"Did you know you look like a toad?"

Katie's voice was dead. She hadn't intended to say this out loud. The statement had barely even had time to register in her mind before it came out of her mouth. if Katie hadn't felt so dead inside, she might have laughed as she watched Umbridge's face turn red. Then again, maybe not. She had most likely just gotten herself into a load of trouble.

It had been nearly seven hours since Fred and George had left school, and Katie was still sitting in the window seat in the common room when Angelina found her, turning her little globe in her hands, never looking away from it, for fear she would miss something.

"Miss Bell," Umbridge said sharply. Katie decided she had an unbelievable annoying voice. She thought perhaps it was best not to voice this opinion.

Katie couldn't remember the walk to Umbridge's office. All she could remember was resisting Angelina when she had told her she needed to leave the globe in the common room.

"No!" Katie had said. It was probably the most emotion she'd felt since Fred had left. She would not leave her globe behind.

"Katie!" Angelina pleaded. "We have to go to Umbridge's office. "Surely you realize she'll take it from you."

It had taken the better part of fifteen minutes, but finally Angelina had been able to convince Katie her globe would be safest left in Gryffindor Tower.

"I am sure you all know why you are here?" Umbridge implored, a fake smile plastered on her face, directly contradicting the contempt in her eyes as she gazed up the four students.

While Angelina, Alicia, Katie, and Lee were all perfectly aware that Umbridge wanted to question them about Fred and George, they all remained stubbornly quiet.

"No?" Umbridge asked. "Well, some tea then, while I tell you."

Without taking her eyes off the delinquents, Dolores Umbridge waved her wand, and four teacups appeared in front of them, filled and steaming.

"Drink up."

Not knowing what to do, but smart enough not to drink the tea, three of the teenagers stood awkwardly, confused. Katie, on the other hand, with nothing to lose and acting out of a hatred for the self-proclaimed headmistress, lifted her cup, and sipped the hot tea.

Of course, if you knew Katie Bell, you would know that she couldn't bear hot tea, and would always wait until it was cooled. But Dolores Umbridge did not know Katie, not well anyway, and was quite pleased that she had tricked at least one of them into taking the Veritaserum, when in actuality Katie hadn't even let it touch her lips.

"Now," Umbridge said, never letting down her cheerful pretense. "Do you know why you're here?"

"No," Katie lied smoothly. "I'm not very bright."

Umbridge looked skeptical, but continued. "You are here to tell me about Fred and George Weasley. Did you know they were leaving?"

"No," Katie replied, the lie stinging her tongue. "They didn't tell anyone."

"Oh?" Umbridge asked, her patience clearly wearing thin. "And did they leave you anything?"

"No," Katie told her. "Why would they? We barely even knew each other."

Before Umbridge had a chance to respond, Katie continued. "Although, they did say something about a secret weapon to get rid of the High Inquisitor."

Alicia could have sworn she saw Umbridge's ears visibly stand up, and Katie kept talking.

"It was designed for catching frogs," Katie said. "But they said it would work for toads too."

"Detention, Miss Bell!" Umbridge said before Katie even finished her sentence. "In my office, now. The rest of you may leave."

The tea disappeared, as did Umbridge's smile. Alicia, Angelina, and Lee stayed where they were, their feet rooted to the spot out of fear for their friend.

Katie walked purposefully into Umbridge's office, not turning around to look at her friends. She knew they would leave if she didn't argue with Umbridge.

Katie thought she was going to throw up. Umbridge's office was pink, everywhere, and there were plates with pictures of kittens on the walls. It reminded Katie a bit of her Aunt Norma, who always pinched her cheeks and told her how tall she was getting.

"Lines, Miss Bell," Umbridge snapped, and Katie was startled. She hadn't noticed the woman come back into the room. "You will use that quill there."

"I haven't any ink," Katie said blandly, though of course she had heard of this quill. She had never had to use it, however, because of Fred. He protected her from it, by taking the blame for anything she was a part of. The thought made Katie want to cry and throw up all at the same time.

Katie swallowed her tears and braced herself against the pain that she knew was imminent. She refused to let Umbridge see her pain.

"You won't need any ink," Umbridge said, her voice sickeningly sweet. "Write, 'I will not blaspheme.'"

Katie wrote the first I, grinding her teeth together as the flesh on her hand was torn apart. Will not blaspheme.

Taking a deep breath, Katie did not hesitate before starting the next line. She would not give Umbridge that satisfaction.

I will not blaspheme. I will not blaspheme. I will not blaspheme. I will not blaspheme. I will not blaspheme. I will not blaspheme. I will not blaspheme. I will not blaspheme.

Katie wasn't sure how many times she wrote it. Was it twenty? Fifty? A hundred? All she knew was that the pain was unbearable. But she would not--could not--cry. Fred had been forced to feel this tearing, burning feeling countless times, more than a few of them because of her. Never once had he complained. She wouldn't either.

"You may leave, Miss Bell," Umbridge said finally, realizing she was not going to get a reaction from this particular student.

Katie stood up abruptly, walking out in quick, jerky movements rather than the swift, dignified motion she'd been hoping for. Still, she did not cry.

As soon as Katie was out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Katie curled into a ball on the floor, the tears flowing across her skin as she clutched her bleeding hand.

Someone slipped something round and cool into her hand, and Katie held it to her heart, allowing Alicia to tend to her cuts.

"Katie," Angelina said in what she hoped was a soothing manner. "We found this under the couch. You dropped it earlier."

She handed Katie a crumpled piece of paper. It had his handwriting.

Dear Katie,

I know it isn't much, but it's all I have to give you at the moment. I'm sure you've figured out that the two little people are you and me. I thought it fit. I made two of them, and every night before I go to bed I will look at mine and think, Wow, that is one lucky bloke down there. And here I am, the same lucky bloke. It doesn't feel like it, though, when I know I have to leave you. I'll miss you, more than you can imagine. But I promise you, no matter what, we'll see each other soon enough.

Love always,

Fred.