“All magic outside of the classroom is forbidden,” Umbridge announced at the dinner feast, “It has been proven through its misuse that it can only be used safely in a more controlled environment. I hope with this change you students can have piece of mind that you will not be viciously attacked in the hallways, a problem that has plagued this school for centuries.”

Harry glanced at his friends and saw that Umbridge was staring directly at him. Clearly she had heard about his spell practice with his friends. Everyone grumbled at the announcement, and even the teachers didn’t bother to hide their displeasure.

“She’s really done it now,” Hermione whispered to Harry, “Just look at Fred and George…”

The twins looked delighted and were rubbing their hands together as they stared at Umbridge with a malicious glint in their eyes. Many others had a similarly hostile gaze as they stared at her.

In the following days, Umbridge was struck with tripping jinxes wherever she walked. Somehow no one saw anything, all of the students closing ranks as Umbridge flailed wildly around to find the culprits. She eventually started just giving to detention whoever was nearby whenever it happened, impotent in her rage.

Harry and his friends kept practicing their magic, ignoring Umbridge's orders although they were more careful to make sure they weren’t being followed. Right now, Harry was watching Luna levitating a chair in the abandoned classroom and flipping it over and over in the air. Suddenly, there was a noise at the door. They all turned and saw a girl in green standing there. Pansy Parkinson, who was smirking nastily at Hermione. Behind her was Dolores Umbridge dressed in the traditional pink, her eyes fixed on Harry.

“Just as I thought…” Umbridge said, “I knew this group was behind it all. You’ve been disrespecting me ever since I set foot in the school Harry Potter… I don’t think that lines will be enough for you. I have just the thing.”

“The rest of you, two weeks detention," She said off handedly, eyes only fixed on Harry, "Excellent job, Ms. Parkinson. Harry Potter, you come with me.”

Harry glanced at the others and Hermione shook her head. Harry shook his head back at her and made a small biting motion towards her. If worst came to worst he could transform to defend himself. Hermione looked conflicted for a moment before nodding back to him.

“Well, don’t delay Potter,” Umbridge snapped, “You’re only making things worse for yourself.”

“I’m coming, professor,” Harry said.

“HEADMISTRESS YOU BR- disrespectful even now,” she said visibly controlling herself after her outburst.

Umbridge walked forward and Harry followed behind her. They walked until they were leaving the castle. Harry frowned as they came to the edge of the forbidden forest. Umbridge pulled out her wand.

“You seem so confident in you magic, don’t you?" She said, "Think I can’t teach you anything? Then go in there and prove it! Your punishment is to stay in there for a full day and defend yourself.”

Harry looked into the forest skeptically, “Is this legal?” He asked, “This is hardly proportional to my offense of practicing magic without permission.”

“I am your Headmistress, and I decide your punishments. Now go in there! I don’t want to see you back for at least a full day.”

“Fine,” Harry said. It was clear that she wasn’t aware of the aversion of magical beasts to him, he wouldn’t be in much danger in there. He found it unlikely anything would even approach him while he was inside. But clearly she thought she was putting him in a very dangerous position based on her satisfied smirk as he made his way forward.

He walked into the woods and quickly it became gloomy as the trees loomed around him. After five minutes or so of walking, Harry cast the disillusionment charm on himself to turn invisible. It took several tries, as it was difficult to cast the advanced spell. But then he turned right back around and tried to walk back onto the grounds. But there was some kind of invisible wall there blocking him when he tried to walk back onto the Hogwarts lawn. He put his invisible hand on it and pushed, but it didn’t budge.

Was this something Umbridge could do with her limited control over the wards? Harry spotted Hagrid's hut and moved to the point closest to it outside the barrier. He saw Umbridge’s pink form walking back into the castle in the distance. Harry waited for another ten minutes before casting a lumos charm and waving the glowing wand so it should be visible through the window. After making himself visible again of course. After a minute or two, the door opened and Hagrid stepped out. He stared at Harry in confusion before walking over.

“Harry? Wha’ are ya doin’ out there?” Hagrid said.

“Umbridge locked me out, said I had to survive in here for a night if I said I was so good at defense against the dark arts,” Harry replied before putting his hand out and leaning forward to show Hagrid the invisible wall stopping him from returning.

Hagrid’s expression grew thunderous, “The forbidden forest is no place for children. Let alone by themselves… Jus’ stay right here by the edge, Harry. I’ll go get her to drop the wards.”

Harry tried to speak but Hagrid was already storming off, carried quickly by his long legs.

“Wait, Hagrid! She won’t…”

Hagrid couldn’t hear him and kept moving towards the castle, muttering to himself angrily as he left.

“...Listen to you,” Harry finished.

— — —

The students who saw Hagrid flinched as they saw the ugly expression on his face. Many immediately fled at the sight of the gentle giant being so visibly angry. There were whispers through the hallways as Hagrid stormed directly to the current headmistress' office.

His loud shouts and the headmistress' shrill yells in reply echoed through the nearby hallways. Eventually the two of them came storming out of her office as Umbridge yelled at him again.

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“I WILL NOT BE TALKED DOWN TO BY SOME FILTHY HALF-BREED! I AM THE HEADMISTRESS AND WHAT I SAY GOES! YOU’RE FIRED!”

She paused her tirade to stare into space for a few seconds.

“There!” She continued, “If you don’t want to be arrested, leave this castle immediately. The Hogwarts defenses will begin attacking you in twenty minutes!”

Hagrid scoffed, “As if I’d believe tha’. Like you have any right to anything more than the basic wards.”

Umbridge smirked, “I’d not expect a big oaf like you to understand. The ministry has been working on taking control of the wards as well of course. You think we’d leave it in the hands of the likes of Dumbledore?”

Hagrid glanced around nervously at that before shaking his head, “Fine. But don’t think ya’ are gettin’ away with this. I’ll be back with someone from the ministry with a lil’ integrity!”

“Everything I did was perfectly within my rights,” Umbridge said primly, “Best you get going. Wouldn’t want to get hurt now, would we?”

Hagrid hesitated before grunting and rushing off at top speed. Hagrid rushed back down to his hut to warn Harry of the situation before grabbing his things and leaving.

But to Hagrid’s shock, Harry wasn’t there at the edge of the forest. Hagrid looked frantically for him for five minutes with no luck, but felt a thrum of magic pass through him. The Hogwarts defenses would be activating against him soon, providing one last warning to leave and not return.

With the wards having been repaired with Dumbledore’s funds two years ago, the defenses were formidable and Hagrid didn’t believe he would last long if they fully focused on him. Blast that woman! Realizing that he had no time, Hagrid went into his hut and threw everything he owned into a spatially expanded trunk he had bought a few years ago for travel. With someone like Umbridge in charge he had been expecting to be fired any day now, so he was already mostly prepared to leave. He closed it up and started running out the door. He would have to get someone to pick up his dog Fang sometime later.

He started running towards Hogsmeade, but the wards pulsed again. He had no more time, the defenses were activating against him.

The ground rumbled around Hagrid and he felt something moving underground behind him. The remote wards surrounding the castle began to reject him, sizzling his skin with their corrosive magic. Hagrid stumbled slightly but kept moving as his giants blood in his veins worked to repel the magic pressing in on him. He was barely fifty meters from the border to Hogsmeade now.

To Hagrid's right there was an explosion as dirt and chunks of grass went flying into the air, revealing a hole in the ground and a stone tunnel below. In a second all the chunks of dirt were swept to the side in a wave of magical force, revealing a staircase of stone descending into the depths.

Rushing upwards were dozens of the suits of armor similar to those normally seen standing around the school. All carrying enchanted medieval weapons such as greatswords or maces held at the ready for battle.

Hagrid kept running as he saw another plume of dirt to his left. He was twenty meters away from the border. The first of the empty suits of armors emerged into the open air and began charging towards Hagrid at full speed. After five smaller suits came through a larger suit after them even bigger than Hagrid. The massive suit of armor stepped into the open air holding a massive over sized crossbow in its armored hands.

Hagrid ran faster as the large suit aimed at Hagrid and with a loud twang fired its weapon. The crossbow bolt that was over two meters long buried itself deeply into the earth behind him with a heavy thunk. The large armor cranked the weapon to pull back the string and another long bolt was magically summoned to refill its weapon.

Five meters away. Hagrid passed over the line, seeing that the group smaller armors were beginning to catch up with hi,. He kept running down the road to Hogsmeade, not looking back as he heard the armors still chasing him. Another bolt fired and missed again, flying past Hagrid and slamming into the cobblestones of the road sending a spray of stone chips flying into the air. Hagrid swerved slightly to avoid it. He ran for a few more seconds as the sound of the chasing armors behind him slowly died away. Hagrid didn’t hear the twangs of crossbows again, and Hagrid let himself slow down slightly, panting from his sudden sprint, his trunk banging on his leg.

Three of the larger suits with the crossbows stood on the perimeter of the Hogwarts wards, pointing their weapons directly at Hagrid but remaining unmoving. The footsoldiers were retreating to gather around and guard the larger suits and to patrol the perimeter of the wards, holding their weapons at the ready for battle.

As Hagrid watched the large suits let their bows drop to point at the ground and they started walking back to the large holes gouged into the ground. As he watched the suits of armors all walked back into the stone tunnels and with a swirling magical wind chunks of soil and grass were pulled back through the air to cover the openings again. After two minutes there was only uninterrupted grass where there had been holes in the earth before.

Hagrid let out a heavy breath. That was… Hagrid had never seen something like that. What exactly had Umbridge done? He had to tell someone quickly, who knew what that insane woman would do next… And he had to get help for Harry before it was too late.

— — —

Salazar was examining the blood quill in his laboratory. Replicating the enchantment itself was easy, but modifying it to perform various different functions was surprisingly difficult. He stopped his work as he felt something ping him in the wards. He looked up from within his painting and frowned as he connected to determine what was happening. That… what? The highest priority intruder alert?!

Harry Potter had told Salazar how incompetent this Umbridge was, but she better be serious if she was using this. It essentially activated everything possible to eliminate the intruder at all costs, regardless of the collateral damage.

He managed to get a view and saw that it was that half-giant Hagrid running towards Hogsmeade with his trunk bouncing at his side. His giant’s blood was repelling the corrosive wards attempting to dissolve him and reduce him to a sizzling skeleton.

While Salazar had minor control of the Hogwarts wards, given the severity of the order he was unable to stop Hogwarts from attacking the man as he fled.

Salazar felt the deeper defenses left unused for centuries slowly grind back into life. Things that shouldn’t be revealed except in a full siege. Salazar worked furiously to delay their activation as Hagrid continued to flee. The first wave of suits of armor began to charge through the tunnels beneath the Hogwarts grounds at full speed. They attacked the man, and Salazar did his best to force them to aim to the side. The worst case was if Hagrid was delayed, giving a chance for the final trump cards to start being activated and cause even more chaos in their mission to fully eliminate the giant of a man.

Hagrid managed to escape and Salazar was finally able to send the stand down order as Hogwarts registered the half-giant fully leaving the grounds. The ancient defenses slowly began powering down and Salazar let out a sigh of relief. Now, how had someone with as weak a hold on the headmistress’ position as Umbridge managed to trigger so much?

Salazar investigated and twenty minutes later snorted in disgust. Modern wizards… The buffoons had put all of the defense functions on one trigger when they restored the outer wards two years ago. Even somehow the triggers to the deeper wards that they shouldn’t have had access to. They were lucky Salazar was stopping it. Hogwarts great champion would have slaughtered any in its way without pause in order to kill Hagrid, even if he fled beyond its borders. An outcome only stopped by Salazar here to delay its activation long enough for Hagrid to flee…

Salazar spent another hour wrestling with the moronic knot of an activation trigger the incompetent ministry had set up. Eventually, he finally managed to separate the superficial and deeper defense activations. Umbridge wouldn’t be able to do something so stupid again.

Those defenses were only for if the entire school was in threat of being destroyed or the entire student population being slaughtered by intruders. They had only been used three times since the founding of the school, back when many wizards still wished to test the four founders strength, disbelieving of their vision.

Salazar wouldn’t let them activate unless things grew truly desperate.