Chapter VII
Detention With Dolores
Harry found a chance to talk with Blaise half an hour before he was supposed to go to his detention with Umbridge. His addition to the Slytherin Quidditch Team was agreed on to be kept a secret. The Slytherins knew that they wouldn't rat each other out, however, Urquhart believed that it would be best to keep the surprise until the day of the first match. The two were in the boys' dormitory, Harry all but dragging the taller teen into the room, his face blushing vividly.
He never noticed it before, but Blaise was muscular. His arms had definite muscles, and he looked more fit than any of the other boys, besides Crabbe and Goyle who looked to have a thick mixture of fat and muscles. "What's up Harry?" Blaise asked with a large smirk. "You're blushing like a virgin."
"I am a virgin," Harry babbled out before realizing what he said and gasped. "Don't' you dare," he muttered at Blaise, who laughed. He cleared his throat, but he couldn't stop blushing as he asked, "Uh Blaise… do you know stuff about, I don't know, uh working out?"
"Working out huh? Feeling underdeveloped there Harry?" Blaise asked, grinning. "Don't be, you're looking beautiful, boy."
"I—thank you," Harry blabbered. "But uh, I was just wondering if…" Merlin this is hard, he thought, why is this so hard? He cleared his throat and said quickly in one breath, "IWantToWorkOutSoICanGetABiggerAss!"
"What?" Blaise laughed and Harry's blush deepened. He felt as though his entire face was on fire. He stared at his feet and said, "I want to work out so I can get a bigger ass."
"Of course, I would help!" Blaise said, patting Harry's back. The smaller teen jumped and looked at him surprised, "Really?"
"Yeah, I got all you need," Blaise said. "I work out every morning, you see." He flexed his arms, showing off his bulging, developing biceps. "I started when I was fourteen, a cousin of mine from Italy got me hooked. Also the looks from the pretty boys too." He winked at Harry, who blushed. "Stand straight!" he ordered, and Harry jumped. His arms locked to the side of his body and his legs snapped together. Blaise hummed and he slowly circled around Harry, nodding to himself. "Robes off," he said. "I need to see as much as you're comfortable with."
Harry did so, blushing as he looked down at his clothes. They were mostly fitting, but they weren't form-fitting like the others. "Good thing you're going shopping with Pansy soon," Blaise joked. "You look cute, but I'm sure between her and me we'll make you an attractive god." He winked.
"I don't want that much attention," Harry said, "I hate it."
"Then a sexy prince," Blaise shrugged. "Or princess, whatever floats your boat. Now, Harry, you are small."
"Gee, thanks Zabini, I had no idea," Harry said sarcastically. "Ow! That's my butt you just slapped!"
"I know. I don't take sass," Blaise said. "Also I think I felt a bone. But you're not hopeless. Come here." He brought Harry to his bed and pulled out his trunk. "I'll show you how to use these after your detention, but these are what I use," he said and pulled out what looked like a very vivid purple muggle dumbbell. "I got a full set. Magical dumbbells! All American-Made," Blaise said with pride. "Those Americans go nuts for this, wish it would be more popular here too. Look!" He tapped his wand to the weight, and it glowed for a moment before the number 40 appeared. "It's forty Kilograms now, and because it's enchanted we get our results sooner. Quicker still if we take Protein potions."
He handed the weight to Harry, who grunted immediately, needing two hands to hold it. "Woah, heavy," he said. Blaise tapped it again and the weight became much more manageable. "Why do you even lift such heavy stuff?" he demanded.
"So I can carry all the big boys I want like they weigh nothing," Blaise said, shrugging, "And it makes me look hot. But look, the point is you can borrow these whenever you want. If you want, I'll help work out a routine you can follow. It wouldn't be the first time I did this, and it's fun."
"Thanks, cheer Blaise," Harry said, smiling.
"No probably, of course, I'll be focusing on more than your ass, though I can't wait to see that swell too," Blaise winked and laughed at Harry's blush. "Give me a day or two and I'll have something ready."
"Thanks again," Harry said. Blaise shrugged before looking back at his trunk, humming, a large grin gracing his face that Harry was sure wasn't one hundred percent innocent. He checked his watch and cursed, he had to go to Umbridge's. He waved Blaise goodbye and made his way to Umbridge's office on the third floor.
When he knocked on the door, she said, "Come in," in a sugary voice. He entered cautiously, looking around. He had known this office under three of its previous owners. He saw that, as with the other times, it changed and looked totally unrecognizable. The surfaces had all been draped in lacy covers and cloths. There were several vases full of dried flowers, each residing on its own doily, and on one of the walls was a collection of ornamental plates, each decorated with a large Technicolored kitten wearing a different bow around its neck. It was, without a doubt, the most disgusting thing Harry had ever seen in his life.
"Good evening, Mr. Potter."
Harry looked around. He had not noticed her at first because she was wearing a luridly flowered set of robes that blended only too well with the tablecloth on the desk behind her. Did they come in a set?
"Evening," he said stiffly.
"Well, sit down," she said, pointing toward a small table draped in lace beside which she had drawn up a straight-backed chair. A piece of blank parchment lay on the table, apparently waiting for him. Without a word, Harry sat down and immediately started in his bag for a quill. "Oh no need for that, you will be using a very special quill of mine," Umbridge said, giving Harry a think black quill with an unusually sharp point.
"I want you to write 'I must not tell lies,'" she told him softly.
"How many times?" Harry asked, with a creditable imitation of politeness.
"Oh, as long as it takes for the message to… sink in," Umbridge said sweetly. "Off you go."
She moved over to her desk, sat down, and bent over a stack of parchments that looked like essays for grading. Harry raised the sharp quill and then realized what he was missing. "You've not given me any ink."
"Oh, you won't need ink," Umbridge said with the merest suggestion of a laugh in her voice.
Harry placed the point of the quill on the paper and wrote: I must not tell lies.
He let out a gasp of pain. The words had appeared on the parchment in shining red ink. At the same time, the words appeared on the back of Harry's right hand, cut into his skin as though traced there by a scalpel—yet even as he stared at the shining cut, the skin healed over, leaving the place where it had been slightly redder than before but quite smooth. Harry looked up at Umbridge, who was watching him, her wide toad-like mouth stretched into a smile.
"Yes?"
"Nothing," Harry said quietly.
He looked back at the parchment, placed the quill upon it once more, wrote I must not tell lies, and felt the searing pain on the back of his hand for a second time; once again the words had been cut into his skin, once again they healed over seconds later.
She means to scar me, Harry thought. He didn't want to show her any weakness, and he could not see any way out of it currently. So on and on it went, Harry writing the words on the parchment, carving them into his own skin as he wrote with his own blood. Darkness fell outside Umbridge's window. Harry did not ask when he would be allowed to stop. He did not even check his watch. He knew she was watching him for signs of weakness and he was not going to give her the pleasure, even if he had to sit here all night, cutting open his own hand with this quill…
"Come here," she said, after what seemed like hours.
He stood up. His hand was stinging painfully. When he looked down at it he saw that the cut had healed, but that the skin there was red and raw. "Hand."
He extended it. She took it in her own. Harry repressed a shudder as she touched him with her thick, stubby fingers on which she wore a number of ugly old rings. Most likely fake.
"Tut, tut, I don't seem to have made much of an impression yet," she said smiling. "Well, we'll just have to try again tomorrow evening, won't we? You may go."
"I do not have detention tomorrow, ma'am," Harry corrected her automatically. 'You've only given me detention for today and that's it."
"Then you have detention for daring to correct me," Umbridge said, smiling sweetly. "In fact, I think you will have detention every night until my message sinks in."
Harry did not reply, instead, he just glared at her and picked up his bag. He already decided he would not come back to her office. She would have to drag him physically. He walked slowly up the corridor and then when he had turned the corner and was sure that she would not hear him, broke into a run.
It was well past midnight when Harry returned to the dungeons, and he was surprised to see both Theo and Daphnis waiting for him. "You weren't at dinner," Daphnis said, "did she keep you at detention this entire time?"
"Y-Yeah," Harry answered.
"We've managed to save you some food," Theo continued. "Draco took it out and wanted to wait for you, even if he told us otherwise." He waved his wand casually and a plate on their table started to steam, looking piping hot. "It was under a statis charm, should still be good," Theo said.
"Cheers, thank you," Harry said. He quickly moved to the table and started eating, Theo and Daphnis sitting across from him.
"What did she do?" Daphnis asked. "You were gone for hours."
Harry stopped eating and hesitated, using the food in his mouth as an excuse to delay answering. "Lines," he settled on.
"Just lines?" Daphnis pushed.
"Y-Yeah," Harry said. He reached for a roll only for Theo to grab his hand. The three stared at the red raw skin and Harry immediately panicked, pulling his arm roughly from Theo.
"What did she do?" Daphnis repeated.
"Just lines."
"Harry—"
"Just. Lines, Daphnis," Harry stressed.
"That does not look like just lines to me, Harry," Theo said. "If needed I will wake the others and they will get the truth from you." Harry swallowed and looked behind him towards the dormitories. Theo sighed and said, "Harry, please. If this is a stupid Gryffindor pride thing, you need to put that to the side. You're not strong if you stay quiet and take it."
"I told you. Just lines," Harry growled out.
"With what? A knife?" Daphnis demanded, slamming his fist on the table. "Damn it, Potter!"
"It was a quill!" Harry shouted back. "Okay? She had me write with one of her quills!"
"One of her—she gave you a quill?" Theo asked.
"Yeah! So?"
"Harry," Daphnis said in a stressed voice, "Describe the quill to me."
"Daph—"
"Describe it. Please."
Harry gave an irritated growl and said, "Fine. It was black with a sharp point. Happy?"
"And the ink was red?"
"I—how did you know?" Harry asked.
Both Daphnis and Theo shared a worried, horrified look. It was Theo who answered, "Because Umbridge is using an illegal object."
"What?"
"She used an illegal quill to torture you," Daphnis said. "What did she make you write? We have to tell Snape—" He started to grab Harry's hand but he pulled back.
"NO!" he yelled. "I'm not telling Snape!"
"Harry!" Daphnis screamed, "This is bigger than your hatred toward our Head of House! If she is using an illegal object to carve into your skin, what is stopping her from using it on a first year? Huh?"
Harry frowned, he didn't think of that. As much as he hated Snape, he didn't want to even start to think about what would happen if Umbridge gave a first-year detention. He looked down at his pained hand and sighed, "Okay," he said, sounding defeated. "We'll tell him."
"Thank you," Daphnis said, relieved. He held Harry's hand gently and smiled, "Thank you for getting over that Gryffindor pride. You'll be fine. Come on."
Harry confined himself to his fate as he allowed Daphnis to pull him away. He at least had the sense to grab the roll he was reaching for in the first place so he could have something to eat as the three made their way to Snape's office in the dungeons. Please be sleeping, please be sleeping, Harry mentally begged as they reached Snape's door. Theo knocked four times and then waited. Harry held his breath as nothing happened.
He thought they would walk away and was about to step back when the door opened and Snape wearing a black nightgown. He glared down at the three, his eyes immediately going to Harry. "What is the meaning of this, Potter?" he demanded.
"Sir, we need to talk," Daphnis said, holding Harry's hand up, the skin still red and raw. "Professor Umbridge made Harry write lines with a Blood-Quill for detention."
"Did she now? And what exactly did she make you write Potter?" Snape drawled, staring at the hand with a bored look on his face.
"I must not tell lies," Harry answered.
Snape hummed and stared at the hand, "Perhaps this will be a marvelous time for you to finally learn that, Potter."
"Sir," Daphnis said, "Please, you have to do something. What if a first-year gets detention from her? Even worse what if this scars Harry's hand? Blood-Quills are known to cause nerve damage along with scarring."
Snape opened the door further and stepped aside to allow the three in. "Sit Potter down, Mr. Greengrass. Mr. Nott, there is a healing balm in my cupboard, get it." He waved his hand and the cupboard opened. Theo immediately went to it while Daphnis brought Harry to Snape's desk. "Hand," Snape demanded, and Harry placed his hand on the desk. "You will tell me exactly what happened in her office, Potter, and try to keep your usual bravado out of it."
Harry was too tired to give the Potions Professor a harsh look. Instead, he explained everything with a tired look from his realization that he was writing in his blood, not wanting Umbridge to get the satisfaction of his pain and his last-minute additional detention. As he talked, Theo gave Snape the salve and the Potions Master rubbed it into the hand, the rawness going away almost instantly. "I'm not going to serve them, even if she has to drag me there." He finished.
"Good, you're not!" Daphnis said. He turned to Snape and said, "There has to be something you can do!"
"From my point of view, even if you are a deplorable teenager, the correction was not out of line," Snape said. "Any detentions she has given you tonight are unlawful and do not need to be served. However, in the future, I suggest you avoid any activities that would give her an excuse. That said, when you inevitably mess up and get detention from her, come to me and we shall examine its validity."
"I—yes sir," Harry said, not believing what he was hearing. Did Snape just offer to help?
"Good. Now, I will speak with Professor Umbridge on this matter. In the meantime, Potter, I suggest you keep your head down and focus on the only thing you are good for. Do not disappoint me in your first match."
Harry just stared at the man speechless. Did he seriously just help him out and told him to come to him for more help? He couldn't believe it. Theo and Daphnis thanked the man and he just nodded stiffly before disappearing behind a door Harry never noticed in the back. "What the fuck was that?" Harry demanded as they walked out. "Snape was nice to me!"
"Of course he was nice, he's your head of house now," Daphnis said, rolling his eyes. "And he's right, if she tries anything we will be going back to him, and you are not going to any of her detentions."
"I know I'm not I just said I won't," Harry said.
"Good," Daphnis grinned. "I would hate to break out the rope for you."
"Haha—wait rope?" Harry blinked. Daphnis just hummed and gave a huge stretch as he yawned. "It's almost one, let's go to bed. We'll all help you with the homework you missed in the morning, alright Harry?"
"Y-Yeah, thanks," Harry said. He looked behind his back to the retreating form of Snape's office and frowned. Snape was nice to him. He was going to help Harry out and outright encouraged him, even if it was a threat, to focus on Quidditch practice. It felt weird, too weird for Harry's taste.
A/N: I'm a bit far ahead so I'm gonna post twice this week! :D As always I love reading your comments, especially long ones! Question of the chapter: How do you think Harry and Draco will finally kiss?
Kat: Very intense game indeed ;p And Blaise is always helpful for a boy wanting to get bigger. As for updates, usually every Thursday however this time I'm updating twice a week for a bit because I am ahead and I want to get to a certain chapter for Christmas.
Ilpi: I did not overlook it, the tournament happened the day before the detention. Thank you for commenting!
Ryuzaki: They don't and it is funny. Just wait until Harry realizes. he's so fucked.
Zelena: It is nice that Harry is finally making real friends and getting his interests back!
Flowerchild: Just wait until they start actually flirting with each other.
HumorMe2: A Harry who stands for what he wants is a Harry who gets what he wants! Broomsticks and asses to boot ;p