“No!” Hermione struggled in the arms of her captor. “You wouldn’t do that! It’s illegal!”
Anna kept silent - biting down on her tongue as the taste of blood filled her mouth.
Her mind was back at the graveyard, reliving the time when she had been forced to watch as Harry was put under the Cruciatus Curse only a year ago. She remembered watching him writhing, screaming on the ground.
“What Cornelius doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Umbridge’s eyes were crazed, filled with bloodlust as she gripped her wand tightly. “He never knew I was the one who ordered the dementors after Potter last summer, but he was delighted at the chance to expel him all the same…”
“It was you?” Harry’s reply was breathless - eyes wide. Anna couldn’t blame him. As much as she hated the old bat, she never suspected Umbridge to be behind that.
Though truth be told, she shouldn't be too surprised. The witch did make children bleed as her way of discipline.
“Someone had to act. They were all going on and on about silencing you - I was the only one who took action and actually did something about it. Only you wormed your way out of that one, didn’t you?”
She eyed Anna, who simply stared back at her in return. “Now, which Potter shall I start with? I would go with her, but I doubt she’s got a lot left in her. The curse might mess with her head a bit, but we’d never know unless we tried, would we?”
All the things she wished she could do to that cheeky face of hers…
Beginning with knives and ending with decapitation.
But as Umbridge rose her wand, all Anna could do was brace herself for what was about to come next.
“STOP!” Hermione interrupted. “We have to tell her!”
“No way!” Anna and Harry screamed in unison, albeit Anna’s response had a few more creative terms.
“We have to. She’ll force it out of us eventually, what’s the point?” Hermione reasoned, her expression defeated.
Umbridge chuckled, backing away. “Well, well. If Miss Question-All is finally doing something intelligent.”
“Hermione! No!” Ron attempted to yell, though his warning came out muffled against his gag.
Everyone could only stare.
“I’m sorry, everyone.” She whispered, whimpering into her hands. “I..I just can’t stand it anymore.”
But then Anna saw it - merely a glimmer, but it was most definitely there.
Hope.
“We…we were trying to speak to Dumbledore.” Hermione gave up - her eyes welling with crocodile tears as she told their ‘secrets’.
The others were beginning to catch on, remaining quiet as Hermione wove her web.
“Dumbledore?” Umbridge said quickly, latching onto this bit of information. She had taken the bait. Hook, line, and sinker. “You know where he is?”
“No!” Hermione sobbed. “We’ve been looking for him everywhere, but we just can’t find him. But we kept looking for ways to get in contact with him to tell him something important!”
“Yes?” Umbridge waited in anticipation. “What have you been wanting to tell him?”
“We wanted to tell him that..that it’s ready.”
“What’s ready?”
“The weapon.”
“Weapon…weapon?” Umbridge’s eyes danced with delight at this revelation. “All this time - you have been working to create a method of resistance? Something you could use against the ministry?”
“Yes,” Hermione whispered, playing her part of the damsel-in-distress quite well as she added a sniffle for extra effect. “But he had to go before it was finished, and now that it’s done, we can’t find him.”
“What kind of weapon is it?” Umbridge questioned.
“We…we don’t really know,” Hermione admitted. “We just did what Dumbledore wanted us to do. I only know where it is.”
Umbridge straightened her back, growing a few inches taller.
“Lead us to the weapon.” She demanded.
Hermione shook her head. “I…I can’t show them.” She whispered, looking back to Umbridge’s gang of Slytherins.
“It’s not up for you to set conditions.” Umbridge said cooly.
“F-fine!” Hermione exclaimed angrily, her face turning red. “I’ll show them where it is, and I’ll be so proud when they use it against you. I’d just love it if the entire school knew where it was - then if you manage to annoy any of them they’ll be able to sort you out!”
Umbridge looked around the room at her Slytherins - her distrust evident as she surveyed her alliance.
Hermione had her exactly where she wanted her.
“Fine. We’ll make it just you and me then, shall we? And we’ll take the boy Potter too - at the state the other's in, I doubt she can go anywhere just yet.”
Anna could only watch as they left the office - Harry giving her one last nod before he left her scope of vision.
YOU ARE READING
Lillian 'Anna' Potter || Order of the Phoenix
Fanfiction"SOMETIMES, IT'S EASIER TO FORGIVE THAN IT IS TO FORGET." It was revealed by J.K Rowling that when Lily Potter originally died, she was with child. What if Lily had her second child before Voldemort showed up at their house in Little Whinging? H...
