disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just Arabella and her story. I hope you all like it!
Blood Ink
When Arabella entered the room, she was met with a frightened looking Harry, mouthing something at her. She didn't quite catch what he was saying and certainly did not want to ask him about in front of Umbridge, who was watching her very carefully.
"Good evening, Miss Black," Umbridge said in a lacy, sweet voice. "You may have a seat."
Umbridge pointed at the small desk next to Harry's. There was about a couple feet between them. Lace was draped over the table with a blank parchment upon it. Arabella sat down and looked over at Harry for a moment. He gave her a look of warning, confusing her. It looked like he was writing lines but she could not make out the words on the parchment. She then looked around the room quickly, noting how different the room looked as compared to her predecessors. The room looked childish, certainly not fit for a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
"Now, Miss Black," said Umbridge, "you're going to be writing some lines for me." She was smiling down at Arabella with her head tiled to the side, as though waiting for her to react when she said, "You'll be using a rather special quill of mine."
Arabella took the quill from Umbridge's outstretched hand. It was a usual quill with a sharp point.
"I want you to write 'I must obey authority'," Umbridge said silkily.
Arabella clenched her jaw and gritted out, "How many times?"
"As long as it takes for the message to sink in, Miss Black," said Umbridge, smiling. "You will not be needing any ink. Off you go."
Arabella bent over her parchment, rolled her eyes and wrote: I must obey authority.
Arabella winced as she felt a sharp pain on the back of her right hand. She dropped her quill and stared at the back of her hand. Those words appeared on the back of her hand, but the skin healed over, leaving the back of her hand looking red and shiny. Arabella clenched her hand and felt a shooting pain. She felt breathless at that moment, staring at her hand in disbelief and then at the parchment. She was writing in her own blood. How could she…
Arabella looked up at Umbridge, who was watching her with a stretched-out smile that made her look even more like a toad. Arabella remembered that people in her second year were terrified of Slytherin's monster roaming the school. Umbridge was a different kind of monster. Arabella's heart began to race and there was a lump in her throat.
"Yes?" asked Umbridge.
"You can't do this," whispered Arabella, her eyes now glossy.
"Oh, dear, you see the thing is, I can," Umbridge said sweetly. She was acting as though she was explaining the situation to a child. "Miss Black, you can try and tell the headmaster what happened here tonight. He will inform the Minister and there will be a hearing, no doubt. But who do you think Cornelius Fudge will believe? I am his most loyal and devoted employee. He places a great deal of trust upon me. You, on the other hand, Miss Black, are a severely troubled young lady who spreads vicious lies and lashes out at poor, innocent young students. I am trying to teach you a lesson, Miss Black, and I do hope you see the error of your ways soon before you face anymore consequences. Continue, dear."
Arabella gapped at her and then turned towards Harry. She could tell that his rage was slowly rising. His jaws were locked and his hands trembling. There was a murderous glare on his face that she had never seen before. She didn't know what to do. She had never felt so defeated before in her life.
"Mr. Potter, continue with your detention," said Umbridge, loosing the sweetness in her voice. "I will not tell you again." She then looked at Arabella and said, "I will keep you here longer if you do not listen, Miss Black."
Slowly, Arabella picked up the quill, placed it on the parchment, and wrote I must obey authority. The pain returned and her skin healed over. She wrote the words again and again. Her hand began trembling and her body felt cold. She kept going, the words cutting on the back of her hand, healing, and then reappearing in seconds. She could see darkness fall outside Umbridge's window. Nobody said anything for hours. Arabella didn't ask what time it was or how much longer she had. She didn't want to show any weakness in front of Umbridge.
"Come here, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said quietly.
Harry stood up and walked over to Umbridge, showing her his hand. She took it in her own and touched it with one of her short fingers.
"Tut, tut, I don't seem to have made much of an impression yet. Well, we'll just have to try again tomorrow evening, won't we? You may go. Not you, Miss Black," she added, noticing the slight look of relief on Arabella's face. "Your detention is not yet done."
Arabella stared at Umbridge, angry for showing any form of emotion. Umbridge was a vulture. A nasty, disgusting vulture. She made a mistake and she wasn't going to do it again. Harry looked at Arabella and stood rooted in his spot, unwilling to leave her behind.
"Mr. Potter, you may leave," Umbridge said pointedly. When Harry didn't move, Umbridge looked between him and Arabella before smiling. "You are disrupting Miss Black's detention. I will have no choice but to keep her here longer in order to ensure that she understands her punishment."
Harry had no choice but to leave Umbridge's office. If he didn't, Arabella would be forced to stay longer until Umbridge decided to let her go. Harry left the office without a word and Arabella returned back to her parchment. I must obey authority. I must obey authority. I must obey authority.
She didn't know how many hours had passed. All she knew was the searing pain on the back of her hand, followed by her skin healing…
"Let us see," Umbridge said quietly.
She stood up, walked around her desk and took Arabella's hand into her own. The skin on the back of Arabella's hand was red raw and Umbridge probed it with a stubby finger. There was an odd look of satisfaction that overcame her face. She was proud. She was victorious.
"Well, well, we shall continue tomorrow, Miss Black," said Umbridge. "We have to let the message sink in. You may leave."
Arabella quickly left the office. The school was deserted and strangely eerily. It was well past midnight and once she turned the corner, Arabella broke off into a run until she reached the Gryffindor common room. It was near empty, except for the figure sitting next to the fireplace. Harry looked pale and tired. From where she stood, she could see a thin layer of sweat covering his face.
"Arabella," Harry said in a hushed voice, standing up immediately.
"She can't do this," chocked Arabella, tears welling up in her eyes. "She can't – how – how – how is this happening? We told the truth. We told the truth and we're being punished. Why are we being punished!"
She let out a cry and knocked over an armchair. She covered her face with her hands and began sobbing. Her whole body was shaking and she couldn't stop. She had been looking forward to returning back to Hogwarts, but her excitement had been gone to waste. Ever since she came back, she's been met with whispers, stares and this new professor. She told the truth and she was being punished for it.
Harry immediately reached out and pulled Arabella into a tight embrace. She grabbed a hold of his robes, never wanting to let go. She had never felt to vulnerable and so unsafe. Hogwarts was like a second home and it seemed to have turned its back on her.
Once she had calmed down and began to take deep breaths, she sat down on the couch next to Harry, staring at the fire. They had both agreed that they were not going to tell anyone about the detention. They were not going to tell Dumbledore or McGonagall or anybody about it. They weren't going to show that Umbridge had any power or hold over them. Their agreement did not make them feel any better. Harry was furious with Umbridge and how she managed to get a job at Hogwarts. Arabella was exhausted and weak. It seemed as though something was going on everyday. She stared at her skin for a while. It was red and tender. She probed it a couple times until Harry took her hand, stopping herself from any further damage.
"I'm going to stay down here for a while," Arabella mumbled, taking out her bag from the corner. "Try to get some stuff done."
"I'll stay," Harry said quickly. "I should get started on that dream diary."
They ended up not getting much done. In fact, they both passed out in front of the fire within an hour. Arabella was curled up on her favourite armchair while Harry took the couch. She used her robes as a blanket and her dream diary as a poor substitute for a pillow. They were woken up early the next morning by Ron, who was shaking them both awake.
"How long you both been down here?" asked Ron, dropping his bag on the table.
"Sometime after midnight," Harry muttered, rubbing his eyes.
"Did you finish your dream diary? Trying to figure out what to write, I can never remember my dreams."
Arabella yawned and stretched her arms. "What time is it?"
"Almost eight-thirty," said Ron. "But we need to get something done for Trelawney."
"How come you didn't do it last night?" Harry asked him, sitting up.
"I was busy," Ron said aloofly. "Doing other stuff."
"Yeah, like what?" yawned Arabella.
"Stuff," muttered Ron, taking out his diary.
They skipped breakfast and began scribbling down a couple made up dreams. Arabella's stomach growled loudly and she moaned, wanting nothing more than to walk down to the Great Hall and fill her stomach with warm food.
"That'll have to do," said Harry, shoving his diary in his bag. "I've said I dreamed I was buying a new pair of socks, she can't make anything weird out of that, can she?"
"It's Trelawney, mate," said Ron as they set off to North Tower. "She'll probably say that you're buying your own murder weapon."
"Death by socks?" sad Arabella.
"The only way to go out," said Ron, shrugging. "How was detention with Umbridge, anyway? What did she make you do?"
Harry and Arabella looked at each other before Harry said, "Lines."
"That's not too bad, then, eh?"
"Nope," said Arabella, sighing.
"Did she let you off for Friday?"
"No," said Harry.
Ron groaned.
The day dragged on. Though Arabella managed to vanish her snail during Transfiguration, that did not stop McGonagall from giving them more homework. During lunch she was frantically trying to draw a bowtruckle from memory while ingesting potatoes. By the end of the day, her pile of homework doubled and she still had detention with Umbridge. During dinner Angelina tracked them down and yelled at them for not committing more time for the team and that she did not like their attitudes.
"I'm in detention!" Harry yelled after her. "D'you think we'd rather be stuck in a room with that old toad or playing Quidditch?"
"At least it's only lines," Hermione said reassuringly. "It's not as if it's a dreadful punishment, really…"
Arabella placed her fork down and pushed her sausages away, losing her appetite. She did not want to tell Hermione and Ron the truth of her detentions. Seeing their reactions would make the whole thing seem worse and more difficult to face.
The second detention was just as bad as the first one. The skin on the back of Arabella's had irritated her and became red more quickly than before. I must obey authority, she wrote over and over again. Her skin burned and Arabella had a feeling that Umbridge wanted those words gashed onto her skin permanently. She tired to think of other things during this time, but it was hard to concentrate on what Ron could be hiding from them or her homework pile when her skin was inflamed. Once she was done and allowed to leave, Arabella headed back to the common room and forced herself to finish some of her homework. She ended up spending another night in the common room, trying to finish Snape's essay on moonstones, Grubbly-Plank's paper on the proper handling of bowtruckles, and McGonagall's vanishing questions.
Thursday seemed to be terrible for everyone. During breakfast, Arabella moved slowly, barely able to chew on her toast. Ron seemed sleepy as well, though Arabella didn't understand why. She didn't ask, feeling as though she was going to pass out at any moment. Lessons seemed to have dragged out unnecessarily. Binns was more boring than usual, causing Harry to place his head on the desk and fall asleep in seconds. Snape, however, kept them busy until the very end, making them produce another batch of the Draught of Peace from memory. Divinations proved to be a train wreck with Arabella being forced to listen to Neville's nightmares while Defense Against the Dark Arts was pathetic. They were required to re-read the first chapter. It took Arabella a while to figure out that she read the same page five times.
Arabella's third detention came after dinner. She entered the office and mumbled a 'Good evening,' before taking a seat. Harry looked up at her as she entered but didn't say anything. Both of them never said a word to each other during detention. I must obey authority. After two hours of writing those words, her skin no longer healed over. The words were now scratched there, oozing little droplets of blood. She immediately felt light-headed. The scars on her arms opened and Arabella took a second to compose herself. Her heart was beating wildly and she felt breathless. She had never felt this sensation in years. Her scars have opened before, yes, but this was different.
"Is there a problem, Miss Black?" Umbridge said softly, moving around her desk to examine her.
"No," Arabella said in a hush voice. "No, I'm fine."
Umbridge took Arabella's hand and examined it closely. Her smile widened at the sight of I must obey authority scratched onto Arabella's skin.
"Ah. Good. That ought to serve as a reminder to you, oughtn't it? You may leave for tonight. I shall see you tomorrow, Miss Black."
Arabella mumbled a farewell and quickly left her office. She quickly made her way down the corridor and turned the corner, expecting to see Harry in their usual spot. He usually waited for her during their detention and they would walk back to the Gryffindor common room together. But this time, Ron was standing with Harry, his Cleansweep Eleven clutched in his hands.
"Ron?"
He marched towards her with determination and Arabella backed away, alarmed.
"What's going on?" she asked, looking between Ron and Harry.
"Let me see your hand," Ron said shortly. It was more of a command than anything else.
"What? Why?"
"Arabella, let me see your hand."
"No," said Arabella, an edge in her tone. She then glanced at Harry and said, "Just – just leave it alone – it's nothing –"
"Rubbish," snapped Ron.
He then grabbed Arabella's forearm and pulled the back of her hand until it was at his eye level. There was a pause and Arabella felt her heart stop beating. Ron, who was prone to outbursts, was eerily silent as he released Arabella's hand. He looked sick and disgusted.
"I thought you said she was just giving you line?"
Arabella and Harry looked at each other, hesitating, before telling him everything.
"That old hag!" Ron whispered, revolted. "She's sick! Go to McGonagall, say something!"
"No," Arabella said quietly. "We can't."
"What?"
"We can't give her the satisfaction that she's gotten to us," said Harry.
"Gotten to us?" said Ron, angry and confused. "This isn't some sort of game, mate. This is your own skin. You can't just let her get away with this!"
They came to a halt in front of the Fat Lady, who was dozing peacefully with her head against her frame.
"I don't know how much power McGonagall's got over her," said Harry.
"Not much considering she's a Ministry employee," said Arabella.
"Dumbledore, then, tell Dumbledore!" said Ron.
"No," Harry said flatly. "He's got enough on his mind."
"Well, I reckon you should –"
"Are you going to give me the password or will I have to stay awake all night waiting for you to finish your conversation?"
Arabella quickly gave the Fat Lady the password and practically ran up the stairs towards the girls' dormitory. Thankfully Hermione, Parvati and Lavender weren't there. Arabella shut the door and quickly took of her robes and then her shirt. Her scars were open and there was dried blood on her skin. There was a small lump in her throat and Arabella walked over to the bathroom, a bit unsteady. She turned on the hot water and waited for the tub to fill up. She let out a sigh of relief the moment her arms were submerged under water. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting bliss wash over her. Her first week back was a disaster. She was tired of waiting things to get better. At this rate, this was going to be her worst year yet.
She washed the blood off her skin and headed back to the beds. The moment she took out a towel, the door opened and Hermione came in, looking slightly flustered.
"Rounds today with Pansy Parkinson was a complete nightmare," Hermione huffed, dropping her bag on her bed. "At least I had Padma to talk to, but Pansy was down right terrible. She kept complaining the whole time and when we had to split up, I got terrified of the thought of walking with her. I felt bad for Ernie, but at least – at least –"
She trailed off, watching Arabella apply some medicine on her cuts. Arabella looked up and said, "At least it wasn't you?"
But Hermione didn't answer. She kept staring at Arabella, but Arabella could not tell at what in particular. Arabella continued on, applying more medicine on her arms and resisting the temptation to scratch her wounds. Once she got out some bandages, Hermione said, in a small voice, "What's that?"
Arabella froze. She looked down at the back of her hand and clenched. "What's what?"
She picked up the bandages and turned around to look at Hermione, who quickly walked over to Arabella and grabbed her hand. Hermione stared at the words for a very long time. Arabella didn't have the heart to say anything. She just stood there, fidgeting, as Hermione stared at the words. She went from confusion to sadness within seconds.
"What… what happened?" Hermione said in a hushed voice, her eyes now watering.
"Umbridge."
And Arabella told her everything that happened during her and Harry's detention. She watched as Hermione's face turned from sorrow to pure fury. Hermione didn't say anything, even after Arabella was done. Her lips were in a thin line that was reminiscent of McGonagall's and she turned around, changing into her pajamas in a quick rage.
"O – okay," muttered Arabella. "Is everything all right, Hermione?"
"No," Hermione said shortly with a huff. "If she thinks she can get away with hurting my friends then she is seriously mistaken."
Arabella raised her eyebrows, a hint of a smile on her face. "What are you going to do to her?"
Hermione looked even more angry, if it were possible. "I don't know. I'm going to think of something that will hurt her. She can't get away with this and I will not allow her to do so. First, she teaches us rubbish during our O.W.L. year and now she does this? Not on my watch."
She went to be restlessly, hitting her pillow every so often. Arabella watched her for a moment before smiling. In the years she has known Hermione, she's set fire to Snape's robes, blackmailed Rita Skeeter and slapped Malfoy. Umbridge had better watch out.
Friday finally came and Arabella was slightly relieved. It was her final day of detention with Umbridge and it was close to the weekend. She had made a promise to herself and Hermione that she would work on her pile of homework over the weekend and she seriously needed to get it out of the way. The pile seemed to have doubled and she was in danger of failing some of her assignments if she didn't get started soon. She just needed to get her detention over with.
As she made her way over to Umbridge's office, she had never felt more terrible. Today was the Keeper tryouts and she was going to miss Ron's tryout. She's seen him fly before and he's brilliant. He was nervous telling her about it this morning and she was thrilled at the thought of him joining the team. She wanted to be there so badly. She thought of ditching this last detention but knew that Umbridge would give her another two or three weeks for not obeying her authority.
She knocked on the office door and entered. She was greeted with Umbridge's smile and the blank parchment. Harry looked over at her as she sat down and picked up the quill.
"You know what to do, Miss Black," Umbridge said sweetly.
Arabella inhaled sharply and put the quill to the parchment.
I must obey authority.
The cut opened and fresh new blood began trickling down her wrist.
I must obey authority.
The cut dug deeper. It began to itch and sting.
I must obey authority.
I must obey authority.
I must obey authority.
The parchment now shined with Arabella's blood. She took a couple deep breaths in between lines and put her left elbow on her table to keep her head up. Umbridge watched her with sharp eyes.
"Mr. Potter," Umbridge said softly after night had fallen, "let's see if you've gotten the message yet, shall we?"
Harry moved around her desk and stuck his hand out towards her. She examined it closely with one of her short fingers, a look of satisfaction overcoming her. He wrenched his arm out of her grip and stared at her.
"Yes, it hurts, doesn't it?" said Umbridge, her smile stretching. "Well, I think I've made my point, Mr. Potter. You may go."
Harry quickly left the room. Arabella turned back to her lines. She knew the deal and she kept working on it for another half an hour. She imagined scenarios where she would jam the quill into Umbridge's eye sockets or turning into her Animagus form and scratching Umbridge's face. By the time Umbridge moved around her desk, Arabella was tired and dizzy. Umbridge examined her hand, the tip of her finger grazing over I must obey authority.
"Now, what are you going to do, Miss Black?"
Arabella hesitated for a moment, glancing at her hand before saying, "Obey authority."
"Exactly," whispered Umbridge. "You may leave."
Arabella got out of Umbridge's office quickly. She met Harry around the corner and they quickly made their way back to the Gryffindor common room.
"Listen, something happened back there," began Harry as they climbed onto the seventh floor.
"Yeah, cutting our hands again," mumbled Arabella.
"No, something else. When Umbridge touched my hand… it was strange. My scar began hurting."
Arabella stopped in the middle of the corridor. "What? How?"
"I don't know," whispered Harry. "What if Voldemort's controlling her like he did with Quirrell?"
"I don't… I don't think so," Arabella said slowly as she began walking. "With Quirrell, Voldemort was in the back of his head, controlling him all the time. It's different now. He has a proper functioning body."
"But it's possible," pressed Harry. "Why else would my scar hurt?"
"I don't know," said Arabella. "It could be a coincidence. Maybe Voldemort was feeling something right at that time. It might have nothing to do with Umbridge. She's evil and twisted all on her own. She doesn't need Voldemort for that. Mimbulus mimbletonia."
The common room roared immediately. Ron came forward, beaming with butterbeer soloing everywhere.
"I did it! I'm in! I'm Keeper!"
"What? Brilliant!" said Harry, smiling.
"Congrats, Ron!" said Arabella, clapping him on the back.
"Here, have a butterbeer," said Ron, passing them some bottles. "I can't believe it – where's Hermione gone?"
"She's there," said Fred, pointing to an armchair by the fire. Hermione was dozing in it, her drink tipping in her hand.
"Well, she said she was pleased when I told her," said Ron, looking a little put out.
"Let her sleep," George said hastily.
Several first years around them seemed to have recent nosebleeds. Arabella looked at George, her eyebrows raised. He shrugged and looked away, taking a sip of his butterbeer.
"Come here, Ron," called Katie Bell. "Let's see if Oliver's old robes fit you. We can take off his name and put yours on instead…"
Arabella retired early that night. The moment she laid down on her bed, she was completely out. Though she did wake up early the next morning, it felt as though she had slept for hours, finally catching up. She felt refreshed and energized. It was the weekend and she didn't have anymore detentions with Umbridge. The last week seemed to have dragged on forever, but they were going to have Quidditch practice today, putting a smile on Arabella's face. She got out of her bed slowly and took a long shower. Hot water ran down her back and arms. She examined her scars carefully, caressing them cautiously before shutting off the water.
Even now, after all these year, she could still hear Bellatrix's voice. It was as though she was whispering in her ears right now. Arabella clenched her jaws as she rubbed more medicine on her arms and wrapped them up. She got dressed, grabbed her schoolbag and headed towards the owlery on top of the West Tower.
Shay was excited to see Arabella, swooping down and perching himself on the ledge of the window. Arabella smiled and scratched the top of his head. He closed his green eyes and purred. She then took out a piece of parchment, a book and a pencil. She stared out the window for a second, trying to figure out what to write. The sun slowly began to rise in the distance with streams of sunlight entering the owlery. Some owls returned from hunting and others began waking from their sleep. Treetops from the Forbidden Forest swayed at the cold morning breeze and it hit Arabella's cheeks. She smiled. Today was going to be their first Quidditch practice. She couldn't wait to get on her broom, the air underneath her feet, hitting her cheeks, flailing through her hair.
Catching herself before she got lost in her thought, Arabella turned back to her parchment, placed it on top of her book and began writing.
Dear Family,
How are you all doing? First week back has been terrible. We got a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and she's a nightmare. Her name's Dolores Umbridge. She sounds familiar, but I can't place her name anywhere for the life of me. Other than that, homework keeps piling up and I'm getting worried about my O.W.L.s. Pray for me, will you?
Remus, I hope you're taking care of yourself. Nymph, I hope you're giving Mad-Eye hell for me. Give Snuffles a pat on the head for me. I miss you all.
Love, Arabella.
She reread the letter several times before she was satisfied. She sealed the parchment carefully in an envelope and tied it around Shay's outstretched leg.
"It's for Remus," Arabella whispered, "in our special place, okay?"
Shay seemed to have understood as he blinked at her and took flight. He took off into the blinding bright sky, off to see Remus, Sirius, Nymph… Arabella watched until Shay became a small speck and finally vanish. She almost envied him. He had the freedom to go anywhere, to fly as high as he could, to see different places, to be far, far away from Hogwarts… She wanted that so much…
The owlery door opened behind her. Arabella quickly took out her wand, spun around and pointed it right at Harry, who was holding a letter.
"Hello," Harry said, his hand in the air. "Mind pointing that somewhere else?"
"Right, er, sorry," said Arabella, smiling timidly. "Scared me there for a second."
"I figured as much," said Harry, searching for Hedwig. "Why else would you point your wand at me. So, did you write to Remus?"
"Wrote to the family," said Arabella. "You?"
Harry held up his letter, which was addressed to Snuffles.
"Gotcha," said Arabella, nodding.
"Hedwig, get down here. I've got a letter for you."
With a soft hoot, Hedwig stretched out her white wings and soared down onto Harry's shoulder. Arabella looked away as Harry told Hedwig that the letter was for Sirius and saw his owl off. She looked out the other window at the grounds. Just over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest were the winged horses. They were soaring in circles before plunging down into trees.
"Can you see them?" whispered Harry. "Really see them?"
Arabella turned towards him and nodded. "Yes, Harry, and we're not crazy for seeing them."
Harry snorted and shook his head. "So, what, everybody else in crazy?"
"Of course," Arabella said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Harry let out a small laugh and wrapped his arms around her waist. He took in a deep breath and said, "I've missed you."
"Strange, considering I see you everyday," said Arabella, putting her hands on his chest, "and I spend practically all my time with you."
Harry smile was now lopsided and he took in a shaky breath. "You know what I mean."
"I know," breathed Arabella, leaning forward and giving him a quick kiss. "I miss you too, Harry."
Just as Harry leaned in, the owlery door opened and they jumped apart. They turned around and saw a breathless Cho Chang holding a letter and a parcel in her hands.
"Oh, er, hi," she said awkwardly. "I didn't think anybody would be up here this early… I'll just…"
She began looking for a suitable owl, her cheeks red.
"We should get going," Arabella mumbled towards Harry.
They began making their way towards the owlery door when it was flung open again. Filch came wheezing into the room. There were purple patches on his cheeks, his jaw was shaking and his grey hair in disarray. It was obvious that he ran there when he clearly shouldn't have, given his age. Mrs. Norris came strutting him, gazing up at the owls overhead and mewing hungrily. A large brown owl snapped its beak menacingly.
"Aha!" yelled Filch, pointing his finger vaguely between Arabella and Harry.
Arabella raised her eyebrows and said, "Which one?"
"Him!" said Filch, pointing once more at Harry. "I've had a tip-off that you are intending to place a massive order for Dungbombs!"
Harry folded his arms and stared at Filch. "Who told you I was ordering Dungbombs?"
"I have my sources!" hissed Filch, self-satisfied with himself. "Now hand over whatever it is you're sending."
"I can't, its gone," Harry said calmly.
"Gone?" Filch shrieked with rage.
"Gone."
Filch's mouth twisted and he opened his mouth a couple times. He sized Harry up and then said, "How do I know you haven't got it in your pockets?"
"I saw him send it," Arabella said coolly.
"And why should I believe his little girlfriend?" sneered Filch.
"Little?"
"I saw him send it too," Cho interjected.
Filch rounded off on her. "You saw him –?"
"That's right, I saw him," Cho said defiantly.
For a moment Filch glared at Cho and Cho glared right back at him. Filch then turned and began shuffling out the door. He stopped with this hand on the door, turned towards Harry, muttered, "If I get so much as a whiff of a Dungbomb…" And then stormed off down the stairs with Mrs. Norris on his heels.
"Thanks," Harry said to Cho with a smile.
"No problem," said Cho, carrying a barn owl to the window. "You weren't ordering Dungbombs, were you?"
"No."
"I wonder why he thought you were, then?" she said. She then shifted on her feet, looking slightly uncomfortable as she said, "I heard about what you two said." She looked at both Harry and Arabella. "About what happened the night – the night he died. That Umbridge woman is foul for putting you both in detention for telling the truth. You both are very brave for what you did, standing up to her like that."
Arabella blinked at Cho, wondering how she could feel so jealous and insecure. Cho's a sweet girl who lost so much in a short period of time and she did not hate Arabella for being alive when her own boyfriend was dead.
"I'll see you both around, then," said Cho, smiling as she left the owlery.
"Bye," Arabella and Harry said at the same time.
The moment the door was closed, Harry put his arms around Arabella's waist and said, cheekily, "Now, where were we?"
"We were going to head down for some breakfast," said Arabella, laughing as Harry ran his fingers over her hips.
"Come on," mumbled Harry, kissing her jaw and burying his face in the crook of her neck. "We haven't had a lot of alone time and I barely got to be alone with you…"
Arabella grinned from ear to ear, red and amused. "You've got two minutes, Potter."
Harry crushed his lips onto Arabella's and quickly softened. She hummed quietly and moved closer towards him, placing her hands on his neck. She felt her insides do backflips as his hands moved up her back and his fingers tangled into her hair. At some point, her knees buckled and they walked backwards until her back was against the wooden door. The school owls surrounding them kept made noises of distress, even after they broke apart. Arabella and Harry chuckled before ducking out of the owlery.
They were both grinning as they entered the Great Hall, joining Hermione and Ron at the Gryffindor table.
"Morning," Harry said bright to Ron and Hermione.
"What are you looking so pleased about?" said Ron, eyeing Harry in surprise.
"Erm… Quidditch later," said Harry happily as Arabella smiled behind her goblet.
"Oh… yeah," said Ron. "Listen… you two don't fancy going out a bit earlier with me, do you? Just to – er – give me some practice before training? So, I can, you know, get my eye in a bit…"
Arabella nodded as Harry said, "Yeah, okay."
"Look, I don't think you should," Hermione said seriously, "the three of you are really behind on homework as it is –"
The morning post arrived and she broke off. The Daily Prophet soared towards her on the beak of a screech owl and held out a leg. Hermione dropped a Knut into its leather pouch, took the newspaper, and scanned the front page as the owl took off.
"Anything interesting?" asked Ron.
"No, just some guff about the bass player in the Weird Sisters getting married…"
"Donaghan Tremlett got married?" exclaimed Arabella, her eyes widening. "What? When?"
"Bigger picture, Arabella," Hermione said impatiently.
"It's not everyday someone gets married, Hermione," said Harry. Arabella beamed at him.
"Unless you're Myron Wagtail," said Ron. "What's he on now, the third wife?"
"I heard that he might divorce her," said Arabella. "Apparently he's got a thing for his new tour manager."
"Again?" Ron said in disbelief. "Geez, they go through a lot of tour managers…"
"He goes through a lot of wives," said Arabella, shrugging. "I liked his second one. She donated money to St. Mungo's."
Hermione did not seem to like their conversation. She looked very irritated as she opened the paper and disappeared behind it. Arabella helped herself to another serving of bacon and toast.
"Wait a moment," Hermione said suddenly. "Oh no… Sirius!"
"What?" Arabella said instantly. She then snatched the paper from Hermione's hands and began reading. "'The Ministry of Magic has received a tip-off from a reliable source that Sirius Black, notorious mass murderer, yada yada yada is currently hiding in London!"
"I bet anything it was Lucius Malfoy," Harry said in a furious whisper. "He must have recognized Sirius on the platform and told Malfoy, remember the whole dogging thing? His father must have told him. He wouldn't have been able to figure it out on his own."
"The rest of this is the usual rubbish," said Arabella, laying down the paper. "Him murdering thirteen people and breaking out of Azkaban."
"Well, he just won't be able to leave the house again, that's all," Hermione whispered, looking fearful. "Dumbledore did warn him not to."
"The poor bloke needed some fresh air," said Ron. "Can't blame him, really. If I were in his shoes, I would have broken out months ago."
"Yes, but you are not wanted internationally –"
"Harry," Arabella cut across, staring at the paper, "remind me again who was supposed to help Mrs. Weasley and Nymph transport us to King's Cross Station?"
"Er, Podmore, I think," said Harry, shrugging.
"Sturgis Podmore? Decent looking bloke with a square jaw and blonde hair?"
"Yeah, I think he's the one," said Harry, nodding. "Why?"
"He's in Azkaban now," Arabella said calmly.
"What?" Hermione and Ron said together, incoherently.
"Here, look."
Arabella pushed the article towards the others.
TRESPASS AT MINISTRY
Sturgis Podmore, 38, of number two, Laburnum Gardens, Clapham, has appeared in front of the Wizengamot charged with trespass and attempted robbery at the Ministry of Magic on 31st August. Podmore was arrested by Ministry of Magic watch-wizard Eric Munch, who found him attempting to force his way through a top-security door at one o'clock in the morning. Podmore, who refused to speak in his own defense, was convinced on both charges and sentenced to six months in Azkaban.
"Six months in Azkaban!" whispered Harry, shocked. "Just for trying to get through a door!"
"Don't be silly," said Hermione, "it wasn't just for trying to get through a door – what on earth was he doing at the Ministry of Magic at one o'clock in the morning?"
"Something valuable was though that door," Arabella said in a hush voice. "The Ministry wouldn't just arrest you for going through any door in that place. It was something the Ministry didn't want anybody seeing."
"It could be a frame-up!" Ron exclaimed excitedly. "No – listen!" he went on, dropping his voice dramatically at the threatening look on Hermione's face. "The Ministry suspects he's one of Dumbledore's lot so – I dunno – they lured him to the Ministry, and he wasn't trying to get through the door at all! Maybe they've just made something up to get him!"
There was a small pause. Arabella considered this for a moment and then nodded her head. "This… this sounds like something they would do, especially when everything going on and the Minister making sure everyone knows how he feels about Dumbledore and anyone who supports him."
"Wouldn't be surprised if that were true," Said Hermione, looking rather impressed.
Once they finished their breakfast, they went their separate ways, Arabella, Harry and Ron towards the Quidditch pitch, while Hermione up towards the Gryffindor tower. Arabella could hear Hermione calling after them, warning them that they would fail their O.W.L.s if they left their homework any longer. But the sky was clear blue today and she hadn't been on her broom in weeks.
They collected the balls from the cupboard in the changing room and set off. Ron began guarding the three tall posts as Arabella and Harry played Chaser, trying to get the Quaffle past him. They did this for a couple hours. Arabella did not go easy on him. Ron was a bit rough in the beginning, but as the hours went on, he got better, faster and more accurate. By the time the rest of the team showed up, he was blocking all of Arabella's shots.
"All right, Ron?" said George, winking.
Ron nodded, looking very pale. He became quiet at the sight of the others.
"Ready to show us all up, Ickle Prefect?" said Fred, a slight malicious grin on his face.
"Fred, shut up," Arabella said shortly. She then turned towards Ron and said, "You were great. Just keep that going and you'll be fine, Ron."
"What are they doing here?" said George, looking out into the stands.
Arabella turned her head. Halfway through the stands were a group of uninvited spectators. The Slytherin Quidditch team and an assortment of hangers-on were grouped halfway up the empty stands and their voices echoed around the stadium.
"What's that Weasley's riding?" Malfoy called in a drawl. "Why would anyone put a Flying Charm on a moldy old log like that?"
Crabbe, Goyle, and Parkinson guffawed and shrieked with laughter. Ron's ears turned red as he gripped his broom tightly.
"Ignore them," Harry said instantly. "We'll see who's laughing after we play them…"
"Exactly the attitude I want, Harry," said Angelina, dropping the ball crate on the ground. "Okay everyone, we're going to start with some passes just to warm up, the whole team please –"
"Hey, Johnson, what's with that hairstyle anyway?" shrieked Parkinson. "Why would anyone want to look like they've got worms coming out of their head?"
Arabella turned around to snap at Parkinson, when Katie Bell grabbed her arm and shook her head profusely. Arabella scowled and turned back to Angelina, who swept her long braids out of her face and said, calmly, "Spread out, then, and let's see what we can do…"
Arabella mounted her broom and kicked off from the ground. She flew on the far side of the pitch as Ron flew towards the post. Angelina raised the Quaffle with one hand and threw it hard to Fred, who passed to George, who passed to Harry, who passed to Ron, who dropped it. Malfoy led the Slytherins into a roaring laugh. Ron pelted towards the ground and caught the Quaffle. He pulled out of the dive untidily and slipped sideways on his broom momentarily before returning to his post. Arabella and Katie exchanged looks.
"Pass it on, Ron," called Angelina.
Ron threw the Quaffle to Arabella, who passed it back to Harry, who passed it to George…
"Hey, Potter, how's your scar feeling?" called Malfoy. "Surely you don't need a lie-down? It must be, what, a whole week since you were in the hospital wing, that's a record for you, isn't it?"
Fred passed to Angelina. She reversed passed to Harry, who had not been expecting it, but caught it by the tips of his fingers and passed it quickly to Ron, who lunged for it and missed by inches. Malfoy and the Slytherins were now howling with laughter.
"Come on now, Ron," Angelina said crossly. "Pay attention."
He got the Quaffle on the third attempt. He was so overjoyed that he passed it to Katie and hit her hard in the face. The Slytherins were stomping their feet and jeering as Katie's nose was bleeding. Fred passed her something small and purple from his pocket to clear her nose.
"Sorry!" groaned Ron, zooming forward to see whether he had done any damage.
"Get back in position, she's fine!" barked Angelina. "But as you're passing to a teammate, do try not to knock her off her broom, won't you? We've got Bludgers for that!" She took a moment to compose herself and then called, "Fred, George, go and get your bats and a Bludger. Ron, get up to the goalposts, Harry, release the Snitch when I say so. We're going to aim for Ron's goal, obviously."
When everyone returned to the air, Angelina blew her whistle and Arabella passed the Quaffle towards Katie, who passed to Angelina, who passed it back to Katie and then to Arabella, who managed to score in the middle post against Ron. His ears turned red and Angelina was not pleased.
"Again!" shouted Angelina.
Arabella grabbed the Quaffle. She passed it to Angelina, who returned it back swiftly to Arabella, who passed to Katie, who scored on the left post.
"Again!"
Katie passed to Angelina, who passed it back to Katie, who passed back to Angelina. She reversed passed it Arabella around the goal posts. She passed it back to Katie, who passed it back to Arabella, who scored on the right post. Arabella saw Fred and George look at each other, neither one of them saying anything. Arabella was thankful for that.
"Again!"
Arabella passed the Quaffle to Angelina, who passed it back quickly. Arabella then passed it to Katie, who passed it to Angelina, who was about to score against Ron when she blew her whistle.
"Stop – stop – STOP! Ron – you're not covering your middle post!"
"Oh… sorry…"
"You keep shifting around when you're watching the Chasers! Either stay in center position until you have to move to defend a hoop, or else circle the hoops, but don't drift vaguely off to one side, that's how you let in the last three goals! And Katie, can't you do something about that nosebleed?"
"It's just getting rose!" Katie said thickly, rubbing her nose with her sleeve.
"Gryffindors are losers, Gryffindors are losers," the Slytherins began chanting.
Arabella clenched her jaw, trying to block them out, as Angelina threw the Quaffle at her.
"Let's try again," Angelina said rigidity.
This time they had barely flown for a full minute when Angelina blew her whistle again.
"What now?" Harry said impatiently.
"It's Katie," Arabella said testily.
They flew towards the others who were crowding around Katie. She was as white as a ghost with blood flowing down her face steadily.
"She needs the hospital wing," said Angelina.
"We'll take her," said Fred. "She – er – might have swallowed a Blood Blisterpod by mistake –"
"Gather around, everyone," called Malfoy, "I'm going to tell you a story!"
"There's no point continuing with no Beaters and a Chaser gone," Angelina said loudly over Malfoy.
"What about, Draco?" Parkinson said in mock curiosity.
"A scumsucker named Sirius Black –"
Arabella's ear perked up and her fists were clenched.
" – a bum named Lupin –"
Harry and Ron turned their faces halfway, listening.
" – a tart named Anastas –"
Fred, George, Angelina and Katie stated listening as well.
" – and a Mudblood named Arabella Torell –"
Arabella dropped her broomstick on the ground. She was about to turn around when Angelina grabbed her arm and hissed, "Don't! Don't give in!"
"Two of them die," called Malfoy, smirking, "and they deserve it."
There was a strange growl that erupted out of Arabella. A growl that she's never heard before. She wrenched her arm free from Angelina and began stalking towards Malfoy, ready to beat the daylights out of him. Before she could even take more ten feet, Fred and George grabbed her arms and began pulling her towards the changing room.
The Slytherins began laughing at them with Pansy Parkinson shrieking, "Tell me more, Draco, tell me more!"
Arabella wasn't going down that easily. She struggled against Fred and George, screeching and biting their arms. She wanted nothing more than to curse Malfoy and his cronies.
"Let go of me!" snapped Arabella as they entered the changing room. "Just leave me – okay, just let go!"
Arabella wriggled herself free from their grips and began ripping her uniform off. Angelina took Katie up to the castle while Harry and Ron locked the door behind them. She could still hear the Slytherins chanting through the door.
"They got nothing better to do," Arabella snarled quickly, throwing her uniform into her locker. "They got nothing better to do than talk about us. Filthy low-lives with nothing… nothing better to do…"
She kicked her locker shut and began making her way up towards the castle, ignoring the others. How dare… how dare he say that. How dare he say that her mother and aunt deserved to die. Malfoy doesn't know, he doesn't understand what its like to have his mother taken in front of him, to feel hopeless and small. He doesn't know, but he's more than happy to throw it back at her face with glee. She hated him. She hated the whole lot of them. He and his family walks around, acting like they're untouchable. They were going to get their comeuppance. She was sure of it.
Thank you so much for reading! I wasn't quite sure about this chapter overall with certain parts and I feel like Arabella is angry in nearly every chapter so far. So please let me know what you guys think of this chapter.