A/N: Different from the book- obviously. Just bear with me, and keep commenting and keep me motivated :)
The next Divination lesson was very different than our previous ones had been. Mainly because we actually worked. Our new teacher's name was Firenze and he was- as I soon learnt- half horse. Which begged the question how did he get up to the astronomy tower in the first place?
Draco began grumbling the moment we arrived in the room, something about the school not even bothering with real wizards to treat us any more. I said I'd sit with Marietta. This proved to be a good choice, as as soon as we sat down, new textbooks were slapped down on our desks. I could practically feel his anger.
"Astronomy," began Firenze, "has always been the best way to divine the future. You have all learnt enough about... hehhem... tea leaves," he said distastefully, "now we will continue your learning with a more scientific method. Please turn to page 7 in your books," for the first time ever in Divination, we were almost too busy for me to listen to Marietta's constant chatter. She managed to mumble nonetheless.
"Umbridge wants me in her office during lunch," she said, eyes concentrated on the page.
"What for?" I asked, writing down nothing in particular.
"You- You can't tell the others, Ok?" she said. Her tone made me look up at her. I tried to meet her eyes, but she wouldn't look at me.
"Ettie, what did you do?" I asked. She still said nothing. "Marietta?" I urged.
"I forgot a galleon in Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"So?" I asked. She looked up at me, apologetic.
"The galleon?" I gasped, trying to keep my voice down. "Ettie, how could you be so stupid?"
"I- I don't know, but I know she's going to ask me what it's for. Angie, what if I don't tell her?" Her voice was terrified. I looked at her pityingly. My own hand tingled. I wondered if Marietta was strong enough.
"You have to grin and bear it. It's just a new galleon, fresh from the mint. You charmed it to tell the date, because you're bad at keeping track. You've done nothing wrong. Right?"
She nodded slowly, turning back to her book. I knew that she understood me, but I couldn't trust her. I would find out the result soon enough.
When the lesson finished, I returned to my room and put away my books. Then, I headed over to lunch. Walking through the common room, I checked for Draco but he wasn't in there. So, I looked for Stella, but saw her giggling under Blaise's arm. This was a new development.
I halted in a corner where the fire had thrown a shadow. I was unnoticed, so I watched them. Stella had a big crush on Blaise, so being under his arm, pressed into him made her eyes light up. He, however, looked dead inside. He seemed to regard Stella as simply something to be kept at his side for appearances, like an accessory.
As I watched, she moved to hug him. He ignored her, and I saw disappointment in her face. Yes, he had changed. It seemed he had come back aware of quite how much Slytherin girls idolised him, and it gave him a sense of possession over us all. All except me. He had no right to me. Just as I thought this, he noticed me lurking in the corner. No emotion passed his face, he just looked back at Stella with cold disregard. It hurt more than when he liked me. I realised I had felt that same possession of Blaise. I would have to let go of it all now; I would never again be his princess, so I lingered no longer and went to dinner.
Draco and his thugs weren't at the Slytherin table either, so I was forced to sit with Millicent. She was scoffing down a chicken breast like she would never eat again. It quite put me off my own dinner. I pushed it away from me, hoping that the Room of Requirement would sense my hunger.
Before I went to the DA meeting, I looked around one last time for Draco. It was hopeless, I realised, so I gave up. As I walked past Umbridge's office, I saw a girl run past me, her face in her hands, wailing. This had become a regular thing, but this girl could very well have been Marietta, had it not been for the large ugly boils which covered her face. I wondered idly if there had been a problem in potions.
On the third walk, the large oak doors appeared and I entered, checking either side to make sure I wasn't followed. I was early, so I sat down on one of the pillows-turned-crash-mats and listened to my stomach grumble. Right on cue, a cupboard I either hadn't noticed or hadn't existed before opened and inside I saw a sandwich sitting there. I took it, thanking the room- as absurd as it seemed- and then dug in.
I was half way through the second slice when Harry, Ron and Hermione walked in.
"Oh, it's you," said Ron, who had always been less trusting of me. Until he saw the sandwich in my hands. "Where did you get that?" He asked.
"This room is amazing," I replied, taking another bite. Hermione came and took a seat next to me.
"Isn't it? I've searched everywhere, but I can't find any kind of spell that can give a room the kind of consciousness it possesses. It seems to be exclusive to this one." I nodded, not really caring all that much. Harry joined her on the floor. He was more shifty and nervous than I had ever seen him.
"What's up, Harry?" I asked.
"I was just thinking about Dobby," he said, idly staring at the floor.
"Who's Dobby?" I asked.
"The Malfoy's old house elf," he chuckled, "I wish I had seen the look on Lucius Malfoy's face when he realised he had released him, Harry's fault of course. They're valuable, house elves are,"
"It's barbaric, actually," said Hermione, interrupting Ron. He rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up Ron, all I'm saying is that they're really just slaves. They're all mistreated. They're not even allowed proper clothes!"
"Hogwarts has house elves. How do you think they make all their food?"
"Yes, but those house elves are free Ron, they want to be here."
"Shut up, the two of you," said Harry. He had clearly heard this argument more than once.
"What about him Harry?"
"Yeah, I- I just haven't seen him in a while. I kind of miss him," he said, then he shook it off, looking up at us all with his lovely green eyes. "Maybe we should get started anyway? I thought we'd do some patronuses today."
"A proper patronus?" I asked, we'd read about them in our books. They were supposed to be notoriously hard to conjure. In fact, it was NEWT material, not OWL stuff.
"If I can do it, so can you," he said, flashing me a brilliant smile.
Just then, the rest of the club entered, or at least most of them, and Harry announced that we would be practicing patronus charms. Most had the same reaction I did, but eventually we got to work. Immediately, a proud stag burst out of Harry's wand and galloped around the room. Soon enough, it was joined by Hermione's silver otter and Cho's glistening swan. But a few of us were having trouble. Neville, next to me, was shooting small slivery pellets from his wand.
"I... just... can't... get... the..." at that moment, a badger popped out of it, but only for a second. Neville looked even happier than he did when he was thinking of his memory. I still couldn't do it.
"What's your memory?" Harry asked as I tried for the twentieth time.
"When I was younger, I visited my Grandmother for a whole day, and we sat and drew together. I still have the pictures. But my mum took me home because she..."
"There's your problem. You're memory is tainted. You need something bigger, happier, pure love." I focused. What pure love did I have? The answer was obvious, my parents. But as I thought about them, a nagging feeling of guilt came. I still hadn't told my mother. She was still grieving for the wrong man.
And then, I was wrapped in Draco's arms outside Umbridge's office that first lesson, my hand stinging like hell, but none of it mattering, his cheek pressed into my head.
"Expecto Patronum!" I shouted, and from my wand burst a bright, silvery creature, but not the one I was expecting. Slytherin, granddaughter of Voldemort and a parselmouth, and from my wand sprung a mighty lion, turning up its head and roaring. It shimmered an iridescent silver, and for a moment, lit up the room as all the others went out in awe. I stood stunned, until I heard and loud crack, and lost my focus, allowing the creature to become no more than mist.
"Dobby!" Harry exclaimed.
"Harry Potter... she..." he panted. The creature named Dobby had a small figure and a bony frame, his skin barely clinging to his body. He was a half starved little thing, with the biggest and most earnest eyes. They were currently terrified.
"She... Harry Potter... She..." he kept panting.
"Who, Dobby, Who?" he asked, "Is it Umbridge? Does she know about DA?"
"Yes, Harry Potter, yes!" Dobby finally gasped, falling to the ground.
"Well?" asked Harry, looking around, "What are you waiting for? RUN!" And they ran. Everybody rushed immediately for the exit, but we were too late. I saw Cho and a few others slip away, but the majority found themselves confronted by Umbridge, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle. I backed away as Draco spotted me. He ran straight through the crowd, tripping Harry on the way, and then forcing me hard into a corner with a tight grip on my arm. A stunning spell whizzed above my head and hit the wall behind me.
"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked urgently.
"I- I wanted to learn..."
"Do you know what she'll do to the people she finds?" He asked. I heard desperation in his voice. Then, he turned away from me to the wall behind me. "Help her," he begged it, "please, I love her."
Obligingly, a door appeared and, before I could complain, he shoved me through. It sealed behind me, becoming no more than a slab of stone. I slid down against it and began to cry, trying to make sense of what had just happened.