Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 212 The Power of the Curse

As if venting, Snape's teaching was more rigorous this time compared to before, and the power of Legilimency was also much greater. When he was finally allowed to leave, his mind was in unprecedented chaos, and he sat blankly on the sofa for a long time before the pain subsided.

This period was truly awful for Harry. With the OWL exams approaching, all the fifth-year students were under unprecedented pressure, some even breaking down in class. And compared to the others, Harry also had to endure Umbridge's intense focus and Snape's special instruction.

Honestly, if it weren't for DA, he probably wouldn't have made it through.

The progress of the DA (Device of the Aspects) is quite encouraging. With the coins Hermione has cast a spell on, they have remained safe and have been practicing diligently. They have now begun practicing the Patronus Charm, and some have even successfully summoned their Patronus. By the last lesson before Easter, almost everyone except Neville had succeeded.

"You need to think about happy things," Harry reminded him, looking at the Patronus protruding from the tip of Neville's staff.

"I was just thinking about it." Neville was somewhat embarrassed and angry. His forehead was covered in sweat, and his veins were bulging, but the silver light at the tip of the staff just wouldn't take shape.

Harry shrugged and said nothing more. Neville had already tried his best; all he needed was a trigger, a very minor one.

Walking through the House of Requirement, the air is filled with guardian spirits summoned by everyone. Fred and George's are magpies, which perfectly inherit their owners' personalities, flying around incessantly and very lively.

Seamus has a fox, Luna has a hare, and Ron has a beagle—all very cute. Stuart, Terry, Anthony, and Michael have a fox, a Scottish Collie, a Dalmatian, and a German Shepherd, respectively. Except for Stuart, who is more lively, the others stay obediently by their owners' sides.

This scene made Harry very happy. He felt that his efforts had been very rewarded, and he kept saying encouraging words, which drew a lot of praise from everyone.

Suddenly, the door opened and then quickly closed. Harry looked back but saw nothing. He hadn't taken two steps when he noticed everyone had stopped practicing, and his pants felt like they were being frantically pulled up by something. Looking down, he saw Dobby.

"Hey, Dobby, what's up?" Harry asked.

Dobby's eyes were wide open, and his whole body was trembling. Everyone's attention was focused on him.

"Mr. Harry Potter, Dobby has a message for you..." Dobby shrieked, "but the house-elves have been warned, by a terrible..."

"What's wrong? What happened?" Sensing something was amiss, Harry quickly grabbed Dobby's arms to ask, trying to prevent him from hurting himself.

"She...she..." Dobby stammered, repeatedly saying the word "she," which made Harry very anxious. Hermione, however, seemed to be deep in thought and suddenly said, "Umbridge? Is it her? She's found us and is coming?"

Everyone froze, seeing Dobby's seemingly determined to knock his head off. This time, Harry reacted quickly, yelling before Hermione could even speak, "Run!"

The door was flung open, and everyone rushed out, scattering in all directions. Some ran towards the dormitories, others towards the library, toilets, and classrooms; they were in a panic, desperate to escape Umbridge's capture.

Harry's destination was the men's restroom, which he remembered was just ahead. He ran as fast as he could, but suddenly something seemed to trip him, and he fell flat on his face, sliding a considerable distance across the ground. Then, he heard a very familiar voice.

"Ha ha ha, Potter, the tripping spell!" Malfoy exclaimed. "Professor, caught him!"

Harry's arms were covered in scrapes. He rolled over, wincing in pain, and immediately saw Umbridge's face, which was writhing in disgust.

"Great! Well done, Draco, Slytherin, fifty points!" Umbridge yanked Harry's arm hard, pulling him up from the ground. "Let's see if we can catch a few more, Draco!" Umbridge was very pleased. "The library, the classrooms, the Great Hall, check them all, look for those who are panting!"

She roughly pushed Harry, and they arrived at the headmaster's office in just a few minutes. After giving the command, the stone monster parted to make way for them, and they went straight into the office via the spiral staircase.

The room was packed with people. Dumbledore sat behind a table, his expression calm. Professor McGonagall stood beside him, her face full of worry. Minister Fudge was also there, sitting in his chair, rocking excitedly, clearly very satisfied. Harry also saw Percy, who was standing next to Fudge with a quill and a thick roll of parchment, ready to take notes at any moment.

"He was on his way back to the Gryffindor common room when Malfoy blocked his way," Umbridge said in her high-pitched voice.

"Really? Really?" Fudge was very excited, rubbing his hands together incessantly. "Potter, I think you know why you're here..."

Harry wanted to answer "I know" directly, but seeing Dumbledore behind the table gently shake his head, he changed his answer to "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Fudge looked at Umbridge with a puzzled expression, then at the composed Dumbledore, and asked, "You really don't know why Professor Umbridge put you here? Don't you know you've broken the school rules?"

"No!"

"What about the Ministry of Magic's decrees?"

"No, not at all."

Fudge's face visibly darkened. He sat up straight, staring intently at Harry, and said, "So, you're saying you didn't know there was an illegal student organization in this school?"

"Yes. What? There are illegal student organizations?" Harry looked incredulous, as if he were hearing about it for the first time.

"Minister, I think bringing the whistleblower here will make things go much smoother," Umbridge said with a smile.

"The informant? Alright, alright, bring her over." Fudge agreed, and Umbridge left the office, returning shortly with someone. Harry recognized her immediately; it was Marietta, a sixth-year Ravenclaw student introduced by Stewart and the others. She was wearing a large cloak, her hands hidden in her sleeves, and she had covered her face.

"Don't be afraid, dear." Umbridge gently patted her back and said to Fudge, "Minister, she is the daughter of Mrs. Eckmore, the Floo Network Administrator of the Department of Magical Transportation."

"Great!" Fudge exclaimed enthusiastically. "Come on, tell me about that illegal student organization... Don't be shy, lift your head... Oh God! By Merlin!"

Marietta kept covering her face, no matter what Fudge said, which annoyed Umbridge. She roughly pulled Marietta's hand away, but everyone was startled when they saw the face. Harry even took several steps back, and Professor McGonagall had to catch him from behind to prevent him from falling.

What a face it was! Marietta's face was covered with bumps the size of fingernails, which were constantly growing larger, some even turning a bizarre bluish-purple. Rows of "traitors" moved rhythmically across her face, as well as her arms and hands.

She screamed and coughed up blood, several teeth falling to the ground mixed in with it. Although Marietta quickly concealed herself under her cloak, everyone saw her hair falling out in clumps, while curly hair grew on her face and neck.

The hairs seemed very stiff; her hand was pricked as soon as she touched them, and drops of blood dripped down, soon staining a large area of ​​her cloak red.

"My God, what is this?!" Fudge was genuinely terrified. He shouted, "Who did this? Who did this?!"

"Hermione!" Marietta's pitiful voice rang out, and she bled even more, as if something else had happened.

Suddenly, she stopped trying to hide it and revealed the whole tragic situation.

She stared intently at Harry, her eyes filled with resentment.

(End of this chapter)