Chapter Text
‘All students will be permitted to questioning and must report to the headmistress’s office when called,’ the speakers announced. A low grumbling overtook the transfiguration class. In her three hours of being appointed headmaster, there had been 18 announcements. The shock factor had long since worn off. Mcgonagall sighed.
“If everyone could get back to work before we are interrupted again that would be-”
“All Gryffindor fifth years report to my office now.”
Dolores Umbridge was desperate. The ministry had zero leads on the location of Dumbledore and Severus had stopped supplying her with Veritaserum. He claimed that they had run out. Bullshit. But she couldn’t brew a potion to save her life. And Snape was rather hard to persuade. Breaking into his supply closet was the only way.
The supply closet was dark. The dungeon vibe was not missing in this room. Umbridge charmed a vat of something which definitely had a ‘v’ in it. Veritaserum was the only potion she could remember with that letter. And it ended in ‘serum’. If it wasn’t the truthfulness potion she could only hope it killed all the students. That would be equally as rewarding.
Harry Potter stood in a queue outside Professor Umbridge’s office. No one even bothered to talk anymore. This had happened before and it was just a mild inconvenience. At least this time the line was moving faster. Umbridge had decided that she would get the entire school through her office in just one day. “Harry Potter,” an annoying sweet voice trilled. Harry sighed and stepped up.
As Harry finished the questioning, he tried to place what was in the drink she gave him. He had absolute control over what he was saying and felt more awake. Well, whatever it was, it wasn't important.
The Gryffindor common room was actually a nice place to hang out tonight, for the first time in maybe the entire year. Spirited games of exploding snap and gobstones were going around. Not a single person was studying. Harry felt like he understood why all those years ago, he had called Hogwarts his home.
Umbridge screamed in annoyance in her office. Not a single one of the little maggots had shed a drop of light. The Veritaserum must have been a bad batch. Little did she know that under the cloth covering the cauldron of the stolen potion, the name read ‘Iuvenis Serum’. The serum of youth.