Percy Jackson and the Department of Mysteries

28) ^^^ God Gave Me That Picture And Now I Share His Word With You

Once Mrs. Figg had left the room, Fudge said, "Not a very convincing witness."

"Oh, I don't know," Amelia Bones boomed. "She certainly described the effects of a dementor attack very accurately. And I can't imagine why she would say they were there if they weren't —"

"But dementors wandering into a Muggle suburb and just happening to come across a wizard?" Fudge laughed, as if it were funny (hint: it wasn't). "The odds on that must be very, very long, even Bagman wouldn't have bet —"

"Oh, I don't think any of us believe the dementors were there by coincidence," Dumbledore said softly. Everyone stilled except for the shadowed witch beside Fudge, who shifted slightly.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Fudge said coldly.

"It means that I think they were ordered there," Dumbledore said.

"I think we might have a record of it if someone had ordered a pair of dementors to go strolling through Little Whinging!" Fudge snapped.

"Not if the dementors are taking orders from someone other than the Ministry of Magic these days," Dumbledore said smoothly. "I have already given you my views on this matter, Cornelius."

"Yes, you have," Fudge said frustratedly, "and I have no reason to believe that your views are anything other than bilge, Dumbledore. The dementors remain in place in Azkaban and are doing everything we ask them to."

"Then," Dumbledore looked up at Fudge, his voice quiet but powerful, "we must ask ourselves why somebody within the Ministry ordered a pair of dementors into that alleyway on the second of August."

It was in the silence left by Dumbledore's words when the shadowed witch leaned forward. I had expected for her to look somewhat foreboding, but in all honesty, she looked like Neville's pet toad, Trevor. She was squat, with a flabby face, less neck than Vernon Dursley, and she had a very, very wide mouth. Her eyes bulged slightly from her head, and were quite big and round. She reminded me of a frog so much that for a moment I thought the little black bow perched on her head was a giant fly she was about to catch as a snack.

"The Chair recognizes Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister," Fudge said, seeing that she wished to say something.

I think more surprising than her appearance was her voice. I'd been expecting a croak, but she spoke like an anime school girl, "I'm sure I must have misunderstood you, Professor Dumbledore." Her eyes were cold as she spoke. "So silly of me. But it sounded for a teensy moment as though you were suggesting that the Ministry of Magic had ordered an attack on this boy!" She gave a sort of tinkling laugh that made the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up. No one laughed with her.

"If it is true that the dementors are taking orders only from the Ministry of Magic, and it is also true that two dementors attacked Harry and his cousin a week ago, then it follows logically that somebody at the Ministry might have ordered the attacks," Dumbledore said kindly. "Of course, these particular dementors may have been outside Ministry control —"

"There are no dementors outside Ministry control!" Fudge turned a nasty red color.

"I think I mentioned earlier that Liam had some dementors working for him," I said. "So it's actually confirmed that there are dementors not under Ministry control."

"There are no dementors here outside Ministry control!" Fudge amended, looking like he was ready to throw a brick at me.

"Then undoubtedly the Ministry will me making a full inquiry into why two dementors were so very far from Azkaban and why they attacked without authorization," I said, then muttered beneath my breath. "That was a lot of big words. Draco's gonna be so proud." Harry smiled weakly for the first time in a while.