Fic: One by One (Millicent, Umbridge, G)
Title: One by One
Author: quietliban
Characters: Dolores Umbridge, Millicent Bulstrode
Rating: G
Summary: Umbridge constructs her army, one by one.
Author's Notes: Written for fell_beast2 for springtime_gen 2010. Thank you to the mods for running such a great fest, and for their patience. Feedback is what stars are made of.
Dolores looks at the girl she’s called into her office. Millicent Bulstrode’s robes are ill fitting and tight across her broad shoulders. Millicent is tall and Dolores considers drawing herself up in an attempt to conceal her own diminutive stature. Instead, she smiles and gestures to the chair in front of her desk.
“Please, sit.”
The girl glances at her suspiciously and Dolores tries to emanate composure and reassurance while ignoring the excitement prickling under her skin. This girl is the last.
Millicent sits and flicks her plait over her shoulder. Her austere hairstyle does nothing to improve her face, but Dolores has not chosen this one for beauty. Dolores smiles as she takes her own seat behind her desk.
“I did go to my last detention, Professor.” Millicent's face colours as she blurts out this earnest assurance. Dolores drops her smile.
“Ah, yes. Given to you by Professor McGonagall for copying, I believe.”
Millicent looks down. Dolores watches her carefully.
“Would you like some tea?” she asks. Millicent looks up. She looks wary, but she nods.
“Yes please, Professor.”
Dolores flicks her wand to where a tea tray has appeared on her sideboard. Two cubes of sugar find their way into the china cups followed by the teapot pouring. Dolores holds out her hands. The teacup and saucer make their way over and Dolores takes a sip as Millicent reaches out for hers.
“That still weirds me out,” Millicent mutters, mostly to herself and this is not the time for Dolores to comment.
“I haven’t called you here to discuss detentions, Millicent.” Dolores places her cup of tea on her desk and looks at Millicent, who shies away from her gaze.
“Merlin, I’ve failed then, haven’t I? That last essay in Defence.” Millicent pushes her cup of tea onto Dolores’s desk. Dolores’ eyes the teacup before trying to soften her expression.
“No, Millicent. You haven’t failed. This isn’t about schoolwork.”
Confusion clouds Millicent’s face and Dolores reaches for her desk drawer and pulls out a small silver pin. The transfigured metal ‘I’ is cool in her hands and Dolores lets her fingers play with it for a moment before placing it front of Millicent on her desk.
“I called you here to discuss this.”
Millicent glances at the silver pin before drawing her eyes to Dolores, watching her. Dolores leans back in her chair and meets Millicent’s eyes.
“What is ‘this?’” Millicent asks. Unlike the others before her, she hasn’t reached out to touch the badge which glints in the afternoon sunlight.
“A place on the Inquisitional Squad.”
“The Inquisitional Squad? I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s new, designed to ensure that Educational Decrees are followed. It’s to keep order, here at Hogwarts.” Dolores smiles.
Millicent frowns. “You mean dobbing.”
Millicent’s eyes are angry and Dolores remembers that the reason why Millicent is here is that her name was on the list of troublesome students so kindly provided by Argus Filch at the beginning of her term at Hogwarts. Dolores braces herself and smiles. She meets Millicent’s gaze and shakes her head.
“No, not at all. As part of the Inquisitional Squad you would be leading Hogwarts to safety and stopping this dangerous recklessness that has been going on for far too long under Dumbledore. You would become a part of Hogwarts’s legacy; a founding member of the Inquisitional Squad. It would be something to make your parents proud.”
Dolores’ leans back in her chair. Millicent’s expression changes from suspicion and anger at her last sentence to hope. The softer expression doesn’t last long on Millicent’s face and Dolores finds herself meeting hard eyes once again.
“Well?”
Millicent’s hands are clenched together in her lap and she’s sitting forward in her seat, her eyes fixed on the silver pin resting on Dolores’ desk. Millicent hesitates and Dolores wonders if she was mistaken about this one. The others were quick to take the chance, their easily read faces making it simple to predict their thoughts. Millicent’s face is closed.
“It’s not the same as Prefect, is it?” she asks with her eyes on the badge.
There’s disappointment in the girl’s voice and Dolores finds herself amused. Millicent Bulstrode couldn’t possibly hope for a Prefecture with her reputation and the likes of Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy in her year.
“No, dear. As a member of the Inquisitional Squad you report to the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts: me.” Dolores leans back in her chair and lets a glimpse of her own satisfaction show on her face.
“I would report to you, not Professor Snape?” Millicent’s voice is cautious and her eyes are no longer on the badge but on Dolores’ face watching her carefully. Dolores gives Millicent her most reassuring smile.
“That’s right, dear.”
Millicent’s expression becomes thoughtful and Dolores draws her hands together, intertwining her fingers before pressing them to her abdomen. Snape’s hold on the dear little Slytherins is almost as infuriating as Dumbledore’s unfortunate influence on that idiot Harry Potter. Dolores breathes in and unfolds her hands.
“Did Professor Snape recommend me, then?” The girl sounds almost hopeful as she asks this question and Dolores wonders if she should reassess. The silver ‘I’ on her desk catches her eye and Dolores suppresses a smile. Dolores lifts her eyes from the badge to Millicent’s face. She wants this one for brawn. Her reputation for violence means that she should complement those other two numbskulls that came with Malfoy. Instead this girl has shown that she’s something else. Not just brutality, but intelligence, cunning. Dolores cannot mistake this girl’s hesitance and probing for reluctance and stupidity.
“You recommend yourself.”
The girl’s face clouds slightly, and her eyes drop from Dolores’ face to the little ‘I’ again. Wistfulness washes over her face and Dolores wonders if the girl really will refuse. Dolores leans forward in her chair.
“Yes, then,” Millicent says quickly. The badge flies from Dolores’s desk like the others before it and fastens itself to Millicent’s school robes. The girl reaches for it, closing her fingers around it. Millicent gives a small smile and meets Dolores’ eyes.
“I won’t let you down.”
Dolores smiles as a wave of relief pushes through her doubts. “I know.”
Author: quietliban
Characters: Dolores Umbridge, Millicent Bulstrode
Rating: G
Summary: Umbridge constructs her army, one by one.
Author's Notes: Written for fell_beast2 for springtime_gen 2010. Thank you to the mods for running such a great fest, and for their patience. Feedback is what stars are made of.
Dolores looks at the girl she’s called into her office. Millicent Bulstrode’s robes are ill fitting and tight across her broad shoulders. Millicent is tall and Dolores considers drawing herself up in an attempt to conceal her own diminutive stature. Instead, she smiles and gestures to the chair in front of her desk.
“Please, sit.”
The girl glances at her suspiciously and Dolores tries to emanate composure and reassurance while ignoring the excitement prickling under her skin. This girl is the last.
Millicent sits and flicks her plait over her shoulder. Her austere hairstyle does nothing to improve her face, but Dolores has not chosen this one for beauty. Dolores smiles as she takes her own seat behind her desk.
“I did go to my last detention, Professor.” Millicent's face colours as she blurts out this earnest assurance. Dolores drops her smile.
“Ah, yes. Given to you by Professor McGonagall for copying, I believe.”
Millicent looks down. Dolores watches her carefully.
“Would you like some tea?” she asks. Millicent looks up. She looks wary, but she nods.
“Yes please, Professor.”
Dolores flicks her wand to where a tea tray has appeared on her sideboard. Two cubes of sugar find their way into the china cups followed by the teapot pouring. Dolores holds out her hands. The teacup and saucer make their way over and Dolores takes a sip as Millicent reaches out for hers.
“That still weirds me out,” Millicent mutters, mostly to herself and this is not the time for Dolores to comment.
“I haven’t called you here to discuss detentions, Millicent.” Dolores places her cup of tea on her desk and looks at Millicent, who shies away from her gaze.
“Merlin, I’ve failed then, haven’t I? That last essay in Defence.” Millicent pushes her cup of tea onto Dolores’s desk. Dolores’ eyes the teacup before trying to soften her expression.
“No, Millicent. You haven’t failed. This isn’t about schoolwork.”
Confusion clouds Millicent’s face and Dolores reaches for her desk drawer and pulls out a small silver pin. The transfigured metal ‘I’ is cool in her hands and Dolores lets her fingers play with it for a moment before placing it front of Millicent on her desk.
“I called you here to discuss this.”
Millicent glances at the silver pin before drawing her eyes to Dolores, watching her. Dolores leans back in her chair and meets Millicent’s eyes.
“What is ‘this?’” Millicent asks. Unlike the others before her, she hasn’t reached out to touch the badge which glints in the afternoon sunlight.
“A place on the Inquisitional Squad.”
“The Inquisitional Squad? I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s new, designed to ensure that Educational Decrees are followed. It’s to keep order, here at Hogwarts.” Dolores smiles.
Millicent frowns. “You mean dobbing.”
Millicent’s eyes are angry and Dolores remembers that the reason why Millicent is here is that her name was on the list of troublesome students so kindly provided by Argus Filch at the beginning of her term at Hogwarts. Dolores braces herself and smiles. She meets Millicent’s gaze and shakes her head.
“No, not at all. As part of the Inquisitional Squad you would be leading Hogwarts to safety and stopping this dangerous recklessness that has been going on for far too long under Dumbledore. You would become a part of Hogwarts’s legacy; a founding member of the Inquisitional Squad. It would be something to make your parents proud.”
Dolores’ leans back in her chair. Millicent’s expression changes from suspicion and anger at her last sentence to hope. The softer expression doesn’t last long on Millicent’s face and Dolores finds herself meeting hard eyes once again.
“Well?”
Millicent’s hands are clenched together in her lap and she’s sitting forward in her seat, her eyes fixed on the silver pin resting on Dolores’ desk. Millicent hesitates and Dolores wonders if she was mistaken about this one. The others were quick to take the chance, their easily read faces making it simple to predict their thoughts. Millicent’s face is closed.
“It’s not the same as Prefect, is it?” she asks with her eyes on the badge.
There’s disappointment in the girl’s voice and Dolores finds herself amused. Millicent Bulstrode couldn’t possibly hope for a Prefecture with her reputation and the likes of Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy in her year.
“No, dear. As a member of the Inquisitional Squad you report to the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts: me.” Dolores leans back in her chair and lets a glimpse of her own satisfaction show on her face.
“I would report to you, not Professor Snape?” Millicent’s voice is cautious and her eyes are no longer on the badge but on Dolores’ face watching her carefully. Dolores gives Millicent her most reassuring smile.
“That’s right, dear.”
Millicent’s expression becomes thoughtful and Dolores draws her hands together, intertwining her fingers before pressing them to her abdomen. Snape’s hold on the dear little Slytherins is almost as infuriating as Dumbledore’s unfortunate influence on that idiot Harry Potter. Dolores breathes in and unfolds her hands.
“Did Professor Snape recommend me, then?” The girl sounds almost hopeful as she asks this question and Dolores wonders if she should reassess. The silver ‘I’ on her desk catches her eye and Dolores suppresses a smile. Dolores lifts her eyes from the badge to Millicent’s face. She wants this one for brawn. Her reputation for violence means that she should complement those other two numbskulls that came with Malfoy. Instead this girl has shown that she’s something else. Not just brutality, but intelligence, cunning. Dolores cannot mistake this girl’s hesitance and probing for reluctance and stupidity.
“You recommend yourself.”
The girl’s face clouds slightly, and her eyes drop from Dolores’ face to the little ‘I’ again. Wistfulness washes over her face and Dolores wonders if the girl really will refuse. Dolores leans forward in her chair.
“Yes, then,” Millicent says quickly. The badge flies from Dolores’s desk like the others before it and fastens itself to Millicent’s school robes. The girl reaches for it, closing her fingers around it. Millicent gives a small smile and meets Dolores’ eyes.
“I won’t let you down.”
Dolores smiles as a wave of relief pushes through her doubts. “I know.”