Please Be There If I Remember

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Interrogations

Umbridge was taking over the school.

Not literally, of course, but it sure felt like it. Draco got called to the Inquisitorial Squad more often than not, and even saying he had a headache didn't cut it anymore. Umbridge kept whispering to herself something like, "I'm getting close. They'll never know what's coming at them." And Draco had to stop himself from saying something rather vulgar then laughed to himself in his head when he couldn't stop that ugly train of thought from continuing.

That is not what I wanted to think about, Draco told himself then shook his head to try to clear the image. Oh Merlin, I can't unsee this now, somebody murder me.

He was so distracted by this horrifying thought that he wasn't paying attention when he opened the door for yet another meeting that Umbridge had called, and got practically run over by the very same teacher in question.

"Draco, there you are," Umbridge said gleefully, opening the door with that nasty sneer on her face. "Look who just fessed up to everything."

Draco peered around into the room to see a girl sitting in her seat looking quite terrified, SNEAK written out in horrible letters across her face in an ugly purple that appeared as if it was bruising. She looked over at the open door, squeaked, and buried her face in her hands as though Draco hadn't already seen the words in all their glory, sprawled across her cheek. Draco wasn't sure why, but his heart dropped to his feet, and his stomach felt queasy.

"Confessed to what?" He asked, trying not to show the unfounded worry that was spreading through his body.

"Everything," Umbridge said, and it looked as if she was about to jump with glee. "Come on, round up the rest of you. I've finally caught them."

Draco had no idea what was happening, but he followed the group of the people in the Inquisitorial Squad who had all shown up to Umbridge's office, turning a questioning stare at Blaise who just shook his head with this saddening look on his face that somehow managed to make Draco even more worried.

"What's happening?" Draco was able to whisper to him as they walked.

Blaise didn't turn to glance at him. "You'll see," he answered lowly before giving Draco a pitying look and walking quicker as the group speed walked down the halls.

The group travelled up to the seventh floor quickly, Umbridge walking so fast that Draco had to jog to keep up. Others in the group resembled Umbridge, sneers written on their faces just like the words that the girl who was in Umbridge's office had. Draco's heart continued to pound in his ears, and he felt something clog his throat when they neared the seventh floor.

He knew where they were going; he had been walking these halls to meet with Harry for the past while. He knew where all the small little passages in the wall were from where he almost got caught by Filch and where the number of paintings dwindled out. The group sped around the corner where Draco always ended up running into Harry, and something grabbed onto his heart and twisted as panic seized him.

Something's happening, Draco thought to himself. And the Room of Requirement is a part of it.

He did his best not to stumble and tried to keep up with the group, but his breath caught as Umbridge, face joyful like she had just won the house cup, strode up to where the fateful tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy lay and took her wand out.

She smiled and tilted her head. The other students in the Inquisitorial Squad, all Pansy, Theo, Blaise, two who Draco was pretty sure were named Crabbe and Goyle, and a few others, lined up behind her like a wall. But they weren't the ones who needed protecting.

"Grab them when they try to run. Don't let any of them get away." She said to the group. Then she lifted her wand to the wall, smiled that sickly sweet grin that made a part of Draco shrivel inside of himself, and spoke.