Umbridge and Veritaserum

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 104672

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Madydea at a... wrote:

Sonya:
> IIRC at the end of OoTP DD is defending Snape to Harry and states 
something 
> like "It was Snape who gave Umbridge the fake Veritas Serum to use 
on you" (not 
> a direct quote I don't have the book).  So I don't think she had 
the real 
> serum.  I also think she DID use the entire vile on Harry's drink, 
she's a bit of 
> an extremist  lol

Geoff:
Indeed, Umbridge's reaction suggests that she did use the whole vial 
of Veritaserum in the tea.

'"Ah, Professor Snape," siad Umbridge, smiling widely and standing up 
again. "Yes, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as 
you can, please."
"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.***'

(OOTP "Out of the Fire" p.656 UK edition)

Yes precious. That flush looks mighty suspicious.......

And Dumbledore did reveal that Snape had cheated Umbridge.

'"What about Snape?" Harry spat. "You're not talking about him, are 
you? When I told him Voldemort had Sirius, he just sneered at me as 
usual -"
"Harry, you know that Professor Snape had no choice but to pretend 
not to take you seriously in front of Dolores Umbridge," said 
Dumbledore steadily, "but as I have explained, he informed the Order 
as soon as possible about what you had said. It was he who deduced 
where you had gone when you did not return from the Forest. It was 
he, too, who gave Professor Umbridge fake Veritaserum when she was 
attempting to force you to tell her Sirius's whereabouts."'

(OOTP "The Lost Prophecy" p.734 UK edition)

So certainly, canon shows that she was using the fake potion and 
implies that she used it all.