Lost Memories

xli. the prophecy

Snape gave her an ironic bow and turned to leave.

"Padfoot," Harry breathed.

I gasped. "He's got Padfoot!" I shouted. "He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden!"

Snape had stopped with his hand on Umbridge's door handle.

"Padfoot?" cried Professor Umbridge, looking eagerly from me to Snape. "What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What does she mean, Snape?"

Snape looked around at me. His face was unidentifiable. I could not tell whether he had understood or not, but he did not dare speak more plainly in front of Umbridge.

"I have no idea," said Snape coldly. "Harring, when I want nonsense shouted at me I shall give you a Babbling Beverage. I expected more from you. And Crabbe, loosen your hold a little, if Longbottom suffocates it will mean a lot of tedious paperwork, and I am afraid I shall have to mention it on your reference if ever you apply for a job."

"Please!" I shouted at him. "You have to help—"

"I had my speculations when I met you, that'd you'd be a brilliant witch and a good girl, but now..."

He closed the door behind him with a snap, leaving us alone. His words rang in my ears and a memory popped up from when I had confronted him outside of Grimmauld Place. Looking at Harry, he gave me a weird look.

"It worked," I hissed.

"Enough! Somebody gag her," Umbridge shrieked.

"No!" I elbowed Crabbe and stomped on Goyle's feet, causing them to let me go.

Draco came forward and I gave him a warning look. Instead of gagging me, he held me in his arms as if he were trying to comfort me at a time like this. Umbridge scoffed at the action and turned her attention to Harry.

"Very well," she said, and she pulled out her wand. "I am left with no alternative..."

Before she could threaten Harry any longer, an idea popped in my head:

"Fine," I shouted, "I know a secret. One that'll prove I've been telling the truth this entire time."

Professor Umbridge slowly turned around and looked at me, "well, dear?"

Looking over at the three, I gave them sad looks with a hint of a smile in my eyes, "it's in the forest."

"What is?"

"Dumbledore's secret weapon."

Harry and I led Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest. I remembered Hagrid's giant half-brother and the centaurs that were hidden in the forest. We quickly walked ahead of her making sure to keep some distance so Harry and I could talk.

"Take me to the giant," I whispered in Parseltongue.

"Where is it?" asked Umbridge, with a hint of uncertainty in her voice as I continued to stride through the forest.

"In there, of course," I pointed into a dense patch of trees. "It had to be somewhere that students weren't going to find it accidentally, didn't it?"

"Of course," said Umbridge, mumbling to herself.

"Can we have your wand, then, if we're going first?" Harry asked her.

"No, I don't think so, Mr Potter," said Umbridge sweetly, poking him in the back with it. "The Ministry places a rather higher value on my life than yours, I'm afraid."

I withheld a scoff at her words and continued to walk next to Harry into the forest.

"Is it very far in?" Umbridge asked, as her robe ripped on a bramble.