School, school, school. It all seemed so trivial, and a waste of time. Many students were hating on Harry because of all the things written in the Prophet about him and Dumbledore. They were smart not to mess with him while he was around his friends, particularly Zavy. Ever since what happened with Oliver Wood, there weren't many students willing to stand up to her, and for that she was thankful. She wasn't looking forward to this year, knowing what was out there and how the population really felt about it. There were those few believers, and the majority was against Harry and Dumbledore. She would not stand for it, in any way shape or form. And so, here she was, sitting at the Gryffindor table, listening to this stupid bitch talk about the ministry and how she was planning on interfering with their schooling. She noticed that Fred and George were particularly upset about her, but it seemed no one liked her.

Zavy leaned her head on George's shoulder, and he instinctively grabbed her hand. He was talking with Fred about business products, and a place to set up shop. She was sad she had to spend the summer away from home, she wanted to show it to George. She felt his thumb on the ring and she smiled. A thought occurred to her just then.

"There's a vacant shop under the flat I live in. If we cleaned it up, you could probably use it for your merchandise," she but into their conversation, knowing that they would like what she had to say.

"There is?" they both questioned.

"Yeah, I was told I'd find use for it, and I suppose with you two setting up shop, there is it."

"Zavy, will you marry me instead?" asked Fred, laughing. She smiled, George pulling her closer.

"Get your own brilliant woman, this ones mine," said George, kissing her. They walked back to the common room, Fred and George talking about what they would do first. Zavy reminded them that it needed cleaning, but they seemed too excited to even listen to her. She knew of their products, and how they were perfected, and she knew that they were raising money this year around the school to fund for the shop. She was going to support them, and maybe even help them if her mind would actually work. This year of school was not going to be a good one, and there seemed to be nothing she could do about such a thing. This was all besides the fact that soon she would be returning to her home, in Canada, to visit the seer that held the key to their future. It was going to happen sometime next year, she could feel it. If only there was a way to be rid of this aweful mess, and have everything go back to normal.

Stupid! Bollocks! She would be damned if she had to sit thru this all year! She refused to go at all after this. Umbridge was a terror, just making them read a book and write lines. They weren't learning anything, it was terrible. Not only that, she was evil. She twisted things around, making false accusations and trying to justify them. Zavy was seriously thinking about doing something about her, maybe turn her into a bug and crush her. She knew that she couldn't though, there was no way she could get away with it, and she didn't want to disappoint her god father. This bitch probably trapped him into hiring her, under Fudge's eye no less. There was no way in hell she was ever coming back to this class, not while this stupid bitch was teaching. She was thankful that it was over, but would have to see the bitch later, she got a detention for speaking her mind. That wasn't new in Zavy's world, but just the thought of this bitch infuriated her! She had lunch afterwards, going back to her commons. Just for fun, she levitated her book and notes from toad faces class and set them on fire. She was not going back, no matter what.

She sat in the Great Hall by herself. It seemed she was either really early, really late, or everyone had decided not to eat lunch that day. It didn't matter, they would be along soon she was sure. She felt like having soup, and poured herself a bowl, taking a drink from her flask. Yes, she was drinking in school. The Prophet was reporting disappearances, which was the only thing it was useful for now, seeing as Fudge didn't want to acknowledge the truth. What was next? He was going to blame this all on Sirius? She could definitely see it happening, he was stupid like that. She continued to read, hopefully finding something useful but she had no such luck. She turned her attention instead to the Quibbler, which wasn't much better, but she preferred mad over lies. She finished her soup and then grabbed a slice of cheesecake, feeling George take a seat beside her. She turned and smiled at him, knowing he was there right when he entered the Hall. He grabbed food while she turned back to her cheesecake. Godric she loved cheese, she would love to personally shake the hand of the brilliant person that decided to put it in a cake.

"Could you believe that lesson with Umbridge today?" asked Fred, who was sitting across from the two of them. Lee was beside him, shaking his head no. The three boys had class and then Zavy was separated from them, having class at a different time. In fact, she didn't have a single class with George, and that made her slightly disappointed. She had potions with Lee, but she wasn't as good of a partner as George was, still, her marks didn't falter in the slightest. She would be finishing her medical studies this year and then, who knows where she'd go. She still hadn't picked a profession yet, but she didn't feel the need to, not with everything going on.

"No. In fact, it was so unbelievable, the bitch decided to give me a detention," said Zavy, looking at the teachers table with pure hate. George chuckled, putting an arm around her.

"Don't worry love, we can come to your rescue," he said.

"Please do. I cannot stand her!"

"It'll be fun to try out some of the new products mate. They're already circulating the school," said Fred.

"Hermione's not going to like that. She is prefect remember? She'd enjoy taking points and giving you detention. I don't think I'd fancy that at all."

"She'll never know, and even if she does, she'd be a fool to try and catch us!"

"Yeah, she'd never see anything coming at her," said Lee.

"Now, now, you shouldn't pick on your brother's girlfriend," said Zavy, grinning at them. The boys laughed, and Zavy sighed.

"What is it Z?" asked George.

"Just dreading the rest of the day. I'll be happy when I'm done with my detention, and then I'm never going back to that class. So long as I pass the N.E.W.T, I'll be fine, and I can do that in my sleep."

"You're really just going to drop it?" asked Fred.

"No, I'm just not going to attend. I'll do the mid-term and the final, since she's just having us read a book. I can ready a book fine, and much better without her stupid pink room and annoying voice. Then again, I burnt the book just to prove a point to myself. I'll be fine though, so long as I don't have to see her. Godric I hate that bitch."

"I know what this is all about. You just don't like girls," teased Fred.

"What makes you say that?"

"When are you ever around girls? You rarely sleep in your dorm, you don't talk to Alex much, I never see you with Hermione or Ginny and none of your dorm mates either. Your always with your brother or the three of us. You clearly don't like girls missy."

Zavy narrowed her eyes at him. They flickered red, "And just who are you to tell me who I do and do not like?"

Fred was startled, "Calm down love, he was just making a joke," she heard George tell her. She shook her head, snapping out of it.

"I'm sorry, I've just had a class with the pink bitch, I'm still edgy," she apologized, "Besides, me being around boys says nothing about my sexuality, you're around them just as much as I am," she smiled brightly at him. Fred returned her smile.

"Good to see you've sharpened your teeth," he complimented her before finishing up his plate. The four of them walked away from the Hall and headed towards the commons. George walked with Zavy to her detention, just to spend a bit more time with her before she would be gone. He would be busy with Fred trying to get their products sold, testing it on the first years. It didn't take them long before they reached the office, Zavy sighing once more.

"Cheer up love, you think you'd be used to detention by now," said George, looking down into her pink eyes that had a yellow kind of colour swirling in them. She was thinking about something, or wasn't sure what exactly she was feeling.

"I'm starting to get bored of it," she replied. She was bored, that much was easy to tell. He smirked at her.

"I'm sure I can find a way to occupy your time," he said, coming to kiss her. He didn't stop there though, he teased her neck a little, just for good measure. She giggled, wishing she didn't have this stupid detention so that she could hold him to his words. He grinned looking at her, eyes now a playful orange. She brought her arms around him and pulled him in for another kiss. Nothing like a good snog before detention, that was for sure. She was just starting to get into it when she was forcefully separated from him. She was confused, and she saw that he was to.

"That's quite enough of that," she heard that most aggravating voice say. They turned and looked down at Umbridge, who had her wand pointed to where they once stood. Zavy glared at the woman, her eyes flashing red and turning a steely grey. The small woman just stared back with that stupid smile on her face, triumphant. She let out another small laughing type sound and then turned to George, "Mr. Weasley, isn't there somewhere you should be?" she asked in a form of dismissal.

"I, well, uh, that is, I..." George trailed, caught off guard, "I'll see you in the commons," he told Zavy. She smiled faintly at him as he turned his back sadly, giving a wave. She sighed, walking into the office, keeping her face a scowl. She was not happy that she was here, and it made matters worse that the bitch decided to interfere with her affairs with George. It wasn't any business of the stupid pink bitch if she snogged her boyfriend, and it certainly wasn't her right to break them apart. Anyone who got between her and George was a problem. Umbridge let the way into her office, and right after entering, Zavy wanted to puke. There were cats everywhere on the walls, and everything was pink. Godric she'd love to drop a bomb in this place. It was the ugliest thing she had ever seen, aside from the professor herself. Why did people like this deserve to live? How could people like this live. She dismissed the thought, sitting at the desk that was waiting for her.

"You'll be writing lines. Pick up the quill and begin. You won't need any ink," explained the toad. Zavy did as told, bitterly.

"What am I supposed to be writing?" she asked, making a random line to see how the quill worked. She felt a slight sting on her right hand.

"I must not tell lies."

"Well no, you shouldn't, but your going to be doing it consistently," said Zavy. Umridge turned and glared at the blond. Zavy smirked and then began her lines. She wrote one, and then it just disappeared. She looked at Umbridge, but her back was turned once again. Zavy wrote again and her right hand began to burn. She looked at it and gasped. There on the back of her right hand were the words she had written onto the parchment. She wrote another line, and the words showed up just like the first ones, right on top of the fresh cuts. That stupid conniving bitch. Her god father was going to hear about this, that was for sure. She wasn't even sure this was legal, but continued on anyway, until the bitch was satisfied.

Fred, George and Lee were circulating products all around the Gryffindor common room. Hermione was glaring at them, but stayed in her place, waiting for Harry to get back. She was trying to ignore them while she sat on the couch with Ron. The merchandise for their shop was coming along well, and they were planning on checking out the shop Zavy was talking about. This would also mean that he would finally get to see where she lived. He was actually quite excited about that. Her life seemed to revolve around secrets, and he was bashing thru them, one by one. The more she revealed the closer he felt to her, and that was important to him. He understood why she was such a mystery, and knew that until this upcoming war was over, she would remain one. There was no telling what she would tell him next, but he was happy she shared her mission with him, knowing how she felt about lies. He couldn't imagine what it was like to live constantly in shadow. His thoughts were interrupted by Zavy walking into the room. He smiled at her as she walked up to him. He hugged her, and she returned with one arm, keeping the right on in her pocket. It stung, and she had to get it bandaged, the blood not stopping. She was kind of dizzy, but she would be fine.

"How was it?" he asked, his voice low and his forehead pressed against hers.

"Annoying," she replied, "Would have been better if you two actually came to rescue me like you said you would," she teased, kissing him. He smiled and kissed her again.

"However can I make this up to you?"

She smirked, "I can think of one way," she whispered against his lips.

"Oi! We're working right now," said Lee.

"Yeah, you'll just have to wait Zavy," added Fred. Zavy stuck her tongue out at him and continued to kiss George. He wasn't showing any signs of denial, just stayed with her. They finally broke apart, him keeping an arm around her. They watched as the first years succumb to the effects of the Weasley products, laughing at the poor children. They were popular, and she was sure they would be bought quickly. It was a nice distraction from the stinging of her right hand. She looked at her sweater and saw that it had bled thru the bandage and her pocket. Shit, she didn't want this public, she wanted to hide it for as long as possible, and any of her healing spells weren't working, she had to make a potion for it. Judging by the wound, it would take a difficult potion to get it to heal, and even then she'd probably be left with a scar that wouldn't disappear for years to come.

"What the bloody hell..." said George. Zavy widened her eyes. There was blood on his shirt, it had smeared from her sweater.

"It's blood mate," said Fred. She stared at the stain, hoping this would pass over. He looked over at Zavy. Why did she look scared and worried? Her hand, her right hand, in her pocket. He saw there was stained blood there as well. It was coming from her. She was bleeding. He held his hand out to her.

"Let me see," he said in a stern voice. She hesitated, not wanting to show him, "Zavy," he wasn't going to let her hide this from him. This was pain inflicted upon her, and she wasn't going to just shrug it off as if it was nothing. She sighed, looking down and pulling out her hand. It was bandaged and bloody.

"We'd best not do this here," said Fred. George nodded and the four of them went up to the dorms. Zavy shoved her hand in her pocket, following them and stood at the door once it was closed. Fred and Lee sat at their beds, curious, but not quite getting involved. Her eyes were downcast, hand still in the safety of her sweater. George walked up to her, staring down at her. He grabbed her arm gently and walked her to his bed. From there, he pulled out her arm and began to take the bandages off. He wiped the blood away and saw the source of the mess. "I must not tell lies" was engraved into her skin, and it was still bleeding. The cuts were deep, and he was surprised that she was even still standing. He looked at her, but her eyes were still downcast.

"Umbridge did this?" he questioned. She nodded weakly, feeling guilty for hiding it from him. Fred and Lee walked over to see the damage. George was angry, she was going to get away with this, "You have to tell Dumbledore," he said to her.

"I will, just not tonight, I want it to stop bleeding," she replied faintly.

"I'll go with you."

"We'll have to get revenge for this," said Fred, grinning at Lee and his brother. Lee nodded in agreement while George continued to stare at Zavy. His fingers ran gently across her wound, blood getting all over his hands. He led her to the bathroom and turned on the tap to the sink. He cleaned her hand, doing his best not to hurt her. He then bandaged it, though not nearly as good as she had it. The blood wasn't as thick anymore, so it would stop soon. He washed his hands of the remaining blood and then turned to look at her again. She was looking at her newly bandaged hand, fingers running across where the wound was. He took her hand once more, and led her back to his bed. Fred and Lee had vacated, which meant that they were alone. He kissed her forehead, and she looked up into his eyes. Her eyes were a dark brown, the pink barely visible. He pulled her into a hug.

"Come on love, let's go see Dumbledore," he spoke softly to her.

"Let me change my sweater," she told him. He nodded at her and then she left. He would meet her downstairs. She decided to have a smoke before she went there, and took another drink from her flask. She neglected to tell George that was why it bled so much and for so long. He didn't know that she was starting to drink during school, and in classes or anything like that, and she wasn't sure she wanted to tell him in the first place. He didn't seem to mind the weed smoking so much, it didn't affect her like the booze did. She smoked much more than she should have, which always left her with a vacant expression and red eyes. At first, she used the exhaustion excuse, but since she spent more nights with him than not, she began using spells to take the red eye away. She took another long drink and then brushed her teeth, to get rid of the smell. She put on half gloves, so she still had use of her fingers, but initially hid the bandage. She replaced her sweater with another one and then proceeded down the stairs where he was waiting. He grabbed her hand and led the way to her god father's office. Upon reaching it, they met Hermione there. She looked at them curiously as they approached.

"Y'alright?" said George.

"What are you doing here?" asked Zavy.

"Well, don't tell Harry but, Umbridge used a punishment that I'm convinced is against school rules," she explained.

"You mean you don't know?" teased George.

"Of course I know! But Harry refuses to discuss this with McGonagall or Dumbledore-"

"So you're going behind his back and doing it for him anyway?" Zavy finished for her.

"Yes."

"It's just as good, I don't even know the password to get up there."

"What?" they two turned to her.

"I thought you did know?" said George.

"I was hoping you two would know! I got all the way here and realized I didn't know it," said Hermione.

"I usually just apparate," said Zavy.

"We'll just have to do it that way then," said George. Zavy nodded and used her mind to see into her god father's office. He was sitting at his desk, no one else seemed to be present. She placed one of her hands on her George's shoulder, and the injured one on Hermione's. The glove covered the bandage, and the bleeding had hopefully stopped, she did have a few drinks not too long ago. She focused the three of them in front of the desk, and in an instant, they were there. Hermione was a little shaken up, but Zavy assumed that she had never apparated before. It was good preparation for next year, when she would learn.

"Ah, Miss. DelCotta, Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley. A trio I was not expecting to see. Please, sit," said Dumbledore. The girls sat while George just stood behind Zavy's seat. He put a hand on her shoulder, waiting for Hermione to discuss whatever it was that she needed, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Zavy and Hermione looked at each other. Zavy nodded at the girl and Hermione began to speak, "Professor, I have to talk to you about Professor Umbridge. It seems that she has been exercising illegal punishments in detention."

"Please explain."

"She makes us use a quill that cuts into our skin when we write on parchment," said Zavy, taking off her glove and showing him the bandage around it. Hermione was stunned, looking at her injured hand. There were small blood stains on it, indicating that it was indeed still bleeding. George narrowed his eyes, not understanding why it would start bleeding again. It must be one hell of a wound to bleed for so long. Zavy placed the half glove back on her hand, feeling her boyfriend's stare on it. Dumbledore looked sadly at her, but knew there was nothing he could do.

"I'm sorry, but her ties with the ministry makes this out of my hands. I'll speak with your Head of House, and see if we can't work something out," he replied. Hermione sighed, the three of them getting up to leave, "Miss DelCotta, please remain, I must have a word with you," Zavy nodded and sat back down while George and Hermione left. She looked at her god father, wondering what it was he had to say to her. She hadn't seen him much since Grimauld Palace, and felt slightly guilty that she hadn't bothered to come up and see him, or make an effort to talk to him, "So, how is Harry doing these days?"

That was an unexpected question, "He's okay? I noticed he's been particularly sour lately. You've been avoiding him?"

"You're good to notice that. Yes, I have. The scar on his forehead indicates the mark of Voldemort, and I suspect Harry is seeing his activity without even realizing it. My only concern is Voldemort knowing of this connection and using it to lure Harry or you out into the open."

She blinked, unable to comprehend this, "Isn't there anything you can do about it?"

"I'm afraid not. I'm distancing myself because of this. He's gaining strength with every passing minute, and I'm hoping that you two will be ready when the time comes. Make your brother aware of this, we'll need to discuss your trip to Canada soon," he said as a dismissal. She nodded at him, and then got up to leave. This was a lot to think about, and it made her feel that she was running out of time. She didn't see George at the bottom of the stairs, so she apparated instead in front of the portrait to get into the common room. She walked in, passed some of the night owl students and straight up to George's room. She opened the door quietly and tip-toed to George's bed. He was sleeping, lying on his right side. She smiled, he had a left a space for her. She crawled into bed and he pulled her close right away. He kissed her forehead and then the two of them fell asleep, all earlier problems forgotten.

...

sorry for the delay, finals are done, so maybe there'll be more to come :) thanks for reading and the reviews.