Less than half a period into the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class of the new term, model student Hermione had been taken to Umbridge's office for detention.
The students had been worried at first, but twenty minutes passed and Umbridge still had not returned.
Everyone's attention had long since drifted away from the boring textbook, and they began whispering among themselves.
"Ron, Hermione will be okay, right?"
"Hard to say. You saw that old woman's eyes—she looked like she wanted to swallow her alive."
Harry sighed. "Hermione has always been a very calm person. Why did she choose to confront the professor head-on this time?"
Ron shook his head, indicating that he did not know either.
"It's simple." Seamus's little head poked over from the back row. "It's because of great love."
Harry and Ron nodded their little heads in vague understanding.
"Didn't that pink toad say Vincent would be thrown into Azkaban soon? And besides..."
"And besides?"
Seamus paused, building suspense slightly. "Besides, with Vincent out of school, no one will dare stand up for us anymore."
Harry and Ron fell silent.
With Vincent gone, there was still Hermione. But what if Hermione was gone too?
"If everyone had stood up together just now, would Umbridge have dared give us detention?"
Ron shivered for no reason. He had a strong feeling that even if everyone had stood together against her, that old woman would still have dared give them detention.
"Ah—" A piercing scream suddenly rang throughout the entire castle, leaving all the students stunned.
"That voice was... Umbridge?"
"Uh... I think so."
Fourth floor,
Umbridge's office was so quiet that only the slow scratching of a quill could be heard, and even that sound carried an inexplicable eeriness.
The shards of cat plates on the floor