"It was her attempt at an assassination. She didn't expect me, or the girls, to know the patronus charm as it's not taught until seventh year. Hopkirk is acting on her orders.
"Go see Madam Bones. Hopkirk works in her department," said Daphne as Harry offered the letter back to Sirius. "Take the letter with you. Ask her what is meant by 'intelligence' and how the letter got here so fast. It was obviously prepared in advance."
Hermione added, "Point out how neither Daphne nor myself received a similar letter, when we were there with Harry and casting the same charm.
"Next," she said, "Demand she head directly to Umbridge's office. I bet you'll find the orders to the dementors still there. Though the Pink Toad'll try to pass them off as rogues, they weren't. All three were wearing control medallions."
Nodding, Harry said, "Move fast and play it right and we should be able to use this to get Umbridge sent to Azkaban. And, hold onto the letter. If this gets pushed, as the Minister will want to do, I'll need a copy of it for Stewart Ackerman."
Sirius took the letter and immediately made a copy of it before giving the original back to Harry.
"I'll be back as soon as I can," he said, before apparating away with a copy of the letter in his hand.
As soon as Sirius left, Ant furiously asked, "Someone tried to use those beasts to murder you?"
Turning to look at him, Hermione said, "Yes. Last time, though, Umbridge thought she was on a win-win situation. She sent two after Harry, then. She expected them to 'Kiss' him; a horrible way to die. If he'd managed to drive them off, which he of course did and which can really only be done with the patronus charm, then she had him for a breach of the underage magic laws and, just like this time, breaching the Statute of Secrecy. That would have meant time in Azkaban."
"Bitch!" Ant softly snarled.
"Hence our nickname for her - Umbitch," smiled Daphne, unconcerned by the language. Even Hermione didn't scold her father for it.
"Though the letter tells Harry the hearing is at 9:00am on the 12th of August... a week later than last time... at the last minute the Minister moves the hearing to an hour earlier," continued Hermione. "He tried to hold the hearing before Harry even turned up, using it to make it seem Harry had no care about his actions or held the Ministry and the wizarding world's laws in contempt.
"Luckily, Harry was there just after the hearing started and well before the Minister could wrap it up. And, that time, Dumbledore swooped in and managed Harry's defence. Personally, I think it might have been a Dumbledore set up that way to make him, yet again, appear to be a hero to Harry." "This time, if the hearing isn't cancelled by Madam Bones by tonight, I'll be there two hours ahead of time," said Harry. "On top of that, as a member of the Wizengamot now, I'm entitled to a lot more than just a few minutes warning. If I don't receive notice well in advance, it'll be another black mark against Fudge. It may finally be enough for Matthias to convince Ogden to run for Minister."
"You'll be wearing your Wizengamot robes when you go, Harry," Daphne firmly said. "It'll be a poke in the eye to the Minister to do so."
Harry nodded and said, "While we wait for Sirius to return, I've got a letter to write to Stewart."
"It might be moot within a couple of hours, if that, love," said Daphne.
"Yes, but it also might not," he disagreed. "It will not hurt to draft the letter up ready to send if Sirius doesn't return with word the hearing has been cancelled."
"And Stewart will be most wroth with you if you leave him uniformed again," smiled Hermione.
While they waited for Sirius to return, the three sat at the kitchen table and wrote up the letter to Stewart. As they were writing Remus sat with the Grangers in the sitting room and told them all about the charity bursary fund he managed on behalf of Harry and the Lily Potter Memorial Fund.
The three agreed to include the original of the letter from Hopkirk as an attachment to the letter to Stewart. Once finished, they quietly returned to the sitting room and waited. However, it wasn't long before Harry was on his feet and pacing.
After putting up with it for only ten minutes, Daphne frowned at him and firmly said, "Harry, stop it. Sit down and meditate."
"I don't think I can meditate while Sirius is away," he sighed, stopping.
Remus was about to Hermione beat him to it.
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"Being able to meditate, even when it's a highly stressful situation, is important," lectured Hermione. "Anyone can mediate when it's quiet and they're calm. You should be skilled enough at it now that you can meditate while we wait." "Hermione's right," the old wolf agreed. "Now is a great time to meditate. Take a seat, Cub."
Grumbling about traitorous wives and pushy honourary uncles, Harry found a clear spot on the floor in the corner, and sat and crossed his legs in a semi-lotus position. Focussing on his breathing he was soon dropping down into his meditative state.
He didn't even notice when, about thirty seconds later, Remus cast a charm on him.
Tilting his head slightly to the side while he looked at his cub, Remus softly said, "That's not bad. Considering the emotional state he was in as he sat down he dropped into his meditative state very quickly."
"He's eager to start finding his animagus form," said Daphne. "All three of us are." "Any ideas on your forms yet?" he asked the girls.
Both grinned back and Daphne said, "Yes. All three of us know the type and have some idea of the... breed of each."
"And they are?" asked Remus, honestly curious.
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