Jupiter | Harry James Potter

xcviii ; puking pastilles

     "Take one each," Umbridge instructed to the Inquisitorial Squad. Before any of them had time to react, they each got bombarded by a large Slytherin, while Umbridge went straight for Harry. Jupiter found herself in the clutches of her cousin. "I had stealth sensors planted at my door months ago. My squad found the rest of you in an instant."

"Get off me, Draco," Jupiter hissed, stamping on his foot as the Squad lined them all up against the wall and wrestled each of them for their wands, then won.

"Shut up, Jove," he muttered, squeezing her wrists tightly as he held them back her back. "Don't make this harder for yourself."

"Let me go, and maybe I won't," Jupiter whispered, trying to turn her neck to look him in his gray eyes.

"SH!" Umbridge snapped, pointing her wand at Jupiter as she shoved Harry into a chair in the center of the room. "Incarcerous!" Dark cords wrapped around Harry, locking him in place to the chair. "I want to know why you are in my office."

"I was — trying to get my Firebolt!" Harry croaked.

"Liar." She shook his head again. "Your Firebolt is under strict guard in the dungeons, as you very well know, Potter. You and your little friends had my fire going. With whom have you been communicating?"

"No one —"

"Liar!" Umbridge shouted in his face. "You stationed lookouts around my office
and you sent this buffoon," she nodded at Neville, and Draco laughed extremely loudly, earning another stomp from Jupiter, "to tell me the poltergeist was wreaking havoc in the Library when I knew perfectly well that he was busy smearing ink on the eyepieces of all the school telescopes, Mr. Filch having just informed me so. Clearly, it was very important for you to talk to somebody. Was it Albus Dumbledore? Or the half-breed, Hagrid?"

"It's none of your business who I talk to," Harry said snarkily.

"Very well," she said in her most dangerous and falsely sweet voice.

"Very well, Mr. Potter... I offered you the chance to tell me freely. You refused. I have no alternative but to force you. Ah!" Her eyes darted over to the door. "Professor Snape! Excellent timing! I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as you can, please."

"Unfortunately, you took my last bottle to interrogate Ms. Spencer on how she was placed in Slytherin," he said, observing her coolly through his greasy curtains of black hair. "Surely you did not use it all? I told you that three drops would be sufficient."

Jupiter's heart sank for Juliet, the small third-year who was brave enough to join the D.A while still being a Slytherin. She had known that Juliet was a muggleborns, yet it hadn't crossed her mind about her placement. Being a muggleborn in Slytherin was unheard of.

Umbridge flushed. "How was I supposed to know that she was adopted?" She huffed angrily. "You can make some more, can't you?" she said, her voice becoming more sweetly girlish as it always did when she was furious.

"Certainly," Snape said, his lip curling. "It takes a full moon cycle to mature, so I should have it ready for you in around a month."

"A month?" Umbridge squeaked, swelling toadishly. "A month? But I need it this evening, Snape! I have just found Potter using my fire to communicate with a person or persons unknown!"

"Really?" Snape questioned, showing his first, faint sign of interest as he looked around at Harry. "Well, it doesn't surprise me. Potter has never shown much inclination to follow school rules."

"I wish to interrogate him!" Umbridge  shouted angrily, and Snape looked away from Harry back into her furiously quivering face. "I wish you to provide me with a potion that will force him to tell me the truth!"