บท 399: SNEAK

"You cannot do this!" Professor McGonagall immediately shouted, knocking over her chair as she stood up from her seat. "Dolores, Harry Potter must not—"

"I can, and I already have!" Umbridge crowed triumphantly, interrupting Professor McGonagall mid-sentence. "It is my right as headmistress to expel any student, should they break any school rules—"

"And which rule have Potter and Greengrass broken, exactly?"

Professor McGonagall's words finally gave Umbridge pause; she had indeed never formulated any Educational Decrees expressly forbidding students from giving interviews to the press— she had never needed to; The Daily Prophet would have never printed anything painting Harry in a positive light, since the newspaper was firmly under the Ministry's thumb.

But who could have possibly anticipated that Harry Potter would go The Quibbler, of all papers? It simply beggared belief!

Oleandra, who'd gone numb upon hearing her name pronounced along with the word expelled in the same sentence, let out a sigh of relief. If she was expelled from Hogwarts before having at least taken her O.W.L.s, then the Ministry would have her wand snapped, and she would never be allowed to practise magic ever again…

"Excuse me, Professor Umbridge?"

A girl had just risen from her seat at the Ravenclaw table; Oleandra recognized her as an RC (temp) member.

"What do you want?" Umbridge barked at the girl, causing her to flinch.

"My name is Marietta Edgecombe," the girl said uneasily, ignoring Cho Chang urgently tugging at her sleeve. "My mother works at the Ministry, maybe you know of her…?"

Suddenly, Umbridge's expression turned friendly.

"Madam Edgecombe's daughter, are you?" she said pleasantly. "Your mother's been a great help to us in our efforts to police the Hogwarts fireplaces. Would you happen to have any information regarding any rule breaking, dear?"

Marietta nodded shyly.

"There's a secret room on the seventh-floor corridor in the Astronomy Tower," she said loudly enough for everyone in the hall to hear. "Harry Potter and Oleandra Greengrass have been using this room to teach a large group of students from all Houses how to fight."

"Go on," said Umbridge encouragingly.

"I don't know every one of them," Marietta continued with renewed vigour, "but there's this list with everyone's names on it…"

Any semblance of colour immediately drained from Oleandra's and Tracey's faces. Curiously, Theo, who was sitting next to Draco, remained as stoic as ever— knowing him, he had probably done something to the list to prevent it from leaking his name…

Suddenly, Marietta's eyes widened; she was only now realizing, as an afterthought, that her own name was on said list.

"Oh!" Marietta gasped. "I, er… My name and my friend Cho's are also on the list, but I swear that we were only there to spy— Cho…? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Purple pimples, oozing with white pus, had begun erupting on Marietta's face. Together, they spelt out the word 'SNEAK' in capital letters, disfiguring her pretty face. Following Cho's horrified gaze, Marietta reached for her face with her hands, and upon feeling the slimy bumps that did not belong there, she whimpered, before sprinting out of the Great Hall, screaming shrilly.

"Filch, go after her," said Umbridge impatiently.

The caretaker bowed awkwardly, before shuffling out of the room after Marietta, as fast as his knobbly legs could carry him.

"The girl is obviously distraught," said Professor McGonagall lamely. "Her mind has obviously been affected by a Hex, so her testimony should not be taken seriously…"

"Now, Minerva," said Umbridge maliciously, "I daresay we now have enough evidence to expel Potter and Greengrass ten times over, but I suppose we could always verify this list of Marietta's to corroborate her account…"

Umbridge clapped her hands, and around twenty students from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw rose from their seats, standing to attention.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Greengrass," Umbridge announced loudly, "Your expulsions from this school are temporarily rescinded until your innocence in this matter can be confirmed. You shall lead us to this room on the seventh floor, but I'm afraid I must take precautions— Inquisitorial Squad, if you'll do the honours…?"

Oleandra shoved her wand in her pants pockets, before winking at Tracey.

"Cambio Exuvia," she whispered.

The Charm sent her trousers, along with her wand and her pouch, into a parallel space for storage, and replacing said article of clothing with a short summer skirt. Just in time, as well— a dozen Hufflepuff Inquisitorial Squad members had just arrived behind her.

"Your wand," a tall seventh-year girl barked at Oleandra.

"It's in my other pants," Oleandra responded, shrugging helplessly.

The girl's brow furrowed; she grabbed Oleandra by the arm, forcing her to stand, and another one of her squad members patted her down, finding nothing. On the other side of the Great Hall, Harry was being subjected to the same treatment, under Cedric Diggory's supervision.

"Incarcerous!"

Ropes sprang out of the tall girl's wand, binding Oleandra's arms tightly to her sides, but leaving her legs free so that she could walk. And so, wand aimed at the small of her back, Oleandra was forced to march to the staff table, where Umbridge was waiting, smiling broadly.

"What, he gets no ropes?" said Oleandra, eyeing Harry. "Why am I the only one who gets special treatment?"

Harry, however, was in no joking mood. His wand had been taken from him, and it was his fault that Umbridge was basically going to be expelling him and all of his friends from the Wizarding World. Fred, George and the older RC (temp) members would more or less be fine, since they had already passed their O.W.L.s, but the rest of them were firmly in the underage category, and they didn't deserve to have their futures stolen on his account…

"Well, do you have anything to say for yourselves?" said Umbridge simperingly, her eyes flickering between Harry and Oleandra. "Well, do you? Or perhaps you'd like to get smart with me again?"

"Congratulations, Umbridge," said Oleandra with a short, harsh laugh. "You finally caught me."

"That's Professor Umbridge to you, dear," said Umbridge sweetly.

Oleandra scoffed.

"You haven't taught me anything," said Oleandra matter-of-factly. "So why should I call you professor?"

Umbridge's face hardened.

"That's enough out of you," she hissed, ignoring the other teachers' bemused faces. "Now, you'll take me to this training room of yours, if you know what's good for you!!"