Within a few hours, Flora came to. She felt groggy for a minute, not really acknowledging anything, but eventually, the events of that day hit her like a freight train. Luckily, Flora was alone, besides Madam Pomfrey.
Flora was checked on to determine whether she could leave. It was determined she could, and Flora got out of bed and walked out of the hospital wing.
Only to find Draco Malfoy waiting for her.
"Flora, I see you are well again." He said.
"Yes, I am very well. The camera flashes always at least give me dizzy spells." Flora said.
"What of your mother? What happened with her?" Draco asked.
"She was sentenced five years in Azkaban." Flora said. She noticed out of the corner of her eye Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape walked into the same corridor she was.
"How unfortunate." Draco said.
"It isn't. She broke the law, she sided with political radicals, she now has consequences for those actions." Flora said.
"She is still your mother though." Draco said. Flora could sense the insincerity from a mile away.
"My mother chose the Order of the Phoenix over my father and I, she is not my mother anymore. It's for the better that she's in Azkaban." Flora said, walking away from Malfoy, thankful that he didn't try following her.
The trio of professors followed her and stopped her. Flora looked up at them, glaring, not at Severus or Minerva, but Albus. Needless to say, her finally being able to express her emotion, it was coming out tenfold, and the burn of her gaze could have been dragon fire.
"Professor Dumbledore. I hope your happy. You stole my mother from me. You brainwashed her into thinking you know who was back, you told her to protest at the Ministry, you-" flora was interrupted.
"I stole nothing from you. Your mother is not an object for you to possess. She has her own free will." Albus said.
"You brainwashed her! You lied to my mother! You took my mother away from me so you can he the big and powerful wizard who is going to defeat the already dead Dark Lord who you're saying is back! You used her!" Flora went off, screaming at her Headmaster with the likes no one knew she could achieve. The girl had never screamed before, the girl had never lashed out at anyone, especially not the way she was lashing out at Albus Dumbledore.
Severus noticed that students were starting to crowd the hallways to watch this episode.
"I will not see my mother for five tears because of your lies, your ego, your need for the world to be in fake chaos so you can save it! I've had enough! Harry Potter is a bloody liar and you're even more of a git than he is!" Flora screamed.
She made the mistake of drawing her wand.
Albus drew out his, but to the world's surprise, Flora's anger, the release of years of resentment that she was forced to keep bottled up, the pain she had from her mother's sentence, all of that made it so she did something no one, including herself, thought she could.
She was able to cast a silent levicorpus before Dumbledore could could deflect the spell. He rose in the air. While he himself remained calm during the ordeal, everyone was freaking out.
"You will never touch my family again! Not my father, not my mother, not anyone! Is that understood you bumbling oaf?" Flora hissed.
"Miss Winterstead, put Professor Dumbledore down at once!" Minerva spoke sternly. Flora looked at her, smirked, and dropped her intention immediately, not even bothering to gently lower her headmaster, who landed at her feet with a loud thud.
There were gasps at how crass the whole situation was. There was a sigh of relief in unison among the watching crowd when Dumbledore, despite his age, stood back up. He looked at Flora as he would have before she levitated him.
"You just demonstrated some fine magic, Flora." Albus said calmly. "It makes me proud to finally see you demonstrate your full potential."
Flora anger died down and turned into shame. She knew what she did was wrong, grossly wrong. She should have been immediately expelled, not congratulated. Flora looked down, turned around, and made her way to the Slytherin common room, shoving past the crowd before her tears were audible to the group she left behind.
"Shall I send notice to Carson Winterstead that his daughter has been expelled?" Severus asked.
"She has not been expelled." Albus said. "Severus, follow me to my office, I have something to explain."
Severus followed Albus to his office, a common occurrence. Albus took a seat behind his desk and looked up at Severus with a smile.
"Lemon Drop?" Albus asked.
"No." Severus said. "Why aren't you expelling Miss Winterstead?"
"Because she has her own place in defeating Voldemort." Albus said. "A domestic place, but a place nonetheless."
"How so?" Severus asked.
"Minerva's suspicions were right about Carson Winterstead. He knows the Death Eaters will overtake the ministry at anytime, so he has just begun in making deals with them." Albus explained.
"What has this to do with Miss Winterstead?" Severus asked.
"Carson Winterstead will force Flora's hand in marriage with Antonin Dolohov's son, Amelio, when she is finished with her schooling. That will prove his loyalty to the Death Eaters." Albus explained.
"And we are not to take preventative measure?" Severus asked.
"No." Albus replied.
"Amelio Dolohov will surely torture Miss Winterstead until she is dead, are you sure it is wise to not stop this?" Severus asked.
"Miss Winterstead simply needs to become Mrs. Dolohov and give Amelio a child and then the steps that can be taken before the demise of Voldemort can take place. Her and Amelio's child is the link that will allow all the pieces to fall into place. All I ask when you are called upon by Lord Voldemort is to make sure Flora survives her marriage until her child is born." Albus explained.
"I will do what is necessary to assure Flora's safety even after she has Amelio Dolohov's child." Severus said cooly.
"I'm glad you think so highly of Flora, but do not get so attached that you cannot bear to lose her." Albus told him. There was a tense silence before Dumbledore said. "Console her, she won't be getting it from anyone else."
Severus turned around and strode out the office and down the corridors until he saw Flora with a small piece of paper, crying her eyes out.
"Miss Winterstead, follow me to the hospital wing. You are not in your right mind." Severus said.
"Umbridge is making me stay during Christmas. My father and her agreed on it." Flora spat bitterly. "I've lost my freedom from the Ministry this year, my mother is in Azkaban for the next five years, I've lost my mind, and now I don't even get to see my family during the holiday. I just want to know what else I might lose this year." Flora snarled before walking away from Severus, who stood there watching. Flora's hair was untidy, her walk was aggressive instead of her usual passive, graceful stride.