Into The Light (Golden Trio Era) {2}

Hermione Confesses

"Very well," Umbridge said, she retrieved her wand from her robe pocket. "Very well... I am left with no alternative... This is more than a matter of school discipline... This is an issue of Ministry security... Yes... yes..." She was muttering to herself. Mikayla frowned, trying to work out what she was going to do. "You are forcing me, Potter... I do not want to," she continued, beating her wand on the palm of her hand "but sometimes circumstances justify the use... I am sure the Minister will understand that I had no choice..." Mikayla's eyes widened with realisation, Mikayla went to move forward but Avery hold her back, whispering to her to trust her. "The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue," Umbridge said quietly. "Stop!" Mikayla yelled, "That's illegal" she objected, but Umbridge took no notice of her. There was an odd eagerness on her face that was unknown to Mikayla as one of her facial expressions. Mikayla began digging her nails into her hand trying to stop herself from attacking the woman.

"The Minister wouldn't want you to break the law, Professor Umbridge!" Hermione protested, also struggling against Millicent Bulstrode. "What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him," Umbridge answered without looking away from Harry. She was mouthing words to herself, pointing her wand at different parts of Harry's body in order to determine what would hurt the most. "Let GO of me!" Mikayla shouted, fake struggling with Avery to help Harry, "You EVIL BITCH!" Mikayla yelled at Umbridge who turned away from Harry and made her way over to Mikayla, "Oscausi" Mikayla's mouth sealed shut before Umbridge struck her in the face, Mikayla didn't flinch, she stared Umbridge in the eyes, sending her a look that could only be described as deadly. Umbridge turned back to Harry, "He never knew I ordered dementors after Potter last summer, but he was delighted to be given the chance to expel him, all the same..." "It was you?" gaped Harry. "You sent the dementors after me?" "Somebody had to act," Umbridge was breathing heavily. She approached Harry slowly, her wand extended toward him. She came to a stop with the end of her wand resting on 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..."

Mikayla's mind was racing, she was trying to think of any way to distract her, to stall her. She stopped, gathered herself, and took a deep breath before shouting, "Cruc-" "NO!" Mikayla screamed through her sealed mouth, it was crystal clear what she had said. "Tell her Harry!" Hermione shouted. "No way!" Harry yelled back at her, before looking at Mikayla who nodded, looking a Hermione "She's right, she'll have to force it out of you anyways... what's the point of putting yourself in danger?" Hermione began to sob into the back of Millicent's robes. Mikayla could feel tears brimming in her eyes as well. Disgusted, Millicent released Hermione from being pinned against the wall. "Well, well, well!" said Umbridge, smirking triumphantly. "Little Miss Question-All is going to give us some answers! Come on then, girl, come on!" Ron grumbled at her through his gag. Ginny and Neville were looking at Hermione like a new person. Mikayla watched as Harry frowned at her, but his face softened. Mikayla looked back at Hermione, she was sobbing into her hands, but past them, you couldn't see any tears. And it seemed the other Gryffindors spotted this as well.

"I'm- I'm sorry everyone," cried Hermione. "But- I can't stand it-" "That's right, that's right, girl!" said Umbridge, she eagerly grabbed Hermione by the shoulders and forced her into the now unoccupied armchair. "Now then... with whom was Mr Potter communicating with just now?" "Well," Hermione choked back her fake tears, "well, he was trying to speak to Professor Dumbledore..." The room seemed to fall silent, everyone's struggling stopped as they gazed at Hermione, following along with this new plan she had sprung in mere seconds. To their luck, Umbridge and her Inquisitorial Squad were too distracted by Hermione's lies to notice the lack of struggling. "Dumbledore?" Umbridge grinned toothily. "You know where Dumbledore is, then?" "Well... no!" Hermione began to cry again. "We've tried the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley and the Three Broomsticks and even the Hog's Head-" "Idiot girl, Dumbledore won't be sitting in a pub when the whole Ministry's looking for him!" her furious look returned, it seemed like she might hit Hermione for wasting her time. "But- but we needed to tell him something important!" she kept her face buried in her hands as she sobbed through the words, trying to hide the fact that she wasn't really crying. "Yes?" her emotions switched back to overly eager, "What was it you wanted to tell him?" "We... we wanted to tell him it's r-ready!" answered Hermione. "What's ready?" she took Hermione by the shoulders again and shook her slightly. "What's ready, girl?"

"The... the weapon," Hermione said. "Weapon? Weapon?" Umbridge's eyes seemed ready to pop from her skull out of pure, overwhelming 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," heaved 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?" demanded Umbridge, she was merely a foot away from Hermione, her hands still gripping her. "Don't tell her anymore!" Ginny interjected, trying to strengthen the lie. "Silence!" She pointed her wand at Ginny threateningly, "Now, go on, girl," she ushered Hermione to continue. "We don't r-r-really understand it," said Hermione, "We j-j-just did what P-P-Professor Dumbledore told us t-t-to do..." Umbridge straightened up, a jubilant look on her face. "Lead me to the weapon," she said. "I'm not showing... them," Hermione peered through her fingers at the Slytherins. "It is not for you to set conditions," Professor Umbridge said, she gripped her wand a little tighter.