OIABM - February Sneak Peek
They two boys went over to the Register and Remus pulled out his wand, which they had retrieved from Hogsmeade before flooing to the Ministry. He tapped the book and cast the spell to find his own listing, which appeared in front of him a moment later.
“Miss Dolores Umbridge,” Remus read aloud. “I guess we better go find her.”
Sirius nodded and they walked over to the door that Angus had pointed out to them.
Remus was starting to shake again as they walked down the long line of cubicles, each one displaying the nameplate of one of the workers. They seemed to be in alphabetical order and they made their way to the far side of the room, where they hoped to find Miss Umbridge.
They found her in one of the cubicles with a window. It appeared that Miss Umbridge had decided to decorate her cubicle in various shades of pink, which did nothing to help the queasiness in Remus’s stomach.
“Can I help you?” the short, stout woman asked with a cheerful smile. “Are you lost?”
“Are you Miss Umbridge?” Remus asked.
“Did you read the name on the cubicle wall?” the witch asked in a syrupy tone that immediately annoyed Sirius.
“Yes,” Remus replied. “But you might be someone else sitting at her desk waiting for her.”
“Someone else, sitting at my desk?” Miss Umbridge replied, sounding thoroughly aghast at the very idea.
“Sorry,” Remus hurriedly apologised. “I was told to come and speak with you.”
Miss Umbridge smiled and waved them to the two seats opposite her. Both were adorned with pink lace-edged cushions which looked far more comfortable than they actually were.
Sirius looked around the small cubicle and hoped that they wouldn’t be there for long. The pink was just ghastly, and he was sure that one of cats on the plates on the wall behind Miss Umbridge was giving him the evil eye.
“Hem, hem.”
Sirius turned to Miss Umbridge and saw that she was staring at Remus’s leg, or more accurately, at Sirius’s hand, which was resting on Remus’s leg. “What?” he asked, rather more sharply than he perhaps should have.
Remus, grasping what the witch was hinting at, removed Sirius’s hand from his leg. He squeezed the fingers briefly in acknowledgement of his support, and turned back to Miss Umbridge. “I believe you’re my Case Worker,” he said with a smile. “My name’s Remus Lupin.”
Miss Umbridge stared back at him and although the smile was still on her face, there was something else there, too. Remus couldn’t quite put his finger on why he thought it, but he immediately came to the conclusion that Miss Umbridge didn’t actually like werewolves.
“Well, Mr Lupin,” Umbridge continued in the same sweet tone. “What can I do for you today?”
“There was an incident last night,” Remus began.
“Last night?”
“The full moon,” Remus clarified, wondering what sort of an idiot would hire a witch who didn’t follow the lunar cycle as a Case Worker for werewolves.
“Ah, yes,” Umbridge replied with a nod. “I understand the Werewolf Capture Unit broke its record for the year last night. Nine captures in one night.”
“Um.” Remus looked at Sirius out of the corner of his eye. Was this woman expecting him to be as thrilled and excited as she was at the news?
Sirius leaned forward in his seat, easily picking up on Remus’s hint to steer the subject back on course. “There was an accident last night,” he said.
“An accident?” Umbridge echoed, giving the impression that she didn’t believe there were such things at all.
“There was an earthquake,” Remus continued. “One of the walls of my basement caved in and I… I escaped.”
“Well, that certainly won’t do,” Umbridge replied sternly, although the smile was still eerily on her face. “Since you clearly can’t handle the full moons, I’ll see that you’re transported to a Camp right away. Do you have any preference as to location? I understand that the Fens are quite popular.”
“What?” Sirius interrupted. “Remus isn’t going to a Camp. We’re just here to report what happened.”
Miss Umbridge smiled and shook her head. “And I’m here to ensure that the humans are protected from monsters like werewolves.”
“Remus isn’t a monster,” Sirius snapped. “What sort of a Case Worker are you?”
“Miss Dolores Umbridge,” Remus read aloud. “I guess we better go find her.”
Sirius nodded and they walked over to the door that Angus had pointed out to them.
Remus was starting to shake again as they walked down the long line of cubicles, each one displaying the nameplate of one of the workers. They seemed to be in alphabetical order and they made their way to the far side of the room, where they hoped to find Miss Umbridge.
They found her in one of the cubicles with a window. It appeared that Miss Umbridge had decided to decorate her cubicle in various shades of pink, which did nothing to help the queasiness in Remus’s stomach.
“Can I help you?” the short, stout woman asked with a cheerful smile. “Are you lost?”
“Are you Miss Umbridge?” Remus asked.
“Did you read the name on the cubicle wall?” the witch asked in a syrupy tone that immediately annoyed Sirius.
“Yes,” Remus replied. “But you might be someone else sitting at her desk waiting for her.”
“Someone else, sitting at my desk?” Miss Umbridge replied, sounding thoroughly aghast at the very idea.
“Sorry,” Remus hurriedly apologised. “I was told to come and speak with you.”
Miss Umbridge smiled and waved them to the two seats opposite her. Both were adorned with pink lace-edged cushions which looked far more comfortable than they actually were.
Sirius looked around the small cubicle and hoped that they wouldn’t be there for long. The pink was just ghastly, and he was sure that one of cats on the plates on the wall behind Miss Umbridge was giving him the evil eye.
“Hem, hem.”
Sirius turned to Miss Umbridge and saw that she was staring at Remus’s leg, or more accurately, at Sirius’s hand, which was resting on Remus’s leg. “What?” he asked, rather more sharply than he perhaps should have.
Remus, grasping what the witch was hinting at, removed Sirius’s hand from his leg. He squeezed the fingers briefly in acknowledgement of his support, and turned back to Miss Umbridge. “I believe you’re my Case Worker,” he said with a smile. “My name’s Remus Lupin.”
Miss Umbridge stared back at him and although the smile was still on her face, there was something else there, too. Remus couldn’t quite put his finger on why he thought it, but he immediately came to the conclusion that Miss Umbridge didn’t actually like werewolves.
“Well, Mr Lupin,” Umbridge continued in the same sweet tone. “What can I do for you today?”
“There was an incident last night,” Remus began.
“Last night?”
“The full moon,” Remus clarified, wondering what sort of an idiot would hire a witch who didn’t follow the lunar cycle as a Case Worker for werewolves.
“Ah, yes,” Umbridge replied with a nod. “I understand the Werewolf Capture Unit broke its record for the year last night. Nine captures in one night.”
“Um.” Remus looked at Sirius out of the corner of his eye. Was this woman expecting him to be as thrilled and excited as she was at the news?
Sirius leaned forward in his seat, easily picking up on Remus’s hint to steer the subject back on course. “There was an accident last night,” he said.
“An accident?” Umbridge echoed, giving the impression that she didn’t believe there were such things at all.
“There was an earthquake,” Remus continued. “One of the walls of my basement caved in and I… I escaped.”
“Well, that certainly won’t do,” Umbridge replied sternly, although the smile was still eerily on her face. “Since you clearly can’t handle the full moons, I’ll see that you’re transported to a Camp right away. Do you have any preference as to location? I understand that the Fens are quite popular.”
“What?” Sirius interrupted. “Remus isn’t going to a Camp. We’re just here to report what happened.”
Miss Umbridge smiled and shook her head. “And I’m here to ensure that the humans are protected from monsters like werewolves.”
“Remus isn’t a monster,” Sirius snapped. “What sort of a Case Worker are you?”