Harry was caught red-handed.
"What are you doing in my office? Grr.." Umbridge's facial muscles twitched involuntarily from where the dog had bitten her.
It made her already sagging features all the more twisted and vicious.
"I—I wanted to get my Firebolt back," Harry said hoarsely.
"Lies!"
Umbridge was visibly agitated, her wand trained on all five of them.
"I heard you just now—who were you talking to? Woof.."
Her face twitched again, and this ti she'd lost even the pretense of that simpering smile. She screeched, "You were talking to that oaf!"
"No, I wasn't—"
Harry tried to argue, but Umbridge wasn't listening.
She strode forward, seized Harry by the collar, and slamd him onto the desk with a loud bang.
A surge of anger shot through Harry, and he reached for the wand in his pocket.
But Umbridge was quicker—she snatched it away before he could grab it.
"Don't try lying to . Grr.." She tossed Harry's wand aside.
"Who I talk to is none of your business!" Harry shouted.
"Very well, Mr. Potter, I gave you a chance," Umbridge said in that sickly sweet, grating voice, feigning regret. "Now I have no choice but to pry your mouth open by force. Woof woof!"
She pointed her wand at Harry, then walked over to her desk and pulled open a drawer.
When she saw the empty bottle inside, her face twitched again. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the plate with the kittens on the desk and suddenly lashed out at Ginny.
"Expelliarmus!"
Ginny's wand flew out of her hand and landed in Umbridge's grasp.
Not only that—the others' wands also flew across the room into her hands.
"Trying to attack , were you?" Umbridge let out that detestable laugh. "Well, now you're all getting expelled."
Her gaze lingered on the two redheads. "Looks like there won't be any Weasley students left after this."
Ginny glared at her in fury, and Ron looked even more shocked—his little sister was being that bold.
But in front of a fully grown witch, Ginny was still caught easily.
Umbridge pointed her wand at a sheet of parchnt on the desk, and the quill began to write on its own.
—"Professor Snape, please co to my office. I have captured Potter."—
As soon as the words were written, the parchnt folded itself into a paper airplane and flew out the door.
"Now then, woof! ..ehm.. we have plenty of ti to talk things over," Umbridge said.
Harry's expression turned a little blank.
Snape—right, Snape!
He had forgotten—how could he have forgotten—there was still another mber of the Order of the Phoenix.
Snape walked in with a dark look on his face, and Harry could even see… sorrow?
"If you don't have anything urgent," Snape said coldly, "I don't think I have ti to deal with whatever Potter has done."
Despite his words, he still ca closer.
"I need another bottle of Veritaserum, as quickly as possible, Professor Snape, Grr.." Umbridge said, her face twitching as she forced out a smile.
"You took my last bottle to conduct your interrogation," Snape replied, his gaze sweeping over the people in the office. "Three drops are enough to make soone spill all their secrets."
Harry widened his eyes, locking his gaze on Snape, willing him to read his thoughts.
"You can brew more, can't you?" Umbridge pressed, desperate for revenge.
"It takes a lunar cycle," Snape said impatiently. "You can wait."
"I still have the authority to grade your performance," Umbridge threatened when she saw she was getting nowhere.
Snape remained indifferent, turning to leave, his footsteps brisk.
Harry shouted, "He's got Padfoot! In the place where things are hidden!"
Umbridge looked confused. "What is he talking about?"
"No idea.." Snape's steps faltered for the briefest mont—then he left even faster.
"Padfoot, huh? W-oof!.. ehm.. Very good, very good," Umbridge said, panting like an ox as she watched Snape go.
"This is all your own doing," she snarled, her expression twisting into sothing feral. "The Cruciatus Curse should loosen your tongue."
"Wait, Harry—we might as well just tell her," Hermione called out urgently.
Harry's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected Hermione to say such a thing.
Even Ron looked utterly stunned. He tried to tell Hermione to stop, but Umbridge rely pointed her wand at him, and he collapsed instantly.
"Hagrid—Hagrid wanted us to go into the Forbidden Forest. He has sothing there for Dumbledore," Hermione said.
"Sothing? What sothing?" Umbridge was startled at first, then her eyes lit up with delight.
She had long been eager to earn credit by taking down Dumbledore. If she could prove he was plotting against the Ministry, she would receive unprecedented recognition.
"A w-weapon," Hermione said, burying her face in her hands and sobbing.
But Ron could clearly see the faint curl of a smile at the corner of her mouth.
Umbridge was already too impatient to wait for her mont of glory. "Take to see this weapon," she ordered.
Hermione's body trembled, which pleased Umbridge greatly. She flicked her wand toward Ron and the others, and ropes shot out, binding all three of them.
"Now, you're coming with , Potter—and no tricks!" Umbridge warned.
Harry had no idea what Hermione was going on about, but he knew the only option now was to play along with her.
The two of them were forced out of the office at wandpoint.
Umbridge's face twitched from ti to ti, and occasionally a bark escaped her lips.
Walking ahead, Hermione and Harry exchanged a quick glance.
Hopefully, a teacher would appear along the way.
Unfortunately, at this ti of day, no one was around.
Their wands had been confiscated, so they stood no chance against Umbridge in a fight.
Before long, they had left the castle and reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"Where exactly?" Umbridge demanded sharply.
"In the Forest—it's in the Forest. The weapon's too powerful to keep anywhere else," Hermione said, feigning timidity.
Umbridge still looked doubtful, but the thought of taking down Dumbledore pushed her forward.
Harry and Hermione walked ahead, Harry desperate to ask what her plan was.
Speaking loudly, Hermione revealed it—she was planning to use the centaurs against Umbridge.
But for so reason—Maybe because of what happened last ti—the centaurs didn't show up.
That made Hermione a little anxious.
"What are you playing at?" Umbridge sensed sothing was off. They were already deep into the Forbidden Forest.
She aid her wand at the two of them. "Where is it? Where exactly?"
Sweat beaded on Hermione's forehead. She stamred, "It's… it's…"
Skreeee—!
A blur of white dropped from the sky, and in an instant, blood sprayed from Umbridge's wand hand. The wand fell to the ground.
"ROOAAAR—!"
A deafening boom shook the ground, freezing all three of them in place.
Umbridge's scream stuck in her throat, coming out as a strangled, duck-like croak.
Harry felt a rush of air at the back of his head. Slowly, he turned around.
A massive creature with a long, peony-like tail was blinking down at them.
Hermione's whole body went rigid—she even forgot to breathe.
The big, cat-like beast stood there, and no one dared to move.
Just then, the white blur flapped its wings and landed—
Perfectly, right on the big cat's head.
Now it was the cat's turn to freeze.
Hermione's eyes widened. That was…
"Basil?"
She called out, and Basil turned to look at her, tilting his head slightly.
"Basil, help us!" Hermione shouted urgently.
Even Harry thought she was taking a huge risk.
Umbridge snatched up her fallen wand, pointing it at the big cat as she cursed, "Get out woof.. of the way, you ugly beast!"
She shot ropes from her wand, aiming to bind the creature—but the ropes snapped in midair before they even reached it.
She froze.
A black shadow was suddenly in front of her—its sharp beak pierced her wrist, talons sinking into her shoulder. In the next instant, her whole body was lifted clean off the ground.
Harry just stood there, dumbstruck.
It was a black, long-eared owl—carrying a full-grown person into the air.
Umbridge kept cursing as she was carried farther and farther away, until she finally disappeared from sight.
"We need to go back! Sirius!" Harry shouted, sprinting back the way they'd co.
Hermione glanced back at Basil, still perched on the big cat's head, then hurried after him.
Just as they reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Harry ran into Ron, Ginny, and Luna, who had sohow managed to free themselves.
"How did you get out?" Hermione asked, surprised and suspicious.
Ron handed the recovered wands to Harry and Hermione. "It was Basil. He flew into the office and cut through the ropes."
"So what do we do now?" Ginny asked.
"Obviously, we go save Sirius," Harry said.
"But how do we get there?" Ron asked, looking troubled.
Harry froze for a mont.
"We can fly," ca Luna's airy voice.
"Yeah, but we don't have enough brooms!" Ron snapped. "Maybe you don't need one to fly, but we can't exactly grow wings!"
"There are ways other than brooms," Luna said calmly.
"Oh? What then—ride a Crumple-Horned Snorkack?" Ron asked sarcastically.
"The Crumple-Horned Snorkack wouldn't know the way," Luna replied loftily. "But Thestrals can. Rember what Hagrid said? They're great at finding wherever the rider wants to go."
Harry turned around.
Standing between two trees were two Thestrals, staring straight at them—almost as if they had understood every word.
________
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