"First, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said with a wide, toothy grin as she sat Harry down at a small table draped with a flowered lace doily. "For spreading wicked, vile, and attention-seeking lies, you are going to be given a suitable punishment."
Harry glared at her. "What's the punishment?"
"You will write some lines, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said. "But not with your own quill. You will use one of my special quills."
With that, Umbridge handed Harry a long, black quill with a dangerously sharp tip.
"I want you to write: I must not tell lies."
Harry suddenly understood what Cohen had meant when he'd said earlier, "give the quill a little shake towards Umbridge before you write." The pen clearly had some sort of nasty effect. He wondered if Cohen had secretly swapped it out or...
As Harry pondered what Cohen might have done to the quill, he prepared to start writing, but then realized Umbridge hadn't given him any ink.
"You didn't give me any ink," Harry said.
"Oh, you won't need any," Umbridge said with a faint smile before turning to Cohen and Mr. Crouch. "It's your turn, Mr. Norton."
"What's this, not content with molesting teenagers in the dead of night, now you want to do it in broad daylight?" Cohen raised an eyebrow. "That's pretty sick."
"Your insolence will require a great deal more detention to correct, Mr. Norton," Umbridge said, completely unfazed by his jab. "Barty, do you see? The Minister's assessment of Hogwarts's education is correct; not only are the teaching methods here sloppy, but the students' morals have been led astray as well."
Crouch offered no comment, merely a quiet harrumph.
"Mr. Norton, I want you to answer me truthfully now," Umbridge said, turning back to Cohen with a sugary smile. "Regarding the rumor you spread that 'Dementors have left Azkaban,' did you make it up out of thin air, or were you put up to it?"
"A Dementor told me," Cohen said. "They were led out of Azkaban by You-Know-Who."
Mr. Crouch didn't seem particularly surprised by Cohen's statement; it was as if he already knew it was the truth.
"Perhaps you were just too frightened?" Umbridge continued with her saccharine smile. "You subconsciously mixed up the rumors you and your friend spread together... or perhaps... you made the whole thing up yourself, didn't you?"
Harry had completely stopped writing. He gave the quill a little shake and then leaned forward, straining to hear Cohen's reply.
"Have a drink of water," Umbridge said, offering Cohen a glass. "And then tell me again: about the rumor you spread that 'Dementors have left Azkaban,' did you make it up, were you put up to it, or was it all your doing?"
Veritaserum? Interesting. It would be a miracle if a potion worked on Cohen; Veritaserum wasn't designed to be used on Dementors, after all.
Cohen gulped the water down, but it tasted just like... water. Perhaps Snape hadn't given her the real thing.
After finishing the glass, Cohen repeated his earlier statement.
"A Dementor told me. They were led out of Azkaban by You-Know-Who."
Umbridge's face was no longer "happy."
"Well, in that case, I think we have our answer," Mr. Crouch said.
"Lies!" Umbridge shrieked, poking her stubby wand into Cohen's chest. "Tell the truth, you filthy little beast—"
"Dolores!" Mr. Crouch drew his wand and cast an Iron Shield Charm, separating Umbridge from Cohen.
"He's behind everything!" Umbridge said venomously. "He even said so himself, a Dementor told him. Think about it—a monster who can communicate with Dementors in a special language..."
"I do not support private retribution against a student without direct evidence," Crouch said coldly, not removing the shield.
"Am I to understand you're trying to protect this monster?" Umbridge said to Mr. Crouch in a sickeningly threatening tone. "Don't forget, I know your little secret..."
Crouch said nothing more, but gave Cohen a long, hard look.
"Decide for yourself; the consequences are on your head. I have to go prepare a report on the Azkaban rebellion," Mr. Crouch said to Umbridge before striding away.
"Potter, how long do you need to dawdle?" Umbridge snarled at Harry, who was still just gawking at the scene.
She then grabbed Cohen and dragged him into the small room inside her office. It was her bedroom, and Umbridge was so consumed by rage that she was clearly planning to use a more terrifying form of punishment where no one could see.
She had completely forgotten how dangerous Cohen was, to the point that the moment the door closed, she didn't realize the balance of power had already shifted.
"I think the Cruciatus Curse will make that proud little mouth of yours tell the truth," Umbridge said with a cruel smile. "This is a serious matter that threatens the harmony and stability of the wizarding world. Cornelius won't hold it against me..."
"You just said... you had leverage on Crouch, right?" Cohen said calmly, ignoring her rambling.
"What does that have to do with you and him?" Umbridge's smile became even more crazed. "Well, that's a shame, because he can't do a thing for you. If he tries, I'll reveal all his little secrets and he'll never be able to hold his position in politics again."
"Well, that's a relief," Cohen said. "I was planning to hold back a bit... but now it looks like I've got a little help."
"What do you mean?" Umbridge said, sensing something was terribly wrong.
"I thought your death would be a bother," Cohen said, tilting his head. "Now it looks like it's not just students who want you dead; there's a higher-up in the Ministry who wants you gone too... now this won't interfere with my homework time... Muffliato."
Cohen casually cast a spell on the door, just in case any of the less-than-family-friendly sounds were heard by Harry outside.
"Crucio! Crucio!" Umbridge shrieked, throwing curses at Cohen as she finally realized he had changed.
Cohen didn't even bother to dodge.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The Killing Curse hit Cohen, but he didn't even blink. The hem of his robe was slightly dirty.
Cohen stared at her with a bone-chilling gaze. For a moment, she couldn't even think of a single happy memory to conjure a Patronus.
"Done dancing about? It's my turn," Cohen said with an amused tone.