Few people knew that Dolores Umbridge was not the pure-blood witch she claimed to be.
Her father, Orford Umbridge, was indeed a wizard, but her mother, Ellen Clanell, was a Muggle through and through. Even Umbridge's lies to her Slytherin classmates during her time at Hogwarts couldn't change the fact that she didn't come from a pure-blood family...not to mention, she also had a Squib brother.
In Dolores Umbridge's eyes, her family was undoubtedly the biggest stain on her life.
Her father, Orford, didn't have much ambition. He worked in the Magical Maintenance Department at the Ministry of Magic and never got promoted. Her mother, Ellen, was frivolous and sloppy, and a Muggle to boot. As her brother was proven to have no magical talent, the conflicts in the Umbridge family became increasingly acute, and Umbridge grew more and more resentful of those burdens.
As a result, when Dolores was fifteen years old, the family split into two parts:
Dolores lived with Orford, while Ellen and her son disappeared into the Muggle world.
From then on, Dolores never saw her mother and brother again, never spoke to them. And when Dolores Umbridge gained a certain position in the Ministry of Magic, she immediately persuaded her father to retire early, giving him a small allowance to ensure his quiet and decent exit, so he wouldn't be a stumbling block on her way to a higher position.
Apart from Cornelius Fudge and a few high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic, no one else in the Ministry knew Umbridge's background.
She began to tell a story about her father being a prominent figure in the Wizengamot during his lifetime.
Bad things always happened to those who talked about Orford, or things Dolores didn't want to be mentioned. Those who wanted to be treated kindly by her would pretend to believe her version of the family story.
However, no matter how she deceived others, Dolores could never erase certain marks on herself.
Even though she often talked about her extremely cold-blooded views in private gatherings, secretly scheming about how non-magical people should be treated ruthlessly—sometimes even anti-Muggles were shocked by her proposals—it didn't make her forget her past life. Instead, it constantly deepened her memory of her own filthy bloodline.
For example...
The weapons Muggles use for killing in the non-magical world.
Since the wars of the early 20th century, firearms had quickly been included in the "prohibited items" category by the magical world. In the Ministry of Magic's related documents, these "Muggle alchemical devices" were classified as Muggle imitations of the "Killing Curse."
Although many wizards might not recognize this forbidden Muggle玩意 (wan yi - thing), Umbridge was certainly not one of them.
Umbridge hurried back to her office and quickly wrote with a quill.
"...The Muggle Studies professor illegally possesses Muggle firearms. This is the terrible truth I have witnessed with my own eyes. The purpose of this weapon is to kill another person, and I have ample reason to suspect that there are some dangerous clues at Hogwarts—and according to Mr. Quirrell's words, he is very likely planning to overthrow the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy..."
"...In addition, some other professors at Hogwarts also have strange and bizarre traits. I believe the Ministry of Magic needs to strengthen its investigation and regulatory power over Hogwarts. Some wizards lack respect and reverence for government authority..."
"...Looking forward to your reply, Minister. I will closely monitor the situation at Hogwarts at all times."
"Yours faithfully, Dolores Jane Umbridge."
Umbridge put down her pen and reviewed the letter to Cornelius Fudge one last time, making sure there were no omissions or inappropriate wording. She couldn't wait to stand up and head to the owlery to send the letter.
But as she approached the door, Umbridge suddenly stopped and went back to her desk.
Muggle Studies had only just begun. If she remembered correctly, there were still at least two or three hours before the class ended.
Time was of the essence. She decided to write a letter to the Auror Office at the same time, using her position as Senior Undersecretary to the Minister to order the Aurors to lead a team to Hogwarts for a surprise seizure, giving Dumbledore no room for explanation.
Compared to vague pulling and pressure, directly obtaining some substantial ironclad evidence was clearly better.
As for the possible problems that might arise later, such as protests from the magical world and the school, once the "evidence" was in hand, all the initiative would be in the hands of the Ministry of Magic. There was no need to worry about Dumbledore and outside public opinion.
Umbridge squeezed the two letters in her hand, her eyes flashing with excitement.
As Umbridge's position in the Ministry of Magic gradually increased, her room for advancement and the speed of improvement continued to stagnate. And now this accident was undoubtedly the opportunity she had dreamed of to continue expanding her power.
"Heh, Quirinus Quirrell, you're in big trouble this time..."
Umbridge chuckled softly, a sinister look appearing on her sagging flesh.
She would let that arrogant, flamboyant young man know that even Albus Dumbledore couldn't protect him. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had no room for resistance when facing the true rulers of the magical world.
Just then, she suddenly felt some movement behind her.
Hmm?
Umbridge frowned, instinctively glancing at the corridor behind her.
It was during class time, and the empty corridor was deserted.
Perhaps it was the sound made by the figures in the paintings? Hogwarts had more portraits, armor, and ghosts than almost anywhere else in the magical world. It wasn't strange to hear some strange noises in the corridors occasionally.
Umbridge shook her head in confusion and quickened her pace towards the owlery upstairs.
She couldn't wait to see Quirrell's panicked expression.
…………
Meanwhile, in the shadows of the corridor behind Umbridge.
House-elf Dobby slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
Dobby had originally intended to get closer to hear what Professor Umbridge was saying.
Who knew that before he could get close to the Ministry official, she had keenly sensed the surrounding movement and almost discovered him on the spot. If he hadn't reacted quickly and hid, this special mission might have ended before it even started.
Dobby trailed Umbridge from a distance, closely monitoring her actions, quietly waiting for an opportunity.
"Listen, Dobby, your mission isn't too easy—for a novice."
The Hogwarts head house-elf's instructions echoed in the little elf's mind.
"Keep an eye on Professor Umbridge and intercept all letters sent from Hogwarts—according to Miss Kaslana's instructions, if you can successfully complete the assessment, it means you are qualified to independently serve as a 'Shadow Elf.'"
"Remember, throughout the entire process, you must not appear in Professor Umbridge's sight."
Hogwarts teachers can order all elves to carry out orders, a special magic granted to them by the castle.
Therefore, if a house-elf is exposed to a teacher's sight while performing a mission, there are too many uncontrollable situations that could arise—perfect stealth surveillance, this is Erina's first requirement for a "Shadow Elf."
On the other hand, this assessment indicator is not completely incomprehensible.
After all, there has always been a saying in the magical world:
"The mark of a good house-elf is that people don't even know he exists."
As for intercepting owl post...
Dobby hid in the shadow of the attic, filled with feathers and bird droppings, watching Umbridge tie the letters to the feet of two owls, her bulging green eyes, the size of tennis balls, flashing with unparalleled confidence.
Perhaps in Mr. Burleigh's view, this task might be the most difficult and troublesome.
But for Dobby, this was the easiest part.
Just this past summer, Dobby had concentrated on practicing for a month on the street where Harry Potter lived, and successfully achieved 100% interception—there were only two letters in front of him, it was too easy to intercept them.
A moment later, Umbridge walked out of the owlery with satisfaction.
In the sky she didn't see, the two owls that had just flown out for less than half a minute were as if they were being pulled by invisible lines, circling the castle tower and returning to the Hogwarts owlery.
Two minutes later, these two envelopes, which should have flown to the Ministry of Magic, appeared in the headmaster's office.
And appearing with these two letters was Erina, who should have been in class.
…………
"So, you ordered the elves to intercept the letters as soon as you noticed something was wrong?"
Hogwarts Headmaster's office, Dumbledore rubbed his forehead wearily.
He selectively ignored the serious violation of school discipline that a certain young witch should not be in a place other than the classroom during class time, choosing to first address some issues that were more likely to cause problems with his heart function.
"And you ordered the elf from the Malfoy family—and now you're telling me that you suspect Professor Quirrell is the leak, and you want to conduct a key investigation...Oh, and you even gave Professor Quirrell a gun?! I didn't know about such an important thing until now, and—let me think, where to start..."
"Those are minor issues, you should see the essence through the phenomena, Professor."
Erina waved her hand dismissively, winking slyly and said softly.
"The Malfoy family's house-elf intercepted a professor's letter, that's the essence. As for the person who issued this order, whether it is a certain Hogwarts student, or Mr. Malfoy, or someone else...this is not an answer that can be accurately concluded—in fact, in a sense, it is the optimal solution at the moment."
"As for Professor Quirrell, he had a similar precedent when he served Voldemort last year, didn't he? This seemingly cowardly and timid young professor is much braver than most people. This may be an accident, but it's always good to be vigilant."
Erina explained unhurriedly, paused for a few seconds, and added an extra sentence.
"Oh, right, I should have reported about giving Professor Quirrell a gun. It should be clearly mentioned in the regulations when the research institute was first established: We will equip some important researchers who have no casting ability with guns to ensure they have some self-protection ability when they encounter a crisis—Professor Quirrell is of course an important member, I thought you wouldn't have any doubts..."
"...Miss Kaslana, this is Hogwarts, not Gringotts."
"Of course, but I think the virtues of keeping promises and keeping commitments should be observed in any situation."
Erina replied with a sweet smile, tapping the two unmailed letters on the table with her finger.
"We can discuss those past things slowly later. The key to the problem now is here—everyone has seen the content of the letter, what should we do now? If we want to perform surgery, then we have to hurry..."
She looked deeply at the two old men in the room, her lips raised, and said softly with concern.
"After all, the patient's emotions are not very stable, and the patient's family may appear at any time. As one of the few attending surgeons at Hogwarts now, you have to make up your mind as soon as possible, is it necessary to restore everything to its original state—"
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Yay!