Chapter Forty Two
Luna had told them that she wasn't sure when the article was going to be published as her father had a lot of important things already planned, so it came as a shock when just a few weeks later a parcel arrived for Harry.
He tore it open and looked at the glossy cover of the latest Quibbler. His face was staring up at him, giving an awkward half smile and looking not the slightest bit insane.
"This is brilliant." Daphne said, "You got two copies?"
Harry nodded, "I'll be back in a minute."
He stood up, under the ever watchful eye of Umbridge, and walked over to where Cho was sitting at the Ravenclaw table.
"Hi Harry." She said, wiping some crumbs from her fingers, "Is everything OK?"
Harry smiled, "Yeah, I… I want to show you something. Do you have a minute?"
Cho nodded and followed him from the hall. Harry took a deep breath and handed her the Quibbler.
"Harry Potter Speaks out at last: The truth about He Who Must Not Be Named and the night I saw Him return." Cho read, "You wrote this?"
"No." Harry said, "I gave an interview, to Rita Skeeter of all people. Hermione's idea, to get the word out. I thought that you might want to be one of the first to read it. I have to admit that there's not much in there about Cedric, I guess that without throwing all my feeling in there, which I'm so not ready to do, there wasn't much to say. It was quick."
Cho gave him a sad smile and nodded, "Thank you Harry."
Harry nodded, "That's for you. I've not read it yet either so I'm just hoping that Skeeter didn't mess it up. I wanted-"
"Hem hem." Umbridge said, walking up, "It's breakfast time."
"Yes." Cho said, slipping the magazine into her robes before turning around, "Most important meal of the day, so I'm told."
"So why are we missing it?" Umbridge asked, sickly sweetly.
Harry bit his tongue, "I just wanted a chat with Cho."
Umbridge looked over them both, "I see. Back to the Hall with both of you."
Harry was not hugely surprised that two days later there was yet another Educational Decree.
"Male and Female students are not permitted to be within one foot of one another. Male and Female siblings maybe be within six inches of one another. This includes all areas within the school grounds, all those breaking Educational Decree Fifty Four will be dealt with accordingly." Harry read through gritted teeth.
Daphne and Pansy instinctively took a step away from him.
"I wonder what has triggered this one?" Draco grumbled.
"I bet that Cho and me being seen together might have something to do with it. The old hag is determined that I should have no fun at all." Harry spat.
"Watch out, old hag at three o'clock." Neville said under his breath, pointing towards the corridor.
Draco grinned at Neville, "Want to piss her off?"
Neville smirked back, "Yeah, why not."
They stepped together and kissed each other firmly on the lips. Umbridge, dropped her stack off books, mouth open at the scene and the cheering and whooping crowds.
"What are you doing?!" she demanded, walking over and pulling the two boys apart.
"It looked like kissing to me." Pansy said, straight faced, "I'm not sure though, of course."
"I think you will both find you are in breach of Educational Decree Fifty Four." Umbridge said tightly.
"Professor Umbridge," Daphne said, with a gentle smile, "with all due respect, Educational Decree Fifty four speaks only of male and female students, it says nothing concerning kissing. And both Mr Malfoy and Mr Longbottom are male."
Umbridge looked angrily between them before smoothing her dress and smiling, "You are quiet right. You should think about going into the Ministry after you've finished your education. Contracts perhaps."
Daphne smiled, "Thank you Professor, but if I were to go into the Ministry I would set my sights a little higher. I don't think my parents would be pleased with me having such a… base job."
Harry smirked as he walked away from a barely veiled fuming Umbridge.
"You know, you're not a bad kisser." Neville said, flopping down in one of the library chairs.
Malfoy shrugged, "It's in the Malfoy genes."
"You should of seen her face when she spotted you." Pansy laughed.
Harry grinned, and buried himself into his ever growing pile of homework. It didn't surprise any of them that within two days Educational Decree number Fifty Four have another clause added, stating that no public displays of affection were permitted on school grounds. Harry however would forever cherish the memory of there always being people kissing one another whenever Umbridge walked down a corridor, even if it only lasted two days.
Harry was generally having a good time annoying Umbridge without doing anything that could actually get him into trouble. The Quibbler article had been a huge success, everyone in Hogwarts had read it, Pansy had even caught Rodolphus reading a borrowed copy, tucked in the corner of the library. Every day he was overwhelmed with dozens of letters from people who had read the article and wanted to express their support, or tell him he was crazy, but thankful mostly the former.
Umbridge had of course come over to question him about the sudden rush of mail to which he had sweetly replied that she was welcome to read any of the letters she wished, since she already read the ones he got from home, and at least this way, his beloved Hedwig wouldn't be injured.
It had earned him another detention, for spreading malicious lies about a staff member but it had been worth it.
The next morning Harry was opening another stack of mail with Daphne, Draco and Pansy when Umbridge stomped over, slamming down a copy of the Quibbler, spread open to the page where Harry's article was, sending letters flying off the table.
"What is this?" Umbridge demanded.
"A copy of the Quibbler, Professor." Harry replied.
"I know that! Is it true? You gave this interview?" Umbridge snarled.
Harry took a deep breath and turned to face her, "Yes, Professor, I did."
"When?"
"During the last Hogsmead trip, Professor." Harry replied calmly, "I thought it was time to get my side of the story out."
"Well." Umbridge said, her voice trembling, "There will be no more Hogsmead trips for you Mr Potter. Clearly you cannot be trusted to properly represent the school."
"There is nothing in here about Hogwarts." Daphne pointed out, "Just Harry's personal experiences."
"Harry's lies." Umbridge spat, "You are banned from Hogsmead, fifty points from Slytherin and another week of detention, I think. Miss Greengrass, you too, since you seem so vocal on the issue."
By mid morning another Educational Decree graced the notice board in the entrance hall, banning the Quibbler, any student found with a copy would be immediately expelled.
"I can't believe she's managed to ban it so quickly." Pansy said, sprawled on the grass by the lake, the weather was finally warming enough that being outside didn't give you numb fingers.
"It's a good thing she did, though." Hermione said.
"Oh, don't get me wrong, it's brilliant." Pansy said, pushing herself up on her elbows, "But it is something to keep an eye one, there needs to be a hearing and everything to push through an Educational Decree and she managed it in less than six hours."
Hermione picked at the grass, "I hadn't thought of that."
"It just means that her power within the Ministry is firmly against us, and Harry." Daphne sighed, Umbridge had come out to check on them earlier, meaning Harry, Neville and Draco were stuck away from them, so they couldn't possibly considered 'in a group'.
"Were your parents consulted?" Hermione asked Pansy.
Pansy finished making her daisy chain and placed it on Hermione's mass of hair, "Nope. They've been sent to America for most of the year. Barely been consulted about anything since last summer."
Daphne checked her watch, "I'd best be getting going. Detention time."
She hauled herself to her feet and brushed the dirt off of her skirt. Harry saw her standing up and wondered over to join her.
They walked in silence towards Umbridge's office and knocked respectfully on the door.
"Come in." Called Umbridge.
They walked into the blinding pink office, Daphne glanced around and wrinkled her nose in disgust. Harry forced himself not to laugh at Daphne's reaction to the blindingly pink office.
"Do sit down." Umbridge smiled, "Tea?"
"No, thank you." Daphne said, sliding into one of the chairs.
"Has Mr Potter told you of my usual methods of detention?" Umbridge inquired.
Daphne nodded, "It's a little hard to miss, half the school is walking around bandaged lately."
Umbridge smiled again, "Well, I shall be doing things a little differently this evening. You see, it has become clear that you have deep affections for Mr Potter."
Daphne shifted in her seat, "I care for all of my friends."
"And you wish to protect him?" Professor Umbridge said patronisingly.
"Yes." Daphne said, "Of course I do."
"I see." Umbridge said, settling herself down at her desk, "You are a smart girl Mr Greengrass, you have a good family, it is unfortunate that you have fallen in with such a bad element. So I will attempt to show you what 'protecting' people like Mr Potter will do."
"What on earth are you talking about?" Daphne asked.
"You will be writing lines for me Miss Greengrass, and when you wish, you may leave. Mr Potter will take over for you." Professor Umbridge said simply.
"You can't be serious!" Harry said, getting too his feet.
"Sit down!" Daphne hissed, "Where is the quill, Professor?"
Professor Umbridge opened her desk draw and pulled out the strange, sharp quill. Daphne took it and pulled the nearest sheet of parchment towards her.
"And what will I be writing?" Daphne asked.
"Let us stick with Mr Potter's favourite, 'I must not tell lies.'." Professor Umbridge smiled, "Best handwriting Miss Greengrass."
Daphne hadn't had a detention with Umbridge yet, and although she had seen Harry's hand, as well as other students, but it was one thing to see it, another to feel the quill cutting into her own skin.
She gritted her teeth and wrote.
I must not tell lies
I must not tell lies
I must not tell lies
The words carved deeper and deeper with every time she wrote it, by the end of the evening there was a puddle of blood where Daphne's left hand was trembling on the desk. Professor Umbridge finished the last of her tea and biscuits, rubbing her fingers over the plate to rid them of crumbs before walking over and picking up Daphne's hand.
She ran her thumb over the wound, Daphne flinched,
"You didn't have to do this." Umbridge sighed, "You could of left."
Daphne glared at her, "Yes. And had my friend suffer in my stead."
Umbridge let out another exaggerated sigh, "I see. Well, I'll see you both tomorrow then."
Daphne stood up and wrapped her pristine white lace handkerchief around her hand before leaving the office with Harry.
"I've still got some of that Murtlap stuff left." Harry said, once they were well clear of Umbridge's office.
"Thank you." Daphne said, clutching at her hand.
"You should have let me take over." Harry said.
"Never." Daphne said strongly, turning to face him, "If I do that then she wins. She starts breaking us apart and we are stronger together. We have to stick by one another!"
"I know." Harry said, "I… I just… I hated seeing you suffer. You write a lot quicker than me."
Daphne smiled, "Yeah, I need to work on that."
"You were getting to her." Harry said, struggling to find the words that would make it OK, "Are you going to make it through the week?"
Daphne nodded, she gave the password and entered the common room, Draco and Pansy were already worriedly awaiting their return.
"Are you all right?" Pansy said, waving them over, "Oh Daph, your hand!"
Daphne forced a smile, "I'm fine."
Harry popped quickly upstairs and grabbed the Murtlap ointment from his trunk. Daphne unwrapped her hand and wiped away the blood before rubbing on a generous layer of ointment and covering it with a clean bandage.
"What about you Harry?" Draco asked.
Harry looked at them ashamed, "I'm fine. She didn't make me write anything."
"Why ever not?" Pansy asked.
Daphne explained Umbridge's terms to them, as Draco and Pansy looked at them in horror.
"That's awful." Draco said after a while, "She's… she's…"
Harry nodded in agreement, "And we're back tomorrow night."
"I'm going to get some sleep." Daphne said, "I'm tired."
She left her friends and crawled into her bed. The dorm was mercifully empty as she cradled her hand and tried not to think about the week to come.
When Daphne and Harry had, finally, finished their detentions; Harry had not written a single line, but it had left Daphne's hand very worse for wear.
Umbridge was furious, she had been sure that Daphne wouldn't be able to manage the whole week of carving into her hand and would hand the quill over to Harry. She hadn't. Umbridge sat in her office trying to think of a new plan for separating Harry and his little friends.