Standing Against the Tides

Last time I looked at my driver’s license, it did not say J. K. Rowling. Yep, it’s just me, an unpaid and unknown aspiring writer. The characters of the Potterverse do not belong to me and I am making no money from this endeavor.

A/N: Spoilers through OotP. As I am still in denial, I refuse to acknowledge the events of HBP or DH at this point.

Unbeta’d as BabyGurl is busy with her own life.





Chapter 25 It Was an Accident, I Swear

Hermione followed the Transfigurations Professor back up to her office. They had plans to finalize for the transfer and incarceration of one former Headmaster. The young Gryffindor witch thought it was rather lucky that none of the men had noticed the sly looks the two women had exchanged during their conversation earlier. It would really have been a shame if any of their finer sensibilities had gotten in the way of revenge, er poetic justice.

Gracefully sitting behind her desk, Minerva observed her student. The older witch easily had recognized the signs of a plotting female during their meeting. How could she not, when she also had come into a brilliant idea of her own? “Miss Granger, would you care to enlighten me to your plans?” she asked.

Fidgeting slightly, Hermione gratefully took a seat when her Head of House pointedly looked to the nearby chair. “Well, ma’am,” she cautiously began. “I thought of something that might keep Pro – Dumbledore occupied in his new room at Order Headquarters.” Seeing nothing but curiosity etched on her Professor’s face, Hermione squared her shoulders and bravely continued, “I think it also might serve to properly sedate him, so to speak.”

Minerva smiled. After having dealt with this particular young witch for the past several years, she could well imagine the scheme her student had in mind for the old man who had managed to hurt them all. Oh, Miss Granger might not have been hurt directly, but Minerva had seen often enough that this young Gryffindor would move heaven and earth to aide a friend. Perhaps it would be best for them to work together to begin to even the score against Albus.

After a good hour of scheming and plotting, the women felt they had things firmly in hand. Er, yes, well. But back to the plotting… Minerva and Hermione, after much lively discussion, finalized the details of transferring the old wizard to number twelve Grimmauld Place the next day. The Transfigurations Professor then sent the young Gryffindor back to her dorm. Both females were counting heavily on the fact that the men would likely be too obtuse to notice either of their plans until it was too late. But based on past experience, both had good reason to believe that their plots against the man who had betrayed them all would succeed.


The odd group met early the next morning as had been previously arranged. Minerva was to perform the transfiguration spell that would allow them to safely transport the treacherous former Leader of the Light to his new quarters while Hermione had volunteered to help ready that room. The women had been adamant that they handle these delicate details, as they insisted that the men were too closely involved to be able to think objectively about such things.

Remus and Hermione Portkeyed to Order Headquarters to begin work on Albus’ new cell while the others went up to gather the one who had caused them all so much grief. The werewolf immediately set about adding further security measures to the outside of the cell while the young witch began adding the specialized spells to the very inner walls of the cell. Working quickly and efficiently, Hermione was able to finish the first part of her plan well before her former professor was finished with the outer wards. But then again, she knew that part of what Remus was doing was to ensure that Mad-Eye Moody would be unable to ‘see’ into the cell. While the conspirators had all agreed that the former Auror and extremely paranoid wizard was firmly on the side of the Light, they also knew that he was also a long-time friend of Albus Dumbledore and none of them was ready to test his loyalty to their cause.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione began to weave the next layer of spells into the fabric of the wards she had earlier erected. She took special care to ensure that the spells were keyed into the former Headmaster’s magical signature, and that the spells would temporarily cease if anyone else were to step into the cell. Her Head of House had insisted on that part and Hermione had quickly seen the wisdom in that piece of advice.

The bright-eyed witch lowered her wand and stopped to feel the magic wrapping around her. Satisfied that her spell work was more than adequate, she smiled. Oh, that old man would be sorry he had ever hurt her friend. Of course, Hermione had no doubt at all that Dumbledore would truly regret angering both witches by the time they were finished with him. Smirking to the empty room, the young woman had a feeling it would be a long time before she and Professor McGonagall were finished punishing the old wizard…


Remus sighed as he tiredly ran a hand through his greying locks. He had always hated how much energy warding an area took out of him. Fortunately it was the new moon and he would quickly recover his strength, but the very fact that he was so drained reassured the werewolf that the warding was indeed successful. No one, not even Moody, would be able to detect the presence of their prisoner. Shaking off the thought that perhaps there might be a better way to handle Albus, Remus walked over to check on Hermione’s progress.

As the young witch turned around to look at her companion, Remus briefly wondered at the determined glint in her eyes. However, the girl quickly smiled, dispelling any lingering suspicions and once both were assured that all was ready, the pair climbed the steep stairs to the house proper at Grimmauld Place. Remus checked the lower levels, and after he was satisfied that they were the only current inhabitants, returned to the kitchen to find that Hermione had started a pot of tea and was pulling biscuits and dishes out of the cupboards. As the others were not due to arrive yet for another half an hour, there was nothing to do now but wait.


Minerva squared her shoulders as she faced her former employer. Any pride and admiration she had ever felt for the older wizard had quickly disappeared once she had learned of the depths of the man’s duplicity. Severely disappointed in Albus Dumbledore’s behavior, the witch silently reassured herself that they were doing the right thing. And where once she might have objected to such an endeavor, now Minerva was more than determined to see justice served.

Raising her wand, the resident Transfigurations Professor of Hogwarts confidently performed the intricate patterns that accompanied the spoken spell. A self-satisfied smile graced the older witch’s face as she viewed the results of her labor. For lying on the Floor in front of her was a rather innocuous pincushion in place of the treacherous wizard. Ignoring the gasp from both Mr. Potter and the youngest Weasley male, Minerva gently picked up the transfigured wizard. Nodding to the bemused men standing next to her, the witch bade them farewell until the time appointed for their Portkey to activate.

An hour later the group met once more in the Headmaster’s office. Dobby had been sent on ahead to Grimmauld Place, as he would again be the one caring for the old man. Kingsley pulled out an empty inkpot and waited for everyone to place a finger on the item before activating the Portkey.

Harry landed with his usual lack of grace and Ron tumbled over him while the adults all managed to land upright in the Order Headquarters. Minerva straightened her hat before greeting Hermione and Remus. The group then carefully navigated the steep, narrow stairs down to the sub-basement where the recently warded cell awaited its new inhabitant. Dobby stood by, nervously bouncing on the balls of his feet. Harry smiled at the anxious creature and placed a reassuring hand on the thin, bony shoulder while they waited for the older witch to return Albus Dumbledore to his previous state.

The two women shared a meaningful look before Minerva placed the pincushion in the center of the cell Floor. Taking care to stand just outside the doorway, the Transfigurations Professor waved her wand while speaking the incantation that would return the old man to his original form. Smirking at her former friend and employer, Minerva stepped back to allow the door to close on the sole occupant of the cell.


Harry’s eyes grew comically wide as he took in the disheveled appearance of the older wizard. His clothes were rumpled and his exposed skin was marked with angry-looking red dots. Turning to look at the smiling Transfigurations Professor, Harry had to wonder just what had happened to the man.

“Minerva,” Severus began slowly, “what did you do to Albus?”

“Oh, that,” Minerva airily dismissed. “It would appear that I tore my robe after leaving you earlier, and in my haste to mend it, I completely forgot that Albus wasn’t really a pincushion. How silly of me, really.”

Any retort was cut off as the Potions master saw that the former Headmaster had put his speckled hands up to his ears. Curious, he spoke a spell that would allow them to listen in on the cell. Blinking, the former spy wondered what was causing the caterwauling he could hear throughout the small room. And pictures – pictures moving across the walls, and he craned his neck to see, yes, even the Floor and ceiling were covered with those pictures. Strange looking, multi-colored bulbous creatures were dancing and singing on every surface he could see.

Turning around, his dark eyes took in the gob smacked faces of the other men while the women looked suspiciously self-satisfied. Severus frowned at the two witches before deciding that it wasn’t worth his life to chastise the women. Obviously they had felt the need to exact a bit of their own revenge.

“Teletubbies, Hermione?” Harry incredulously asked while Ron looked simply lost. Seeing an answering gleam in his friend’s eye, he exclaimed, “Wicked!”