"Her Greatest Undertaking"; Umbridge, G
Title: Her Greatest Undertaking
Author: cygna_hime
Rating: G
Warnings: None.
Prompt: 30. Humor distorts nothing, and only false gods are laughed off their pedestals.--Agnes Repplier (1855 - 1950)
Summary: The new Professor Umbridge looks out over her students and plans her year. No spoilers, obviously, as it's set early in OotP.
"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance..."
Dolores had prepared her speech carefully beforehand. This would be the first impression her new students would have of her, and it would have to go well. She had worried for hours over the correct phrasing; she wanted to give the bright students a chance to get on the right side, but not be too obvious about her intentions. Her students, the ones she picked out of the crowd, would be the ones who could read between the lines.
"...The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down..."
She had memorised this portion of her speech, fortunately, so she could use the opportunity to look over her new school. It was hers; Dumbledore could not be expected to last long against the full force of the Ministry. She could take over the school gradually, amassing a little power here, a little there, until she had the authority to remove Dumbledore for good. Then she could make the school over into what she’d always wanted it to be: an institution for turning children into responsible adults. This school was turning out witches and wizards who were far too free with dangerous and destructive magic. She would change that, when she had the chance.
"...Every Headmaster and Headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing..."
Dolores looked around the Great Hall as she talked on. If she was careful, she could pick out her supporters ahead of time. She had little enough time to accomplish everything in, what with Cornelius being so very anxious that rumours of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s return be immediately quashed. That suggested her first subject: Harry Potter himself. The boy was too stubborn to see the benefits of keeping silent, and too dim-witted to understand what her goals were until too late. Dolores glanced over to his corner of the Gryffindor table. Sure enough, he was looking around at his friends, not paying any attention whatever to her speech. She could deal with him easily enough, and with his friends. Granger was listening-she would be, a girl like her, and it was a pity she’d fallen in with such bad company-but Potter never did listen to anyone but himself and Dumbledore.
"...for without progress there will be stagnation and decay..."
Some of the Ravenclaws were listening, thank goodness! Dolores had wondered if any intelligence remained in the Wizarding world. Some of them at least looked like they could see what was right before their eyes. They could see that she had the power to back her words up, and they would follow her as long as she didn’t go out of her way to make enemies of them. Dolores made a note not to hamper the favourite pastimes of that House. The library was far too full of dangerous hexes and such for a school, but expurgating it would use up far too much political capital while the situation was still delicate. Later, perhaps, in a year or two, when Dolores could do what she wanted without fear. For now, it wasn’t worth while to make enemies of the very students who could let everyone know what she was planning.
"...progress for progress's sake must be discouraged..."
Not all the Ravenclaws were appropriate for her purposes, of course. The fifth years were to be handled delicately, if at all-Potter’s influence would show there. Dolores saw the Chang girl laughing with her friend, Cecily Edgecombe’s daughter. They must have been excellent at learning from books, because their practical intelligence left something to be desired. The Rowensson boys, a few seats down, were even worse. They weren’t talking, of course, but the odds of them coming around to support Dolores were slim. The whole family was like that, law-abiding on the whole but adamantly opposed to the Ministry exercising exceptional power when necessary. It would be too much to hope that Castor and Pollux be the freaks of that eccentric family. And speaking of eccentric, their cousin, the Lovegood girl, was right next to them, reading her father’s insane tabloid. That family was all mad as hatters. Still, they wouldn’t interfere, which was more than Dolores could say for Lisa Turpin, who was giving her a look Dolores thought approached a sneer. She was just like her mother, that girl, and it was a pity the Turpins’ manners hadn’t rubbed off after all these years. Still, three bad apples out of the lot wasn’t bad at all, unlike the Gryffindor table, which was almost entirely composed of bad apples.
"...A balance, then, between old and new..."
Dolores considered carefully what to do about the Hufflepuffs. Poor Diggory had been quite an idol among them, and a great number were still grieving. She might use that angle to discredit Potter, if his own brashness didn’t do her job for her in that respect. On second thought, she might as well consider it a given. Potter had never curbed his insolence yet. He would demonstrate his disrespect for poor Diggory's memory far better than she ever could.
"...some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognised as errors of judgment..."
Some of the Hufflepuffs at least looked anxious to get on in the world. The new prefect, whose name she couldn't recall, was paying attention to her. Even though he didn't look bright enough to understand what she was saying, he could be a good assistant. Dolores felt it her duty to aid those who, like herself, understood that hard work and loyalty could be beneficial rather than detrimental to one's success. The prefect, and Lucinda Bode, in the year above, ought to be properly appreciative. The rest of the upper years were a complete wash-out. Dolores could see Susan Bones whispering to the people next to her, and knowing Amelia it was probably a great deal of exaggerated gossip about Dolores herself. That lot were hopeless.
"...Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained..."
The Slytherins, of course, were where Dolores placed the bulk of her hopes. That House could be relied on to support putting an end to Dumbledore's favouritism, and if the result was a bit of favouritism in their direction for a change, they were not so overburdened with principles to make a fuss. The world was weighted toward them, the ones with a good background or the sheer will to succeed at any cost, and it would be just as well to arrange that Hogwarts prepare its students better for the real world. Few of them were listening to her speech, but of course they would have heard about everything from their parents. Dolores could see the explanation being passed along the table, from Draco Malfoy and the others whose parents had influence to the ones who hadn't thought to ask or who didn't have the same connections.
"...others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned..."
How any of Slytherin House could be loyal to Dumbledore, Dolores didn't know, but there was still a handful, clustered around Brander Reed (his family might be pure as any, but they were more of an aggravation to Dolores than the Rowenssons, being just as mad and much more interfering), who looked as if they knew exactly what she was saying and disapproved. They would come around, once Dolores showed them what happened to people who disagreed with her. No Slytherin could prove obdurate in the face of real power, free for the sharing. Dolores dismissed them from her mind.
"...Let us move forward, then, into a new era..."
The rest of the Gryffindor students were almost as hopeless as Potter. The infamous Weasley twins, the ones she’d been warned well beforehand about by Cornelius’s new secretary, were doing spirited imitations of her to a laughing audience. Dolores smiled inwardly. They laughed now, all of them, as everyone had always laughed at her. Let them. It could do her no harm now. These foolish, malicious children were beneath her at last. She would take great pleasure in squashing the humour out of them, the way she had wanted to do with her old classmates. These brats would make quite appropriate substitutes for those, some of whom were still outside her reach.
Let them laugh. She would give them little enough reason for it in the months and years to come.
"...and pruning where we find practices that ought to be prohibited."
Dolores Umbridge sat down, smiling at the prospect of her new school. Everything was as planned, the perfect triumph to her career. She would ensure that nothing went wrong in this, her greatest undertaking.
Author: cygna_hime
Rating: G
Warnings: None.
Prompt: 30. Humor distorts nothing, and only false gods are laughed off their pedestals.--Agnes Repplier (1855 - 1950)
Summary: The new Professor Umbridge looks out over her students and plans her year. No spoilers, obviously, as it's set early in OotP.
"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance..."
Dolores had prepared her speech carefully beforehand. This would be the first impression her new students would have of her, and it would have to go well. She had worried for hours over the correct phrasing; she wanted to give the bright students a chance to get on the right side, but not be too obvious about her intentions. Her students, the ones she picked out of the crowd, would be the ones who could read between the lines.
"...The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down..."
She had memorised this portion of her speech, fortunately, so she could use the opportunity to look over her new school. It was hers; Dumbledore could not be expected to last long against the full force of the Ministry. She could take over the school gradually, amassing a little power here, a little there, until she had the authority to remove Dumbledore for good. Then she could make the school over into what she’d always wanted it to be: an institution for turning children into responsible adults. This school was turning out witches and wizards who were far too free with dangerous and destructive magic. She would change that, when she had the chance.
"...Every Headmaster and Headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing..."
Dolores looked around the Great Hall as she talked on. If she was careful, she could pick out her supporters ahead of time. She had little enough time to accomplish everything in, what with Cornelius being so very anxious that rumours of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s return be immediately quashed. That suggested her first subject: Harry Potter himself. The boy was too stubborn to see the benefits of keeping silent, and too dim-witted to understand what her goals were until too late. Dolores glanced over to his corner of the Gryffindor table. Sure enough, he was looking around at his friends, not paying any attention whatever to her speech. She could deal with him easily enough, and with his friends. Granger was listening-she would be, a girl like her, and it was a pity she’d fallen in with such bad company-but Potter never did listen to anyone but himself and Dumbledore.
"...for without progress there will be stagnation and decay..."
Some of the Ravenclaws were listening, thank goodness! Dolores had wondered if any intelligence remained in the Wizarding world. Some of them at least looked like they could see what was right before their eyes. They could see that she had the power to back her words up, and they would follow her as long as she didn’t go out of her way to make enemies of them. Dolores made a note not to hamper the favourite pastimes of that House. The library was far too full of dangerous hexes and such for a school, but expurgating it would use up far too much political capital while the situation was still delicate. Later, perhaps, in a year or two, when Dolores could do what she wanted without fear. For now, it wasn’t worth while to make enemies of the very students who could let everyone know what she was planning.
"...progress for progress's sake must be discouraged..."
Not all the Ravenclaws were appropriate for her purposes, of course. The fifth years were to be handled delicately, if at all-Potter’s influence would show there. Dolores saw the Chang girl laughing with her friend, Cecily Edgecombe’s daughter. They must have been excellent at learning from books, because their practical intelligence left something to be desired. The Rowensson boys, a few seats down, were even worse. They weren’t talking, of course, but the odds of them coming around to support Dolores were slim. The whole family was like that, law-abiding on the whole but adamantly opposed to the Ministry exercising exceptional power when necessary. It would be too much to hope that Castor and Pollux be the freaks of that eccentric family. And speaking of eccentric, their cousin, the Lovegood girl, was right next to them, reading her father’s insane tabloid. That family was all mad as hatters. Still, they wouldn’t interfere, which was more than Dolores could say for Lisa Turpin, who was giving her a look Dolores thought approached a sneer. She was just like her mother, that girl, and it was a pity the Turpins’ manners hadn’t rubbed off after all these years. Still, three bad apples out of the lot wasn’t bad at all, unlike the Gryffindor table, which was almost entirely composed of bad apples.
"...A balance, then, between old and new..."
Dolores considered carefully what to do about the Hufflepuffs. Poor Diggory had been quite an idol among them, and a great number were still grieving. She might use that angle to discredit Potter, if his own brashness didn’t do her job for her in that respect. On second thought, she might as well consider it a given. Potter had never curbed his insolence yet. He would demonstrate his disrespect for poor Diggory's memory far better than she ever could.
"...some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognised as errors of judgment..."
Some of the Hufflepuffs at least looked anxious to get on in the world. The new prefect, whose name she couldn't recall, was paying attention to her. Even though he didn't look bright enough to understand what she was saying, he could be a good assistant. Dolores felt it her duty to aid those who, like herself, understood that hard work and loyalty could be beneficial rather than detrimental to one's success. The prefect, and Lucinda Bode, in the year above, ought to be properly appreciative. The rest of the upper years were a complete wash-out. Dolores could see Susan Bones whispering to the people next to her, and knowing Amelia it was probably a great deal of exaggerated gossip about Dolores herself. That lot were hopeless.
"...Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained..."
The Slytherins, of course, were where Dolores placed the bulk of her hopes. That House could be relied on to support putting an end to Dumbledore's favouritism, and if the result was a bit of favouritism in their direction for a change, they were not so overburdened with principles to make a fuss. The world was weighted toward them, the ones with a good background or the sheer will to succeed at any cost, and it would be just as well to arrange that Hogwarts prepare its students better for the real world. Few of them were listening to her speech, but of course they would have heard about everything from their parents. Dolores could see the explanation being passed along the table, from Draco Malfoy and the others whose parents had influence to the ones who hadn't thought to ask or who didn't have the same connections.
"...others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned..."
How any of Slytherin House could be loyal to Dumbledore, Dolores didn't know, but there was still a handful, clustered around Brander Reed (his family might be pure as any, but they were more of an aggravation to Dolores than the Rowenssons, being just as mad and much more interfering), who looked as if they knew exactly what she was saying and disapproved. They would come around, once Dolores showed them what happened to people who disagreed with her. No Slytherin could prove obdurate in the face of real power, free for the sharing. Dolores dismissed them from her mind.
"...Let us move forward, then, into a new era..."
The rest of the Gryffindor students were almost as hopeless as Potter. The infamous Weasley twins, the ones she’d been warned well beforehand about by Cornelius’s new secretary, were doing spirited imitations of her to a laughing audience. Dolores smiled inwardly. They laughed now, all of them, as everyone had always laughed at her. Let them. It could do her no harm now. These foolish, malicious children were beneath her at last. She would take great pleasure in squashing the humour out of them, the way she had wanted to do with her old classmates. These brats would make quite appropriate substitutes for those, some of whom were still outside her reach.
Let them laugh. She would give them little enough reason for it in the months and years to come.
"...and pruning where we find practices that ought to be prohibited."
Dolores Umbridge sat down, smiling at the prospect of her new school. Everything was as planned, the perfect triumph to her career. She would ensure that nothing went wrong in this, her greatest undertaking.