Chapter 21
I Finally Snap
Valentine's Day came and went, me not really having fun because this time around Draco and I had to sneak around behind Harry's back. We even missed Madam Puddifoot's because that's where Harry was in his date with stupid Cho Chang!
But, we had fun nonetheless, we spent most of the day in the Forbidden Forest, Draco and I (one of us under the Invisibility Cloak, of course.) would sneak into Hogsmeade and buy a few bottles of Butterbeer at a time and bring them back to the hideaway to drink.
Turns out, Harry choked on his date. Apparently, Hermione wanted Harry to meet her in the Three Broomsticks at noon, and Harry told Chang and she got all pissed off as she stormed from the teashop (Madam Puddifoot's, ironically.).
I was still thinking about Scarlett's offer about joining the Death Eaters…it seemed…almost right, didn't it?
I turned to Draco one night after lessons and said "Scarlett wants me to join the Death Eaters with her."
Draco spun right to me "What!?" he snapped.
I repeated myself "You think I should?" I asked.
Draco snarled "No! Zimmerman's trying to get you to join her and turn evil, and that's exactly what the Dark Lord needs…you on his side. We'd might as well give him the wizard world!"
I looked down "We'd be putting Muggles in their place." I said.
Draco's eyes grew cold "No, Hannah. They don't put Muggles or Muggleborns in their place…they murder them, get rid of them all so the purebloods and the half-bloods rule the planet! And I know…very, very deep down, you love your Muggle relatives, no matter how abusive they are towards you. And besides, you remember that pact you made with Duff?"
I came to my senses then. Ivy, the pact…the fact that Voldemort, the bastard that started that organization orphaned me and sent me to live with those abusive Muggles in the first place.
"What was I thinking!?" I said, gripping my hair "I honestly considered joining Voldemort, oh, get a grip, Draco, it's just a name!" I snapped when Draco shuddered. "How dare Scarlett try to make me join him! He killed my parents!"
Draco smirked and kissed the top of my head "That's my girl." he said. "Duff will be happy to hear that you're finally seeing sense!"
I smirked "I guess I'd better tell Scarlett that I'm not joining him. The question is…when?"
…
When was the very next day. I saw Scarlett on my way from lunch down to Transfiguration.
"Scar!" I said happily, giving her a hug.
"Hey, girl, you give any thought to what I told you?" Scar asked me.
I nodded "I don't think I should." I said.
Scar scoffed, a look of shock clear in her face. "But, those Muggles, remember? You want to get back at them, don't you? And the spotlight! You'd never be compared to your brother again! And Mr Malfoy…he'll approve you for Draco if you joined the Dark Lord!"
I smirked. Not having to worry about dying at Lucius Malfoy's hand because I was dating Draco. And me…higher above the pedestal than Harry.
I blinked and shook my head, snapping me out of my trance "What am I thinking!? I'll never join the Dark Side! I'll never work for the bastard that killed my mum and dad! You'll have to kill me first!" I said before storming off "Good day to you, Zimmerman!" I finished, walking away before pausing and turning back "And if you really want to work for that bastard…don't bother speaking to me again, you traitor, I only talk to supporters of the Light Side!" I said before tossing my hair and walking away.
The last thing Scarlett Zimmerman said to me in a civil conversation was just as I was walking away.
"Don't make the same mistake as your parents, Potter."
…
That Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, I had had just about enough of Umbridge, and I thought it was all due time for me to ream her one in front of the whole class.
She was telling us about what we could do in the lines of Defence Against the Dark Arts when we left Hogwarts, depending on our mark.
"Some of you have marks high enough to go on to NEWT Defence, and some of you may wish to go on to become an Auror." she said, beaming to certain people. "While others who may have dreams of being an Auror-" she turned to Harry and I, who were sitting together and smiled sympathetically. "your dream may just as well end here."
I gaped, she was turning on Harry and I deliberately. I put my hand up.
"You had a question, Ms Potter?" Umbridge asked, smiling to me.
"Yes, why were you staring at Harry and I like we were the other's that were failing this course?" I asked.
Umbridge shook her head and Ivy took my sleeve "Don't start anything, Hannah, you know how bad my aunt can be."
"Ms Potter," Umbridge started "I see you are upset with the fact that you're failing my class-"
I went beet red, a mixture of hatred and anger.
"but if you do need help with understanding the reading, you have the responsibility to come in and see me."
I took a deep breath and stood up, Harry smirking. I knew I was good at DADA…all my previous teachers had said so.
"Well, apparently, I seem to have done well in my other years…but what reason would that be?" I asked, mimicking thought "Oh, yeah. Two reasons, a) I've actually been able to do the magic instead of putting the skills in bloody context and b) All my previous teachers have been quite competent enough to teach me well, whereas your nose is shoved so far up Fudge's ass-"
"Detention, Ms Potter!" Umbridge snapped "Tomorrow night, my office." she said.
"And another thing," I started again, livid enough to burn something "don't we have the right to secrecy about our marks? You pretty much violated my rights when you told the entire class I was failing!" I said.
"Ms. Potter. You. Have. Already. Gotten. Yourself. A. Detention. Don't. Make. Things. Worse. For. Yourself." Umbridge said, enunciating every syllable in her words.
I slammed closed my book and shoved it in my book bag and turned to walk out "You'll get your payback one day, Umbridge." I said, turning back to her just as I was walking out the door "Don't think I can't report you to Professor Dumbledore about what you do for detentions." I half growled before storming out, slamming the door behind me with a loud WHAM.
I stormed off to the library and slouched into the corner. Detention with Umbitch…that was definitely going to be fun.
What was she going to make me engrave onto my arm? "I must not be right"? "I must not chew out a teacher when she deserves it"? "I must not have rights"? (A/N: What do you think Umbitch should make Hannah write into herself? REVIEW IT, PLEASE!)
…
I ranted and raved over how Umbridge was being unfair that night in the Forest with Draco.
"SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO KEEP MY MARK A SECRET, AND SHE PRETTY MUCH TOLD THE ENTIRE BLOODY CLASS THAT I WAS FAILING, WHICH ISN'T TRUE!" I shouted before slumping down onto the stump Draco first kissed me on.
"Calm down, Hannah." Draco said, wrapping his arms around me "Granted, Umbridge had what was coming to her, but you really shouldn't have brought the Minister into it."
I glared at him "If you're asking for a punch in the head, you're saying all the right stuff right now." I snapped.
"Sorry, bad timing." Draco said, taking hold of my hands. "So, what does Umbridge do for detentions?"
I told him what happened with Harry and Ivy and Draco gaped.
"She does that?!" he asked "And you're positive that's going to happen to you?"
I nodded "Yeah. It'll probably leave a scar, too."
Draco smirked and kissed my left hand…the one that was going to be cut open the next night in Umbridge's detention. "It wouldn't be the first time you scarred yourself." Draco said.
I smirked and hugged him " I don't know whether to kiss you right now for trying to be helpful, or punch your lights out for saying the wrong thing." I said, yawning (twenty straight minutes of ranting and raving myself into tears, and a half hour of crying really took its toll.)
Draco rolled his eyes, wrapping the Invisibility Cloak around himself before picking me up. "Bed." he said before carrying me up to the castle, my head on his shoulder as my eyes drooped closed.
Draco smirked at me and started singing what was (and still is) then known as his lullaby (Harry rarely used it.), and before I knew it, I was out cold, the only feeling I was able to have was Draco lying me into my bed, wrapping me under the blanket and kissing my forehead. And I swear I thought I heard him singing the chorus to Safe and Sound:
"Just close your eyes, the sun is going down, you'll be all right, no one can hurt you now, come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound."
