Chapters 191-200

Umbridge Unravelled?

‘Once the spell that animated the body was broken, the released power devoured it. Basically…’ Harry swallowed again. He was quite green around the edges. Hermione wondered if the report had pictures. She didn’t even want to imagine wizarding photographs of what Harry described.

‘The body decomposed completely within just a few hours. When nothing was left, the remaining energy went up in a magical explosion. Luckily it was contained by the strong wards of the forensics facility at St. Mungo’s. There was only one casualty. Unfortunately the Healer who was working on the case was killed.’

Hermione suppressed another gasp. The magical energy contained by the two halves of the Resurrection Stones was just as volatile and dangerous as Harry and Severus feared.

‘This brings me to the second part of my report,’ Harry said and firmly moved the stack of parchments aside. ‘Severus and I went beyond the Veil last Friday. We entered the Realm of Death to discover the cause of the paralysis of Albus Dumbledore’s portrait and to find out if and how this phenomenon is connected with the leeching curse. The curse uses the magical tattoos that were designed as a protection for witches and wizards with Muggle ancestry is gradually draining their magic and killing them. At the moment at least twenty deaths have to be attributed to the effects of that curse.’

‘Twenty-one,’ Mugwort put in. ‘Little Maybeth Ellersfield died this morning.’

‘Oh no,’ Hermione whispered. Maybeth’s twin-sister, Leonore, had died of bronchitis only last week.

‘Twenty-one deaths then,’ Harry repeated. He took another deep breath. Hermione realised how much her friend had changed since the Final Battle. She could see how he struggled to keep his emotions in check—deep breaths, nervous gestures, how his jaw muscles tensed. But he did manage to keep reasonably calm and provide a succinct report. Well, she mused, he is supposed to be an Auror nowadays…

‘…thanks to the Sempiternal Solution researched by Hermione and brewed by her and her husband, Severus and I were able to complete this task successfully.

‘With the aid of the souls of my old owl and Dobby—’

Draco started. A shadow seemed to darken his bright grey eyes.

Harry went on. ‘—we were able to find the paralysed soul of Albus Dumbledore and communicate with him.’

Harry continued, explaining everything Dumbledore had told them about the leeching curse and the two halves of the Resurrection Stone. Disregarding the whispers and murmured expressions of shock and disbelief among the audience, he finished: ‘If we don’t manage to break that curse in time, there will be two enormous magical explosions. One of them will occur here—that is, wherever Umbridge has hidden the other half of the Resurrection Stone—, the other beyond the Veil. We have no idea how devastating the consequences of those explosions will be. I for one am loath to find out.’

‘I’m absolutely with you on that, mate,’ Ron muttered. ‘Lucky for us that Dumbledore knows how to break that curse. Sly old codger, dead or alive, that one.’

Andromeda spoke up, ‘So what are the next steps?’

‘We have to find the Elder Wand and determine its current Owner. And we have to discover the hiding place of the second half of the Resurrection Stone,’ Severus replied, smoothly taking over from Harry who was beginning to look more than a little exhausted. ‘As soon as possible, since we have no means to determine just when the limit of the capacity of the Stone will be reached.’

‘Umbridge’s wand is the Elder Wand,’ Draco said suddenly, his voice deep with conviction. ‘I’m sure of it. That’s the only reasonable explanation for that revolting Colouring Charm she used on her wand. She was damn lucky those Weasleys’ Wheezes created that wand decorating fad.’

‘But even if the Elder Wand is already in our possession—what about its ownership?’ asked Minerva, nervously adjusting her glasses. ‘We know the Elder Wand needs to be wielded by its rightful Owner to unleash its full power. Who is this Owner now? And how do we find him?’

‘First we need to remove that Charm from Umbridge’s wand to ascertain that it’s really the Elder Wand,’ Hermione said. ‘Then I suggest to consult Ollivander. No one knows more about wandlore. Maybe he can help us locate the current Owner. There must be a spell for that.’

‘I could search Umbridge’s office again. I have an idea where the Stone might be hidden,’ Draco offered. He turned to Harry. ‘It may sound preposterous since the Aurors and the Unspeakables already searched it twice and didn’t find anything, but I’ve been working for that hag. I’ve been closer to Her Nastiness during the last two years than any of you.’

Both Harry and Andromeda nodded at once. ‘That’s a very good idea, Draco,’ Harry replied. ‘Sometimes you need to trust your instincts. Just be careful, okay? There’s a reason for that nickname you just used for her. The Stone will be shielded somehow.’

‘What about those Necromancers in Umbridge’s company?’ Madame Dubois asked, speaking for the first time since the meeting had begun. ‘We must not forget that angle. You are not only trying to disarm a potential magical weapon of mass destruction here. You are sabotaging a cunning plan to commit mass murder. Who were those Necromancers? Where did they come from, how did they end up working with Umbridge—or how did Umbridge end up working with them?’

‘Damn Death Eaters,’ Ron grumbled.

Madame Dubois shook her head. ‘Are you sure they are Death Eaters? Don’t allow your preconceptions to blind you. What about that warning the first Inferius gave you? Did he mention Death Eaters at all?’

‘He didn’t,’ Severus said. The silky tone of his voice made Hermione shiver. ‘I have been thinking about that, too. What if the Necromancers were not Umbridge’s accomplices? What if Umbridge was theirs?’

‘What do you suspect, Severus?’ Andromeda asked.