𝙱𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝙻𝚒𝚏𝚎

𝟶𝟸𝟼-𝙵𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚎

┌────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────┐

That afternoon, Marilyn ended up in the corridor of Umbridge's office and immediately noticed a couple of Slytherins in the Inquisitorial Squad trying to take her brother somewhere.

"What's going on here?" She asked, her voice cold and sharp.

The Slytherins winced at her tone but wheeled around to face her.

"Headmistress Umbridge needs to see him, and you can't stop us." A bloke in the year above them said gruffly.

Marilyn drew herself up to her full height, looking at the three Slytherins with a steely gleam in her eye that made them all wince again.

"Then he shall come and so shall I, but that does not mean that you can manhandle him. Come, now." She said sharply and turned on her heel, pulling her brother with her as she stalked down the corridor to Umbridge's office with the Slytherins trailing after them, looking slightly scared of the brunette made them unsure whether she would just kill them on the spot, or slip poison into their pumpkin juice for touching her twin.

Even when they entered the office already holding Harry, Umbridge, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna along with several more members of the Inquisitorial Squad, the Slytherins who had been attempting to bring in Marvolo kept their distance from him and the scary girl who looked as though she would definitely kill anyone who came anywhere near them without a second thought.

"She was defending him," the seventh year said, pointing from Marilyn to Marvolo, "So we brought her with too."

"Actually, I brought myself," Marilyn said sweetly. "Thank you though."

The seventh-year nodded stupidly, staring at her for a moment before looking back at Umbridge who was regarding Marilyn with mild surprise. After all, the girl hadn't been anything less than a model student all year.

"So, Potter," Umbridge 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 theTransfiguration 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. . . ." 

"It's none of your business who I talk to," he snarled. 

"Bad move, son." James sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose from where he had appeared next to Marilyn.

Umbridge's slack face seemed to tighten. 

"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. Draco — fetch Professor Snape." 

Malfoy stowed Harry's wand inside his robes and left the room smirking while Marilyn watched with her face dangerously blank. She knew she could easily overpower everyone in the room with a wave of her hand, but she knew not to reveal that to them.

"You wanted to see me, Headmistress?" said Snape arriving at the door and looking around at all the pairs of struggling students with an expression of complete indifference. 

"Ah, Professor Snape," said Umbridge, smiling widely and standing up again. "Yes, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as you can, please." 

"You took my last bottle to interrogate Potter," 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."