A Cadmean Victory by DarknessEnthroned

Chapter 58: The Room of Hidden Things

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine; everything is J K Rowling's.

So it continues!

Chapter 58

The school was subdued. Three weeks of Umbridge's best attempts to stamp her authority over every student and teacher within the walls had worn most down, defiance had been dampened to sullen disgust.

It was simply easier to conform, or to appear to, than to run the risk of having to spend an evening in the newly minted Headmistress' Office. The room had formerly been the premise of the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, but Dumbledore had neglected to share the password to the gargoyle guarding the real office with Fudge or Umbridge, and the few teachers who Harry was sure must know it seemed to have mysteriously forgotten.

Harry was fairly sure that if he really wanted to get in he could stand there and list every item of confectionery known to either wizards or muggles and eventually the gargoyle would step aside. In fact he found the idea quite tempting, and on the brief occasions he found himself nearby he had taken to murmuring a handful of potential passwords while disillusioned.

None had granted him entry as of yet.

Idly he spun his wand around on the table, enjoying the brief flare of warmth it gave him when he touched his fingers to it.

For all of Umbridge's vaunted Ministerial influence she still had to run the school effectively in the manner the Minister instructed, or Fudge would replace her with another ambitious, suitably sycophantic servant.

The lessons continued as normal, even quidditch continued, something the Gryffindor still managed to win, much to Malfoy's growing discontent and Harry found he was no longer persona non grata. The much maligned Dumbledore had taken every measure of the guilt, and the poor, naive Harry Potter had been as trapped in his lies as everyone else, something a particularly sympathetic Fudge had often reiterated.

Umbridge, of course, still loathed him, and he suspected she was doing her best to take out her hatred on those close to him, because Neville and Katie were in detention with her almost every other night, something Dobby had taken great care to repeatedly interrupt in one manner or another. Most recently his preferred method was to lead Peeves into her office and leave him to wreak havoc, but Harry knew he'd also meticulously tidied the room away, after sticking it all the furnishings to the ceiling, and simply whisked students away from under her nose.

'Not hungry?' Harry glanced up at Cedric Diggory, who was taking something of a risk by sitting on a different house table.

'Not particularly,' Harry replied, catching his wand and returning it to its holster.

Further along the table Ron, Neville and Hermione got up to take new seats across from him. Ron decided to bring his plate of food with him, scattering carrots across the floor when he tilted the overloaded plate a little too far.

'I figured out who betrayed the DA,' Diggory remarked calmly, as if he was discussing the weather.

Harry tilted his head in interest, obviously Cedric wasn't completely right, or he wouldn't be talking to him, but it might prove useful nonetheless.

'Who?" Neville demanded, clenching his fist around his fork.

'Cho said that her friend Marietta Edgecombe hasn't received a single detention or so much as a rebuke from Umbridge or her squad of morons.' Harry smirked at the reference to the Inquisitorial Squad, Umbridge's attempt to counteract the prefects' unwillingness to assist her. 'Her mother works at the Ministry too, she's one of the officials who helps to monitor the floo network and fireplaces at the castle.'