Umbridge's Office

Third Person P.O.V.

It was late at night, the water fountain shows the demigods working together with the trio to get what they want. There was a man, not really a man more of an illusion of a man. Shadows of someone that could be there, but it was only darkness. He was watching as the demigods continue making their way to saving someone they didn't know was safe. But it didn't matter to him. If they go into the Department of Mysteries she will get what he wants her to find.

It amazes him that she had made herself the object of everything that made the plan work. Her control of what was going and made sure to have made her have the most dangerous part of the mission. He splashes the water away from himself. It was only a matter of time before he meets them.

~

The plan Harry devised went south with Umbridge coming into the room. Asteria got most of the demigods out of trouble. It was when she was going to get Ginny, Ron, and Luna that she got herself caught. She did a good fight before they dragged her into Umbridge's office.

"Got 'em all," said Warrington, shoving Ron roughly forward into the room. "That one." he poked a thick finger at Asteria, "tried to stop me taking her," he pointed at Ginny, who was trying to kick the shins of the large Slytherin girl holding her, "so I brought him along too."

"Good, good," said Umbridge, watching Ginny's struggles. "Well, it looks as though Hogwarts will shortly be a Weasley-free zone, doesn't it?"

Malfoy laughed loudly and sycophantically. Umbridge gave her wide, complacent smile and settled herself into a chintz-covered armchair, blinking up at her captives like a toad in a flowerbed.

"So, Potter," she said. "You stationed lookouts around my office and you sent this buffoon," she nodded at Ron, and Malfoy laughed even louder, "to tell me the poltergeist was wreaking havoc in the Transfiguration department 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? I doubt it was Minerva McGonagall, I hear she is still too ill to talk to anyone. . . ."

Asteria chuckles. She guts Warrinton and pulls out her wand. It took a few seconds before most of the Slytherins were on the ground. The only person that was allied with Umbridge was Draco. He was the one who tapped Umbridge.

"Professor, Asteria just stunned Warrinton and the others," Malfoy says.

Umbridge turns around to see a cocky Asteria, who uses her wand to scratch her head. Umbridge's eyes started twitching, but she kept calm.

"Miss Katsaras, you do know that hurting a student is a punishable offense," Umbridge says sweetly as she walks towards Asteria.

Asteria just shrugs as Umbridge motions Draco to leave. It was obvious that she didn't want anything to go wrong. But seeing as Asteria puts her wand in her hair, made Umbridge smirks as if it was all going according to plan.

"Very well," she said, and she pulled out her wand. "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 seemed to be talking herself into something. She was shifting her weight nervously from foot to foot, staring at Harry, beating her wand against her empty palm and breathing heavily. Harry felt horribly powerless without his own wand as he watched her.

"You are forcing me, Potter. . . . I do not want to," said Umbridge, still moving restlessly on the spot, "but sometimes circumstances justify the use . . . I am sure the Minister will understand that I had no choice. . . ."

The rest of them look at Umbridge with no remorse what so ever. Asteria, on the other hand, was smiling. Watching as everything became something she wanted to. Advantage or not she will be the one hurting Umbridge

"The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue," said Umbridge quietly.

"No!" shrieked Hermione. "Professor Umbridge — it's illegal" — but Umbridge took no notice. There was a nasty, eager, excited look on her face that Harry 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 Asteria's body in turn, apparently trying to decide what would hurt the most.

But Asteria still smiles. She had her hands behind her back motioning, Ron, Hermione, Luna, and Ginny to take Harry and run. There was no escaping Umbridge keen sense to destroy. And they didn't have a choice in the matter. Umbridge was about to use the Cruciatus Curse on Asteria. Hermione didn't what she was capable of taking.

"NO!" shouted Hermione in a cracked voice. "No — Harry — 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. . . ?"

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

Asteria was the first one to look at Hermione crazy. Maybe it was the fact that she was being a distraction for them to get to safety that took over but without a doubt in her mind did Asteria expect Hermione to try and save her. Ginny was staring at Hermione as though she had never seen her before. But Harry and Asteria had just noticed something. 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 —"

"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 was looking between Harry and Hermione confused; even Luna looked mildly surprised. But Asteria was the one about to fall over and start dying of laughter. 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?"

"Well . . . no!" sobbed Hermione. "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!" 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, Harry 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.