Chapter 47

The dragon took a deep breath. "Protego Aguamenti!" I said as it pelted me with a blast of fire. That was basically all the preparation I had done. I had invented a shield charm made out of water so that I could protect myself from fire. I may not have been getting burnt but it was very hot as there was fire all around me. I bent down and grabbed the egg at my feet. "Merlin! She must be burnt to a crisp!" I heard Bagman say as the crowd gasped. "There goes the Girl-Who-Lived." Well that's a bit far isn't it.

The dragon fire finally let up and I could see everyone again. "Oh! No, sorry folks I spoke to soon. She used a powerful kind of water shield charm. I wonder where she learned that as I have not heard of any shields like that currently in existence. Anyway, she appears to be completely fine." Duh! I was tempted to roll my eyes but instead I focused back on the dragon. It took a bit of concentration but I used my power over earth to bring up a big wall that separated me from the dragon.

"Wow! What kind of spell was that?! I've never seen such powerful magic from someone so young. This young witch is really pulling out some new tricks!" Bagman gasped as I walked towards the exit with the egg in my hand. "Anyway, the champion has the egg!" The crowd was going nuts and I saw the dragon keepers rushing over to contain my dragon.

Once Madam Pomfrey had checked me over, I came back outside for my score. Madam Maxime gave me a nine, Barty Crouch Sr gave me a ten as did McGonagall, and Ludo Bagman gave me an eight. There was an enormous amount of booing when I received a five from Karkaroff. I had a total of forty two points.

My friends then rushed up to me. "What were you thinking!" Hermione lectured. "Now people are going to be asking how you did those things!"

"Sorry Hermione. Next time a dragon tries to incinerate me, I'll let it." I said sarcastically.

"That's not what I meant!" She snapped. She then continued to lecture me while I was listening to Fleur face her dragon. Then she continued through Victor's turn. She finally stopped after Krum entered the first-aid tent and she went to watch Harry.

"So what's the count now Ron?" Neville asked.

"I believe the thinking-Joanne-is-dead count is now up to six." Ron answered.

"Six?! It can't be that high." I said. Victor and Fleur could obviously hear what we were saying as they were staring at us.

"One: When we thought you had been killed by the basilisk." Ron began. "Two: When you got attacked by a dementor and dropped from very high up."

"Three: In the graveyard when you got hit with the killing curse." Neville continued.

"Four: When you missed the portkey from the graveyard." George said.

"Five: When you were in that coma." Draco joined in.

"Six: Just now when we thought the dragon had barbecued you." Fred finished.

"Fine, I almost die a lot but I didn't get injured today. Also, number five doesn't count. I was in a coma, that's not the same thing!" I insisted.

"It's the same kind of thing." Ron argued. "Besides, if you want me to revise my list, I should add that time in first year when you got taken in the giant chess game. Then there was the time in second year when you actually got bitten by the basilisk."

"Fine, the list you have now is good! I just can't believe you're all keeping score and that time in first year was your fault! I wouldn't have gotten slashed by that huge chess-sword-thing if you had been paying attention!" I argued

"Sorry to butt into your conversation, but how in Merlins name are you still alive?!" A dumbfounded Krum asked me.

"A bunch of lucky coincidences and a few Phoenix tears." I replied after a moment of consideration.

"Luckee?! Vhy are ou doing so many dangerous theengs een the first place?" Fleur asked.

"Trying to save the world and being a general hero goes hand in hand with being one of Harry Potter's best friends." I explained. "The reason they think I die so much is because-"

"There are actually many reasons but we have narrow it down to the three main factors." Draco interrupted. "She likes to jump in front of dangerous things,"

"To protect people!" I objected.

"She attracts trouble," He continued.

"Okay, I'll give you that one." I admit.

"And she is harder to kill than an acromantula." He finished.

"That may be an exaggeration." I commented.

"It's not." Neville, Fred, George, and Draco said at the same time. I knew they wouldn't be saying that if they had actually met an acromantula. I saw Fleur and Krum start to look at me slightly more cautiously but there was a hint of respect there to.

Harry then came in holding his golden egg. He was uninjured this time so his score was considerably higher. He ended up with forty four points, which was the highest of everyone. I was second.

...

"Where are Hermione and Draco?" Ginny asked the next day at breakfast.

"In the Ravenclaw Library working on the thing for you-know-what." I told her. You-know-what is what we were calling the final showdown we were planing with Voldemort. Everyone had things that they needed to prepare.

Draco and Hermione were doing some serious things with runes because they were the only ones who took the subject. Now that the first task is over, they have time to work on it without worrying about Harry and I getting eaten by dragons.

"We should actually make a start on our thing Luna." Ginny said and Luna nodded.

"Do you want me to let you into my library as well?" I asked them.

"That would be great." Ginny said as she stood up. Harry suddenly jumped to his feet and we all looked at him in confusion. He blushed and sat back down. I frowned in question but then I saw Ginny smiling shyly at him.

Harry must have been staring at her again and her standing up knocked him out of his trance. It's happened before. I stood up to take them but then I saw Umbridge come over. "Where do you think that you are going?" She asked us.

"To the common room." I answered easily.

"But it is the middle of breakfast." She said. Umm, am I missing something.

"And I have finished." I said, confused.

"Students are not aloud to leave the hall unless they are dismissed." She said like she was talking to a small child.

"Since when?" I asked angrily.

"Don't talk back." She snapped. "It is a new educational decree, now sit back down." Ginny took her seat again.

"But we-" I protested.

"Detention!" She cut me off. "For undermining authority and talking out of turn. Be in my office at ten thirty." She walked away and I sat down with a scowl.

...

Once we were dismissed from breakfast, I took Ginny and Luna to the Ravenclaw LIbrary in a fowl mood. "What's wrong?" Hermione asked when I came in still wearing my scowl.

"Umbridge gave her a detention." Ginny answered for me.

"For what?" She demanded.

"For trying to leave breakfast early." I replied.

"She can't do that!" Hermione said, outraged.

"It's just one detention." Draco said.

"You're right I guess." I sighed. "Do any of you need help with your things?"

...

"Hey, what time is it?" I asked some time later.

"Ten twenty six." Draco told me.

"Oh, I have to go to my detention!" I said leaping to my feet and rushing out a door.

I walked into the pink office of Delores Umbridge. It was quite a change to Snape's previous decorations. The kitten-plates had been put on the newly painted shelves that used to hold jars of various pickled animal brains. She gestured to a chair that was positioned in front of a small desk.

"You will be writing lines for me today." She said placing a long piece of parchment and a blood quill in front to of me.

"This is a blood quill! You can't torture students with this." I yelled at her.

"I can do whatever I want and no filthy mudblood is going to say otherwise. Horrible magic thief!" She shrieked at me. "Now sit down and write."

I decided it would be best to do as I was told until I had enough proof to build a case against her. I couldn't fire her like I did Snape and Dumbledore because the minister would have a cow. I needed solid evidence. I picked up the quill. "Good." The toad said. "Now you will be writing: 'I must obey my betters'."

Hours went by and my hand felt like it would hurt less if it fell off. I got through many rolls of parchment. I looked up to see if I could stop but Umbridge just signaled for me to continue. I think she was making me hurt as much as she could while she could.

I'd like to think that I have a pretty good resistance to pain. I mean after all the things that have happened to me, little cuts should be nothing, right? Wrong. I was so wrong. At first it was okay, nothing compared to having all the bones in your arm shattered. However as the hours went on it quickly escalated.

Tears were streaming down my face as I started on another new piece of parchment. I wanted nothing more than to stop but I couldn't. I don't know how long it had been but I could only assume it was a long time as I was also very hungry.

...

Fred's POV

I hadn't seen Joanne the whole day. Her detention with umbridge started eight hours ago and she still wasn't back. She wasn't at lunch and dinner was in half an hour. I was starting to get very nervous. I heard a noise and saw Draco, Hermione, Ginny and Luna appear from the spot I knew was an entrance to the Ravenclaw Library.

"Where's Annie?" Hermione asked as her eyes scanned over all of us.

"She still hasn't come back from her detention." Harry answered.

"Still?! It's been eight hours!" Ginny said.

"I may not like Umbridge but she's still a teacher. She wouldn't hurt Annie, right?" Hermione said.

At that point the portrait hole opened and Joanne walked through with her hands in her pockets. She looked really grumpy. "That toad has got to go!" She growled as she plopped on the couch beside me.

"What did she make you do for eight hours?" Neville asked worriedly.

Joanne pulled her left hand out of her pocket and put it on the table. She winced as she moved it. It looked like she had dipped it in red paint. It took a moment for my eyes to register that it was actually blood and not paint. "She made me write lines non-stop with a blood quill." Annie said.

"That bitch!" I hissed. To say that I was very angry would be a huge understatement. How could anyone make a human do that FOR EIGHT HOURS! I gently took Joanne's hand in mine and examined it. I winced in sympathy. "We should get this cleaned up."

"What's a blood quill?" Harry asked.

"It's a dark magical torture device that writes in your blood." Ginny whispered in horror. Her face was slightly green.

"That can't be legal!" Hermione exclaimed.

"On the bright side, I think this is enough to get her fired." Annie said holding up a blood quill. "I swiped this when she wasn't looking."

...