Empty Vessels, Dolores Umbridge, PG-13

[lazy-neutrino.livejournal.com]

Title: Empty Vessels
Author: lazy_neutrino
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: cruelty to a cat
Prompt: 53) Moral cowardice that keeps us from speaking our minds is as dangerous to this country as irresponsible talk. The right way is not always the popular and easy way. Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character. -- Margaret Chase Smith (1897-1995), long-time Republican U.S. Senator from Maine.
Summary: After a fact-finding visit to Hogwarts, Dolores writes to Cornelius. Set at the very end of GoF.
Author's Notes: Thanks to snorkackcatcher for a fast and helpful beta.

My dear Cornelius,

I made my preliminary visit today and I am sorry to have to tell you that it is much worse than we thought. I have made some notes for your benefit.

The main problems, of course, lie in Gryffindor House. As you feared, my dear Minister, and as I was so loath to believe, the Head of House seems actively to encourage a culture of questioning and dissent among the youngsters in her care. 'Seen and not heard' is not a maxim young Gryffindors are familiar with. Were I a Gryffindor I should gladly assume this extra responsibility, but alas...!

Dolores paused. She put down the pink quill and reached for the teapot. Pouring a generous measure, she lifted the cup daintily and took a sip. An iced biscuit, perhaps? Not yet, she told herself. It was so easy for a witch alone to let herself go and slip into indiscipline. An iced biscuit when the letter had been sent, but not before.

She glanced at the white kitten beside her, asleep in its cage. The dear thing. It gave a tiny grunt and turned over so that it lay on its back, front paws against its chest as if it were begging. A flick of her wand and the cage door fell open. The kitten did not move.

The plate was on a side table. An octagonal piece in fine bone china, she suspected it had once been part of a set. Just inside the edge ran a fine gilt line and the unknown artist had embellished the china with a delicate pattern of cornflowers and forget-me-nots. She picked it up and examined it. There was no flaw. It was perfect.

She put the plate down again and picked up her quill.

By far the worst is the boy Potter. He seems to delight in challenging authority and his lies have brought him not the notoriety he deserves but the fawning adulation of some of the more credulous children in his House. I fear that his upbringing has done damage that will be hard to undo, but perhaps it is not too late. A little loving discipline can work wonders at an impressionable age.

Dolores felt her lips tighten. That one of the noblest Wizarding families should have produced an errant child such as this! The corrupting influence of Mudbloods could not be underestimated. They posed a threat to every decent witch or wizard. She shook her head. It was no good raising this with Cornelius; the Minister was as generous as he was kind and he was not yet ready to listen.

But her time would come. Potter was only a child – a wicked child, to be sure, but a child nonetheless – and no match for a witch in her prime. If Cornelius could be made to see –

She read through what she had written, pondering her next words. No need to mention the debacle that had befallen the teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts; the Minister was well aware that the children had been exposed in recent years to both a lunatic and a werewolf (and here her lips tightened again; what had been the point of her work at the Registry if this could be allowed to happen?).

That the Headmaster should countenance the teaching of Unforgivable Curses to fourteen-year-old witches and wizards is something that still shocks me to my core. You remember, Cornelius, how Dumbledore opposed the casting of these by qualified Aurors only a few years ago. How quickly his views have changed!

If I were Headmistress, I assure you –

Not yet. She had not prepared her ground thoroughly enough. Dolores drew a careful line through the words, watching as they Vanished from view.

She reached for her wand and considered the white kitten. Perhaps kitten was the wrong word; its limbs were coltish and it had lost the wide-eyed, fluffy look of the true kitten. A teenage cat, then, on the brink of adulthood.

'Preservo.' The wand shuddered in her hand. On the desk the kitten's body jolted and fell back.

I urge you also to investigate the background of Rubeus Hagrid. I shall make his lessons my first priority. Such a hulking lout is an unfit role model for young minds. I have asked him to send me lesson plans but I am not sure the fool can write.

A faint 'miaow' came from beside her. In the centre of the octagonal plate, a white kitten had appeared and was looking around. It saw Dolores and howled.

'You're better off,' she told it. 'No harm, no unhappiness, no pain. You're better off.'

The kitten howled again.

'Silencio.' In time it would adjust. She sipped her tea and contemplated the letter. So difficult to put the ideas across without appearing to do so. But one must never be obvious.

To conclude, then, my dear Cornelius, there is indeed much work to do. We are at risk of losing a generation if we do not act. It is vital that we have someone on the spot and I notice that Dumbledore has once again advertised for a teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts. My own experience is – of course! – strictly theoretical, but how useful it would be for the Ministry to have someone reliable at hand. In the event of Dumbledore failing to appoint a suitable candidate, I humbly offer my services for the role.

Most sincerely,

Your long-term colleague and devoted Friend

Dolores

She read the letter through, nodding. Her priorities were clear. Replacing Hagrid with a competent teacher would be simple. McGonagall would be powerless once Dumbledore was removed, and Dumbledore had linked himself and his fortunes irrevocably to the Potter child. Discredit Potter, therefore and Dumbledore would fall. How fortunate that Potter had already antagonised Cornelius.

Discredit Potter - that was something she would consider further.

In the octagonal plate, the white kitten had gone to sleep. She stroked the china with an indulgent finger. The dear thing.

The kitten's body was still stretched out on the desk. Dolores picked up her wand and flipped the empty carcass into the bin.

--

Comments

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is utterly creepy -- really, as any story about Umbridge should be. The vivid detail of that poor kitten and the origin of that awful cat plate collection is just shudder-inducing. I do love how deliberate Umbridge is here, how perfectly in order and in control, just as she is in canon. This in particular:

An iced biscuit, perhaps? Not yet, she told herself. It was so easy for a witch alone to let herself go and slip into indiscipline. An iced biscuit when the letter had been sent, but not before.

This is so perfectly Umbridge.

[lazy-neutrino.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I find her a really horrific character.

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

Poor kitten! Somehow, it makes sense that this would be where those plates came from -- and the letter is wonderfully unctuous, as it should be.

[lazy-neutrino.livejournal.com]

The story came from the plates, to be honest - a throwaway comment 'But how did the kittens get into the plates?' and there was the whole ghastly thing.

[a-respite.livejournal.com]

This was excellent. And so very, very creepy indeed. Hair on the back of my neck stands up reading it.

[lazy-neutrino.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[gehayi.livejournal.com]

Poor kitten! Of course that's where the plates come from, and of course that's Umbridge's solution to adulthood and independence--make sure that neither ever happen.

I love that Minerva encourages the members of her house to think and ask questions. Of course that stubborn Scot would do that as a matter of course. And of course Umbridge (whom I always think of a Dark Hufflepuff as she's committed to the Establishment, tradition and the status quo no matter what the cost) would hate that. Questions, after all, imply that those in power may not be right, that their ideas should be weighed, mulled over, poked, prodded and possibly even rejected. Dolores would never see that as the way the world should be; the notion would horrify her.

A shameful number of my teachers felt the same way about students asking questions--that not only the questions should be crushed, but also the very inclination to do so. (I never understood that attitude.)

The worst part is that I found myself agreeing with her at one point. Hagrid IS a terrible teacher and he DOES need to be replaced by someone who's qualified. He does love animals and he knows how to care for them, but he never completed his own education as a wizard (thanks to a little toad known as Tom Riddle framing him and getting him expelled when he was thirteen).

Dumbledore, in his characteristic fashion, tries giving Hagrid a responsible job that he believes the half-giant can do...but by doing so, he also cheats whatever Hogwarts students might have liked to get a NEWT in Care for Magical Creatures from a teacher who was thoroughly versed in the subject (hello there, Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank!). Nor does he encourage Hagrid to take up some form of adult education and plug some of the gaps in knowledge caused by his expulsion; apparently this isn't an option for wizards, or else it's so rare that no one ever thinks of it.

The upshot is that Hagrid's job is well-intentioned charity...which is pretending that it was awarded based on competence, rather than out of compassion and guilt. It doesn't benefit Hagrid, who is way over his head in the sea of academe. And it doesn't benefit the students who have a hopelessly ignorant and ill-trained teacher. But it makes Dumbledore feel better.

Which indicates that Dumbledore's way is no better than Umbridge's. There's not much to choose from between misplaced charity and cruelty masquerading as discipline. The latter is more overtly vicious than the other, but both can be damaging.

All of which makes an incredibly creepy story even creepier, because the wizarding world doesn't have a solid alternative to Umbridge's hatred for Muggles and Muggleborns and her zeal for unquestioning obedience. There's only Dumbledore's sporadic nepotism and the frequently patronizing contempt with which his followers view Muggles...an attitude that fairly pats them on the head for being able to cope without magic.

Voldemort is not the real threat. He is only the most obvious symptom of a chronic disease. The hidebound, unthinking, bigoted and often well-meaning ways of the wizarding world are the things that allow the fear, hatred and prejudice that do so much damage to fester and grow...on both sides The only sliver of hope that the wizarding world has lies in its children thinking and questioning those in power--which is the last thing that Umbridge (or Dumbledore!) would want.

Oh, I don't see any real life parallels for this at ALL.

Ecellent work. You should be proud.

[kellychambliss.livejournal.com]

Fine story! You've captured Dolores as perfectly as she captured the poor kitten. Such a clever and believable and chilling explanation of the source of the kitten plates. And I love the callousness of your "flipped" in the final paragraph and the spot-on voice of the letter.

You remind me very effectively of the educational horrors in Dickens -- as that character from Hard Times (Mr. M'Choakumchild?) says to the children, "Never wonder!"

Sadly, the Doloreses of the world are far too common -- much more so than the raving evil madness of Voldemort. The Umbridges are far more insidious and dangerous because they can be so plausible and because they believe their own justifications so thoroughly. (And as gehayi says, the rest of the wizarding world isn't blameless, either.)

In time it would adjust.

Ouch!

[entrenous88.livejournal.com]

So chilling and fascinating! I love how you kept Dolores's voice as seeming-sympathetic -- "the dear thing" -- but how showcase how callously she treats people and animals, how deliberate she is in her plans and her cruelty. Well done!

[therealsnape.livejournal.com]

Here on kellychambliss's rec.
Utterly chilling story;I'll never again read the OotP scenes with kitten plates without thinking of this tale. It's totally believable.
In time it would adjust. So very Dolores. As is the 'all for your own best' reason she gives.

Great story.

[inamac.livejournal.com]

I nearly didn't read this because of the warning - but then, when one is dealing with Dolores one must expect a casual cruelty 'for the common good', and you have captured that perfectly. Canon Dolores in all her chilling confidence. I love the little details you've picked up and expanded from the relatively limited amount of scenes we see her in in the book. great, thoughtful work.

[miss-morland.livejournal.com]

*shivers*

That was absolutely brilliant -- you've really nailed Umbridge's character here. The story really fits the prompt, as well. Fabulous!

[lazy-neutrino.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It was a great prompt and so much more fun to write about the moral convictions of the bad guys than the good. And Umbridge is bad. Really, really deeply unpleasant.

[featherxquill.livejournal.com]

This is wonderfully creepy. Your Umbridge is terrifying, not least because of how utterly in control she is. And the detail about the kitten is especially disturbing. Gah. Great job.

[lazy-neutrino.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[minervas-eule.livejournal.com]

The explanation of her kitten-plate-collection is horribly convincing, and the whole scene of her writing the letter absolutely apropriate: great job!

[lazy-neutrino.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[melusinahp.livejournal.com]

This is perfection. You've captured her in essence. It's chilling.

[leni-jess.livejournal.com]

What a brilliant idea for the origin of those sickly kitten plates, which are so inferior to the live creatures! You interweave that illustration of Umbridge's soul-deep lack of empathy with an account of what she might well have thought, having reviewed Hogwarts, and come off second best to Minerva and even to Harry. Any extreme to get her own idea of what's right in place. A horrifying fic, with none of the caricature elements that make the canon presentation of her easier to dismiss.

Here from inamac's rec. So glad she made it!

[annearchy.livejournal.com]

Wonderfully chilling and all perfectly in character for Umbridge. The poor cat!! I'll never be able to think of those kitten plates the same way again (not that I ever actually like them, but now...)

[lokifan]

OMG. So, so creepy - and what a great explanation for the kitten plates! Those last two lines taken together are such a sinister exposure of how warped her mind is.

Empty Vessels

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

Fantastic. The casual ease with which Dolores preserved the kitten at the brink of adulthood while writing a letter in the intent to do just the same to cut down Harry at the brink of his adulthood - it made me shudder and squee at the same time. You've captured Dolores in all her self-righteous cruelty and efficiency so well! I never thought you would kill a kitten to prove your point. :-)

Much love for the title, too! It's a perfect fit for Dolores's perspective on students and plates and kittens.

kitten plates

[auroramama]

Brrr.

What was fantastical in =A Wrinkle In Time=, the attitude that produces a world where everyone is alike and people are put to sleep if they catch a cold, is here grounded in near-realism. It's a human attitude, seen here without allegory.

Also, I agree with what everyone else said. There are brilliant comments here, and I can only concur.

[jaelle-n-gilla.livejournal.com]

Baaaah, nasty and very much in-character! Well done! I love how you shine the spotlight on her intentions, literally with Potter and figuratively with the kitten. It reminds me a bit of the Golden Compass idea of keeping children innocent.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

I disagree with the whole premise. How can you possibly have failed to notice that the indoctrination of teen-agers with the mantra of "question authority" has produced nothing but the most appalling conformity? It would be Umbridge who would encourage everyone to "question authority" - since the person who does so automatically places herself in a position of unrecognized authority, and her authority is always the last to be questioned, if it is questioned at all. What "Question authority" means in practice is: "Never take MY ideological opponents seriously. Always assume that their motives are other than what they say, and that they are bad. And always listen to those little suggestions I have placed in your mind". Anti-authoritarian? Yeah, right.

[magicalsibylle.livejournal.com]

Oh god wow. That was chilling. The cat thing especially, which was a nice parallel to what she was writing and supremely ironic (strictly theoretical my foot). Very good piece!

[tetleythesecond]

Chilling and brilliant how you draw the parallel between her design to impose her view of order on Hogwarts and her kitten collection! An intense read, all the more so for the way you bring across her voice and her ideas. It's exactly what makes Dolores the creepiest and most realistic villain (male or female) in the books for me: her saccharine insistence that she only lives to help, the way she wriggles her way to the top by knowing exactly on whom to step and whom to bow to, the cruelty under the icing -- and you capture that exactly.

Great piece!

[kennahijja.livejournal.com]

OMG, the poor kitten! I winced to read about it crying in distress inside the plate, but it's a great symbol for the life-denying sterility Umbridge advocates. The last line really hammers it home.

Your characterisation of Umbridge was excellent, as was the letter. In a way, she's not even as subtle as she tries to be, but then Fudge isn't remotely perceptive when it comes to influence being exerted on him either.

And the way her fear of Harry and his 'Muggle upbringing' shines through the story is great.

[scabbyfish.livejournal.com]

This was unspeakably creepy - you really perfected Umbridge's voice *shudder*

[lazy-neutrino.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

You have a great handle on Umbridge and her particular brand of sterile, prosaic evil, so much more chilling than Voldemort's excesses because it is so much closer to real life. (Recommending this here (http://www.tavia.co.uk/recs.asp?Fandom=hp&Sort=F_A&New=N), by the way.)

[lazy-neutrino.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I find Dolores very very scary - the tyranny of the unimaginative.