In plain sight of the "passing" Severus Snape, Jane Yu deliberately and "accidentally" pushed five or six dungbombs into Umbridge's office through the window, adding a few Exploding Snap cards for good measure.
Judging by the crashing sounds and the shrill scream of a certain female emanating from within, Umbridge's freshly restored office had once again met its untimely demise.
Snape, witnessing the entire spectacle, wore an expression stiffer than the Killing Curse itself.
But just as Jane prepared to escalate with gas grenades and a cursed doll adorned with silver needles, Snape yanked her arm with a force that brooked no argument.
She was then rewarded with two eye-rolls and unceremoniously escorted on a half-day tour of the Batcave.
Upon arriving at the pitch-black dungeon, she was surprised to find Harry already there, donning gloves, wielding a knife, and waging war against a bucket of toads.
Judging by his gritted teeth and the fervent gleam in his eyes, it was clear he was imagining the toads as Umbridge, skinning them with a vengeance.
"Listen here—" Snape began, his tone brimming with disapproval, only for his gaze to fixate on Harry's abysmal skinning technique. "Potter! Did you not hear my instructions? I said I require an intact skin, not a pile of mangled toad remains!"
Harry, his face flecked with blood, snapped out of his trance, only to realize the toads—or rather, the imagined Umbridge—had been reduced to chunks.
Even Jane couldn't help but grimace at the sight.
What was going on with the protagonist? He looked like he had gone full dark side.
Little did she know, Harry had already cracked Snape's system: as long as he continued to create havoc during Potions class and detention, he could extend his toad-skinning sessions in the dungeon indefinitely.
After thoroughly berating Harry and venting his frustrations, Snape turned his ire on Jane:
"I suppose if I hadn't intervened, the next time we see our fearless Miss Yu would be at the Wizengamot trial?"
Jane donned an innocent, wide-eyed expression.
How could they possibly meet at a trial?
If Snape hadn't shown up, no one could have proven she was involved!
She deeply regretted not finishing off Umbridge.
"Listen carefully," Snape growled, instantly recognizing the mischievous gears turning in his protégé's mind. "Leave Umbridge alone—if a Senior Undersecretary were to meet an untimely end at Hogwarts, it would spell trouble for everyone."
"I could poison her," Harry suddenly interjected, his tone disturbingly calm. Jane's expulsion had driven even the kind-hearted Harry to the brink of madness. "I could collect all the ruined Draught of Living Death from everyone. She wouldn't die—just end up paralyzed—"
"Silence!" Snape roared, his patience snapping. "Potter, inciting your classmates and demonstrating unacceptable behavior—fifty points from Gryffindor!"
Still fuming, he directed his wrath at the only Potter present:
"It seems Mr. Potter takes great pride in his ability to turn a ruined Draught of Living Death into poison, so much so that he feels compelled to boast about it in front of his peers—another ten points from Gryffindor for sheer arrogance."
Harry "obediently" lowered his head. After days of detention, he had grown immune to Snape's venom. Compared to the pink toad, the Dungeon Bat King's scorn and point deductions were practically a gentle breeze.
"This is a political power struggle," Snape said, returning to the main topic after sufficiently chastising Harry. "Use your troll-sized brains and cease your foolish antics. Let me remind you, even if this Umbridge were diced up like Potter's toads, the Minister of Magic would simply send another White Umbridge or Black Umbridge."
He paused, his tone softening slightly as he addressed Jane:
"Dumbledore has his own arrangements and plans. Do not interfere further, especially you, Yu Jane. Keep your hands off the Exploding Snap cards and cursed dolls—"
"So why not just get rid of Fudge?" Jane asked earnestly. "Solve the problem at its source—"
"Enough!" Snape snapped, deciding to end the conversation before Jane's antics made him mistake her for Voldemort. "Follow me! Our ever-meticulous Headmaster instructed me to take you to the safest place in the world—"
Alone in the Headmaster's office, Jane found herself staring through the window at Snape, who had been denied entry by the room's enchantments.
She felt like she was about to lose her mind.
She had assumed Snape brought her here to use the fireplace or a Portkey for transportation, or perhaps to read some cryptic notes left by Dumbledore—
Instead, he had simply locked her in?
An Azkaban version of Hogwarts?
A melodrama of tears behind enchanted bars?
The Headmaster's office at Hogwarts was what Dumbledore had called...
The safest place?
"Dumbledore granted you partial access before he left," Snape said through the window, his expression as stern as ever. "No one can enter here. I will deliver your meals three times a day. Until he returns, you are to remain here."
Jane reached out, trying to stop Snape from walking away, but it was futile.
She tried squeezing through the window, only to encounter an invisible barrier.
She summoned Flash, but Flash did not appear.
The office, loyal to its master's orders, refused entry to others and denied her escape.
Only the sleeping portraits of old Headmasters and Headmistresses on the walls, along with a neatly stacked pile of skeletal remains in the corner—likely Voldemort's ancestors—kept her company.
Staring face-to-face with what might have been Voldemort's father or grandfather's skull, Jane shed a tear for herself.
What kind of Headmaster's office quarantine was this?
How was this any different from being expelled?
Was she just going to stay at Hogwarts forever?
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