the Head of House seems actively to encourage a culture of questioning and dissent among the youngsters in her care. 'Seen and not heard' is not a maxim young Gryffindors are familiar with. Were I a Gryffindor I should gladly assume this extra responsibility, but alas...!
Dolores paused. She put down the pink quill and reached for the teapot. Pouring a generous measure, she lifted the cup daintily and took a sip. An iced biscuit, perhaps? Not yet, she told herself. It was so easy for a witch alone to let herself go and slip into indiscipline. An iced biscuit when the letter had been sent, but not before.
She glanced at the white kitten beside her, asleep in its cage. The dear thing. It gave a tiny grunt and turned over so that it lay on its back, front paws against its chest as if it were begging. A flick of her wand and the cage door fell open. The kitten did not move.
The plate was on a side table. An octagonal piece in fine bone china, she suspected it had once been part of a set. Just inside the edge ran a fine gilt line and the unknown artist had embellished the china with a delicate pattern of cornflowers and forget-me-nots. She picked it up and examined it. There was no flaw. It was perfect.
She put the plate down again and picked up her quill.
By far the worst is the boy Potter. He seems to delight in challenging authority and his lies have brought him not the notoriety he deserves but the fawning adulation of some of the more credulous children in his House. I fear that his upbringing has done damage that will be hard to undo, but perhaps it is not too late. A little loving discipline can work wonders at an impressionable age.
Dolores felt her lips tighten. That one of the noblest Wizarding families should have produced an errant child such as this! The corrupting influence of Mudbloods could not be underestimated. They posed a threat to every decent witch or wizard. She shook her head. It was no good raising this with Cornelius; the Minister was as generous as he was kind and he was not yet ready to listen.
But her time would come. Potter was only a child - a wicked child, to be sure, but a child nonetheless - and no match for a witch in her prime. If Cornelius could be made to see -
She read through what she had written, pondering her next words. No need to mention the debacle that had befallen the teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts; the Minister was well aware that the children had been exposed in recent years to both a lunatic and a werewolf (and here her lips tightened again; what had been the point of her work at the Registry if this could be allowed to happen?).
That the Headmaster should countenance the teaching of Unforgivable Curses to fourteen-year-old witches and wizards is something that still shocks me to my core. You remember, Cornelius, how Dumbledore opposed the casting of these by qualified Aurors only a few years ago. How quickly his views have changed!
If I were Headmistress, I assure you -
Not yet. She had not prepared her ground thoroughly enough. Dolores drew a careful line through the words, watching as they Vanished from view.
She reached for her wand and considered the white kitten. Perhaps kitten was the wrong word; its limbs were coltish and it had lost the wide-eyed, fluffy look of the true kitten. A teenage cat, then, on the brink of adulthood.
'Preservo.' The wand shuddered in her hand. On the desk the kitten's body jolted and fell back.
I urge you also to investigate the background of Rubeus Hagrid. I shall make his lessons my first priority. Such a hulking lout is an unfit role model for young minds. I have asked him to send me lesson plans but I am not sure the fool can write.
A faint 'miaow' came from beside her. In the centre of the octagonal plate, a white kitten had appeared and was looking around. It saw Dolores and howled.
'You're better off,' she told it. 'No harm, no unhappiness, no pain. You're better off.'
The kitten howled again.
'Silencio.' In time it would adjust. She sipped her tea and contemplated the letter. So difficult to put the ideas across without appearing to do so. But one must never be obvious.
To conclude, then, my dear Cornelius, there is indeed much work to do. We are at risk of losing a generation if we do not act. It is vital that we have someone on the spot and I notice that Dumbledore has once again advertised for a teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts. My own experience is - of course! - strictly theoretical, but how useful it would be for the Ministry to have someone reliable at hand. In the event of Dumbledore failing to appoint a suitable candidate, I humbly offer my services for the role.
Most sincerely,
Your long-term colleague and devoted Friend
Dolores
She read the letter through, nodding. Her priorities were clear. Replacing Hagrid with a competent teacher would be simple. McGonagall would be powerless once Dumbledore was removed, and Dumbledore had linked himself and his fortunes irrevocably to the Potter child. Discredit Potter, therefore and Dumbledore would fall. How fortunate that Potter had already antagonised Cornelius.
Discredit Potter - that was something she would consider further.
In the octagonal plate, the white kitten had gone to sleep. She stroked the china with an indulgent finger. The dear thing.
The kitten's body was still stretched out on the desk. Dolores picked up her wand and flipped the empty carcass into the bin.
--