Hey, everyone! Finally! I am back! With another chapter! This isn't the
MOST exiting of all the chapters... but... bear with me! Love you all! Enjoy!
The next day, Crystal woke up early and recorded her dream in her dream diary for Divination. She had dreamt about being expelled for what she had said and she recorded the dream shakily. She'd never gotten in trouble before and she didn't expect to get in trouble because of voicing her opinions.
'Is every teacher in England like this?' she thought as she got ready for class. 'No, just that old bat Umbridge. I used to like Defense Against the Dark Arts... I should complain to Dumbledore. Yes, that's what I'll do. I won't be treated that way for something I didn't even do!'
She had decided. She went down to the Great Hall and spotted Dumbledore eating breakfast and chatting with McGonagall at the staff table. She marched up to the table, determined to speak her mind, but kept her cheery, polite tone.
"Professor Dumbledore, good morning." she greeted.
"Good morning, Crystal." he greeted
"Hey, Minerva!" she said, but remembered that McGonagall was to be treated with respect since she was her teacher now. "I mean, hey, Professor McGonagall."
"Hello, Crystal." McGonagall replied, rather annoyed.
Crystal glanced up and down the table, scanning for any sign of Umbridge. "Professor Dumbledore, I must speak with you immediately."
"Oh?" he asked, rather surprised. "What's troubling you?"
Crystal took a deep breath and began to explain. "You see, Professor, at my old school, my favorite subject was Defense Against the Dark Arts and... well... I was wondering if I could get another teacher."
Dumbledore paused. "Crystal, I am afraid there is only one Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
"One?!" Crystal asked incredulously. "Oh, yeah, England... different... But... Umbr -- Professor Umbridge gave me detention. For simply stating my opinion! I didn't disrupt class or anything! I just said my thoughts."
"Oh, yes, Potter told me that you'd gotten in trouble as well." McGonagall said. "You said you agreed with him, didn't you?" Crystal nodded. McGonagall lowered her voice. "Look, I'll tell you what I told Potter. Umbridge is from the Ministry of Magic and we know she is reporting to them. Do not stir up anything in her class. Just let it all go. Tread carefully around Dolores Umbridge."
Crystal paused, thinking. She sighed. "I suppose you're right. Pardon my misbehavior. I shouldn't have bothered you. I will go and apologize to her immediately." she said wearily. "Good day, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall."
"Good day, Crystal." they bid her.
She walked off and headed up for Umbridge's office. She knocked cautiously.
"Come in!" Umbridge simpered. Crystal poked her head in. "Oh, it's you." she said, her voice going flat now that she saw that she did not have to use manners to this student. She returned to marking papers. Crystal slowly entered.
"Good morning, Professor Umbridge." Crystal greeted. "Er, I would like to say that I am terribly sorry for the way I have acted. I had no right to speak up and tell things that shouldn't be said. You had every right and reason to give me detention and I apologize for my actions."
Umbridge considered this for a moment. Her lip curled. "Sucking up will not get you anywhere, Miss Summers. You still have detention."
"I'm not trying to deny that, Professor." Crystal said sincerely. "I just want to apologize and assure you that I will not act out in such a way ever again. I offer my apologies."
"I don't know what you think you can get by trying to get on my good side, but I assure you that it will do you no good." Umbridge told her.
"I am not trying to get anything, Professor, I merely offer my apologies." Crystal said.
"Honestly, who talks like that? 'Offer my apologies,' please!" Umbridge snorted. "I show no partiality in my teaching, Miss Summers, and sucking up will do you no good."
"Professor, I am not sucking up." Crystal told her.
"Good day, Miss Summers." Umbridge said bitterly and went back to her papers.
"Good day, Professor." Crystal said, and she left the office.
She went back up to the Common Room, her appetite gone.
"Mimbulus Mimbletonia." she said politely to the Fat Lady and the portrait swung open. She clambered through the portrait hole and slumped down on the couch next to Harry, who was busy making up dreams for his Divination dream diary.
"Hi, Harry." she said dispiritedly. Harry looked up to see who was addressing him -- it didn't sound like Crystal.
"Hey, Crystal." he said, wondering what was wrong.
She glanced over at Ron, who was busying himself with the same assignment as Harry.
"Hey, Ron." she greeted just as wearily as she had greeted Harry. Ron looked up as well, not really recognizing the voice.
"Oh, hi, Crystal." he greeted, primping his hair a little.
Harry finished his dream diary (in which he had written complete rubbish) and looked at Crystal. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Well," she hesitated, "I-I complained to Dumbledore about Umbridge and... nothing came of it... She's the only Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?! I can't believe that!"
"Wh-what did you tell him?" Harry asked, worried.
"Just that I wanted another teacher." she said. Harry sighed in relief. "And then, I, being the polite girl I am, went and apologized to Professor Toad-Face herself, and she lectured me about sucking up! Me!!"
"Well, that's Umbridge." Harry told her.
"Yeah, that's just her in her nature." Ron said. "Old hag doesn't have anything better to do than pick on nice girls." His face turned slightly red when he finished his sentence. "Don't sweat it, that's just what she does."
She smiled.
"Well," Harry said, shutting his dream diary, "that'll have to do. I've said I dreamed I was buying a new pair of shoes, she can't make anything weird out of that, can she?"
Crystal laughed. "Well, I don't know. Maybe your feet are going to get chomped off by a dragon when you go to get a new pair of shoes!" she joked.
Harry smiled. This girl had a sense of humor.
They suddenly realized the time and rushed off to the North Tower. Harry and Ron talked about Umbridge's detention sessions and Crystal listened. She noticed that Harry did not point out the fact that she didn't just assign him lines, the quills make you write in your own blood. She realized he probably had some testosterone/pride thing going on in his head, so she did not speak up.
"What did Umbridge sentence you, Crystal?" Ron asked.
"Er, helping Mr. Filch." she replied.
"Oh, rotten luck." Ron groaned. "How many times have I had to scrub the school trophies or clean out the bedpans in the Hospital Wing without using magic?!"
"Well, I'm used to that." she said simply.
"Whaddo you mean?" Harry asked, confused. He thought she said that she had a perfect record...
"Well, my parents used to make me clean all the time." she replied casually, as if it were a perfectly normal thing.
"Why?" Ron asked incredulously.
"Because they don't use magic." she told them simply. "They're Muggles."
Harry's and Ron's mouths dropped open.
"You're Muggle-born?!" Harry asked. "And you're dating Malfoy?!"
"Y-yeah..." she replied, oblivious to the circumstances.
"Does he know?" Harry asked.
"No." she said. "Does it matter?"
"Does it matter?!" Harry asked in amazement. "If you knew--"
But just then, they arrived at class and no more was said on the subject.
The day was full of work, but Crystal didn't care -- she loved it. Homework in Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures, and Astronomy. She went up to the common room to get some notes for her classes so she could study while she ate dinner. By the time she got back down to the Great Hall, Angelina had just finished yelling at Harry who yelled back:
"I'm in detention! D'you think I'd rather be stuck in a room with that old toad or playing Quidditch?!"
Crystal sat down next to Harry and greeted everyone; they greeted her.
"At least it's only lines, Harry," Hermione said to him. "It's not as if it's a dreadful punishment, really..."
It looked as though Harry was about to say something but stopped himself. Ron broke the silence by complaining about homework.
"I can't believe how much homework we've got." said Ron miserably.
"Well, why didn't you do it last night?" Hermione asked. "Where were you, anyway?"
"I was... I fancied a walk." Ron replied hesitantly.
The next few days passed slowly, stress and homework building up on them. One night, Crystal had been doing detention with Filch, and was on her way back to the Gryffindor common room, when she heard Harry and Ron talking at the top of the staircase.
"I wish I was going to be there." Harry said bitterly.
"Be where?" Crystal asked, rounding a corner and startling them.
"Crystal!" Ron exclaimed, startled. "Where'd you come from?!"
"Detention." she replied cheerfully. "With Mr. Filch, remember?"
"Oh, yeah." Ron recalled. "What did he make you do?"
"Scrub the school trophies." she replied just as happily. "I learned quite a lot of history from it." They raised an eyebrow -- who enjoys scrubbing trophies... with no magic?! "Say, Ron, why do you have your broomstick?" she asked. "Were you practicing Quidditch?"
"No, he thought he'd sweep the seventh floor for Filch out of the kindness of his heart." Harry mumbled sarcastically.
Crystal laughed. "Shut up. I was just wondering! You never know!" He laughed. She could take a joke -- rare.
"Are you trying out for the team, Ron?" she asked.
"Yeah, Keeper." he replied.
"Awesome." she said. "I'm so lucky because Mr. Filch is going to be busy on Friday, so I get to make up the detention another time! Meaning that I can try out for the team!"
"Oh." Ron said; just what he needed, another distraction at the tryouts.
"You nervous?" she asked.
"Yeah... kind of..." he replied, turning red.
"Don't be." she told him. "You'll do great. Just don't think about it." He smiled.
"Hey, Harry..." Ron began, looking at Harry's hand, "what's that on the back of your hand?"
"It's just a cut -- it's nothing -- it's--"
Ron grabbed Harry's forearm and examined his hand. He released him, looking sick.
"I thought you said she was giving you lines?"
Crystal gasped as she saw Harry's hand. She grabbed it and examined it. "Oh, no! Your poor hand! You're still putting up with this?!"
"Wh-what?" Ron chimed in, completely lost.
Crystal released Harry's hand and Harry explained all about the real detention experiences and the evil scalpel-like quill.
"The old hag!" Ron exclaimed in a whisper as they approached the Fat Lady. "She's sick! Go to McGonagall, say something!"
"No." Harry replied abruptly. "I'm not giving her the satisfaction of knowing she's got to me."
"Got to you? You can't let her get away with this!"
"I don't know how much power McGonagall's got over her."
"Dumbledore, then, tell Dumbledore!" Ron implored.
"No." Harry said flatly.
"Why not?" Ron asked.
"He's got enough on his mind." Harry said.
"Yeah, but... that's student abuse!" Crystal told him. "You can't just let her tear up your hand like that!"
"Are you going to give me the password or will I have to stay awake all night waiting for you to finish your conversation?" the Fat Lady asked, annoyed. Crystal apologized and gave the password. She parted from Ron and Harry in the common room and went upstairs to the girls' dormitory and went to bed.
Huzzah! Hope you liked the chapter! I've been having a bit of writer's block as of late... Also, the story will get better! It's a little boring now, but it'll pick up! Anyway, leave a nice review for me, okay? Thanks! Something wicked this way comes... Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban .::June 4th::.
The next day, Crystal woke up early and recorded her dream in her dream diary for Divination. She had dreamt about being expelled for what she had said and she recorded the dream shakily. She'd never gotten in trouble before and she didn't expect to get in trouble because of voicing her opinions.
'Is every teacher in England like this?' she thought as she got ready for class. 'No, just that old bat Umbridge. I used to like Defense Against the Dark Arts... I should complain to Dumbledore. Yes, that's what I'll do. I won't be treated that way for something I didn't even do!'
She had decided. She went down to the Great Hall and spotted Dumbledore eating breakfast and chatting with McGonagall at the staff table. She marched up to the table, determined to speak her mind, but kept her cheery, polite tone.
"Professor Dumbledore, good morning." she greeted.
"Good morning, Crystal." he greeted
"Hey, Minerva!" she said, but remembered that McGonagall was to be treated with respect since she was her teacher now. "I mean, hey, Professor McGonagall."
"Hello, Crystal." McGonagall replied, rather annoyed.
Crystal glanced up and down the table, scanning for any sign of Umbridge. "Professor Dumbledore, I must speak with you immediately."
"Oh?" he asked, rather surprised. "What's troubling you?"
Crystal took a deep breath and began to explain. "You see, Professor, at my old school, my favorite subject was Defense Against the Dark Arts and... well... I was wondering if I could get another teacher."
Dumbledore paused. "Crystal, I am afraid there is only one Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
"One?!" Crystal asked incredulously. "Oh, yeah, England... different... But... Umbr -- Professor Umbridge gave me detention. For simply stating my opinion! I didn't disrupt class or anything! I just said my thoughts."
"Oh, yes, Potter told me that you'd gotten in trouble as well." McGonagall said. "You said you agreed with him, didn't you?" Crystal nodded. McGonagall lowered her voice. "Look, I'll tell you what I told Potter. Umbridge is from the Ministry of Magic and we know she is reporting to them. Do not stir up anything in her class. Just let it all go. Tread carefully around Dolores Umbridge."
Crystal paused, thinking. She sighed. "I suppose you're right. Pardon my misbehavior. I shouldn't have bothered you. I will go and apologize to her immediately." she said wearily. "Good day, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall."
"Good day, Crystal." they bid her.
She walked off and headed up for Umbridge's office. She knocked cautiously.
"Come in!" Umbridge simpered. Crystal poked her head in. "Oh, it's you." she said, her voice going flat now that she saw that she did not have to use manners to this student. She returned to marking papers. Crystal slowly entered.
"Good morning, Professor Umbridge." Crystal greeted. "Er, I would like to say that I am terribly sorry for the way I have acted. I had no right to speak up and tell things that shouldn't be said. You had every right and reason to give me detention and I apologize for my actions."
Umbridge considered this for a moment. Her lip curled. "Sucking up will not get you anywhere, Miss Summers. You still have detention."
"I'm not trying to deny that, Professor." Crystal said sincerely. "I just want to apologize and assure you that I will not act out in such a way ever again. I offer my apologies."
"I don't know what you think you can get by trying to get on my good side, but I assure you that it will do you no good." Umbridge told her.
"I am not trying to get anything, Professor, I merely offer my apologies." Crystal said.
"Honestly, who talks like that? 'Offer my apologies,' please!" Umbridge snorted. "I show no partiality in my teaching, Miss Summers, and sucking up will do you no good."
"Professor, I am not sucking up." Crystal told her.
"Good day, Miss Summers." Umbridge said bitterly and went back to her papers.
"Good day, Professor." Crystal said, and she left the office.
She went back up to the Common Room, her appetite gone.
"Mimbulus Mimbletonia." she said politely to the Fat Lady and the portrait swung open. She clambered through the portrait hole and slumped down on the couch next to Harry, who was busy making up dreams for his Divination dream diary.
"Hi, Harry." she said dispiritedly. Harry looked up to see who was addressing him -- it didn't sound like Crystal.
"Hey, Crystal." he said, wondering what was wrong.
She glanced over at Ron, who was busying himself with the same assignment as Harry.
"Hey, Ron." she greeted just as wearily as she had greeted Harry. Ron looked up as well, not really recognizing the voice.
"Oh, hi, Crystal." he greeted, primping his hair a little.
Harry finished his dream diary (in which he had written complete rubbish) and looked at Crystal. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Well," she hesitated, "I-I complained to Dumbledore about Umbridge and... nothing came of it... She's the only Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?! I can't believe that!"
"Wh-what did you tell him?" Harry asked, worried.
"Just that I wanted another teacher." she said. Harry sighed in relief. "And then, I, being the polite girl I am, went and apologized to Professor Toad-Face herself, and she lectured me about sucking up! Me!!"
"Well, that's Umbridge." Harry told her.
"Yeah, that's just her in her nature." Ron said. "Old hag doesn't have anything better to do than pick on nice girls." His face turned slightly red when he finished his sentence. "Don't sweat it, that's just what she does."
She smiled.
"Well," Harry said, shutting his dream diary, "that'll have to do. I've said I dreamed I was buying a new pair of shoes, she can't make anything weird out of that, can she?"
Crystal laughed. "Well, I don't know. Maybe your feet are going to get chomped off by a dragon when you go to get a new pair of shoes!" she joked.
Harry smiled. This girl had a sense of humor.
They suddenly realized the time and rushed off to the North Tower. Harry and Ron talked about Umbridge's detention sessions and Crystal listened. She noticed that Harry did not point out the fact that she didn't just assign him lines, the quills make you write in your own blood. She realized he probably had some testosterone/pride thing going on in his head, so she did not speak up.
"What did Umbridge sentence you, Crystal?" Ron asked.
"Er, helping Mr. Filch." she replied.
"Oh, rotten luck." Ron groaned. "How many times have I had to scrub the school trophies or clean out the bedpans in the Hospital Wing without using magic?!"
"Well, I'm used to that." she said simply.
"Whaddo you mean?" Harry asked, confused. He thought she said that she had a perfect record...
"Well, my parents used to make me clean all the time." she replied casually, as if it were a perfectly normal thing.
"Why?" Ron asked incredulously.
"Because they don't use magic." she told them simply. "They're Muggles."
Harry's and Ron's mouths dropped open.
"You're Muggle-born?!" Harry asked. "And you're dating Malfoy?!"
"Y-yeah..." she replied, oblivious to the circumstances.
"Does he know?" Harry asked.
"No." she said. "Does it matter?"
"Does it matter?!" Harry asked in amazement. "If you knew--"
But just then, they arrived at class and no more was said on the subject.
The day was full of work, but Crystal didn't care -- she loved it. Homework in Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures, and Astronomy. She went up to the common room to get some notes for her classes so she could study while she ate dinner. By the time she got back down to the Great Hall, Angelina had just finished yelling at Harry who yelled back:
"I'm in detention! D'you think I'd rather be stuck in a room with that old toad or playing Quidditch?!"
Crystal sat down next to Harry and greeted everyone; they greeted her.
"At least it's only lines, Harry," Hermione said to him. "It's not as if it's a dreadful punishment, really..."
It looked as though Harry was about to say something but stopped himself. Ron broke the silence by complaining about homework.
"I can't believe how much homework we've got." said Ron miserably.
"Well, why didn't you do it last night?" Hermione asked. "Where were you, anyway?"
"I was... I fancied a walk." Ron replied hesitantly.
The next few days passed slowly, stress and homework building up on them. One night, Crystal had been doing detention with Filch, and was on her way back to the Gryffindor common room, when she heard Harry and Ron talking at the top of the staircase.
"I wish I was going to be there." Harry said bitterly.
"Be where?" Crystal asked, rounding a corner and startling them.
"Crystal!" Ron exclaimed, startled. "Where'd you come from?!"
"Detention." she replied cheerfully. "With Mr. Filch, remember?"
"Oh, yeah." Ron recalled. "What did he make you do?"
"Scrub the school trophies." she replied just as happily. "I learned quite a lot of history from it." They raised an eyebrow -- who enjoys scrubbing trophies... with no magic?! "Say, Ron, why do you have your broomstick?" she asked. "Were you practicing Quidditch?"
"No, he thought he'd sweep the seventh floor for Filch out of the kindness of his heart." Harry mumbled sarcastically.
Crystal laughed. "Shut up. I was just wondering! You never know!" He laughed. She could take a joke -- rare.
"Are you trying out for the team, Ron?" she asked.
"Yeah, Keeper." he replied.
"Awesome." she said. "I'm so lucky because Mr. Filch is going to be busy on Friday, so I get to make up the detention another time! Meaning that I can try out for the team!"
"Oh." Ron said; just what he needed, another distraction at the tryouts.
"You nervous?" she asked.
"Yeah... kind of..." he replied, turning red.
"Don't be." she told him. "You'll do great. Just don't think about it." He smiled.
"Hey, Harry..." Ron began, looking at Harry's hand, "what's that on the back of your hand?"
"It's just a cut -- it's nothing -- it's--"
Ron grabbed Harry's forearm and examined his hand. He released him, looking sick.
"I thought you said she was giving you lines?"
Crystal gasped as she saw Harry's hand. She grabbed it and examined it. "Oh, no! Your poor hand! You're still putting up with this?!"
"Wh-what?" Ron chimed in, completely lost.
Crystal released Harry's hand and Harry explained all about the real detention experiences and the evil scalpel-like quill.
"The old hag!" Ron exclaimed in a whisper as they approached the Fat Lady. "She's sick! Go to McGonagall, say something!"
"No." Harry replied abruptly. "I'm not giving her the satisfaction of knowing she's got to me."
"Got to you? You can't let her get away with this!"
"I don't know how much power McGonagall's got over her."
"Dumbledore, then, tell Dumbledore!" Ron implored.
"No." Harry said flatly.
"Why not?" Ron asked.
"He's got enough on his mind." Harry said.
"Yeah, but... that's student abuse!" Crystal told him. "You can't just let her tear up your hand like that!"
"Are you going to give me the password or will I have to stay awake all night waiting for you to finish your conversation?" the Fat Lady asked, annoyed. Crystal apologized and gave the password. She parted from Ron and Harry in the common room and went upstairs to the girls' dormitory and went to bed.
Huzzah! Hope you liked the chapter! I've been having a bit of writer's block as of late... Also, the story will get better! It's a little boring now, but it'll pick up! Anyway, leave a nice review for me, okay? Thanks! Something wicked this way comes... Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban .::June 4th::.