Chapter 221 - 221: Isn't This Just Mutual Sabotage?

Words : 2017 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

Just as Dumbledore had predicted, officials from the Ministry of Magic arrived early the next morning. Leading the group was the toad-like Dolores Umbridge, flanked by Dawlish, followed closely by the Head of the Auror Office, Rufus Scrimgeour, and more than twenty Aurors. "Oh, how lovely to see you again, Headmaster Dumbledore," Umbridge said in her self-consciously sweet yet sickening voice. "No—my mistake. From this point on, I'm afraid you'll have to temporarily say goodbye to your position as headmaster." She pulled out a formal decree from the Ministry of Magic. "With unanimous agreement from both the Ministry and the Hogwarts Board of Governors, we've determined that you are no longer fit to hold this position." Dumbledore, seated calmly behind his desk with a warm smile, replied, "Ah, Dolores, I really do wish you'd come during daylight hours to deliver the news. You know, I've been thinking about retiring for quite some time. Unfortunately, with what happened tonight, under Hogwarts regulations, I am required to remain in my position to ensure the safety of all students and staff. So, I cannot resign at this time." Umbridge was briefly taken aback and turned to Scrimgeour. "Is that actually a regulation at Hogwarts?" Scrimgeour glanced at Dumbledore, then shook his head. "I'm not sure." Off to the side, Edward slammed a thick black book, its spine marked with a faded half-Gobbledegook label, onto the table with a loud thud. "This is the complete book of Hogwarts regulations. Why don't you go ahead and look it up for yourself?" Of course, Umbridge hadn't forgotten Edward. Her voice turned cold and sinister. "Headmaster Dumbledore, we're here representing the Ministry and the Board of Governors. It's highly inappropriate for a student to be present during this conversation." "Oh, I'd say it's entirely appropriate," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. "Since I'm currently running for Minister for Magic, I've found myself rather overwhelmed with Hogwarts affairs. Edward is now serving as my secretary and assists me in handling all school matters—including tonight's unfortunate incident." "Unfortunate incident?" Umbridge's voice rose sharply. "You're calling the appearance of the Dark Mark over Hogwarts an unfortunate incident?" "Of course," Edward interjected as he pulled out a copy of the Daily Prophet. On its front page was an interview with Minister Fudge regarding the previous attack by the Dark Lord on the Ministry. "Last time, Minister Fudge claimed that the attack was merely an accident, and that the so-called Dark Lord sighting was nonsense. If even the appearance of the Dark Lord can be written off as an accident, why not a mere Dark Mark?" "…" Umbridge was momentarily speechless. She hadn't been privy to the full truth of the previous incident. Fudge had later claimed someone had only transfigured into the appearance of the Dark Lord to stage an attack—but afterwards, he had drastically increased his personal security. If it had all been fake, why so nervous? Scrimgeour then spoke up, "Headmaster Dumbledore, I'm not here today to argue about Hogwarts regulations or anything of the sort. The fact is, the Dark Mark appeared. Most parents will find out very soon, and it's bound to cause widespread panic. This won't reflect well on you." Dumbledore nodded and gestured for him to continue. "Please go on, Rufus." "That's why I believe this matter must be investigated thoroughly and swiftly. The public deserves a clear answer." "And how do you intend to investigate?" Dumbledore asked. Scrimgeour's expression was stern. "Snape and Karkaroff. I need to take them back to the Ministry." "You're well aware of their pasts, I assume. Karkaroff shows up one day, and the next day this happens—of course, he's the prime suspect. And we can't rule out Snape either." Dumbledore fell silent, deep in thought. After a while, he spoke gently, "Can I trust you, Rufus?" Scrimgeour gave a firm nod. "Very well. I'll leave it to you." Edward sighed. He had wanted to use Karkaroff as bait to lure out the Death Eaters. After Scrimgeour left, Dumbledore turned to Umbridge. "Now then, Dolores, is there something else you wish to do?" Umbridge hesitated, looking briefly at Dawlish. She was torn about whether to pull out the appointment letter naming her Acting Headmistress of Hogwarts. After careful thought, she decided against it. Instead, she put on her syrupy voice and said, "Have you forgotten, Headmaster? I'm still the professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. I heard that while I was away, Professor Snape has been covering the class. Now that he's off to the Ministry for questioning, I believe it's time for me to resume teaching." ——— Meanwhile, over in the Great Hall, where students had spent the night sleeping on conjured bedding, word spread quickly the next morning about three major updates: First, the explosion from last night had been caused by a Death Eater releasing the Dark Mark inside Hogwarts. Second, Professor Snape and the Headmaster of Durmstrang had been taken by Ministry Aurors for questioning. Third, that loathsome pink toad, Dolores Umbridge, was back as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. The students buzzed with chatter, discussing last night's events and venting their collective disgust at Umbridge's return. The Durmstrang students, in stark contrast, remained silent and withdrawn. It was already disorienting enough to be dragged to a foreign school for a half-year "exchange." And now, just two days in, their headmaster had been arrested by the Ministry? This was madness! They felt like the entire world had turned its back on them. "Bloody hell! That disgusting old hag!" Lee Jordan cursed between bites of breakfast. With winter's heavy snow blanketing the grounds, Quidditch matches had been suspended, leaving him, the match commentator, with nothing to do. Thankfully, Professor Snape's hands-on Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons had given him a new role. And compared to Quidditch, live duelling classes were far more intense and exciting to commentate on—perfect for showcasing his natural talent. But now, all of that was gone! Crunch. Lee Jordan bit down hard on a chicken bone, then scooted closer to the Weasley twins. "You two got any good ideas lately? The kind that'll drive that old hag out? Prank items, anything—I'm ready to sponsor you!" The twins still bore the bruises from last night's group beating. They glanced at Lee Jordan and muttered, "Didn't you hear what Professor McGonagall said? We're supposed to behave for now." "???" Lee Jordan looked stunned. "Wait—what? That's supposed to be my line! Fred, don't tell me you've been put under the Imperius Curse again?" The twins looked dead serious. "It's all for the headmaster's election!" Ron, on the other hand, seemed a bit pleased. "I think it's great. At least I don't have to scrub toilets for a whole month." "But the Defence Against the Dark Arts class is probably going back to memorising theory and writing essays," Harry sighed. "That's so boring. Hermione, have you heard anything from Audrey?" "No. Honestly, I don't think there's any point in you two stressing about it. What's done is done." "Oh right." Ron suddenly lowered his voice. "Snape's been taken to the Ministry. Does that mean the Philosopher's Stone is completely safe now?" At that, Harry and Hermione froze, the same thought hitting them both: "Could all of this have been orchestrated by someone trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone?" ——— Elsewhere, on the eighth-floor corridor of the castle, Audrey and Edward stood by the railing, looking out at the snowy landscape. Lilith and Susie were chasing each other around, playing a game of tag. Audrey said worriedly, "I heard this morning that last night's incident might hurt Professor Dumbledore's campaign. Fudge's people are accusing him of failing to manage the school properly—how could he possibly govern the entire wizarding world?" "Yeah. Judging by what we know, it's highly likely that last night's Dark Mark was staged by certain pure-blood families in collusion with Fudge," Edward said, arms crossed. "What we don't know is whether they're just trying to oppose Dumbledore—or if Voldemort is pulling the strings behind the scenes." "We were originally planning to use Karkaroff as bait to lure out the Death Eaters hunting him, but now that he's been taken to the Ministry, that plan's on hold." "So we just wait?" "No!" Edward suddenly grinned. "There's something I was planning to do before the Christmas holidays anyway. Now's the perfect time to get a head start. If it's just a game of sabotage, Dumbledore won't do it himself—but I can lend him a hand." Audrey blinked. "Do what?" "Don't you remember? This time, we came back to help you further digest your sequence." She looked puzzled. "Um, I've been playing psychiatrist for everyone every day…" Then it dawned on her. "Azkaban?" "Exactly! Fudge is accusing Professor Dumbledore of mismanaging Hogwarts to discredit him, right? So…what if something happens at Azkaban too?" Excitement sparkled in Audrey's eyes. If it were just a mission to play a therapist, she wouldn't have found it necessary. But if it was to help Dumbledore—that sounded very interesting! "But Azkaban's main guards are Dementors, aren't they? How do we deal with them?" Edward lifted Lilith into the air. "We have Lilith!" "???" Lilith, who had been happily playing, was suddenly hoisted up. She looked confused at first, but as soon as she heard Edward's words, she instinctively raised her head and said cheerfully, "Right!" Of course, Edward wasn't planning to rely solely on Lilith. After all, Azkaban was crawling with Dementors. Even something as powerful as the Patronus Charm couldn't truly harm a Dementor, but a No-Fly Zone could turn them into nothing more than wriggling rags on the floor. "So, how exactly do we get to Azkaban?" Audrey asked again. "The books only say it's on an island in the northern sea, but there's no exact location." "Fawkes has taken Professor Dumbledore there before. The easiest way would be to have it bring us there via Apparition." "The easiest?" Audrey raised an eyebrow. "You saying that makes me think you're not planning to use that method." Edward nodded. "Right. Let's not let him find out about this for now." At the moment, even though Dumbledore had moved away from his former stance of tolerance and non-confrontation, he still preferred to pursue goals through legitimate and peaceful means—which is exactly why he was running for Minister of Magic. Even knowing that Fudge was working with pure-blood families to set traps for him, Dumbledore hadn't considered flipping the table. Edward had asked him about it just last night, and Dumbledore's response had been: after becoming Minister, he hoped to maintain the order currently holding the wizarding world together. With that order in place, it would be possible to enact change and lead society in a new direction. If, on the other hand, he chose to use brute force to achieve his goals, while that might be faster, it would also mean destroying the very rules that had taken the magical world years to establish. And once those rules were broken, they'd be almost impossible to rebuild. Audrey continued, "So what's the alternative?" "Find someone who's been to Azkaban and has something to lose—someone who'll do what we say." "Who?" "Barty Crouch." ——— [Note]: Enjoy the Extra Chapter~ 535 Powerstones for an Extra Chapter tomorrow. Go VOTE! And if you are like me and want to read 40 Chapters in advance of the current story right now, you can support me on my Patreon. Thank me later~ Link - (P)atre(o)n.c(o)m/ Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]

Chapter 221 - 221: Isn't This Just Mutual Sabotage?

Comments (0)