Hermione and Ginny filled Rufas in on their meeting with Umbridge, and they could tell he was pleased with what they reported. He contacted Moody at once and told him about Umbridge's attempt to drug the girls. Moody moved quickly, and with the aid of Ron and Tonks, managed to make it down to Umbridge's office before her temper tantrum had faded and she had the chance to dump the tea and biscuits, which they promptly confiscated, much to Umbridge's dismay. The former Senior Undersecretary to the Minister was then escorted to the Auror's Office where she was placed under guard in a location well isolated from the other prisoners so that they would know about each other.
Anyone traveling the hallways near the Office of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures a short time later would have seen another man being escorted out of his office and taken to the Auror's office as well.
At 2:30 that afternoon, Hermione and Ginny both received flying faxes requesting that they report down in old Courtroom 12 for the 3 p.m. meeting rather than the Auror's Office. The two friends looked at each other and smiled grimly.
"They must have really been busy today," Hermione said. "Obviously they have been questioning the prisoners since they were brought here and they have found out what the needed to know to put them to trial!"
Ginny nodded.
"I wonder if they connected any of it to Umbridge yet?" She said.
"I don't know," Hermione answered, "But Moody practically cut off Rufas while he was filling them in on our meeting with her and I think it may have meant something. I am not sure what yet, though."
"We haven't heard anything and it has been several hours since we met with her," Ginny said.
"Yes," Hermione replied. "And Rufas has not been back since he left to meet with Moody, which was only a half hour after he talked to Moody. He certainly looked pleased though, which would mean good news."
They both decided to head on down to the courtroom right away. By the time they got there, they would only be 15 minutes early anyway.
As the girls made their way down the final stairway they ran into Lupin, Harry and Ron.
The three turned to look at Hermione and Ginny and smiled.
"We got em" Ron said as they approached.
"Umbridge too?" Hermione said, searching their faces, which were grinning broadly.
"Yes!" Lupin said. "Thanks to the two of you, by the way! We also got the spy in the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures as well."
"What charge did you get Umbridge on?" Ginny said.
"Illegally attempting to force information out of Ministry employees, among others" Harry said. "They found veritaserum in both the tea and the biscuits she offered you. Rita saw her spike them as well, but that will not have to come out and risk blowing her cover."
"Good!" Ginny said. "We were a bit worried about Rita when we heard the crashing noises coming from Umbridges Office, is she all right?"
"Yes, she is fine," Moody said, surprising them.
He limped up to the group with a smile on his face.
"Rita can squeeze into incredibly small places as a bug," he said. "She kept herself well protected from Delore's rage. Well, Hermione, Ginny - you were right in your suspicions all along. It turns out that Delores Umbridge was the leader of this little group of former Slytherin students. We have just rounded up the last of them. They are bringing in Millicent Bullstode right now."
Hermione and Ginny looked at each other, remembering how Millicent had attacked Hermione during their Dueling Club session back in second year.
"Shall we go in?" Moody said, grasping the handle on the great wooden door that led into the courtroom.
Once inside, they all noticed the Wizengamot members were taking their seats high above the floor. Rufas then entered through a side door and took his seat in the box right below them. He then noticed Moody and the others and motioned for them to come up. Once there, Rufas pointed to the chair on his right and told Hermione to sit there with Ginny next to her. Moody took his seat on the other side of Rufas with Lupin next to him on the opposite side. All the Aurors, including Ron and Harry took seats directly in front of them. Hermione noticed that about eight of the Aurors were missing. She saw that Ginny noticed it too.
"Must be the ones in charge of bringing in the prisoners," Hermione whispered to Ginny, who nodded. They knew who they were and that they were specially equipped to handle a prisoner if they got out of control.
Suddenly, doors opened to the left of the main doors below and everyone saw four prisoners brought in. Hermione recognized one of them as the spy they had caught in the specially made closet. Another man looked familiar, but she did not know him. Her eyes then moved to the other two men, who looked like they were probably related. Marcus Flint, the former captain of the Slytherin Quiddich team, she recognized.
The four men were led to chairs at the center of the floor and forced into their seats, which had dangling chains attached. These chains began to rattle as they bound the men to the chairs. With a final click of a cuff, it was done.
Rufas then rose to his feet, scroll in hand, which he unrolled and read. Hermione listened closely as the names were read. She had never heard of the three, but saw that she was right in accessing that the one man was Marcus's brother. They were charged with treason against the Ministry and quickly sentenced to long prison terms after given an opportunity to defend themselves, which they all rejected.
The next prisoners brought out were Blaise Zambini and his mother who also refused any defense and quickly sentenced to even longer terms of imprisonment.
Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bullstrode, and Zackarias Smith, the only non-Slytherin in the group, were next. Smith was the only one to try for a defense, but, after questioning by the Wizengamot and testimony from Harry, Ron, Tonks and the others who had located, questioned and arrested them, he was found guilty as well. They were each sentenced. Pansy and Millicent were given life in prison while Smith received 50 years.
Several others were tried, found guilty and sentenced the same way.
Finally, it was time for the leader of the group to be brought in to the courtroom.
Hermione and Ginny, along with Ron, Harry, Lupin and many others in the crowd, had a difficult time keeping themselves from bursting out in laughter as they saw who was escorting a very angry and reluctant Umbridge.
She looked absolutely dwarfed by Grawp and Hagrid, each preventing her from slumping indignantly to the floor with a strong grip on her fat upper arms. She looked absolutely comical as they drug her along, feet alternately making backward running movements and the short fat legs sticking straight out in front of her as if trying to brake their forward progress. Those legs were then dragged so that they trailed behind her before pulling forward to make the backward running motion again. Her face was purple and her tiny eyes were darting from said to side from Grawp to Hagrid, curls of hair were alternately falling forward into her face then backwards as she fought their restraint. The sound escaping her toad-like lips could only be described as croaking.
"Poetic justice!" Hermione whispered, just loud enough for Harry, Ron, Ginny, Lupin and Rufas to hear. They all nodded, forcing themsleves not to laugh at the spectical below them.
Finally, Hagrid and Grawp stopped in front of a large cage, which looked quite like a bird cage, but ringed with razor wire and the sharp points of spears. Hagrid reached down with his free hand and opened the door. He and Grawp then turned Umbridge around so that she was facing the direction they had come from, and forced her inside. Hagrid then relocked the door and Grawp pulled a handed that stuck out of the floor next to the cage.
The cage then lifted into the air, slowly turning as it moved toward a spot in front of Rufas, but which hovered out of range of anyone sitting close by. Umbridge was now face to face with her judge and jury.
"Delores Umbridge!" Rufas said as he rose again to his feet.
Umbridge stared at him, eyes bulging and face the color of puce.
"You are accused of the crime of High Treason against the Ministry" Rufas continued. "We have received evidence that you are guilty of putting together a group of dark wizards and were planning to attempt to take over the Ministry for your own devious means. You are also accused with coercion, extortion, spying and attempting to illegally force information out of Ministry employees by the use of Veritaserum and in other cases, torture with unforgivable curses. How do you plead?"
"Where are my accusers!" Umbridged croaked. "I have been unjustly framed by those two right there! (Pointing at Hermione and Ginny who gave her incredulous looks) I maintain my loyalty to this Ministry and I am innocent of those horrific charges!"
"Are you saying that Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Potter framed you?" Rufas said.
"Yes! They must have made up the story!" Umbridge croaked. "They still hate me for what was their own rulebreaking consequences while at Hogwarts."
"Delores, you are aware that it was the testimony of many students, staff and others that allowed to truth of your own misbehavior as Hogwarts High Inquisitor and short-lived Headmistress to come out in hearings held by this Ministry and Wizengamot that led to your demotion," Rufas said. "It was only Fudge's own testimony and appeals regarding his complicity with your actions that kept you out of Azkaban in the first place!"
Umbridge remained silent as this.
"You ask where your accusors are?" Rufus continued. "Well, don't look at Hermione and Ginny! Your accusors are right over there!"
Rufas pointed at a long curtain along a wall close to the door where the prisoners had been led in. He gave a flik of his wand and the cage holding Umbridge began to move towards the curtain. Once it stopped, Rufus nodded his head at Hagrid who had been standing quietly by the door with his brother. Hagrid then moved over to the curtain and pulled a cord hanging along one side of it. The curtain opened, and there, right in front of Delore Umbridge's face, stood the group of prsioners that had just been sentenced.
"There are you accusors!" Rufus growled. "Each of whom has already been sentenced to join you in prison where it is our ruling that you will be confined for the rest of your life, Delores!"
Umbridge had been staring at the prisoners, eyes wide in shock, but at hearing Rufas words, she let out a loud, ear-splitting scream "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO............. ...............!"
She then seemed to collapse and the cage was lowered again to the floor where Hagrid and Grawp again forced her onto her feet as they half-carried, half-dragged the still screaming woman out of the courtroom to her cell.