Douglas sat back down in his chair, unscrewed the lid of his insulated cup, and took a long drink.
Then he changed the subject.
"Umbridge's power has reached its peak."
Dumbledore returned to his seat.
"You mean-"
"Educational Decree Number Twenty-Two, Educational Decree Number Twenty-Three, Academic Affairs Office Deputy Director, High Inquisitor, Chief Safety Inspector."
Douglas counted them off on his fingers.
"Add Fudge's dependence on her, and the fact that the textbooks she personally signed off on are now being used throughout the school-her power covers every corner of Hogwarts, from daily schedules to assessments to administration to teaching."
"Complete coverage."
He looked at Dumbledore.
"And the peak is often the prelude to an avalanche."
Dumbledore's eyebrows twitched.
"What have you seen?"
"Three things."
Douglas held up three fingers.
"First, the pure-blood families' backlash is gathering pace. They won't tolerate their children remaining on the White List for another month.
"Mrs. Parkinson is already organizing a third joint letter. The Nott family is preparing to put a motion before the Wizengamot, demanding an emergency review of Umbridge's educational tyranny."
At that, Douglas could not help curling his lip in a smile. Educational tyranny.
"Second, the students' mental state is approaching a breaking point. They're nearly at their limit after four days of four hours' sleep. Our emotional detection array shows that two third-year Slytherins' anxiety levels have already crossed the yellow warning threshold. One first-year Hufflepuff girl has kept a withdrawal application hidden beneath her pillow for three days running."
"Third-"
He paused.
"The parents are starting to make a fuss."
Dumbledore tapped the armrest lightly with a finger and looked at Douglas in puzzlement.
He had received no letters from parents lately.
"Aunt Molly contacted me through Bill and told me the parents are getting in touch with