NOTE TO MOD: This is a prologue to the story. I added the second chapter first, then realised that this chapter would go best before it. It got rejected for the word count, but prologues can be below 800 can't they? Thanks so much!



She hadn’t always been like this. So . . . odd . . . She shook her head and tried to form another descriptive word to suit her personality. It just seemed to so oxymoronic that she wear a fluffy pink cardigan be so evil.

It wasn’t that she had an automatic hate factor towards anyone who came near; it was just because she didn’t trust many people. Especially teenagers.

Even though she had been one herself, Dolores Umbridge didn’t have much love for children. They were spoiled, bratty, horrid beings that just needed to get on the fast track of growing up. They never knew what they wanted, but they thought they did, and they never appreciated anything anyone did for them. They had never been nice to her anyway.

She looked up as high as she could to stop the fresh wave of oncoming tears as she thought of her childhood. No matter what she had done, there had always been something wrong with her hair, her clothes, and her personality in general . . . her whole being to be liked and have friends that she loved and whom loved her back. No one liked, or loved, Dolores Umbridge. There had been but one time she had felt at home at Hogwarts. She had had a companion; only one, but he had been her sense of comfort in ever class and time she felt alone. She was never alone when she was with Albert; he always had known what to say to her. This time had been in her third year, but he had had to move away due to family issues. And all of a sudden, Dolores had been alone. She had never seen or heard from Albert ever again.

It wasn’t the fact that she didn’t like to make friends; she would lie in bed each night, devising a tactical plan on how she could talk to a certain girl, but every time she would try, someone would defy her, ending up with even more taunting and ridicule. She couldn’t do anything right.

From the curls in her hair to the class of her clothes, Miss Umbridge had no sense of style to others. She had never been the popular kid; she had always been that weird schoolgirl whispered to herself all the time. She had always fought with her mind; it was something that she had always done because she had never had anyone else to talk to but herself.

She had thought she was just different; she wanted to be her own person, and do her own thing. In return, she had had to endure the horrid taunts of the others in her year and above. She had even had a first year (when Dolores was a fifth year) make fun of her right in front of all of the girl’s little friends. Dolores had waited for someone; anyone to stand up for her, but no retaliation ever came. She’d had to endure some of the worst days of her life at Hogwarts.

Now, as she came back to reality: she had returned to the school. While she still had the curls and cardigan, blatant disregard for the students, and uncaring malice and personality toward others, she still decided that she would make this job as easy as it possibly could be.

NOTE: I'm not sure if I'm putting this in the right place . . . if not, then could you please redirect me? Thank you very much for your time and modliness!

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They stalked past each other every day, neither one having the courage to tell the other how they felt.

As she walked down the deep, dark, intricate hallways of Hogwarts, she thought about her days at the school, and how she had enjoyed them immensely. She took pride in her numerous tortures of Harry Potter, supposedly the Boy Who Lived. He had had his last detention with her the night before, and she couldn’t say that she was happy about it. That boy deserved quite a bit more than a few detentions to set him right in the head. She had taken complete satisfaction to the numerous nights he had come to her that week, always leaving with a fresh, bloody hand from his endless writing. She had known what the quill would do to him- that was why she had always given him that exact one. Harry Potter was one of the people that she disliked on the spot; he was disruptive, and she felt that he just wanted attention for his scar.

She had just finished sacking that hag, Trelawney. Trelawney had been worthless to the school, and had had too much knowledge for the Ministry’s liking. Even though she wasn’t a true Seer, Professor Trelawney had heard things- too many secrets- for her own good. She had been sent packing just minutes before and, to say the least, she hadn’t left quietly. But, of course, the former teachers that had been there much longer than her, mainly Minerva, had challenged her, and Trelawney had eventually been able to stay, but had been revoked of her teaching position. She had been ordered to fire Trelawney from the beginning, but she hadn’t wanted to appear too suspicious towards Dumbledore.

Dumbledore.

She didn’t know what to think of him.

She knew that she had to hate him; it was her job to get rid of him. She had been hired to sack all of the teachers that came even close to resembling someone that would even try and overthrow the Ministry. It was her duty to find all of those teachers, and Trelawney had not met her mark. Her teaching skills weren’t the best, either. Everyone knew that Hagrid would probably be her next victim, but only she knew the truth.

She focused on Dumbledore more than she should have, she knew, but when she got a look at that long, silvery hair, and heard that deep, soft voice, she had to scold herself.

”You’re supposed to be trying to get him sacked!” she screamed inwardly, walking past the stone gargoyle next to the opening to Dumbledore’s office. She stopped dead, daydreaming into the dark hallway.

She thought of that every night . . . going up there- in his office- just one time . . . She let her mind drift off into a peaceful and satisfying daydream . . .

“STOP IT!” she nagged again, closing her eyes. She took a deep breath, and then slowly let it out.

She had to stop thinking of the old man that way. It was completely unethical- her job would be risked if she started a relationship with him.

But who was to say that he hadn’t thought of her that way?

She shook her head again as she rounded the arched corner to go on to the staff’s dormitories. She nearly almost ran into Him.

“Dumbledore,” she said tartly, in her girly, high-pitched voice, stepping back.

He stopped at the sight of her. “Dolores. You know that you can call me Albus.”

“Well, Dumbledore,” she argued, completely ignoring his last sentence, “It’s not in the Ministry’s best interest for me to get friendly with this staff. I’m just here to keep you all up to standard in teaching here.”

“I don’t approve of you firing my teachers, Dolores. They are all like family to me, and to see them being treated this way is not to my taste.”

Am I to your taste?

She shook her head once again and closed her eyes. Dumbledore looked at her oddly. Before he could say something, she continued, “Well, as you can see, Dumbledore-” Her girly voice was very pronounced on the last word. She pulled out a handsome scroll of parchment with the Ministry’s seal. Dumbledore knew what it was.

Dumbledore put his hand to his face and rubbed his temple softly. “Please, I don’t need to hear this again-”

But she interrupted him. “Ministry of Magic’s Decree Number forty-seven.” “Dolores Jane Umbridge, High Inquisitor of Hogwarts- that’s me-” she added, “Now has the privilege of hiring or firing new and old staff for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, signed Cornelius Fudge, etc . . . etc . . .” she sighed and looked up at him.

“Yes, I know, Dolores,” he replied harshly. “I’m tired of you harassing my students and staff.”

“Yes, well-”

“I wish that you’d harass me,” he said slyly.

She didn’t take the hint.

“Well, I’m not supposed to evaluate you until later in the year-” she said, flipping through the attractive scroll of parchment. “-Not until after I’ve made all of the other arrangements with the rest of the . . .other teachers.” But not teachers for long . . . she thought sneakily. “It is my job to find out if the faculty here is up to standard.”

He took a step closer to her.

“I find you very . . .” he paused, searching for words. “Fiery, Dolores. I don’t think that you are living well among us here at Hogwarts. I want your stay to be pleasurable.”

“I would if I could spend it with you,” she told herself.

She scolded herself mentally again and replied, “Well, I can assure you, it’s quite fine.”

“Well, I can tell that most of my students, except for the Slytherins, I see- forgive me- particularly dislike you.”

“If you haven’t noticed, I don’t care what the other people here at this place think of me! I will have order, Dumbledore!” she screamed at him.

“Oh, I’ll give you order . . .” he said, taking another step and leaning in to kiss the woman.

She kissed him back. Everything that she had ever thought of surged through her; this was mad! She was kissing a man that had betrayed Fudge- betrayed the Ministry, for Merlin’s sake! But as she kissed the old man . . . she had to-

They broke apart at the sound of students coming around the corner, heading back to their own dormitories.

The two tried to look angry at each other, which was usually what others saw.

The kids walked on by, hardly even noticing them there. None of them knew what the two had just been doing . . .

Dolores straightened her shirt, trying to look superior.

“Albus,” she said matter-of-factly.

Dumbledore smiled, realising that she had finally said his first name. “Dolores,” he said, mildly amused.

Silence followed for the longest time.

“So . . . six o’clock, my office?” he asked hopefully.

She turned to look at him slowly.

“Definitely.”

Note to Mods: This is supposed to be an epilogue. :)



Now, as she once again walked the dank halls of Hogwarts, she felt a sense of . . . belonging. Albus Dumbledore had kissed her; he obviously had feelings for her, and that made her feel special. She liked being loved- even if it was by only one person at the school.

She knew that they would have to keep this a heavy secret; if anyone found out, she would lose her job, her love, and her life as she knew it. Dolores didn’t have any other friends. Well, there was Cornelius, but she thought that he just used to get back at Albus for all of the problems at the Ministry. Wouldn’t he be happy when he found out that she and he had a secret romance . . .

She would ask him as he got to his office if he was planning on overthrowing the Ministry.

~ * ~

It was nearly six o’clock. Dolores had been grading papers since four that afternoon, and had glanced at the clock virtually every minute. It was surreal how slowly the time passed when you wanted it to pass when you’re expecting something.

At five until six, Dolores stacked up her papers and tidied her desk, walking to her own quarters to put on something nicer than her usual professor’s attire.

She walked down the hallway, dreaming about her night with her date. Would he be the romantic type- where he would have a candle-lit dinner set up and give her a rose as she entered the room? Would he want to walk the grounds outside and give her his robes to keep her warm on the spring’s night? She smiled to herself as she walked to the stone gargoyle. As soon as she got to his office, she came to an abrupt halt. What was she doing? Everything she had worked for . . . Absolutely everything she had lived for up to this point would be jeopardised if she walked into that office. But . . . she loved that man inside it. If she were to leave now, then she was sure that this chance to be with him would never come again.

So go anyway. the voice inside her head sounded again. Who cares if they sack you at the Ministry? Dumbledore will protect you, and you’ll be able to keep your job.

Not you again, Dolores thought, rolling her eyes. She had the password revolving over and over in her head, yet no words would come forth from her mouth. She wanted to say the word so badly, but she literally loved her job. If it didn’t work out between her and Dumbledore, then she would have nothing. Someone would find out about their romance, and that someone would most likely tell the Minister, allowing her to lose her job, and then her love.

She loved her job--- she actually, truly loved her occupation because she truthfully had nothing else. No one liked Dolores Umbridge, causing her to always want to work hours upon hours extra and long nights. She didn’t want to go back to her flat, alone, just to sulk in her sadness and loneliness. That was her life. Go to work, stay extremely late at work, Apparate home, soak in a bath, go to bed, and repeat it all over again. Her solitude had brought on her bitterness. She sometimes would just start to laugh at her dismal life . . . but then she would feel sorry for herself and start sobbing.

Her mission: The reason she was at Hogwarts was to find out if the teachers were up to standard, and to spy on Dumbledore to see if he was to overthrow the Ministry. She hadn’t any idea in the least that she was to fall for the person she was supposed to be hating.

If she were to find out the answer to if he was to take over the Ministry, she would be able to climb the ladder at the Ministry even more than she already had, causing her to increase a few more hours a day, ultimately resulting in a twenty-four hour work day. Then she’d be really happy.

Now, as she once again go up the nerve to say the password to Dumbledore’s office, she checked her pocket watch. It flashed 6:07 across the fuzzy, pink screen.

She opened her mouth to utter the password, but no sound emerged from her lips. A small noise came forth, but nothing that amounted to letting her in.

Just do it, the voice said again. Just knock, and get it over with. You deserve some fun.

No, I don’t. she told it, secretly wishing it would go away. I don’t deserve anything.

You deserve some fun.

The voice was so true . . . so virtuous . . . she knew it was right, if for only this time. The battle within her mind was over.

She opened her mouth for the last time.