WHO: Dolores Umbridge & Craig Wood (NPC) WHAT: Umbridge has some concerns, and Oliver's dad runs into a spot of trouble. Oops. WHEN: Today! WHERE: Her office. WARNINGS: Nooooo?
“This is unreasonable.” He sat with his arms folded across his chest, like he was challenging the woman across from him. In some ways, he was. Craig Wood had underestimated the tenacity of the MRC, and specifically of Dolores Umbridge. He shouldn’t have; that was his first mistake.
Now that it was clear they weren’t buying the story, he was running out of time and out of answers. He’d thought that what he had would be enough. He hadn’t realised that they would want to see her, too.
“I’ve provided plenty of documentation,” he continued. “I don’t see why we still have a problem.”
“We take the removal of a student from school very seriously, educating our next generation of witches and wizards is important.” Dolores stood firm. “We understand if she is so unwell that she should not be at school, but we wish to verify this. We have done this with other families without issue. I do not see what is so difficult about such a simple request.” Dolores spoke in her sickly sweet voice. “We all know we can write what we want on documentation, it is simply protocol to check in on the student.”
“I don’t see what’s difficult about contacting the healer whose name I’ve given you,” he countered. “Are you accusing me of making this up? Why would I make something up about my own child? Don't you think I’d rather have her near me?” That last sentence wasn’t a lie. “Verify it with her healer. And as I suggested earlier, let me send her the materials she needs to continue her education as she recovers. That’s not too much to ask.” “I am sorry Mr. Wood. These are the rules we have in place. Simply speaking with the healer is not enough. With the ID system and various other pieces of information that need to adjusted with this we require visual confirmation of the sick child. We have done this with other families. The fact you are so adamant not to allow this, and removed her from the country so quickly makes this suspect.” She smiled pleasantly. “We had no issues with the paperwork previously but your response is justifying suspicion.” She cleared her throat with a hem-hem. “Why did you remove her so quickly?”
“My response?” Craig scoffed. “You’re basing that on nothing at all. If there were no issues with the paperwork, we wouldn’t be here right now. You have no right to invade her life like that.” He shook his head sadly. “I removed her quickly because I was afraid I’d lose her. I did what I thought was best for her. Otherwise, she would have waited around on your bureaucracy, and Merlin knows what might have happened to her. So I made the call. Maybe it was a bit rash, but you understand, a parent…” He was aware she wasn’t a parent, but surely it wasn’t that hard to understand. “When you love someone, you take care of them. I didn’t want to waste any more time. This way, she’ll be back sooner.”
“I understand care and concern for family members,” well honestly Dolores didn’t. She cared little about family and little about anything but herself and furthering her own success. “There is issue with the timing, your absolute refusal to meet our requests. With all evidence in front of me there is not significant evidence of a valid reason of your daughter to be removed from Hogwarts. In such a case you will be held by the Ministry pending trial, for falsifying documentation and knowingly keeping your daughter from school when it is legally mandatory for her attendance unless Ministry pardon provided.” Dolores looked at Mr. Wood plainly, “And when your daughter is located she will be returned to school.” She closed her file and stood up from her chair moving to call some Snatchers into her office to escort Mr. Wood to holding.
For a slow, long moment, Craig Wood stared at her in disbelief. He’d known that this was a possibility -- of course they all had, they’d fabricated the entire thing in less than ten days -- but a part of him still hadn’t thought they’d go after him.
This was also why he’d taken on the brunt of the responsibility here. Oliver might have done some of the leg work, but he wouldn’t take the fall. He wouldn’t let his children suffer. It didn’t matter what happened to him; the only thing that truly mattered was that his children still had a future.
“Maybe by then, you’ll stop torturing our children,” he spat out, wrenching his arm from one of the Snatchers who’d arrived to drag him away. “You’ll regret this.” But even as he said it, the words felt hollow. He didn’t think Umbridge had much in her in the way of compassion. “You won’t get away with this.” But she already had.