The One Who You Fear

Chapter 10: New Management

Jack got up and walked down the closest corridor. Jack knew Dumbledore told him not to think about going home or Aku, but he also said to destroy Undertaker. The best way to finish Aku's servant was to stop Aku himself and undo the evil he had caused.

He came to the place. Taking a deep breath, he paced in front of the spot. "I must find a way home. I need a way home. This is the only place that can do it. Please, use your magic. Bring me home."

The door appeared. It had worked. Jack went straight for the door and reached to open it. Suddenly, he was knocked back by a mysterious electric force. When he got over the shock he walked back to the door and ran his hand before it. Some sort of force field blocked his way to the door. He tried to break through it with his sword, but that was no good. All of Jack's hope drained out of him, and the door disappeared like a mist.

Just then, Jack heard loud voices. He hid behind the tapestry. He could just barely see the forms of Umbridge and Undertaker coming down the hall. Professor Umbridge was carrying something, but Jack couldn't see what, and Undertaker looked furious.

"This is ridiculous!" Undertaker yelled. "Dolores--"

"Headmistress Dolores!" she snapped at him.

"Yes, yes, headmistress, you're going too far this time. I mean, this is nothing short of poisoning the poor boy. What do you want to know? Just tell me! I got a rapport with him!"

Umbridge snorted and continued to walk on.

"Why were you made headmistress anyway? I'm the High Inquisitor! I made all of those promises! I passed so many rules and Educational Decrees! And look at this, I put a force field before the Room of Requirement so that no one can use it." Jack's heard the sizzle as Undertaker ran his hand against the force field, and Jack's blood boiled. "I'm on the Ministry's side. Why didn't they make me headmaster?"

Umbridge stopped walking. "Because when we needed you, you withheld your testimony and your help! And you're rapport with that boy does not aid you position."

"I told you, I had--"

"The Minister is beginning to question why he hired you at all, and you lost what little trust I had in you. I suggest you step aside and allow me to make my own decisions, unless you want to be fired."

Undertaker sighed. "Alright, you can be Headmistress. Go ahead and do whatever to Harry. I just want to suggest that you also get Samson."

"Oh, I intend to. He was a witness last night."

"But I have some certain questions I need you to ask him." Their voices began to trail off. When Jack was absolutely sure they were gone, he came out of hiding and went back to the dorm room.

He got to breakfast the earliest. The Great Hall was already buzzing with talk about the events from last night. Some people were asking Jack about what happened, but he continued his strategy from last night and said nothing. In fact, he did not speak until Ron and Hermione came to join him.

"Alright there, Jack?" Ron asked.

Jack cast a dark look at the staff table. "Professor Umbridge sits in Dumbledore's seat."

"Dumbledore's chair is empty, and Umbridge hasn't even come down for breakfast," Harry muttered.

"Harry, you need to learn more about speaking proverbially," Hermione said. "He means that Umbridge has made herself Dumbledore by taking over his position."

"Well, that's a dumb way of saying it."

"Follow what she says," Jack advised Harry, "but do not eat or drink anything she gives you."

"And what does that proverb mean?" Harry sneered.

"I don't know," Hermione said softly. "That is a tough one."

"Heed me, Harry. You will understand." Jack left. He decided not to tell them yet what he had done that morning because he doubted Ron and Hermione, though they were his friends, would spare him from punishment.

Nothing happened until Jack was going to lunch. "There you are!" a voice said in his ear. It was the caretaker, Mr. Filch.

Jack bowed. "How are you today, sir?"

"Don't patronize me. You're coming with me to see the Headmistress."

Mr. Filch also grabbed Harry in the Great Hall. The elderly caretaker talked to him about how punishment was soon going to change. "You have no idea," Jack said coldly to him when he finished. Mr. Filch looked so taken aback he couldn't think of a reply.

Finally, they came to Professor Umbridge's office. Jack was somewhat surprised that it wasn't Dumbledore's office. He heard stories that the Headmaster's office sealed itself against everyone, but he did not think they were true.

"Sit," the professor said, and they did so. For a while, the only sound in the room was the scratch of her quill. Then she looked at the two of them and smiled maliciously. "Well now, what would you like to drink?"

"What?" Harry said.

"To drink," she repeated. She waved her wand, and three glasses appeared. "Coffee? Tea? Pumpkin juice?"

"We are not thirsty," Jack replied.

"Nothing, thank you," Harry said at the same time.

"I wish for you to have a drink with me," she said slowly. "Choose one."

Fine, if she wants them to have a drink they will have one on Jack's terms. He put out before her a couple of tiny ceramic glasses. "Hot water, please. Harry will have some too."

Harry gave him a disgusted look. "No!"

"Well, that is very rude of you, Mr. Samson," Professor Umbridge said in a condescending tone. "I have provided for you out my own goodness and generosity a variety of drinks, and you bring your own!"

"I have reasons," he said sternly. "I mean no disrespect. You are free to have some as well."

"No thank you. You may have your hot water, but you have no right to tell Mr. Potter what he will drink. And so Mr. Potter . . . "

There was that name again. Potter . . . where had Jack heard of it before? What did Potter do?

"Tea then," Harry said with a shrug.

Professor Umbridge took both glasses and got up. "No!" Jack yelled, putting his hand on top of the two cups. "You will not turn your back to us!"

"Well, where do you expect me to get your hot water?" Umbridge said. "The tap's over there."

"You have a charm to cause water to appear."

Professor Umbridge sighed. "Aqua Inferno," she said. Water sprayed out of her wand until Jack's cup was full of bubbling water. "Is that too hot for you?"

"No, it is fine," he answered.

"Now, Mr. Potter will need milk in his tea, and I do not know the charm for milk. So . . . " She whisked the teacup away and added something too it. Jack craned his neck to see what she was doing, but he could not. As she turned back, Jack started adding a mix to make his own tea.

"There," she said as she gave the teacup to Harry. "Drink it before it gets cold, won't you? Well, now, I thought we ought to have a little chat, after the distressing events of last night. Mr. Samson, I urge you in particular to talk plainly to me." There was silence again for a long time. Jack had his tea prepared and was drinking it. Professor Umbridge looked vindictively at Harry. "You're not drinking up!" She said it in a sing-songy tone, but to Jack it almost sounded like a shouted order.

Harry raised the glass up to his lips, but Jack gave him a warning look. Harry quickly lowered the cup.

"What's the matter?" Professor Umbridge said. "Do you want sugar?"

"No," Harry answered. He raised the glass again and tilted it upward. Yet Jack saw that Harry's mouth was firmly closed. Harry wasn't looking at him either. He was looking above the desk at a set of decorative plates. Each plate had a moving picture of a cat wearing a colored bow. They were revoltingly cute, but there was something about them that was almost hypnotizing. Jack stared at them as well, looking at the differences. One was white with blue eyes, one was sandy brown with yellow eyes, one was black with green eyes . . .

"Good," Professor Umbridge said. "Very good. Now then, where is Professor Dumbledore?"

"No idea," Harry replied.

"Drink up, drink up," Professor Umbridge urged. Jack did not like that order. "Now, let us not play childish games. I know that both of you know where he has gone."

"I don't know where he is," Harry replied.

"He's telling the truth," Jack answered. "We did not see where the Headmaster went, and he did not tell us where he intended to go."

"Very well. In that case, you will kindly tell me the whereabouts of Sirius Black."

Harry rattled his cup. The question took him by surprise. "I don't know," Harry replied quickly.

It surprised Jack too. "Why would you want to know that? Do you wish to add a great sum of money to your power, thus add to the risks of your corruption?"

"I have my reasons. And while I am at it, Mr. Samson, let me ask you some questions. Where did you come from?"

"Not from here."

Professor Umbridge's eyes narrowed. "This is not a time for riddles or evading the truth. Talk to me, Mr. Samson. Tell me what I need to know. I can be your best friend or your worst enemy."

"No."

Professor Umbridge's eyes snapped open. Harry acted as though he choked on his tea. The black cat on the plate even seemed to look straight at him.

Jack leaned forward. "You can never be my worst enemy. My enemy is infinitely worse than you."

Umbridge glared. "You told me that you wish to save me from a certain Dark Lord. So, you believe this troublemaker's evil, nasty, attention-seeking lies that he has come back?"

"I can believe them. He never left."

"What?"

"His evil is all around you. He is watching us even as we speak. Do you not know?"

"Don't you even start, Mr. Samson! Do you want detention again?"

"There are more important things, such as the well-being of all in this school. Headmistress, there is one way you can stop the One Who You Fear--sever all ties with Undertaker."

"Well, I have been wanting to rid myself of him. Nevertheless, I will not let your little story influence this community, and if you tell anyone--"

"I will not."

"Good." She then went into a long rant that Jack only half listened to, which was shortly interrupted by an explosion outside. Harry quickly dumped all of his tea into a flowerpot while Professor Umbridge was distracted. The headmistress jumped up. "Back to lunch with the both of you!" she yelled as she ran out the door, her wand brandished.

Jack ran down after her to see what was going on. However, the screams and the explosions didn't bother him as much as his conversation with Umbridge. He said things that Dumbledore told him not to discuss with anyone. Yet, Professor Umbridge needed to hear those things, and it seemed as though she was expecting to hear it. Wait a minute, that's it. That stuff she put in the drinks wasn't poison, it's . . . Veritaserum! Jack had wondered if what Draco told him was completely the truth. Something sounded wrong. Even if it was true, Jack could definitely get more information if he had more time. Jack ran back up to the office to see if he could get what she had left over. The door was closed. Jack reached up to knock, but then he heard voices. He pressed his ear against the door.

"Where . . . come from?" Harry's voice.

" I . . . hiding . . . my secret." Undertaker's voice.

Undertaker was hiding and listening to them? Where? Jack had to hear this conversation, for Harry's safety, but how? It was too muffled, and the firecrackers and screams weren't helping. Of course, the Extendable Ears! Jack pulled the string out of his robe, plugged one end in his ear, and the other end squiggled underneath the door. Suddenly, Jack heard their voices as clearly as though he was in the room.

"You miss it, don't you?" Undertaker said. "I'm afraid it's going to be much harder for me to get you back on the team, Harry. You know I've been trying really hard, but this morning that hag that they chose to be head--"

"I thought you were my friend," Harry sneered.

"I am your friend, Harry. What would--?"

"You ratted me out!"

"Oh, the group. I didn't know you were involved." A pause. "Really, I didn't."

"What was your source?"

"I'm not going to tell you. I didn't have permission to extract the information, thus I do not have permission to reveal my informant's identity."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, I was secretly practicing Legilimency, for your benefit I might add, when I was supervising Hagrid in a Care of Magical Creatures lesson. As one student was playing with a crup, I sensed a thought. That student was thinking of speaking to Marietta Edgecombe at the meeting for Dumbledore's Army. I delved in deeper and found more information of where it was held and some of the people who participated. I thought this was a danger to the school, so I had to shut it down."

"Then when you found out I was involved, why didn't you stand up for me? What 'important business' occurred last night?"

Undertaker sighed. "Manticore stings. That was a lie, okay? I can't stand to go into the headmaster's office. He has too much power. It makes me very squeamish."

Harry scoffed. "Likely story."

"And I don't like the way he looks at me. He must know Legilimency as well."

"Of course he does!"

"And you know full well that there are things in my mind that he shouldn't see." Another pause. "Harry, I have a question for you. What do you think of Samson?"

"I hate him. He's trying to one up me in everything."

"I don't doubt it. You stay clear of him. I shouldn't tell you this, but he's a criminal. He's even more dangerous than Sirius Black."

"Is he a Death Eater?"

"There's no evidence for that, but I think it's likely. I can't tell you much right now. I still have much to learn, but you listen to me."

Jack felt a chill in the air and knew that Undertaker was doing that black magic again. "I will," Harry rasped in a flat voice. The explosions were getting closer, and Jack turned back to protect the students.

Jack tried to fulfill Dumbledore's command regarding Harry, but the boy was taking Undertaker's advice. He seemed to be ten steps ahead of Jack in the hall all the time, and Harry tried to ignore Jack's existence altogether. Ron and Hermione continued to support Jack even when Harry repeated to them what Undertaker had said. Even they could not turn Harry to the truth.

The rest of D.A. seemed to give Jack the cold shoulder, including Lavender and Parvati. Jack couldn't explain why. Most people did not believe Undertaker's accusations. It wasn't until sometime later that one member spoke to him.

As Jack was leaving the Great Hall after dinner, he saw Cho yelling at Harry about something. He knew it was not his place to ask what was happening, but Jack paused to see if he could speak to his friend. Cho stomped away from Harry. She then walked right up to Jack and trembled.

"Why are you still here?" she whimpered. "I thought, I thought you would be able to fight Pansy off."

"I have thought much about that night. I should have been able to fight her. I am not sure--"

Cho began to sob. "I'm sorry, I . . . I . . . IT WAS MY FAULT!"

"Because you were friends with Marietta?"

"No."

"What do you mean?"

Cho began to cry. "I didn't want to. He made me. I . . . " The rest was unintelligible as she burst in tears. Finally, she ran past Jack to find a private place. Jack looked after her. What was she saying? Was she--? No . . .surely not. But there was no other explanation Jack could think of. Cho was Undertaker's informant.

Ron and Hermione actually believed this. "Who else would think about talking to Marietta?" Hermione pointed out. Harry withdrew from Cho and she from him. Jack seemed to be the only one who forgave her in his heart. She plainly said she was forced to do it.

Things went on as normal and relatively uneventful for a long time. Classes continued as normal. Quidditch practice started to pick up as they got closer to their final match. Angelina encouraged Jack to watch the other houses' games closely. Jack scrutinized the Slytherin verses Hufflepuff game. Hufflepuff was ahead for most of the match because of the many Quaffle goals Zacharias made. However, Draco fell asleep on his broom, and as he was snoring the Snitch flew into his mouth. So, Slytherin won. Jack was getting better and better the more he understood the game. He also worked with Ron privately, and Ron gradually began to improve.

When trouble began to stir again, it was not Death or Doom that caused it. On his way down for an early supper, Jack heard shouting and loud noises. He thought about the sibyl's expulsion and feared that Hagrid was in trouble. He ran down the stairs and made his way through the crowd. Instead of seeing Hagrid, though, he saw Fred and George cornered by the crowd. It sounded like the twins caused a swamp to appear in a corridor.

"You two are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school," Umbridge yelled at them.

"You know what, I don't think we are," Fred answered. "George, I think we've outgrown full-time education."

"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," he nodded.

"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?"

"Definitely."

Both of them raised their wands and yelled, "Accio Brooms!" Two brooms flew toward the twins. One broom had a chain dangling from it. The twins mounted their brooms before anyone could stop them.

"We won't be seeing you," Fred called up to Umbridge and Undertaker.

"Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch," George added.

Undertaker looked utterly furious. When the twins took off, Jack saw Undertaker mouth something. No one was exactly sure, but some people said Undertaker's words were, "Her school? Her school?! I'll show that hag whose school it is!" Then he turned on his heel.

Jack was also angry. "Are they insane?" he asked aloud. "I have to stop them." He ran out the doors after the twins, even when Ron and Hermione urged him to stop.

Jack intended to get his broom out of the Quidditch shed and fly after him, but on the way he was stopped by a dark shadow. The creature leapt in front of him and let out an ear-piercing shriek. Jack was shocked and began to draw his sword, but as the creature calmed down, he took a closer look and recognized some of its markings. "Grane," he whispered.

The thestral came closer to him and rubbed her face against his cheek. She was glad to see him. Jack stroked her face. "Good girl," he whispered. Then he drew back in surprise. She had a bit in her mouth and a halter. "Who is riding you?" Jack asked her.

Grane replied by stepping before him and kneeling. A saddle rested on her back. Who did this for him? Dumbledore?

"Are you sure?" Jack replied.

Grane snorted.

So Jack got upon the saddle. Then he pointed up to the two spots in the sky. "Follow them," he ordered. The thestral promptly took off. She was surprisingly fast. Jack gripped onto the halter to keep from falling off. This is by far the worst flight he ever withstood.

Somehow, though, he saw when they approached the twins. "Whoa!" he ordered. Grane stopped in midair, continually flapping her wings to stay airborne. "Fred! George!" Jack called.

The twins stopped flying and turned around. "Hey Strong Man!" Fred greeted. "Reached new plains of enlightenment, I see."

Jack looked at him quizzically, then remembered that they could not see the thestral unless they saw someone die. Well that wasn't important right now. "Did you two not think before you acted?"

"Au contraire," George replied. "We thought about this for a long time."

"Did you not consider your mother, your father, your older brothers?"

"Mum wouldn't be too thrilled," Fred nodded.

"Dad would probably be impressed," George thought aloud.

"Bill and Charlie probably wouldn't care."

"And Percy would renounce all knowledge of us."

Jack shook his head. They just weren't getting it.

"Of course, all of them are unavailable for comment right now, so--" Fred started.

"Exactly!" Jack yelled. "If you go out there, you will share their fate!"

"Oh, that," George answered. "We're not worried about that."

"We're not members of the Order," Fred explained. "We're just humble owners of a joke shop."

"How do you know this is limited strictly to those in the Order? You are very powerful, impressive wizards. He might want your power."

"Strong Man, it's not a concern," George said. "Even if it does happen, we'll just consider it a brief vacation."

"Yeah, seriously, we thought about it," Fred said. "We're not afraid of anything. There's no danger . . . except for that oncoming storm."

Jack looked behind him. A huge thunderhead was rolling in. There was no sign of a cloud before. It did look dangerously foreboding, but there was another feeling about it.

Grane suddenly reared back and squealed. The twins were startled by the noise and took off. Grane flew straight into the cloud and began biting and kicking at it. There was indeed something different about this cloud. Lightning was shooting from it, but it wasn't ordinary lightning. Jack drew his sword and began striking at the cloud.

As soon as it had appeared, the cloud dissipated. Fred and George were gone. Could it be possible that they made it? "Do you see them Grane?" The thestral answered by descending. Indeed, they were there on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, trapped in columns of black lightning.

Jack shook his head sorrowfully. He dismounted from the thestral. "Thank you," he said petting her head. She nodded and took off again. In midair, he saw something bright join her. It looked like a person almost made of light. Could it be? How?

Jack went back to the castle. He saw Luna looking out a window of the ground floor, her face filled with terror. For once, her eyes did not look dreamy and aloof. "I saw everything," she said quietly. "That was him, wasn't it?"

Jack nodded. "That was Aku."