Chapter 52: Interrogation

"We need someone who can lure her away from her office," Hermione said.

Ron perked up. "I could tell her that Peeves is smashing up the Transfiguration department, it's miles away from her office."

"Okay," she agreed.

"I'll go and grab Sirius' knife and the Invisibility Cloak, meet me at the end of Umbridge's corridor," Harry said.

"Now?!" Hermione's head snapped up.

"Yes, Hermione," Harry said as he waved his arm impatiently. "We can't wait until after dinner!"

With the rough plan in place, they split up to do their assigned tasks. Mahaad and Yugi went with Hermione to the corridor while Ron headed off to find Umbridge or Peeves, Harry streaked off to the common room.

Harry returned a few minutes later out of breath. "I got it," he gasped.

Yugi and Mahaad walked to opposite ends of the hallway and began to clear people out. Students grumbled and companied about the inconvenience of having to choose another route to take.

"I don't see anything," a fourth year Ravenclaw stated, trying to peer around Mahaad. The magician crossed his arms.

"This corridor is off limits, take another corridor," Mahaad stated firmly, allowing some of his annoyance to seep through. The student rolled her eyes and walked away, taking some of her peers with her.

Mahaad glanced over his shoulder and didn't see Harry or Hermione. They must be under the Cloak.

Behind him he heard the lock click as Harry opened the door, her and Hermione slipped inside and quickly shut the door behind them.

Several Slytherins came down the corridor toward Mahaad who narrowed his eyes.

"Epelliarmus!" One of them cried and Mahaad's wand flew out of his hand and clattered to the floor several feet behind him. Two of the Slytherins grinned menacingly and flexed their arms as they lumbered towards him. Mahaad heard a yelp from the other end of the corridor as Yugi was accosted as well.

Two of them grabbed Mahaad and twisted his arms painfully behind his back. Yugi was being dragged around by another large Slytherin. They were dragged toward Umbridge's office as were several other Gryffindors. All of them were gagged and their wands taken from them, or in Mahaad's case—picked up off the floor.

Umbridge strode triumphantly down the hall in her pink robes, the usual bow in her hair. "Good work!' She praised the students who grinned at her as she opened her office door, marched over to Harry and yanked him out of the fire.

Harry coughed as he inhaled ash from the fire. Umbridge jerked his head back. "Who were you talking to?" Umbridge demanded. Hermione shrieked as another Slytherin grabbed her as well.

"You think I would be foolish enough to leave my office unguarded again?" She gave a false high pitched laugh. "I don't think so!'

"You were talking to Sirius Black, weren't you?"

Harry shook his head and she shoved him forward, he tripped and lost his balance. "No," Harry protested.

"Liar! You had two guards posted outside my office and you sent this idiot to tell me that the ghost was smashing up the Transfiguration Department, when I know perfectly well he is dropping Dungbombs near the Ravenclaw common room. Who were you trying to contact? Dumbledore or that wretched half-breed oaf Hagrid? Well I see that I have no choice, I will have to force you. Draco go and get Professor Snape."

The blonde gave Harry a condescending smile as he shoved past Harry and left the room.

Luna and Neville struggled against their captors. Mahaad noted with some pride that Neville was trying to apply some of the techniques he had taught him, but his positioning was off and he was panicking. Mahaad glanced at the Pharaoh who had taken over.

The Pharaoh shot him a significant glance. The time to break out wasn't yet.

Malfoy returned with Snape in tow. "You wanted to see me Headmistress?" Snape asked, his tone neutral and he seemed unaware of the struggling Gryffindors.

"I need more Veritaerum, Snape. I need to interrogate Potter."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "I assured you that three drops would be enough."

"Can't you get another bottle?" she asked in a sickly-sweet voice.

Snape's lip curled. "I can, but it won't be ready for another month."

Umbridge's eyes bugled. "A month?! Snape, I need to get Potter to talk now! Get out of my office, you are on probation Snape!"

Snape turned on his heel and walked to the door.

"He's got Padfoot! He's got Padfoot at the place where things are hidden!" Harry cried, imploring Snape to understand.

"What is Potter babbling about?"

"I have no idea. Good day Headmistress," Snape replied and left the room.

"The Cruciatus curse should loosen your tongue," Umbridge said softly as she beat her wand against her palm.

"No!" Shrieked Hermione. "That's an illegal curse! Harry we've got to tell her. She'll force it out of you anyway."

"No way! Have you lost it?" Harry demanded, giving her a scathing look that she couldn't see.

Mahaad shot another questioning glance.

Hermione spilled a story about how Harry had been trying to contact Dumbledore.

"We just wanted to tell him it's ready!" Hermione wailed, covering her face with her hands.

"What's ready?"

"The weapon," she replied tearfully.

"Take us to it," Umbridge demanded, shoving Hermione forward, and causing the Slytherin who had been holding her to stumble. "You and Potter go in front of me—" she noted Malfoy's greedy look. "—and Malfoy you stay here and watch the rest of these children."

She pushed Harry and Hermione forward and disappeared down the corridor.

Chaos erupted a moment later. Simultaneously Yami and Mahaad grabbed their attacker's arms, stomped on their feet and threw them to the floor, before moving to help the others. The two Slytheirns moaned on the floor the wind knocked out of them.

"Taz!" Mahaad shouted and several ropes appeared and bound some of the Sytherins who tried to stun him. Neville had finally managed to get the beefy sixth year off of him, while Mahaad and Yami made quick work of the rest of them.

Malfoy glared at them as he writhed on the floor, straining against his bonds. Mahaad smirked as he wrenched the door open and led the way after Umbridge, the others running behind him.

Author's Notes:

Sorry about the slow update. I had some homework and other stuff going on. Thank you all for fallowing/favoriting/reading and reviewing this fic! Now we're finally getting to the fun parts…

Review Responses:

Fireking492: I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for your feedback!

YumiStar: Pretty much… haha

Jackie Mueller: I hope you liked this chapter. Sorry I was slow.