"That looks ghastly." Ginny said the next morning at the Great Hall. Jade bit into a piece of toast, letting Ginny sign her name into her foot cast.
"For one toe. Pomferey had me too many times at the emergency room to know that if it started with my toe it would be my foot and my entire leg next. It'll heal within a few days." Jade said. Hermione took a quill and signed it, handing it to Ron. After a few people, George handed it to Fred who gently shook his head.
"Sign it mate, it's not like you're telling her you love her in ink." George whispered.
"I'd really like it if you signed your name too Fred." Jade said. The group instead of Neville and Ron looked at Fred, trying to conceal their smiles. Fred inhaled a piece of his toast and coughed, hitting his chest.
"WEELY?" Fred asked with his mouth full and eyes wide. He coughed again and gained his composure back.
"I mean…really?" he asked, trying not to cough again. Jade nodded and he stood up, walking towards her. Ginny moved over, smiling at Hermione and Harry who grinned back. Ron continued to shovel enormous amounts of food into his mouth, not giving a care in the world what happened between anyone but him. Fred sat in front of Jade and dipped his quill in ink, starting to sign a get well wish on her foot cast.
"Ahem." Everyone turned to see Umbridge standing next to Fred and Jade with the clipboard on her hands. "Miss Longbottom, I'm very sorry for your foot." Umbridge started.
"Feel sorry for it or about it?" Fred joked. Umbridge only blinked, with a pleasant smile on her face.
"However yesterday's behavior will cost you a suspension from Hogwarts for at least one entire month." Umbridge said.
"Excuse me?" Jade asked.
"You get suspension for breaking your foot these days?" Ron asked. Everyone looked at him and he sank in his seat, sinking his teeth into a buttered muffin.
"Why am I getting a month's suspension for my foot? I said I wasn't drunk-"
"This is a matter of Educational Decree number 10…students caught violating the 9 inch rule will be subjected to punishments the High Inquisitor see fit." Umbridge said.
"Educational Decree? 9 inch rule? What is this about?" Jade asked.
"I feel a very bad appendage joke coming on." George said. Lee sputtered loudly and held in his laughter.
"Yesterday you were caught in the corridors with Draco Malfoy, making highly inappropriate physical sexual contact." Umbridge said. Jade's face immediately flooded with a wave of red as she stared at Umbridge. Immediately her blood pressure felt like it shot up to new medical heights. Fred knocked the ink bottle down, over Jade's robes.
"Sexual contact? With Malfoy?" he asked angrily, turning red.
"It wasn't…we weren't having sex." Jade croaked.
"How would you go about proving that Miss Longbottom?" Umbridge asked sweetly. Jade felt her stomach sinking every time she heard a word coming out of Umbridge's mouth.
"Well if you saw us, you would know, wouldn't you? Did you see us having sex?" Jade asked.
"I wouldn't know, I didn't see anything in the corridor you two had hidden yourselves in." Umbridge said.
"Then you can't prove anything!" Jade said.
"Well…I will give you a chance to prove me wrong then Miss Longbottom. Did you or did you not have physical contact with Mr. Malfoy?" Umbridge asked. Jade was stuck. She decided that she would put last night's disastrous memory out of her mind but Umbridge was the type to make you feel nostalgic.
"Yes but we weren't having sex." Jade said.
"So what were you both doing if you were not having…that?" Umbridge asked.
"This is so inappropriate. It's completely the wrong way to get about and-"
"I am the High Inquisitor and it is by law that you truthfully and completely answer all my questions. Failure to do so will try you at a Wizarding court of law. Now…shall I repeat my question Miss Longbottom?" Umbridge asked.
"W-We were snogging…but it was completely by accident, I would never-"
Fred got up and walked away, throwing the quill on the ground. Jade felt her head pounding and her throat constrict from the tears as she watched him walk away. Umbridge wrote something out and handed it to Jade.
"Be prepared to leave this evening. I will contact your parents to receive you tonight at Platform 9 ¾." She said, walking off with a nod. Jade looked at the note with her hand over her mouth, trying hard not to cry. She looked at everyone else who couldn't help but look disappointed. Taking her note, Jade excused herself and left the Great Hall, reserving her sobbing until she got to her dormitory.
Astoria wrapped her arms around Jade as she cried into the bed with her suitcases already packed. Everyone else had been at Hogsmeade, attending their first meeting for Defense Against Dark Arts. There was a knock on the door and McGonagall looked in. Her cheeks were flushed and a few pieces of her hair looked out of place.
"Miss Longbottom, you've been called early." McGonagall said, her fists clenched and her voice kept even.
"She doesn't go until another two hours! She needs to say goodbye to everyone-"
"It's useless to argue with me Miss Greengrass. Your parents are waiting downstairs." McGonagall said.
Astoria got off the bed, looking red faced. She started mouthing obscenities silently while gathering Jade's bags together. Jade slowly sat up and started wiping her face and tying her hair back. Her eyes, nose and upper lip were swollen and her dress wrinkled. After washing her face and blowing her nose, she wore a brown orange sweater and walked out of the dormitory with her bags.
"I swear Jade…when I get that fat pig cornered; I'm going to brand my family's emblem right on her fucking arse." Astoria said.
"I appreciate it a lot Ass." Jade said hoarsely.
Astoria rubbed her shoulder and gently pushed Jade's glasses back up to her face. They reached the entrance towards the Great Hall seeing Enid and Algie Longbottom standing there with Umbridge.
"Here are your discharge papers. You may come back exactly a month from now for an assessment." Umbridge said, holding the papers towards Jade. McGonagall walked forward and took the papers from Umbridge and folded them. She started moving Jade towards her parents who reached out and received her.
"What happened Jade? Is it true? What the Undersecretary says?" Enid asked.
"It was a misunderstanding." Jade croaked before breaking into silent tears again.
"Take them out of the castle." Umbridge said to Filch who grinned and grabbed Jade's suitcases.
"I'm afraid you're going to have to wait another more minute." A gentle voice called out. Everyone saw Dumbledore standing behind them. He walked towards Jade and put a hand on her shoulder. "Miss Longbottom won't be leaving her studies and friends behind for this month or any other month, I'm afraid." Dumbledore said. McGonagall, Jade and Astoria looked baffled but no one else took it harder than Umbridge.
"What is the meaning of this? You aren't allowed to do this!" Umbridge said.
"I must apologize and beg insistently to differ. Miss Longbottom is a student of Hogwarts and as Headmaster; I must keep her in this school." Dumbledore said.
"Her actions violated an Educational Decree! She must be punished!" Umbridge said.
"And so she shall. I believe the Head House of Gryffindor chooses Miss Longbottom's punishments. You shouldn't have put yourself through that trouble Professor." Dumbledore said with a small smile. Umbridge slowly turned to McGonagall with a rigid smile.
"Well Professor? Is Miss Longbottom's violation of an Educational Decree worthy of such punishment suggested by Professor Umbridge?" Dumbledore asked.
A form of relief spread across McGonagall's entire body. She eased up from the anger she was holding back and snapped back at Umbridge.
"I would have to disagree heavily, I'm afraid." McGonagall said, not looking too apologetic.
"Miss Longbottom's punishment should be two days of detention with Professor Flitwick. Go on Miss Greengrass, accompany Miss Longbottom back to her common room!" McGonagall said quickly. Astoria nearly jumped and slapped Filch's back.
"Close your mouth Filch! You heard the woman! Take everything back! Sorry for the scare Mum and Dad but you always knew how naughty she was!" Astoria said, grabbing Jade's arm. "Let's get the hell out of here!" Astoria hissed.
"Thank you Professor!" Jade squeaked as she was running off with Astoria. It didn't take them long until they reached the Gryffindor common room and started to unload Jade's things back.
"Can you imagine the nerve of that woman? Will you stop crying? You're staying, stop that!" Astoria said.
"I know but no one's going to change what my friends think about me! I never wanted to snog Malfoy. That was just a complete accident!" Jade said.
"Anyone who claims to be your friend will understand and know that you didn't mean to kiss the last thing even a mindless gnome would be ashamed of." Astoria said.
"Really?" Jade asked seeing Astoria nod.
"Absolutely. Now let's do something about my nails…it looks like a Blast Ended Skwert took a giant fart on them." She said.
After an hour, the Gryffindor common room started to fill back with students who were sharing sweets and playing with new inventions that the twins sold to them. Hermione walked through the door and saw Astoria and Jade sitting there in their pajamas, drying off their nails.
"I bought something back for you Jade." Hermione said, putting down a bag of assorted sweets from Honeydukes.
"Why did you have to do that Hermione?" Jade asked as Hermione sat down next to her, rubbing her back.
"Yeah! You could have got me one too!" Astoria said, faking outrage. Hermione sent her a pointed look.
"You know exactly why I didn't give you one!" Hermione said.
"Because I'm a Slytherin? That's real rich, Granger." Astoria said. Jade pushed Astoria off the bed and turned to Hermione grinning.
"She's just joking Hermione. I'm actually staying." Jade said. Hermione gasped and Astoria swiped the bag of sweets and started eating them on the floor.
"You're not joking are you?" Hermione asked. Jade gave a brief story of how Dumbledore intercepted Umbridge at the right moment.
"And you were only given detention for two days? That's wonderful!" Hermione said, hugging Jade tightly.
"I never thought I'd live to hear that." Astoria said from the floor. Ginny opened the door and walked in, freezing when she saw Jade.
"I thought you left!" Ginny said.
"You missed the fun! Dumbledore stuck a barbeque pit under Umbridge and she couldn't even smell the smoke of her extra crispy arse!" Astoria said.
"I don't understand! Does this mean you're staying?" Ginny asked.
"YES!" Jade said.
"It's a good thing those Bat Bogey hexes shoot out faster than your brain-what are you doing?" Astoria yelled when Ginny jumped on the bed, tackling Jade to the floor, screaming excitedly.