A/N: Sorry for not posting anything in so long! Things have been so busy lately…anyway, to appease the angry mobs, here's something to read! It's based off my other story, Plain Raine, so if the characters confuse you then go read that and come back.
LykWhoa13: ….hi!
Disclaimer: I own only Holly, Raine and Jane…all other characters belong to JK Rowling
Detention with Dolores
Oh no, I inwardly groaned, glancing at my watch as I sped walked down the hallway. I had Defense Against the Dark Arts and I was late. Of all the classes to be late for, it's the class taught by the most horrible teacher (and person) I've ever met. I wretched open the door, stopping just inside and letting the door close with a snap. The class was quiet, almost every face turned my way.
"You're late," Professor Umbridge remarked.
"Yes ma'am, I'm sorry," I replied, not sure whether to go sit down or stay put. I opted for the latter. Coolly, she looked me over. I started to fidget.
"Very well, have a seat," she said, levitating a textbook towards me. "Where were we?" Someone up front refreshed her memory while I grabbed the textbook and took my seat between Jane, my only friend in Ravenclaw and Fred Weasley, my boyfriend from Gryffindor. Three faces appeared around Fred: his twin brother George, George's girlfriend and my best friend Holly, and Fred and George's best friend Lee Jordan.
"Why were you late?" George whispered.
"I slept in by accident," I said. Fred slung an arm around my shoulders.
"Yea, we were up late," he said, with a not-so-innocent glint in his eyes. I shoved him, smiling.
"Sod off, redhead." The twins feigned hurt expressions.
"Yea Weasleys, sod off," Holly said, her grin giving away her frivolity.
"Aw, don't be like that, you love me and my Weasley red hair," George said, leaning towards her. Holly's grin grew wider, and she met him in a kiss. Apparently, their kisses weren't discreet enough because Umbridge noticed.
"That's enough!" She screeched. The two broke apart. "Such public displays of affection are prohibited! Detention, both of you!" They threw their hands up, scoffing.
"That's not fair!" Fred called out. She turned to him.
"You have no authority to question what is and is not fair in my classroom, Mr. Weasley," she said calmly. "One more outburst and you'll join your friends in detention." Someone hastily brought up the topic of planets and their role in magic, which distracted the woman away from our mismatched crew.
"I'm surprised she didn't give me detention for being tardy," I murmured. Jane shrugged.
"You haven't caused much trouble yet, maybe she's being generous," she suggested. I scoffed.
"Yea, yet," I said. I tuned into the class discussion, listening to Umbridge describe planets.
"Uranus is the 7th planet from the Sun-" she started, but paused when Fred's hand shot into the air. "Yes?"
"Isn't it pronounced 'Yur-ay-nus'?" he asked. Several people chuckled.
"No, Mr. Weasley, it's not," she said shortly. She opened her mouth to continue, but she was interrupted.
"Yes it is." Fred didn't show any emotion while he spoke, or during the silence that followed, only his impression of an innocent, child-like image.
"No, it's not." The professor's gaze was icy, her face set in a scowl. Fred was questioning her authority, and she didn't like it.
"Yes, it is."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Ye-"
"ENOUGH!" she shrieked. Several people jumped, including me. She was tight-lipped and in a rage. "Mr. Weasley, you will be joining your friends tonight for a well-deserved detention. Now, hold you tongue so the lesson can continue." My friends were grumbling and scowling, but before I could stop myself, I grabbed my tongue between my thumb and forefinger, and sat there. Professor Umbridge glanced in my general direction, then did a double-take.
"What are you doing?" she asked me. I shrugged, my tongue still out and being held by the same two fingers.
"You told me to hold my tongue," I said, my voice muffled and garbled. She sighed, putting a hand on her hip and looking at me while the class laughed.
"Are you serious? What are you, first years?" she asked. I let go of my tongue before replying.
"Actually ma'am, we're 5th years," I said, calmly and evenly.
"Detention, Ms. Bennett, for your cheek," she said, raising her voice over the laughter from the other students. She gave me a hard stare, but I just smiled in return.
When class was over, Jane asked me, "Why did you do that?" I grinned.
"Well, Holly and George got detention, then Fred did also, and I didn't want to be left out," I said, pretending to pout. We laughed.
Later that night, the four of us headed to Professor Umbridge's office for our detention. George raised his hand to knock, but the door swung open on its own accord. Immediately, we were met with a wave of…pink. The walls were pink, the furniture was pink, the floor was pink. The curtains, parchment, picture frames, kitten plates…all pink. Hell, even her windows had a pink tint to them. In the middle of it all sat Toad Woman herself, in that horrible pink cardigan and an obviously forced little smile.
"Welcome," she simpered. Without so much as a nod, we took our seats; Holly and me in the front and Fred and George behind us. A roll of parchment and a sleek black quill lay at each desk. She stirred her tea and cleared her throat ("Hem hem") before standing.
"As you've all been in detention before, you know about lines," she said. All the girly-ness in her voice was gone. She was business-like and acted as if we were far below her in stature and in society. I clucked my tongue. The professor waddled to the board, grabbing her wand.
"Ms. Parker, Mr. Weasley, you will copy 'I will not show my affection in public'. Mr. Weasley, Ms. Bennett, you will copy 'I will respect authority.' For each time one of you talks, you will all copy ten more lines of the assigned text. You may begin with thirty."
"I'd be honored," Fred snarled. She straightened her posture.
"Make that forty," she said. When none of us spoke, she returned to sit at her desk. We began our lines. As I wrote 'I will-', my hand began to itch. I twitched it, continuing on. '-respect authority.' My hand was still itching, lingering on burning, so I glanced at my hand to see writing on it, clear as day. The words 'I will respect authority' were etched into my very skin. Then, they disappeared, leaving my skin pink but otherwise normal. I looked at Fred. He looked back at me, smiling in a reassuring way. It's okay, he mouthed.
"Turn back around, Ms. Bennett, this is not social time." I turned around, staring at the horrible woman. All at once, things began to piece themselves together. I've heard about these quills, they were supposed to be dangerous, illegal even. And if she uses them for detention, then who knows who had come through these doors: Fred and George, Lee, Holly, Harry…oh Merlin, first years even. My stomach churned at the thought. Eleven years old, sitting in this same desk, their hands being sliced open again and again-
I gasped. Everyone looked at me. This woman, she's evil, I thought, She needs to be stopped.
"These quills," I choked out. "This quills are illegal!" She stared at me, a dark look on her face.
"Who's going to know that?" she said, sickly sweet. "and I believe that's fifty lines required now." My mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. She's the Ministry's pet, and she's knowingly breaking the law. And enjoying it.
I opened my mouth to say something, but Holly caught my attention. She shook her head, urging me to keep quiet. She looked almost afraid. I looked at all of them once more before returning to my paper. I saw the professor grin in my peripheral vision; I sighed. This can't keep happening! My mind screamed. An idea clicked into place. Trying not to grin, I put quill to parchment.
Two hours and fifty lines later, we walked out of her classroom clutching our bloody hands. I bid them good-night at the Ravenclaw common room. I lingered a bit longer than normal, giving each of them a hug and, in Fred and George's case, a kiss. As each of us met the other three's eyes, an entire conversation passed between us. Tonight's detention was not something that would be forgotten.
"Relax, I've got a plan," Fred said, holding up his hand still wet with blood. The rest of us raised ours as well.
"Me too," we said in unison. We chuckled, wondering what the others were up to as we parted ways. Suddenly, I heard hurried footsteps. I turned around in time to see a mass of red hair before Fred captured my lips in the most romantic kiss of my life. His hands on my waist, I put my hands on either side of his face and scrunched my shoulders in delight. We broke apart once George remarked, "Aw, come on kids, get a room!" We grinned. Holly and George waved, which I returned, before they continued up the stairs.
"I won't let her get away with hurting you," he whispered, his forehead on mine. I stroked his hair.
"Ditto," I countered. We chuckled. I lifted my forehead from his, clapping him lightly on the shoulder.
"Now go on, get to bed you soppy git," I joked. He grinned, then turned and ran to catch up with his twin and Holly. I watched him fondly until he was out of sight, then entered the common room. Jane met me inside. Before I could hide my hand and sneak upstairs, she noticed and grabbed it, her eyes growing wide at the drying blood.
"Tell me everything," she said, her face gray and her expression stony. She pulled me up the stairs, sitting me down on the bed and grabbing a towel. I told her about the quills, the lines, the look on Holly's face…everything. Meanwhile, she dabbed at my cuts, every so often dipping the towel back into the warm water.
"This woman needs to be stopped, this kind of treatment can't continue," Jane said, her voice think with rage. She finally stopped cleaning my hand and asked, "What did she have you write anyway?" When she read the words engraved on my skin, her expression turned into confusion. I pulled my hand back, grinning sheepishly. After a moment or two, she began to giggle. I couldn't help myself, I laughed too.
"You little Snitch!" Jane said, glancing at my hand once more before releasing it for the final time. We got into our beds, laughing. My hand was still raw and open, so I grabbed a bandage and wrapped it.
"That's going to scar, you know. You'll have those forever," she said.
"Mm," I mumbled, sleep pulling at my already heavy eyelids.
"She's going to find out, and you'll just get another detention," she continued, "what's this solved?"
Before sleep finally took over, I whispered, "It's worth it. No on hurts Fred like that."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
There are some days when you just want to get up early. This was one of this days. At 6:30, I was up, dressed and eating breakfast in the Great Hall. I was the only one at the Ravenclaw table until a raven-haired figure sat next to me.
"Harry, how are you?" I asked, recognizing the fuzzy feeling as I greeted the boy; I was incredibly fond of him, not because of his fame or accomplishments but because he was a genuinely modest, pure-hearted person. He shrugged.
"Can't complain. You?" I lifted my bandaged hand to eye level, watching his eyes turn slightly cold.
"You too?" he said quietly. He held up his own hand, and I saw the pale scars there: I must not tell lies. My eyes began to water.
"Oh Harry," I breathed, gently holding his hand and running my thumb over the words written on it. He smiled sadly. I looked at his face, and it broke my heart. The look in his eyes showed the horrors that made up Harry Potter's life: grief, loss, anger, misery, confusion. All the emotions a person strives to avoid, except one. Hate. However awful a person was, Harry never truly hated anyone.
"I'd better get going," he said, watching me carefully. I said nothing, I just kept running my fingers over his, noting each callous and rough patch from all those Quidditch practices. Suddenly, with a whimper, I hugged him, clinging to him with everything I had. He chuckled, smoothing circles with his hand on my back. I finally gave him room to breathe, and he looked slightly grateful. We smiled, not speaking while Harry got up and stretched, causing several younger girls to stare at his exposed stomach. He knelt down, quickly pressing a kiss to the top of my head before leaving, ruffling his hair and winking at the aforementioned girls then exiting the Great Hall, hands in his pockets. I laughed as the girls broke out into excited giggles. Merlin, I love that kid.
After a large breakfast, I headed to Charms. A while later, Jane and the other Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs joined me. We began practicing for our end of the years exams.
"Your hand any better?" Jane asked. I nodded, showing her the clean bandage.
"Yea, it's actually-" I was cut off by the door opening. Professor McGonagall did not come in, but addressed Professor Flitwick instead.
"Professor, may I borrow Ms. Bennett please?" she asked. I grabbed my backpack and followed her after a quick good-bye to Jane.
The professor was silent, and everything I thought of saying sounded stupid, so I kept my mouth shut. When we reached this first floor, she sighed before entering her office. I followed shyly. Inside, Fred, George and Holly were there, along with Umbridge and Professor Dumbledore. Uh oh. I sat down by Holly, looking at her in confusion. She shook her head, running her fingers through her hair and sighing. Dumbledore smiled, standing up with his hands behind his back. McGonagall took her seat at her desk.
"Professor Umbridge has brought it to my attention that there is a problem with the detention you served last night," the headmaster started. He looked at us over his spectacles, saying, "Was there a problem?" Fred nudged George, who nudged me, so I nudged Holly. She cleared her throat.
"Well yes, sir, there was a prob-"
"There absolutely was!" Umbridge spat, interrupting Holly. Umbridge marched over to Dumbledore, fists at her sides. "These children did not copy the assigned lines! They just wrote whatever they pleased!" Dumbledore looked at her.
"I don't believe you were the one I asked," he said calmly. Umbridge blinked in surprise. He turned back to us, smiling encouragingly. "Please continue," he told Holly. She nudged me, I nudged George. He made to nudge Fred, but Fred was already unwrapping his bandage. When he finished, he held his hand up to Dumbledore's eyes, his expression dark.
"Here's your problem, sir," he said, jutting out his chin defiantly. Even in such a situation, I couldn't help but notice how good he looked. When he stood up for himself or his beliefs, Fred gave off a sort of aura that screamed of self-esteem and his fiery personality. His expression was dangerous.
"That's why we did what we did, sir," George explained, always the sweet-talker. "I mean, who knows how many other students she's done this to. First and second years, I reckon." Silently, Dumbledore tilted Fred's hand to get a better view of the words. You can't control me. McGonagall looked over Dumbledore's shoulder, and inhaled sharply.
"Do you all have these same marking?" Dumbledore muttered. Holly spoke up.
"Not exactly." Holly unwrapped her own hand, revealing the words, Family is everything. Dumbledore nodded, watching as George rolled his sleeve up to expose his hand. What's life without risk? it read. Slowly, I removed the bandage enough for the old professor to see, then replaced it immediately. Dumbledore sighed. He seemed lost in thought, staring at a fixed point a few feet behind us.
"Well? What are you going to do about this?" Umbridge demanded. Dumbledore turned to McGonagall, his face expressionless.
"Minerva, please escort these four to their classes. I will determine the, ah, appropriate course of action." She nodded, ushering us out. I caught a glimpse of a slightly satisfied Umbridge and a weary headmaster before I was forced out and instructed to go back to Charms. I did so, after bidding the Gryffindors good-bye.
"What happened?" Jane muttered, letting my copy her notes. I told her about the accusation and showing Dumbledore our cuts. She nodded every so often, showing she understood.
After class, we met the Gryffindors to go to Transfiguration. We saw a crowd gathering in the Entrance Hall. We paused, looking over the heads of shorter students. In the center of the crescent of students was Umbridge, being addressed by Dumbledore, McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt. She looked terrified, like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Everyone was quiet, straining to hear over the whispers and goings-on of the castle. We watched as Dumbledore spoke, causing Umbridge's jaw to drop.
"What happened?" I whispered. Several people shushed me, but Holly answered.
"I think she just lost her job!" Our suspicions were confirmed when Dumbledore pointed to the door forcefully. We all cheered as Shacklebolt led her out of Hogwarts. Finally, an end to her unspeakable reign of terror.
The crowd, as quickly as it assembled, dispersed. Umbridge's removal from Hogwarts had been a 5 minute flurry of activity, so while we walked I let the event clear itself in my mind.
"Say, what's you write in that detention?" Fred asked, grabbing my hand. I let him unwrap it. He read the four words as I smiled. Chuckling, he pulled my into a hug. On my hand, in pearly white scars, read I love Fred Weasley. Shaking their heads, Jane, Holly, George and Lee left, but we barely noticed.
"You like it then?" I laughed, distancing myself from him enough to see his face. He kissed my forehead, pulling my back into a hug.
"Merlin, I love you," he gushed, stroking my hair. We slowly rocked back and forth, not saying a word. Finally, we broke apart and began to walk.
"You know you'll have this forever," he said, eyeing me carefully.
"Well, then it's a good thing I'm gonna love you forever," I replied. He laughed. He had no idea how honest that statement was.
THE END