Disclaimer: If this is the first time you've read my works, you should know I'm really not a big fan of Hermione Granger. Therefore, I've decided to do everyone involved (including myself) a favor by excluding her from all future projects. The only reason why I put this note is because I know I will get bombarded with a lot of questions asking where the Wiki-Witch is. I suspect I'll still get a lot of questions asking where she is, because author's notes are like terms of service agreements. Very few people read them, even they when should.

IF you're the type of person who is offended by me excluding a character I have no interest in writing(whether it be positive, negative, or indifferent), sorry. But I'm really not sorry.

With that sorrid business out of the way, on with your feature presentation.


Part I.

Dolores Jane Umbridge took a great deal of joy of enforcing the will of the Ministry of Magic. There always were some who questioned the government and did not get the bigger picture of how things should not work. The Ministry needed to keep information under wraps for people and for their own good. The people who served the Ministry seldom understood what a government needed to do.

Some people tried to encourage traditions be tossed to the side in the favor of change. Umbridge disagreed with these people. This change should be prohibited and discouraged.

The woman in pink had been summoned up to the Minister of Magic's office. Umbridge could hardly wait to hear what Cornelius had in store for her. The Senior Undersecretary to the Ministry raised one of her stubby hands and knocked three times on the door. Umbridge waited for an answer to come from the other end of the door.

"Yes, Dolores, come in."

Fudge's tone sounded rather tired and it had to do with one thing. Harry Potter managed to escape expulsion from Hogwarts by a technicality. Umbridge's agitation bubbled over. She sent the Dementors to Number Four Privet Drive in an attempt to silence Harry Potter once and for all. The fact he performed a Patronus Charm was surprising. Dolores adapted quickly and encouraged Cornelius to expel him. He caused problems for the Ministry and would be useless outside of Hogwarts.

Unfortunately, the hearing allowed Potter to get out by the skin of his teeth and this deterred Umbridge.

"You wanted to see me, Minister?" Umbridge asked.

"I received a letter from the Hogwarts Board of Governors," Fudge said. "Dumbledore has been unable to hire a teacher a week before Hogwarts was to begin. And thanks to the new educational decree passed, the Ministry can now appointed an accredited Ministry educational expert to teach the class."

Not too many people were lining up to take the Defense Against the Dark Arts job after the previous teacher had been held captive in his trunk for nine months by the madman. The teacher two years before it had his mind wiped blank after an accident. The teacher three years prior had been burned to death after a failed attempt to steal the Philosopher's Stone. Fudge could really go on and on about them.

"So, have you found anyone, Minister?" Umbridge asked.

"I hoped you would honor me in taking the job, Madam Umbridge," Fudge said.

"Are you certain, Minister?" Umbridge asked. "I would hate to leave you at such a crucial time."

Umbridge grinned despite her outward protest. Fudge bent over his desk and missed it. The chance to shape so many young minds and make them aware of their duty to serve the Ministry without question greatly appealed to Dolores Umbridge.

"Weasley can assist me, and I do have other members of staff," Cornelius said. "Dumbledore may be trying something, and Potter….he could be a danger. I want eyes and ears in this school. The past four years have had dangerous things happen in Hogwarts. All of them tie back to Harry Potter."

"Do you want him dealt with, Minister?" Umbridge asked.

"I want him to learn where he properly should be," Fudge said. "You have helped make many see the light Dolores."

Umbridge smiled. She did make many see the light. Some would call it breaking them, and destroying their will. Dolores called it doing what was necessary to stop them from sewing the seeds of anarchy.

"Of course, Minister," Dolores said. "Potter will learn his lesson just like others have. And what of Dumbledore?"

"Leave Dumbledore to me," Fudge said. "His power base is being taken away. The moment where his grip slips off of Hogwarts, we will have him. He won't take this away from me."

Dolores and several others accepted Fudge's words. He believed Dumbledore to be trying to form an army of students with Potter at the helm to help overthrow the Ministry. Dolores and several others did nothing to discourage those ideas.

"You best prepare, Dolores, it's going to be a long year," Fudge said. "You will naturally have to write to the Board of Governors and assign a book."

The perfect book popped into Dolores Umbridge's mind. One vital question entered her mind along with the book.

"Do you give me full authorization to handle Potter and the other students as I need to?" Umbridge asked.

"Yes," Cornelius said. "And Lucius is assisting me in getting you even more power. It may take a few more weeks. I hope to get it ready within your first few weeks at school."

Dolores enjoyed power. She never had it for years and had been at a disadvantage, believing her mother's words she would never amount to anything.

Thanks to female empowerment, Dolores Umbridge rose through the ranks through the Ministry and became the Senior Undersecretary to the Minster of Magic. This position afforded Umbridge access to information which allowed her even more leverage against the people at the Ministry.

Dolores prided herself as one who would squash anyone who tried to destabilize the Ministry. Many adult wizards and witches thought they could go against the Ministry. Umbridge humbled then. Some juvenile delinquent of an underage wizard would be easily broken.

She couldn't get Potter expelled, but if Dolores had her way, she would make him wish he had.


Harry Potter knew this was going to be one of those years the moment that Umbridge woman from his trial for underage magic showed up. The distrustful looks a lot of people gave him proved how the Ministry propaganda machine worked.

Harry was used to the scorn and the whispers he was nothing but a liar. The Dursleys branded him as a criminal and he got looks every time he dared step outside onto Privet Drive.

Defensive Magical Theory rested on the desk in front of Harry Potter along with all of the students. Harry made an attempt to read the book. The book had been written in the same dry manner as usual.

"Professor Umbridge?"

One of the students dared speak up to Dolores Umbridge. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher smiled and looked towards the person in question. She did raised her hand so Umbridge acknowledged her.

"Yes Miss…."

"Dunbar, Professor Umbridge," the fifth year Gryffindor said. "Why are we learning only Defensive Magical Theory in our fifth year? I was underneath the impressive our Ordinary Wizarding Levels have a practical magical application."

"Well, Miss Dunbar, you are not incorrect," Umbridge said. "As long as you study the theory, you will not have any difficulties studying."

"You mean we're not going to get to practice magic in class?"

"You're hand isn't up, Mr….."

"Thomas," Dean Thomas said. "And shouldn't we practice magic in class? I mean, how does anyone expect us to….."

"Mr. Thomas, the Ministry has decided after extensive study there is no need for you to perform the magic as long as you study the theory," Umbridge said. "A failure to perform the magic during the time of examination will indicate a failure to comprehend the theory approved by the Ministry of Magic."

The entire class had been struck dumb by these comments. Another student raised her hand.

"Yes, Ms…."

"Brown, Lavender Brown," the blonde girl said. "You mean to tell me, we won't get any practice at all?"

"Yes, this is correct, Ms. Brown," Umbridge said. "There is no reason why you need to perform practical spells in this school. There is nothing in this school that can harm you."

These words caused Harry to start coughing madly. Umbridge chose to ignore him for a few seconds. The coughing fit persisted and caused Umbridge to stare at him.

"Yes, Mr….?"

"Potter, Harry Potter," Harry said. Umbridge knew well who he was after all. "And I suppose the Dementors attacking during the Quidditch match during my third year was nothing which required defense."

Umbridge figured this was a sticking point. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and senior undersecretary of the Ministry of Magic knew the official Ministry word on it. And repetition was necessary to make sure everyone, including Mr. Potter, understood what the truth as investigated by the Ministry was.

"It was an isolated incident, Mr. Potter, and….there were corrections made to ensure the Dementors didn't attack any students ever again," Umbridge said.

"What about Crouch then?" Harry asked. "I take it you don't believe Voldemort is back….."

The entire class gasped at Harry using the forbidden name. Harry took a second to calm himself down.

"Mr. Potter, he hasn't returned you nasty little liar," Umbridge said in her most dangerous voice. "The Ministry of Magic has conducted an investigation years ago, and several Ministry experts deduced He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has perished."

"They were mistaken, obviously, because I've encountered him twice, at least in his present form….."

"Detention, Mr. Potter!" Dolores said, finally getting her moment to trap him. "You may have gotten away with spreading your attention seeking lies….."

"If you knew anything about me, you would know I don't seek attention," Harry said. "And the more you deny this, the more people are going to realize the Ministry has something to hide."

Dolores would not engage him anymore. She wrote something in an envelope and handed it to Harry.

"Mr. Potter, take this to Professor McGonagall's office," Umbridge said.

Harry took the note in his hand and gathered up his things, not wanting them to be left in Umbridge's glance. He turned on his heel and left.


Minerva McGonagall's stern expression locked onto Harry's face.

"Mr. Potter, would you care to explain what the meaning of this?" Minerva asked.

Harry tried not to roll eyes.

"Professor, you really want me to explain what happened?" Harry asked. "I told the truth and the Ministry stooge Fudge put at Hogwarts didn't like it…."

"Mr. Potter, I know Dolores Umbridge is not…well you should attempt to show respect, as she is your teacher," Minerva said, asking like she swallowed a particular sour lemon.

"She makes it very difficult, Professor," Harry said dryly. "And she has given me detention, hasn't she?"

"Yes, it says for the next week," McGonagall said. "Mr. Potter, you need to be more careful. This is a dangerous climate. Hogwarts is not like it was even last year, and neither is the Ministry. Dolores Umbridge will not rest until the entire Ministry word is accepted by Hogwarts. It's….."

"So, are you telling me it's best to fall in line?" Harry asked.

Harry never fell in line.

"Mr. Potter, I'm just saying you should choose her words carefully," McGonagall said. "She will look for an excuse to get you into trouble, and expel you from Hogwarts. And then, where would any of us be?"

Harry held back any number of comments he could be back. A particularly biting one about how people needed to learn how to fight their own battles came dangerously close to coming out of his throat.

"She's a bully, and they thrive on the fear they cause," Harry said. "I'm not afraid of her."

McGonagall groaned at the stubborn Gryffindor pride. There were some instances where she appreciated it and anticipated it. There were other times where it caused a lot of trouble.

"Mr. Potter, the Ministry is….."

"Interfering with Hogwarts and trying to make sure everyone falls into line," Harry said. "I know, Professor, I have eyes. Their smear campaign this summer showed me how they want to tear me down. Eventually, they're going to slip up."

McGonagall was glad he understood as much.

"Do be careful, Professor Umbridge is in her position at the Ministry for a reason," McGonagall said.

Harry didn't need to be told the obvious. He already knew.

X-X-X

The next night passed around and Harry arrived for detention. Dolores Umbridge waited for him. She resembled a cat which got a particular fat canary. The smug expression on her face made Harry want to hex it off. He stepped inside.

"Good evening, Professor."

"Good evening, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said, the sugary politeness in her tone directed towards him. "Have a seat and we'll get started?"

"What are we doing tonight, Professor?" Harry asked.

"You'll be writing lines tonight," Umbridge said. She stopped Harry from making a motion towards his bag. "Oh, no, I have a quill just for the occasion for you."

A sleek black quill had been placed inside Harry's hand. Harry took the quill it his hand. Something about this quill felt off. He couldn't put his finger on it just yet.

"Where's the ink?" Harry asked.

"You won't need the ink, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said. "I want you to write, 'I must not tell lies' on the paper?"

"How many times?" Harry asked.

"As many as it takes for the message to properly sink in."

Harry took the black quill in his hand.

'The most consistent tool of brainwashing is repetition.'

Harry placed his hand on the paper and started to write out the offending words. A stinging sensation spread through the palm of Harry's hand and the words carved into the back of it.

The words "I must not tell lies" glowed on the paper. Umbridge watched Harry for any kind of reaction. He set his jaw and stared back at her.

The first act of using the quill caught Harry off guard. He adjusted and pressed on writing the words into the paper. He wore an expression on his face much like a person who wrote normal lines on the piece of paper.

Three hours of line writing passed until Umbridge looked up from her work and stared at Harry.

"Mr. Potter, you may stop now," Umbridge said. "Show me your hand."

Harry placed the hand down on Umbridge's desk. She looked at the back of his hand. The words barely shined visible.

"What do you think now, Mr. Potter?" Umbridge asked.

"I think you're a worthless bitch and I hope there really is a curse on this position, and you suffer the full brunt of it," Harry said. His eyes flickered into the light and it was his turn to return Umbridge's smug snake expression from earlier. "What do you know, Professor? The detention works. I wasn't able to lie. See you tomorrow night."

Umbridge didn't react. She would have to ensure Potter wrote even longer the next night. He might be able to withstand the pain of the quill for one night. Several nights would be another matter entirely. Umbridge would have him.

After the initial disappointment, the satisfied look returned to Umbridge's face. She would squash the sense of independence this brat acquired against the Ministry of Magic.


Harry easily navigated the hallways of Hogwarts without any problem. The Map and the Cloak were his biggest weapons against navigating Hogwarts. Filch and Umbridge were on the move throughout the hallways. A couple other teachers were up and the Prefects patrolled the hallway.

The Boy-Who-Lived stopped at a gust of wind coming from the area of the Astronomy tower.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Harry smiled and leaned against the wall to face his visitor.

"So, the Ministry sent someone," Harry said. "A new teacher, her name is Dolores Umbridge. She won't win any beauty contests and she won't win points because of her wonderful personality. She makes Aunt Marge look positively charming."

"Sounds like a real peace of work."

"You don't know the half of it," Harry said holding his hand. "I've been in detention for the past three nights. She's been making me lines. She's telling me to write I must not tell lies, over and over again….with a quill which makes me write in my own blood."

"She didn't?...OH THAT BITCH!"

"Calm down," Harry said. "I'm perfectly fine. It didn't hurt after the first time. And it's starting to get to her a little bit. Every night she is smug, thinking this will be the night where it breaks me. And she doesn't succeed. Ten years in a cupboard won't break me. No Ministry stooge will break me."

Harry could tell the figure wasn't too pleased against it.

"I know you can't stand me putting myself through this to prove a point," Harry said. "And I don't like it any more than you do. This is just something which has to be done."

"You and your hero complex."

Harry noticed a certain amount of fondness. The Boy-Who-Lived extended his arm to show his visitor.

"I can see them…the words…"

"They're only fresh because I left detention not too long ago," Harry said. "They're gone by morning."

"I bet the look on her face is priceless."

Harry smiled for a long few seconds.

"You have no idea," Harry said. "You really have no idea at all."


Harry left Herbology after class one day. He stopped short almost running into Susan Bones when she left the class. Susan stopped short.

"Oh, Harry, sorry, I didn't see you here," Susan said. "OWL year, and I'm already…..I'm already losing it. It's really weird isn't it?"

"Yes, but you won't be the first, and you won't be the last," Harry said. "I was hoping to run into you."

"Not literally, of course?" Susan asked. Harry stared at the well-endowed redheaded Hufflepuff. "Okay, um…what did you need?"

"I needed to ask you a question, and I figured you would know given your aunt is in magical law enforcement," Harry said.

Susan swelled up with pride at being asked a question by the Boy-Who-Lived. She tried to keep her excitement down and not embarrass herself. As long as she didn't embarrass herself, Susan would be fine.

"I ran across something, a quill, a weird quill," Harry said. Susan answered with a raised eyebrow. "I read it about it in a book. It doesn't need ink, but….when a person writes, it does so in their own blood."

"Oh, you must be referring to a notarization quill," Susan said. "It's used for magically binding contracts from the goblins….use of it otherwise is strictly regulated and it's only through the most extreme circumstances it's used."

"So, to use it, you would have to get special permission?" Harry asked.

"Yes, the goblins regulate the usage of the quill," Susan said. "Only less than a handful have been used. One had been gifted to the Ministry as part of the Goblin rebellion for study in the Department of Mysteries, I think."

"So the Ministry has not been given permission to use it?" Harry asked.

"It's used for high end binding magical contracts," Susan said. "The usage of it is extremely taxing."

"And what would repeatedly writing the same thing over and over again with the quill?" Harry asked.

Susan frowned for a moment. Harry asked some particular specific questions which raised some interesting ones in return.

"I'm not sure," Susan said. "I figure it won't do anything good. It will reinforce the contract several times over, although constant repetition is not healthy. It's likely to cause…damage to the person…..I'm sure if you asked someone, they would be willing to tell you more."

Harry smiled.

"Maybe I should."

"Why do you want to know?" Susan asked. "You…this is odd."

"Just morbid curiosity, Miss Bones," Harry said. "So the goblins would not be too happy if their quill they gifted to the Ministry for research was used for other purposes. Am I correct?"

Susan took a second to consider it. She nodded her head in response.

"They wouldn't be happy, and it would…cause problems if they ever found out, "Susan said. "Why are you asking?"

"Just trying to learn a bit more about the world I've been drawn into and how it works," Harry said. "I have to go….it was nice talking to you."

Susan Bones didn't really know what to think regarding what she had been asked. She would need to write to her aunt. Given Umbridge's presence in this school, something was up. Susan needed to be careful what she said. It wouldn't be too long before Umbridge had all incoming communications coming in and out of Hogwarts monitored for security purposes.


The final night of detentions passed. Umbridge kept Harry writing with the accursed quill for as long as she could stand doing so. Eventually it got too late for her, closer to sunrise than it was sunset.

"Mr. Potter, you may stop for the evening."

Harry finished the line and dropped it. A faint etching of the words flashed onto his hand.

"Show me your hand, Mr. Potter."

Harry held out his hand for a second. He could see the toad like woman's beady little eyes fixated on it for a couple of seconds.

Dolores Umbridge could not believe after days of writing the quill barely even made a mark on the back of Potter's hand. He acted like these detentions didn't bother him. Umbridge knew it was beyond the capabilities of the Hogwarts Healer to heal the words thanks to the magical nature of the artifact and Potter had been considered to be a slightly average student at best.

"Is everything okay, Professor?" Harry asked.

"Fine, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said. "I do hope you have learned your lesson."

Umbridge reached over to make herself a glass of tea after these long detentions had passed.

"I have, Professor," Harry said. "You must have a great relationship with the goblins for them to allow you to use this quill for your detentions as well."

Umbridge almost spilled the tea she poured over herself.

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said.

"It's a notarization quill, Professor, it's what's the goblins used to have people sign magical contracts," Harry said. "I had no idea; the Ministry and the Goblin Nation were on such good terms. I'm sure the people will sleep soundly knowing you and Minister Fudge have worked so hard to cultivate these good relations between yourself and the goblins."

A sickening feeling dropped to the pit of Umbridge's stomach. Did Potter tell anyone about the quill?

"Potter, you didn't tell anyone about the detentions," Umbridge said after a couple of seconds.

"Well, if people asked me about it, I'm going to have to tell them," Harry said. "After all, I must not tell lies, right, Professor?"

Umbridge's right eye developed a mild twitch. She managed to regain her bearings.

"I told them I was doing lines," Harry said. The fact a small amount of sweat appeared on Umbridge's face made Harry seem a bit happier. "I might have asked a couple of people about the quill."

Time froze thanks to this revelation. Umbridge remained calm, even though any smugness which had been left over left.

"You…you didn't, Potter," Umbridge said, her breath coming out in a hiss.

The goblins were already incensed regarding Bagman running off after being in massive amount of debt. And any thought of being a friend of these creatures.

"Professor, you did teach me not to tell lies."

"Leave, now, Potter," Umbridge said after a couple of seconds.

"Good night, Professor Umbridge, pleasant dreams."

Harry turned around and left.

Umbridge turned to the quill which lay on the table. The blood of Harry Potter shined from the paper. Umbridge picked up the paper and hurled it into the fire to get rid of all of the evidence of the usage of the quill.


To Be Continued.