Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
An Abuse of Power
The first week of school passed with everyone falling into the mundane routine of classes. Something boring in most cases. But this year it felt nice not looking around every corner waiting for some literary event to occur. Things felt peaceful and calm. Very much like it did before the golden trio enrolled.
That pleasant start to the school year was derailed when we were well into the second week. Early on Wednesday morning, I was pulled into groggy consciousness by enraged words. "I'm not putting up with this anymore!"
I wasn't the only one. Fred's arm tightened around my middle as he grumbled something into his pillow.
"It's disgusting", the irate voice continued; leaving me with the impression of the sound one gets when they rub their hand over an inflated latex balloon. Some people really shouldn't talk in the mornings.
The next voice I recognized. "She's our sister and she needs us", George said lowly in a warning.
It was a tone he seldom used; generally reserved on the rare moments he felt it wise to rein in Fred and me. Maybe that's why I found myself sitting up at the sound of his voice. Causing Fred's arm to slip off me in the process. "George?" I mumbled sleepily as my bleary eyes took in the sight of him standing at the foot of Fred's bed with his back to us. He was still clad in his pajamas. The red ones that were a tad too big.
In front of George stood the irate voice otherwise known as no-name roommate number one. The one that had been unfortunate enough to be awarded a prefect's badge.
Having heard my soft inquiry, George glanced over his shoulder in my direction. "It's okay, Holls", he tried to assure me.
But Mr. no-name wasn't having it. "No, it's not okay!"
His continued volume caused Fred to stir. In a matter of seconds, Fred was sitting up beside me. "What's going on?' Fred asked with a yawn.
"We don't have co-ed dorms at Hogwarts", the nameless prefect went on to say as if Fred was still asleep. "I shouldn't have to wake up to a girl in the room every other night!"
"Most blokes wouldn't mind", I quipped as I rubbed sleepily at my eyes. What time was it? Surely, it was too early for… whatever this is.
"That's another thing", no-name kept talking with an accusing finger pointed at Fred and me. It was probably only because George was standing in front of him that kept the no-name a short distance away from us. "Most blokes wouldn't want to share a bed with their sister. Most blokes wouldn't allow her to crawl into bed with them. I bet your sister doesn't even have nightmares. I bet it's just an excuse for you three to be in some creepy ince-" Mr. no-name didn't get to finish.
Grabbing a fistful of the other boy's dressing gown, George leaned in close; staring the unimportant roommate dead in the eye. He was dangerously close. Think pub fight close. We're probably lucky George didn't have the time to pull out his wand. "Finish that sentence, I dare you". George's tone held none of its usual humor. It was filled with only the promise of retribution. The expression on George's face must have been a thing of terror because no-name's complexion was drained of all color.
Placing a hand on my shoulder to help him balance, Fred climbed out of bed. He padded silently but fiercely to George's side; his hands balled into fists. The two of them standing in front of Fred's bed almost blocked no-name roommate number one from view. Should I get up and join them?
"Just imagine all the things we could do to him if he did finish that nasty thought", Fred all but purred; devilish glee evident. Of course, if I did stand up to join my brothers, I might just make things worse.
Mr. no-name started to shake at what I'm imagining as a sight of identical demonic expressions. That would fit the current mood of the dormitory. No-name tried to take a step back, but the grip George had on his clothes prevented it.
"We have been experimenting with that new potion of ours", George jumped onto Fred's train of thought without delay. "You know, Gred. The puking one".
"I was thinking the same thing, Forge. But we haven't discovered an antidote yet". Fred added a menacing edge to his words before he delivered the final blow. "I wonder how many times he'd puke before passing out".
In desperation, the no-name prefect shoved George's hand off his person and he took a hurried step back. "I don't have to take this anymore!" He would have sounded a lot more convincing if his voice hadn't cracked at the end. "You-you can't just do things to people when you don't get your way. Detention! Detention for all three of you the rest of this week and all of next week too". Mr. no-name paused as if he was expecting some sort of response from us. But as frequent fliers with Hogwarts' disciplinary methods, we didn't even bat an eye at the mention of the D-word. So, Mr. no-name decided to dig deeper. "And-And", he stuttered as he tried to come up with his next move. Leaning around George to make sure I was included, he added, "There'll be more detentions if I ever see her in here ever again". Feigning confidence in his meager accomplishment, Mr. no-name puffed out his chest as he turned on his heel and marched into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. No doubt because he didn't feel comfortable getting dressed in front of a girl. Thank Merlin for small mercies.
We watched him go before Fred and George turned in my direction. I looked at Fred before looking at George. Likewise, George looked at me before looking at Fred, and Fred…. Well, you get the picture. Once we had all gone around the circle a couple of times, we shrugged in sync. "That was worse than waking up to Mum yelling at us", George commented.
"I'm going to put some firecrackers in his book bag", Fred promised. "Just as a friendly reminder to mind his own business".
"Still, all those detentions are going to be a beast". George said as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was still looking a little tense but was doing better now that he wasn't trying to keep someone from getting to Fred and me. "If we miss any quidditch practices Wood will skin us alive".
Pushing some disheveled hair out of my face, I sighed. I guess in this situation, some fault does lie with me. "Don't worry about it. I think I can get us out of it".
"Oh?" Fred asked with a raised eyebrow. "How?"
"Do you still have any-" I didn't get to finish my question.
A loud exaggerated yawn cut me off. Looking left at the bed that was on the other side of George's, we watched as Lee sat up with his arms stretched high above his head. He smacked his lips a couple of times before glancing around the dorm. "What was all that noise?" Lee asked as if he had slept through the whole thing. However, I'm calling bull. When Lee's eyes landed on me, he stilled. "Oh, Holly's here. Good morning!" His whole posture reminded me of a dog that was all excited its owners were now awake and was demanding to go outside to play. We…. We really need to find Lee a significant other.
"Morning Lee", I greeted; only because I knew Fred and George would be disappointed if I didn't. But then I turned my attention back to my fellow triplets and told them what I needed for my plan to work.
With the skin around my eyes looking red and irritated, and my eyes stinging with unshed tears, I ran down the boy's staircase into the common room. Thanks to the Marauders' map, I knew exactly where Percy was so I didn't have to think about where I was going. Stationed in front of Gryffindor's notice board, Percy barely had time to drop the house newsletter he was posting before I flung myself at him. "What are you doing?' Percy sputtered out as I wrapped my arms around his neck and started sobbing quietly into his chest.
It was a calculated move on my part. On one hand, I needed to put on a show to make this believable for Percy. On the other hand, I didn't want to be too loud that I attracted the attention of others. Of course, my fellow Gryffindors saw me crying into Percy's shoulder. That was a given. Unavoidable. But it wasn't unusual for a younger sibling to seek out the comfort of an older sibling. Especially when a few of Gryffindor house were used to me doing this very same thing to Charlie when he had attended Hogwarts. There were quite a few detentions Fred, George, and I avoided thanks to Charlie being a softy when it came to upset little sisters. I was counting on most not thinking much of me clinging to Percy so they wouldn't feel a need to listen in.
Whatever complaint Percy was concocting in his head about my lack of decorum vanished when he recognized that something was wrong. I felt Percy place one tentative arm around the back of my shoulders in comfort. "Holly, what's wrong?" He asked in concern.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's all my fault", I said, my voice muffled by his chest.
"What's your fault?" Percy asked in an attempt to get me to speak coherently.
"I didn't mean to cause trouble". I continued the act. "I didn't want to make people uncomfortable. But… but", I trailed off for a moment as if my sobbing made it too difficult to form words. "I had a nightmare last night". In our family, there was no need for me to explain why having a nightmare was so horrid. Everyone was in the know about my chronic sleepless nights. "So…. I went to Fred and George, and… and…"
The hand Percy had between my shoulder blades applied a little pressure. "And?" he prompted.
I shook my head without looking up from my hiding place on Percy's shoulder. As if what had happened was too horrible for me to say. Shakingly, I raised my head so I could whisper in my big brother's ear. And I told him everything. Everything, but slightly out of order. Oh! How frightening it had been to wake up from a dead sleep to someone yelling at us. Especially after the murder dream, I had just had. How George tried to deescalate the situation. And how Fred threatened the other boy with pranks when that didn't work. "They were just trying to help", I sniffled as I tried to defend Fred and George's actions to Percy; who generally wouldn't side with his brothers if pranks were involved. I went on to describe how the no-name prefect hadn't backed off. Instead, he gave us weeks of detentions and called us… accused us of being…. When I whispered that word into Percy's ear, I felt him stiffen. "It's all my fault", I repeated with a rueful shake of my head. "It's not fair to Fred and George. And I know I shouldn't be in their dorm. It's probably embarrassing that I'm there. It's just… I was so scared. My nightmare…. So much blood…. And then to wake up to someone yelling, just like my killer….."
I think it was the word killer that pushed Percy in the direction I needed him to be. Gently, Percy pulled away from me, tugging at my arms to let him go. I allowed it, and as I stepped back, I got a good look at Percy's face. His eyebrows were slanted inward to the point that they were hard to see behind his glasses. His forehead wrinkled and his nostrils flared like a man who was seeing red. "Don't worry about those detentions", Percy tried to assure me. "You, Fred, and George won't have to go. Not after what he accused you of. A prefect making such an accusation, a disgrace; I swear". That last part was muttered to himself. "I'll handle it", Percy promised.
"Quietly?" I asked; forcing myself to sound meek. A lone tear fell from my left eye which I quickly rubbed away with the back of my hand, suggesting I didn't want anyone to see. "If it got out and everyone started talking about the three of us being…." I trailed off so Percy could use his own imagination about how painful a rumor that would be.
"Quietly", Percy agreed. "You'll never hear that word again if I have anything to say about it". With a comforting pat on my shoulder, Percy stepped away with stomping steps. Many cleared a path as he made his way to the exit. And while Mr. No-name was still in the bathroom in the fifth-year boys' dorm, I knew that as soon as he set foot out of the common room he wasn't going to have a good day.
A minute after Percy's departure, Fred and George came downstairs; still in their pajamas. I'm assuming the Marauders' map helped them to know when it was safe to leave their dorm. It didn't take them long to join me by the notice board where Percy had forgotten to post the newsletter in light of everything I had just dumped on him. "Did it work?" George asked as he handed me a handkerchief.
"Uh-huh", I answered as I used the handkerchief to rub the irritant off my eyes. They were starting to sting something awful. But it had been necessary. I needed to cry and I couldn't fake it. "Percy said we don't have to go to those detentions. Percy looked really mad when I told him. You might have one less roommate by the time Percy is finished with him".
"Jolly Holly", Fred started from my other side, sounding impressed if not a little unnerved. "Sometimes, you can be very scary".
After that, the day continued as any other school day. And other than nameless roommate number one giving us a particularly wide berth, no one would be able to tell anything had happened this morning. Still, as I sat in transfiguration, listening to Sirius review the color-changing charm and going on and on about all sorts of ways you can use a color-changing spell to get a laugh, I couldn't help but think Mr. no-name was in the right. That my mum was right. I'm too old to be sharing a bed with my brothers. It isn't fair to the other fifth-year Gryffindor boys that I'm constantly in their living space. Maybe it's time…. That I handle my murder dreams by myself. Even if that meant becoming an insomniac.
"I can't take much more of this", Adrian grumbled out of complaint from his seat next to mine. He had given up on taking notes during the first five minutes of class and was now just watching Regulus' brother with a sort of detached exasperation.
With my chin resting in my palm and elbow propped up on the desktop, I shrugged. "I think he's making a good point". The look Adrian threw me was one of undiluted judgment. "Being able to turn your annoying neighbor's garden gnome to a hideous shade of pink is a useful skill to have".
"Yes", Adrian spoke dryly with a deadpan stare. "It's right up there with reading tea leaves and being able to recite all of the Weird Sisters' songs".
I leaned back a little as Sirius distracted himself and the rest of the class by changing his desk bright orange. "How did you come up with those examples?" Because they were oddly specific, considering who I was speaking to.
Adrian didn't offer a response as he busied himself with the class materials. We were supposed to be practicing the color-changing charm on our homework and if we managed to change it into two different colors, we were promised extra credit when we turned it in. So far, the only one who had managed to have parchment that was two different colors was Adrian. Something he didn't seem particularly thrilled about, based on how annoyed he looked whenever he stared at his green and blue-colored essay.
When Sirius moved on to show how we can change the color of small details, like the color of the chalk but not the chalkboard itself, Adrian sighed as he set his homework assignment down. As if he was wiping his hands of it. "By the way", he started; watching as I attempted to change the color of my assignment to be red and blue. Unfortunately, purple was the end result. "I'm assigning you a detention for tomorrow night".
I perked up. "Oh?" I asked, turning my full attention to my boyfriend. I had expected this. Fantasized about this. Adrian being a prefect afforded the two of us many opportunities to spend time together without others interrupting. Detentions that spanned hours with just him and me occupying a space. This year detention was about to gain a whole new meaning. "What did I do?" I asked, deciding to play along.
Though I had clearly misread Adrian's intentions when he gave me a look that suggested I was being thick. "I'm giving Thing One and Thing Two a detention as well". Fred and George? I blinked. He wanted Fred and George there? "Tomorrow after dinner come to the charms classroom".
I heard the words coming out of Adrian's mouth and I comprehended them. But it was a struggle to focus. Clearly, we were on different pages if he wanted to torment my brothers by putting them in detention when I saw a golden opportunity for some alone time. Did he not understand why I got excited about him giving me detention? Especially when I hadn't done anything to deserve it. And Fred and George; that was just weird. So, it had to be asked, "You died a virgin, didn't you?"
Suddenly in the middle of a coughing fit, Adrian choked on air. His eyes started to water as he turned a bright cherry red. Based on what I learned about his culture, me making such a comment was probably highly inappropriate. Guess I did deserve that detention after all.
"Good job, Mr. Pucey", Sirius broke in; drawing everyone's attention to our table. Adrian, still trying to recover, could only take turns glaring at both Sirius and me as Sirius continued. "Class, see how Mr. Pucey managed to make his face this vibrant red. Now, it may not have been accomplished through magical means, but it's still an impressive change of color".