The Beginning of the Revenge - Part 6
Umbridge stared at him for a moment, afraid that he might be the same as Luna and Astoria.
Billy looked completely normal. He was wearing his full Ravenclaw uniform and had his usual calmness. Seeing him reading a book was nothing unusual. He was the calmest of the Scarlet Witch's three sons.
Umbridge looked around the room. It seemed to be a place quite well prepared for relaxing. She knew that Headmaster Black had prepared several of these rooms throughout the new castle so students could study in peace. Even so, she remained suspicious.
"Where are we?"
Billy frowned slightly, confused by the question.
"In a library," he replied calmly.
"I already know it's a library!" Umbridge shouted, fed up with these kinds of answers. She wasn't in the right mood to keep playing these brats' games.
Billy remained silent.
Umbridge took a deep breath to control her burst of anger.
"What part of the castle is this?"
Billy continued looking at her.
"The library..."
Umbridge gritted her teeth.
"What part?!" she shouted again furiously.
Billy flinched and even carefully raised both hands.
"Sorry, uh... It's one of the private libraries on the second floor. Fleur... I mean, Miss Delacour usually uses it during her breaks," Billy said softly as he calmly pointed toward a window.
"The second floor..." Umbridge murmured before rushing toward the nearby window.
Then, looking outside, she could see the castle courtyard, and she could even hear the noise coming from the Quidditch pitch when she opened the window.
She could even make out students walking in the distance and some of the hippogriffs causing trouble in Hagrid's pumpkin patch.
Umbridge's eyes widened, and she almost started crying at the sight of somewhere familiar.
"Finally..." she said, placing both hands against the frame. "Finally."
She was out.
It was over.
She turned toward Billy, who was watching her carefully and with some fear that the inspector might throw herself out the window for some reason.
"I need you to take me to Headmaster Black immediately," she ordered at once.
Billy watched her and raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Because several students just attacked me!"
Billy frowned.
"Students?"
"Lovegood and Greengrass!"
"No, um... I mean, why don't you go yourself?" he asked, confused.
Umbridge pointed toward the door.
"And there's a creature in those corridors!"
Billy looked at the door.
Then back at her.
"What corridors?"
Umbridge went still.
"The ones outside."
Billy looked toward the door again.
"That's the staircase that connects to the main library," Billy said, even more confused than before.
"...What?"
Umbridge walked toward the door.
She slowly opened it.
On the other side was a small corridor and, just as Billy had said, a staircase leading down.
There was no trace of the corridor she'd just left behind.
The castle's white stone was visible and well lit by the windows.
The modern decorations Black had added and the portraits decorated the surroundings.
Even without looking down, she could hear below the sounds of students reading, turning the pages of their books, or studying in the main library.
Umbridge stood there staring and blinked several times.
"No..." she said as she took several steps backward, entering the room again and almost bumping into Billy, who had appeared behind her.
"Are you all right?" he asked, showing some concern.
Umbridge raised her hand and pointed toward the open door while it trembled.
"It wasn't like that!"
Billy didn't answer.
"There were suits of armor! It was dark! That... that monster..."
The boy watched her gently for a few seconds, like someone looking at a person who was losing their mind.
"Inspector..."
"Don't look at me like that!" she immediately shouted as she moved away from Billy.
Billy spoke as softly as possible.
"Would you like to sit down first and have some tea? Maybe it'll help you calm down."
Umbridge stared at him as she began to hyperventilate.
Billy pointed toward the sofa.
"You're shaking."
Umbridge lowered her eyes.
Her hand was trembling.
She immediately clenched it shut.
"I'm not shaking."
"All right."
"I'm not!"
Billy nodded.
"All right."
That calmness began to irritate her.
Umbridge looked around, fixing her gaze on the nearby fireplace.
"I need to use the Floo Network to return to the Ministry right now," she said, ready to throw herself into the flames.
"There's no Floo Network there. It's a normal fireplace," Billy quickly said, stopping her just in time.
"Then I'll call an elf."
Billy remained silent.
Umbridge raised her voice.
"Elf!"
Nothing.
"I need a house-elf immediately!"
Silence.
Umbridge looked around.
"Where are they?"
"They don't come here."
Umbridge slowly turned.
"Why?"
Billy sat back down on the sofa and opened his book again with a tired expression from dealing with Umbridge.
"They don't like this room."
Umbridge felt a small chill at the young man's sudden change in attitude, when only a moment ago he'd seemed to be trying to act friendly.
Suddenly, the sound of something falling could be heard in the room, making Umbridge jump and look around.
But there was no one there.
"Who else is here?" she immediately asked.
Billy raised his eyes from the book with the most neutral expression possible, but his gaze wasn't fixed on her. It was fixed on some point behind her.
Umbridge felt her entire body tense as a chill ran down her spine.
She didn't turn around out of fear.
"Maximoff."
Billy kept looking behind her.
"What?"
"Who's behind me?"
Billy frowned.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"You're looking at something."
Billy looked back at Umbridge and seemed to think about it for a moment.
"Ah."
"Ah, what?"
Billy pointed.
"I wasn't looking behind you. I was looking at your reflection."
Umbridge showed a confused expression and slightly turned her head.
There was an enormous mirror behind her.
She hadn't seen it when she came in.
Umbridge remained still.
She didn't want to look.
But she ended up doing it.
Her own reflection was there.
Messy hair.
Dirty clothes.
Pale face.
Wand clenched between her fingers.
Umbridge breathed when she saw what her appearance had become and began to understand why Billy had been looking at her so strangely.
She really did look like a lunatic right now.
"See?" Billy asked.
Umbridge was about to answer.
Then her reflection smiled.
Umbridge didn't.
She stood completely still.
The woman inside the mirror slowly began widening her smile.
More.
And more.
Until Umbridge recognized that expression.
The same impossible smile she'd seen on Luna and Astoria's faces.
Umbridge backed away in panic.
"No..."
Her reflection didn't.
It remained beside the glass.
Smiling.
"Maximoff..."
Billy continued reading.
"Yes?"
"What kind of mirror is that?"
Billy looked up.
"Mirror?"
Umbridge pointed with a trembling hand.
"That one!"
Billy looked where she was pointing.
His expression changed slightly.
"Inspector..."
"WHAT?"
Billy looked at her.
"There's no mirror there."
Umbridge slowly turned her head back.
The mirror was still there.
Her reflection too.
Smiling.
Then it raised a finger in front of its lips while keeping that macabre smile on its face.
"Shhh."
Umbridge's breathing grew faster and faster as a pain began appearing in her chest, making her bring a hand there and clutch it tightly.
Then her reflection suddenly raised one hand and seemed to start trying to come out of that mirror.
Umbridge watched as the fingers of that copy began passing through the glass as if they were coming out of water.
Umbridge stopped breathing as she clutched her chest tightly.
Then her body fell to the floor with a THUMP.
As her vision began fading into darkness, she saw Billy leaning over to look at her.
And she also saw his twin brother, Tommy Maximoff, peeking out while wearing one of the suits of armor's helmets and lifting it so he could look at her.
Both of them had somewhat worried expressions.
Seeing that Umbridge had fallen unconscious while clutching her chest, the two looked at each other for a moment.
"Oh, shit. Mom's going to kill us," they said at the same time.