Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 222 Hermione, the Movie Queen

Umbridge gripped Harry's hair tightly, with such force it seemed she wanted to tear it off. Her face wore a childlike smile, innocent yet causing Harry to tremble uncontrollably, a tremor that was hard to tell whether from pain or fear.

"Didn't expect that, did you? I had a detection charm on my office a long time ago. I knew you'd sneak in as soon as you walked in." Umbridge said, snatching Harry's wand. "Tell me! What do you want in my office?!"

Harry was jolted violently by Umbridge's tug, but his hair was still being grabbed, causing a sharp, agonizing pain. He glanced at Hermione's position and saw her being pinned against the wall by Slytherin's Millison Burstdle, with Malfoy nearby, tossing Hermione's grapevine wand around.

At that moment, there was a commotion outside, and soon Ron and the others were pushed in by several burly Slytherin students, all looking quite disheveled.

"They've all been caught, Professor," said a Slytherin student.

Umbridge finally released her grip on Harry's hair, sat down in a red floral chair, crossed her legs, and looked smug.

"They set up sentries, sneaked into my office, and even used Floo Powder. It seems the person you're talking to is very important. Let me guess, is it Dumbledore? Or that bastard Hagrid?"

"It's none of your business!" Harry shouted, his stubbornness immediately causing Umbridge, Malfoy, and the others to burst into laughter.

"Clap clap clap..."

Umbridge clapped, a hint of malice creeping into his eyes: "Very well, I gave you a chance, but since you're unwilling, don't blame me for using other methods."

"Mr. Malfoy," Umbridge said, "go and fetch Professor Snape."

Upon hearing this, Malfoy immediately ran out, and Umbridge stopped talking, only keeping a close eye on Harry. It was then that Harry noticed Ron and the others all had some injuries, clearly indicating they had suffered some hardship during their capture.

Soon, Snape returned with Malfoy, still expressionless, like an iceberg.

"Principal, you wanted to see me?" he asked.

"Yes, Professor Snape," Umbridge chuckled. "I'd like a bottle of Truth Potion."

"I'm sorry, Headmaster, I don't have any Truth Potion right now," Snape replied coldly. "If you need it, I can make you some, but it will take about a month."

"A month? That's too long! I need it now!" Umbridge shouted. "Porter was just talking to someone in my fireplace, and I need to know that now!"

"I'm not surprised by this, Principal. Potter has always been keen on doing things that violate school rules."

Snape looked at Harry coldly, his tone very calm.

"Damn it! I need a bottle of medicine that will make him tell the truth, right now!" Umbridge was furious, his face trembling.

"Headmaster, as I already said, I don't have any truth serum right now. I'd be happy to help if you need some poison," Snape said. "But I must warn you, most poisons have a very short onset time, making it difficult to get the information you want from Potter."

Snape's nonchalant attitude infuriated Umbridge, who pointed to the door and shouted, "Deliberate! You did it on purpose! Get out of my office!"

"Then goodbye, Headmaster." Snape gave a slight bow, neither humble nor arrogant, and turned to leave.

Then, Harry suddenly remembered that this cold, old bat was also a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and when he couldn't find anyone else, he had become his last hope. Seeing Snape about to leave, Harry shouted, "He grabbed Bigfoot! Right where he's hiding things!"

"Bigfoot?" Umbridge perked up at the mention of it. She looked at Harry suspiciously and asked Snape, "What's Bigfoot? What does he mean by that?"

"I don't know." Snape stared coldly at Harry. "Potter is used to talking nonsense; he likes to get what he wants that way." With that, he left without even glancing at Umbridge.

Umbridge was furious. She waved for the Slytherins to close the door. Once it was closed, she pulled out her short wand and approached Harry, muttering to herself, "You forced me to do this, Potter... I had no other choice... This isn't just about school discipline, it involves the Ministry of Magic's security..."

"I believe the minister will understand me... after I find out what you're hiding..."

As she spoke, she crouched down, pressing her wand firmly against Harry's forehead.

"The Crucifixion, yes, the Crucifixion will make you talk..."

Harry frantically tried to back away, but Umbridge's office was only so big, and with so many people crammed in, there was practically no room for him to retreat. Seeing this, Umbridge became excited, muttering "Crushing Heart Charm, Crucifixion Charm" repeatedly, as if he might actually unleash it on Harry at any moment.

"That's illegal!" Hermione suddenly shouted. "Using the Unforgivable Charm on a person is strictly prohibited by the Ministry of Magic, and the Minister won't let you get away with this!"

"The minister won't know, and even if he did, it wouldn't matter. As long as outsiders don't know the truth, it won't have any negative impact on him," Umbridge said softly, slowly raising her right hand that held the wand, even reciting half of the Cruciatus Curse.

"Heart-wrenching..."

"No! Stop!" Hermione struggled, her voice even trembling with tears. "You can't do this! Harry, tell him!"

"Absolutely not!" Harry replied resolutely, even with a wand pressed against his head.

"Tell me, don't you understand? She really will use the Cruciatus Curse on you!"

Before Harry could refuse, Umbridge covered his mouth with one hand, and her childlike smile returned to her face.

"Very well, it seems I'm finally getting some answers." She waved for Malfoy to cover Harry's mouth, then sat back down in her chair. "Come on, tell me, what kind of tricks are you playing?"

Neville, Luna, and Ginny all looked at Hermione with disbelief, seemingly not expecting her to be the first to betray them. Ron and Harry, though still struggling, were far less forceful than before.

Only they noticed that Hermione's ears were a little red... Her ears always turn red when she's about to lie.

Hermione's face was still streaked with tears. After calming her breathing slightly, she said, "I...we were just talking to...Dumbledore..."

"Dumbledore!" Umbridge's eyes lit up. "Do you know where Dumbledore is?"

"No, we don't know." Hermione wiped the tears from her face. "We tried so many places, the Hog's Head, the Three Broomsticks, but we couldn't find him..."

"Of course he's not going to be stupid enough to sit in a bar and wait for the Ministry of Magic's Aurora to arrest him!" Umbridge said sarcastically.

"But we have something very important to tell him, it's very urgent..."

"What is it? What do you want to tell him?" Umbridge asked immediately, her interest piqued again.

"We..." Hermione hesitated, glancing at Ginny and the others who looked on incredulously, before saying, "We want to tell him that it's ready..."

"What is it?" Umbridge was extremely excited.

"Weapons...weapons are ready..."

"Weapons! Dumbledore ordered these? Is he preparing them to rebel against the Ministry of Magic?"

Hermione nodded with difficulty, but Umbridge jumped up from her chair and clapped her hands like a child.

"Great! Great! Where is it?"

"It's...it's inside the Forbidden Forest..."

(End of this chapter)