Cedric's experience served as a warning to everyone.
To avoid becoming another victim of Umbridge's abuse of Veritaserum, Harry had no choice but to urgently call a DA Meeting to discuss how to deal with it.
Under the watchful eyes of the Dumbledore's Army members, Cedric gave a detailed account of being summoned by the toad for tea and reminded everyone to stay vigilant.
"The toad has no reason to suspect us, does she? We didn't take the Self-Defense Guide," said a Ravenclaw girl.
"That was what I thought at first too. But after visiting Umbridge's office, I got the feeling she was nearly at the end of her patience. A large-scale screening is only a matter of time," Cedric said, shaking his head. "I'd wager she's absolutely certain that Dumbledore's Army exists."
"I'm not surprised the toad would do something like that. Don't count on getting lucky," Fred warned.
"The toad has already used Veritaserum. That stuff is illegal; even the Ministry of Magic is wary of using it, yet she openly used it on a student?" Harry swept his gaze across everyone present and said calmly, "If any of you are still hoping to get lucky, then all you can do is pray it doesn't happen to you."
"We signed a contract. Before the end of this term, betrayal comes at a price," Hermione reminded them.
Everyone's expressions turned rather ugly, and some even glared at Hermione.
"You accepted that risk voluntarily. No one forced any of you from beginning to end," Harry reminded them calmly.
Yes, entirely voluntarily. They had even confirmed it repeatedly before joining, but unfortunately, some people had already forgotten.
"Alright, let's hear everyone's ideas. One at a time," Hermione said, changing the subject before things became too awkward.
Sure enough, someone soon suggested