The Forgotten Olympian |BOOK 1| PJO X HP | Alexandra Marine

Chapter 170 - Percy - Spilling Fake Secrets

Umbridge took no notice. There was a nasty eager, excited look on her face that I had never seen before. She raised her wand.

"The Minister wouldn't want you to break the law, Professor Umbridge!" cried Hermione.

"What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him," said Umbridge, who was now panting slightly as she pointed her wand at different parts of Harry's body in turn, apparently trying to decide where it would hurt most. "He never knew I ordered dementors to go after Potter last summer, but he was delighted to be given the chance to expel him, all the same."

"It was you?" gasped Harry. "You sent the dementors after me?"

"Somebody had to act," breathed Umbridge, as her wand came to rest pointing directly at Harry's forehead. "They were all bleating about silencing you somehow--discrediting you --but I was the one who actually did something about it... only you wriggled out of that one, didn't you, Potter? Not today though, not now--" And taking a deep breath, raised her wand-

"Wait!" Alex shouted, freeing her mouth successfully. "We'll tell you-"

"NO!" Harry cried.

Umbridge paled. She brought down her wand- "Cruc-"

"NO!" shouted Hermione in a cracked voice from behind Millicent Bulstrode. "No--Harry-- we'll have to tell her!"

"No way!" yelled Harry, staring at the little of Hermione he could see.

"We'll have to, Harry, she'll force it out of you anyway, what's... what's the point?"

And Hermione began to cry weakly into the back of Millicent Bulstrode's robes. Millicent stopped trying to squash her against the wall immediately and dodged out of her way looking disgusted.

"Well, well, well!" said Umbridge, looking triumphant. "Little Miss Question-all is going to give us some answers! Come on then, girl, come on!"

"Er--my--nee-- no!" shouted Ron through his gag.

Ginny was staring at Hermione as though she had never seen her before. Neville, still choking for breath, was gazing at her, too. Though Hermione was sobbing desperately into her hands, there was no trace of a tear.

"I'm--I'm sorry everyone," said Hermione. "But--I can't stand it--"

"It's okay, Hermione," Alex urged hastily, her face red, and he was almost choking. "Tell her-"

"That's right, that's right, girl!" said Umbridge, seizing Hermione by the shoulders, thrusting her into the abandoned chintz chair and leaning over her. "Now then... with whom was Potter communicating just now?"

"Well," gulped Hermione into her hands, "well, he was trying to speak to Professor Dumbledore."

Ron froze, his eyes wide; Ginny stopped trying to stamp on her Slytherin captor's toes; and even Luna looked mildly surprised. Fortunately, the attention of Umbridge and her minions was focused too exclusively upon Hermione to notice these suspicious signs.

"Dumbledore?" said Umbridge eagerly. "You know where Dumbledore is, then?"

Hermione swallowed again, looking at Alex for help.

"Well... no!" I said quickly. "We've tried the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley and the Three Broomsticks and even the Hog's Head--"

Alex gave me a silent nod.

"Idiot-- Dumbledore won't be sitting in a pub when the whole Ministry's looking for him!" shouted Umbridge, disappointment etched in every sagging line of her face.

"But--but we needed to tell him something important!" wailed Hermione, holding her hands more tightly over her face, not, I knew, out of anguish, but to disguise the continued absence of tears.

"Yes?" said Umbridge with a sudden resurgence of excitement. "What was it you wanted to tell him?"

"We... we wanted to tell him it's r--ready!" choked Hermione.

"What's ready?" demanded Umbridge, and now she grabbed Hermione's shoulders again and shook her slightly. "What's ready, girl?"

"The... the weapon," said Hermione.

"Weapon? Weapon?" said Umbridge, and her eyes seemed to pop with excitement. "You have been developing some method of resistance? A weapon you could use against the Ministry? On Professor Dumbledore's orders, of course?"

"Y--y--yes," gasped Hermione, "but he had to leave before it was finished and n--n--now we've finished it for him, and we c--c--can't find him t--t--to tell him!"

"What kind of weapon is it?" said Umbridge harshly, her stubby hands still tight on Hermione's shoulders. Hermione trembled, and Umbridge squeezed her shoulders.

"We don't know!" Alex choked out. "We- don't know!"

"Yeah," I added, "We  just did what Professor Dumbledore told us to do."

Umbridge straightened up, looking exultant.

"Lead me to the weapon," she said.

"I'm not showing... them," said Hermione shrilly, looking around at the Slytherins through her fingers.

"It is not for you to set conditions," said Professor Umbridge harshly.

"Fine," said Hermione, now sobbing into her hands again. "Fine... let them see it, I hope they use it on you! In fact, I wish you'd invite loads and loads of people to come and see! Th--that would serve you right--oh, I'd love it if the wh-- whole school knew where it was, and how to u--use it, and then if you annoy any of them they'll, be able to s--sort you out!"

These words had a powerful impact on Umbridge: she glanced swiftly and suspiciously around at her Inquisitorial Squad, her bulging eyes resting for a moment on Malfoy, who was too slow to disguise the look of eagerness and greed that had appeared on his face.

Umbridge contemplated Hermione for another long moment, then spoke in what she clearly thought was a motherly voice.

"All right, dear, let's make it just you and me... and we'll take Potter, too, shall we? And Marine and her twin. Get up, now."

"Professor," said Malfoy eagerly, "Professor Umbridge, I think some of the Squad should come with you to look after--"

"I am a fully qualified Ministry official, Malfoy, do you really think I cannot manage a few teenagers alone?" asked Umbridge sharply. "In any case, it does not sound as though this weapon is something that schoolchildren should see. You will remain here until I return and make sure none of these--" she gestured around at Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna "--escape."

"All right," said Malfoy, looking sulky and disappointed.

"And you four can go ahead of me and show me the way," said Umbridge, pointing at Harry, Alex, Hermione and I with her wand. "Lead on."

I stood up as the ropes loosened, and joined Hermione. "Good job," she whispered in my ear.

"What's the weapon?" Alex whispered, her voice almost drowned by her choking. 

"A half-giant," Hermione whispered so softly that I had to ask her to repeat it another time. When she did, I almost died.

Alex looked at Hermione with a sort of fear in her eyes, and then nodded. "I trust you," she whispered. She turned to Ginny, and whispered, "Plan Aqua."

Ginny shook her head at the carpet, and we left the room, as Umbridge remained oblivious of our plan. I had to smirk.

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It's lovely to see Alex carrying out secret blue coded plans with the people at Hogwarts