Rune stone path

Frank conversations and dangerous conversations

"I want them both arrested!" Umbridge screamed at the head in Rosmerta's Floo. Rosmerta just cringed. Why she had bothered to let the toad woman in escaped her.

Head Auror Scrimgeour shut his eyes and shook his head. "No."

"What do you mean NO!?"

"N. O. No. Dolores, I may make many mistakes, but I am not incapable of learning from some of them. The fact that you are calling me immediately after the expected end of the Second Task in your thrice damned Tournament means that – yet again – something has gone horribly wrong. The last time I left to arrest someone as soon as you called I nearly lost my job for not checking my facts beforehand," Scrimgeour said scowling. Rosmerta held in her snort. She would have paid good money to have seen that conversation.

"I am the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic!" Dolores screamed her face going red.

"And your star is falling! Every time this Tournament goes belly-up you get another black eye, Dolores. I have aspirations! I will not let you drag me down with you. What did they even do this time?"

The toad woman stood up straighter and glared. "Potter destroyed Ministry property during his Task. He is to be arrested and fined at minimum. The French abomination mind-controlled the entire audience into her willing slaves. I will see her arrested and Kissed before the evening ends!"

Scrimgeour made a sound somewhere between a sigh and growl. "You idiotic woman…One, those Columns you had imported were insured by the International Committee due to the likelihood of possible destruction – whether intentional or accidental. The very Department you've been overseeing as Interim Head. Two, nothing any of the Champions does while in the performance of a Triwizard Tournament Task can be prosecuted. They all have sovereign immunity, Dolores! It's in the damn rules! Read the blasted things before trying to cite them."

Umbridge's mouth snapped shut and she whipped out her wand. Rosmerta surreptitiously grabbed her own in response though Umbridge seemed to have forgotten she was in the room. "Fine. If you won't do anything get me Dawlish."

Scrimgeour laughed. "If you want him, get him yourself, Dolores. I should warn you though, Amelia has made it perfectly clear to him that one more wrong move and he's fired as well so I doubt he'll come running either. I'll be leaving now to speak with Fudge and see if we can head off another international complaint."

As the head disappeared from the Floo, Umbridge screeched and twirled on her heel walking out of the pub. Rosmerta heaved a sigh and put her wand away. "Last time I ever let that bitch into my pub. I better go find Amelia and Sirius to let them know she's on the warpath."

Fleur sat down next to Harry and Tonks with a sigh. She hesitated for only a moment before leaning over and pulling them both into a rib crushing hug. "Zank you," she whispered blinking away tears. "Zank you both so much. I-I couldn't dodge zat many and zey were starting to climb in…I just…zank you…"

Harry patted her back and murmured soft reassurances while Tonks just nodded and squeezed her in sympathy. Harry pulled back slightly and said, "Daphne and Hermione helped too. They were trying to stun people before they could run inside. I'm sorry we couldn't jump in to help too…"

"Non. It is better zat you did not. I shudder zinking of 'aving to fight both ze harpy and one of your evil doppelgangers as well."

Fleur noticed the wave of revulsion and fear that Harry radiated along with his own full body shudder before he clamped down on it and nodded. Tonks must have taken notice as well because she shifted to make sure she was leaning against Harry again and wrapped one arm around him.

All three looked up as Dumbledore and Madame Maxime walked up to them, both Headmasters wearing contrite expressions and moving slowly. "Miss Delacour, I believe I owe you an apology," Dumbledore said causing Fleur to raise her eyebrows in response. "We expected the Aspect Column battles to be unusual, but we never thought that they would be quite so…extreme. I also wish to apologize personally for being unable to adjust the Ward Anchor and prevent interference from the crowd. I was…quite affected by the Allure of your counterpart and to my embarrassment I was unable to fully overcome it."