[HPforGrownups] Re: Umbridge and Veritas Serum

[Mrs.) Lee Storm (God Is The Healing Force]

No: HPFGUIDX 104525

| From: potioncat
| Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2004 00:36
|
| karen F. wrote:
| > I don't know if this topic has come up...
| >
| > Veritus serum.....According to Snape, he gave Umbridge the whole
| bottle for
| > use on Harry and told her "only a few drops should do it", but the
| bottle was
| > apparently all used up by Umbridge. Any ideas on whom it may have
| been used on
| > besides Harry, if anyone?
|
| Potioncat:
| I read this as a cat and mouse game. Snape gave her a container of
| water and told her only to use a few drops.  She used the entire
| vial. Of course it did no good, partly because Harry tossed it (I
| can't remember if he actually drank any.)
|
| So he is mocking  her, "You didn't use the entire vial, did you?"
| (or something like that.)
|
| Now, I'd like to know if the rest is the truth, that it takes a
| month to make it.  If the older Slytherin students are any good,
| they'll know if he is telling the truth.  And he may be in this
| case.

[Lee]:
Well, considering that this is a controlled substance as referenced in GOF,
and considering that Polyjuice took a month to make, I would think Snape
wouldn't gain anything by prevarication on that point.  In GOF, it says:

--Begin Quote--
"It is Veritaserum--a Truth Potion so powerful that three drops would have
you spilling your innermost secrets for this entire class to hear," said
Snape viciously. "Now, the use of this potion is controlled by very strict
Ministry guidelines. But unless you watch your step, you might just find
that my hand _slips"--he shook the crystal bottle slightly--"right  over
your evening pumpkin juice. And then, Potter ... then..."
--End Quote--

In OOTP, Harry doesn't drink the tea given him; he only fakes it and feeds
it to Umbridge's straw flowers...poor flowers! :-)  Later, during her
interrogation of Harry after the fireplace incident:

--Begin Quote from OOTP--
"You took my last bottle to interrogate Potter," he said, surveying her
coolly through his greasy curtains of black hair. "Surely you did not use it
all? I told you that three drops would be sufficient."

Umbridge flushed.

"You can make some more, can't you?" she said, her voice becoming more
sweetly girlish as it always did when she was furious.

"Certainly," said Snape, his lip curling. "It takes a full moon cycle to
mature, so I should have it ready for you in around a month."

"A month?" squawked Umbridge, swelling toadishly. "A month? But I need it
this evening,..."
-End Quote--

The way I see it, in all honesty, Umbridge doesn't really know much about
potion-making, else she would have taken care how to use the stuff.  Some
think more is better and she obviously did, so she used the whole bottle
figuring 1) she could get more easily, since she seems a bit clueless and 2)
she'd be able to get Harry to spill his guts.

IMO, Snape was being honest about the time it would take to make more and
her lack of knowledge is what leads to her surprise.  And, I say she's
clueless in that she couldn't get rid of all Fred and George's
little--uh--inventions (i.e. the swamp, etc.) when Flitwick, et al, really
would have had no problem dealing with them, just that they didn't really
want to and wanted to see her struggle.

When it comes to magic she--uh--needs like the horrid quill and, probably,
even the cruciatus curse, she knows what she needs to know when she needs to
know it in order to advance her cause, so to speak, but when it comes to
general magical use, she seems to need to rely on others to perform the
functions. <Grin>

Cheers,
Lee :-)
(Who takes umbrage with Umbridge.)

Do not walk behind me,    | Lee Storm
I may not care to lead;   | N2FGC
Do not walk before me;    | n2fgc at arrl.net (or)
I may not care to follow; | n2fgc at optonline.net
Walk beside me, and be my friend.