The first year introductions went quite as they had the last few years, only, for the second time in a row, no one questioned her position as Queen.

As the common room calmed down with many students going to unpack, Blaise and Daphne moving to help the first-years to their rooms and answering questions, she turned to the journal she'd gotten from Perenelle and turned to a sketch she'd been doing of Marvolo and Riddle sitting on opposite ends of a couch, both looking as if they were staring at her out of the page.

"You really like drawing us, angel~… are we that important to occupy all your thoughts?"

Well, you two never let me forget that you're in my head, so yeah. Plus I can admit you're both relatively handsome.

She smiled, shading the couch's shadow slightly and using her finger to get the right texture.

S ometimes.

"That's really very good." Ginny leaned over her shoulder, eyes wide. "Tom's older here, right? Both of them? I like him with long hair..."

Snapping the journal shut, she looked at the girl. "Ginevra. What is it?"

The girl grinned, unaffected by the use of her first name. "It? Well, it looked like a picture of two versions of Tom sitting beside each other and looking incredibly fit… but then again, I could just be seeing things."

"Oh?" Daphne drifted over, snatching the journal and flipping through the pages, eyes widening. "Lena! These are-… I know a few girls who would pay for a commission of one of these- or Merlin- Blaise's mom would just eat these up! Is this Tom? That mystery guy? Because he's hot."

"Maybe." She snatched the journal back, scowling as she kept it to herself. "But my sketches are private."

"How sweet…"

"Should we be flattered, dearest?"

Lena flushed just slightly, gripping the journal tightly.

Shut up.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Even if Tom gave me his permission to allow me to give out my drawings of him… I wouldn't feel comfortable with that. My work is my own and his figure is his own- he just lets me use him as my muse."

Daphne and Ginny shared a look, both nodding and backing off slightly, even as Daphne grinned widely. "If you ever think differently, maybe he'd be okay with a more… risque drawing session if you know what I mean?"

"I think that we would be-"

"Nope." She now felt herself flush fully, stopping that thought in its tracks. "No thank you." When the girl opened her mouth, Lena narrowed her eyes. "We are friends."

Both nodded, looking chastised, and after a moment Ginny smiled weakly. "Anyone ever tell you your eyes glow when you're mad?"

Lena smirked cruelty, making her eyes flash bright red as she'd learned to do in the orphanage, the two girls turning as white as a sheet. "I don't think you have ever seen me get mad… not really ." Then she turned on her heel. "I'm going to turn in for the night. Chocolate is on the table, along with the nightmare journal."

As she had her NEWTs for Ancient Runes already and she was yet to test out of Potions- meaning she wasn't allowed to be in the potion lab- Lena found herself sitting in the empty astronomy tower and sketching the Dark Mark absently on a piece of paper in the back of her journal.

"What's on your mind, sweetheart?" Riddle spoke gently, knowing something was bothering her as if it was instinctual.

Finishing the rough sketch, she shrugged and put the journal aside, leaning her back against the cool stone. "I think that with every day that passes I would be more content to destroy myself than lose you two… I know that I am a fool, but there have to be other people that could talk to you, people who would be more than happy to keep you two entertained..."

"Angel..."

Riddle seemed to find his words better than Marvolo, who just seemed at a loss. "The thing is, dear, none of the others before us have been able to do anything but get possessed by us. None of them hear us. Not even with occlumency- though those few did have a better time resisting us… We wouldn't trade our time with you for anything in the world, beloved, much less another person."

"We have both spent a lot of time alone, so there will be no hard feelings when you chose to destroy us, as we will be going back to where we belong."

"I don't want to." She closed her eyes, feeling unsteady and hating it. "I don't want to have to hurt those I care about anymore."

Riddle nodded. "I understand… but it has to be done eventually, love, and you are the best person to do it."

Nodding, but not saying anything more, she just stayed silent and watched the clouds drift across the sky.

Umbridge was sitting behind the teacher's desk when she walked into the defense classroom and took a seat at the back, opening up a book on hexes that Nicolas had given her with advice on keeping up the physical training she'd been doing with Fake-Moody the year before.

The class slowly filled, but she stayed reading, not even looking up when the woman started to speak her nonsense about 'fractured teaching' and 'ministry approved curriculum'.

"Hem hem."

Lena moved her hand to her pocket so she could hold up a cough drop, still not looking away from her book. "Need one?"

"Miss Potter, such books are not allowed in my classroom. Put it away before I take it, as you have yet to copy down the course aims."

"And why would I do that?" She looked up at the woman flatly. "I am allowed, by Dumbledore's approval, to do my own study in classes where I am either ahead or that I feel as if the teacher cannot teach me anything of value. And if your curriculum is as far as I have seen, I think both apply in this situation."

With beady eyes narrowing on her, the woman glared meanly and held out a hand. "I think that for your insolence, I will be taking that book from you."

Shoving her book in her bag and quickly activating the runes so that it- and the rest of her important items- were sent to her room, she held open her bag to show a few pieces of parchment and a few quills, smiling grimly up at Umbridge. "Oops. It looks like my book disappeared…"

"Detention, Miss Potter."

Lena tilted her head. "Question- are you actually able to give Lily Potter a detention?"

Umbridge blinked, really mimicking a toad in her confusion. "What?"

"Lily Potter. She's the only 'Miss Potter' I know and I was wondering if you can actually give a grown woman detention. If you were trying to give me detention… well, my name is Lena Farland."

"A week's worth of detention, Miss Farland, starting this evening!"

Her jaw clenched, about to say something about the woman obviously having a power complex because of her ugly face-

"Dearest, please consider not provoking the teacher?"

Taking a deep breath, she let it out in a soft sigh and nodded, sitting back in her chair and taking out a slip of parchment paper. With a glance at the woman, she wrote up a note to go to Severus and the Slytherin message board.

"What are you doing now, Miss Farland?!"

Tapping the note with her wand, it disappeared. She tilted her head. "What do you mean? I was writing."

The woman hissed like she was a toad teapot releasing steam. "Lies! This is a trick to undermine me! Another week's detention!"

"Angel… Didn't we ask you not to antagonize the toad?"

I had to get the word out not to follow my example and to tread carefully… plus, this will tell me just how bad she is. I bet Severus could take my other detentions if it doesn't go well.

Lena stared at the woman, then nodded. "As you wish."

At dinner she passed out the word that Umbridge may be someone to watch out for before crossing, using the house elves to send notes to those in the other houses that would actually listen to her, knowing that by the end of the day word would have circulated the school.

At promptly five o'clock, she knocked softly on the door to the Defence Professor's office, entering when Umbridge bid her come in.

The office was pained an ugly pink, lace and frilly things that she knew even Daphne wouldn't touch seeming to line every inch of the office.

She was staring at the wall in which every surface had ornamental plates featuring kittens wearing bows when the woman spoke up. "Good evening, Miss Farland."

Lena blinked at the sheer abomination of an office before she turned to look at the woman who was wearing clothing that was only a shade off of matching the horrendous walls. "Evening."

"The correct response is: 'Good evening Professor Umbridge.'" When she repeated the words in a monotone voice, the woman waved to a small writing desk to the side of the room. "Well sit down."

Doing as told at the small table covered in lace with a single piece of parchment, she looked at the woman boredly for instruction.

A sickly sweet smile was sent her way. "Now, you are going to be doing some lines for me, Miss Potter." When she moved to get a quill and ink from her bag, the smile on the woman's face just grew wider. "No, not with your quill."

Blinking, she raised an eyebrow at the woman. "Then with what Professor? The tip of my wand?"

"You're being combative again, dearest…"

Sneering, the woman handed over a long black quill with an unusually sharp tip. "Another half a week's detention for sass. No, you will be using a special quill of mine. I want you to write 'I must not tell lies' as many times as it takes to sink in…"

Lena gazed at the paper and the quill that was as black as night, the situation seeming to make sense in the big picture, even if her mind refused to accept it. "You haven't given me any ink to write with."

"Oh, you won't need ink." The woman's voice held a cruel smile, and she sat down, watching Lena pointedly. "Go on then. Write."

"Angel… don't write. Don't put that quill to the paper. I know you know what that is. Go! Tell someone! Don't you dare-"

Placing the quill to paper, she wrote out a single line, blood-red ink illuminating the words; I must not tell lies.

And just as she suspected, a sharp pain on her forearm had her rolling the sleeve of her outer robes up to reveal the same words that were written on the paper- cut into her skin.

Umbridge smiled at her. "Something wrong?"

"Lena, dearest..."

Marvolo sounded beyond horrified. "You cannot actually think that this will help anything, cursing yourself like this… should that wound scar over it'll be a binding contract in itself- you know that, right?"

I know.

Lena looked up at where Umbridge was watching her, clenching her jaw. "This is a black quill, or more commonly known as a blood quill, and it's illegal to own. You would be thrown in Azkaban. So how about we make a deal… I will keep using this quill for my three weeks of detention so you can see me bleed, as you so obviously take pleasure in watching that sort of thing, but in turn, you have to vow that you will not use this quill on any other living thing in this castle or I will go straight to Dumbledore and I bet he can get Fudge fired for this as well."

She ignored the two voices in her head pleading her just to tell someone- to let it go- but she knew deep down that this was the only way to make sure the sadistic woman didn't hurt anyone else.

The woman's eyes gleamed. "Make it six weeks or no deal."

"Don't you dare-"

Nodding slowly, she held out her hand. "Six weeks."

"I accept."

The woman took her hand in a clammy grip and they both felt the magic of the vow take hold.

"Now, Miss Farland… let's see how long this message takes to really sink in…"

When she got out of the detention, wrapping her forearm in thick bandages she got by calling a house-elf, she entered the common room with a blank mask of impassiveness and raised an eyebrow to see half the students still up. "Seems everyone is having nightmares tonight… Should I read a story?"

"How was it? Are you okay? Your warning sounded pretty dire…" Blaise looked her over and she made sure to not give any sign she was bleeding or hurt.

"I'm fine. It was just lines. I don't think Umbitch will be as big a threat as we think… so feel free to make her life a living hell for me, as long as you don't get caught." Then with a smile to the cheering common room that was now plotting new pranks and other ways to drive the teacher batty, she looked to her court and shook her head mirthfully. "I think I might not stay up tonight. Writing all those lines gave me a bit of a headache and all."

Draco nodded. "I have an essay or two, so I should be up for a bit."

Ginny grinned. "Me too!"

"Perfect." Lena winked at them and then gave Blaise a small hug, hiding her pain easily. "I'm alright Zucchini, not to worry."

Spending a good amount of time in a hot bath, watching her arm bleed sluggishly until finally, it started to slow to a stop- the water an orangish color- she wrapped the wound in new bandages and then put the ring and locket back on, laying down.

Sinking into her mindscape, she found that it had made itself into the Black Lake, Marvolo and Riddle both sitting on the stone bench looking more than a bit upset.

Riddle crossed his arms. "That was a stupid move I would expect from a Gryffindor, not you."

"It was very upsetting, lovely." Marvolo nodded. "Why didn't you just go to an adult?"

"Because then I wouldn't be able to kill her as easily." Sitting down in between the two who looked at her as if missing something, she looked out across the lake. "Vows bound by magic are also bound by life when it involves blood- and since I was bleeding, Magic took it as a blood oath and I bet Umbridge will find she has a papercut she didn't have earlier. The second she gives into her sadistic side and tries to use that quill on another one of the misbehaving students like I know she'll want to... she will die after having her magic stripped from her. A fate as bad as a dementor's kiss, or so I read once."

Marvolo wrapped her in his arms, pulling her close, nose dipping to nuzzle at her hair. "Have I told you that you're brilliant and gorgeous lately? What a cunning mind you have..."

Riddle turned to look at her with eyes that were a dark maroon, a frown still lingering on his lips. "And the binding to the blood quill?"

"She never said I have to write anything more than a promise to not tell lies and- well- I try not to do that anyway, so I don't think it'll matter that much." She shrugged, wiggling her arms out of Marvolo's grasp so she could hold them open. "Please don't be mad at me. I wouldn't do anything like that if I thought I couldn't handle it."

Sighing and pulling her close, he buried his face in her neck. "We would be lost should you get into more trouble than you can handle… I expect you to at least live to the age of seventeen."

Marvolo draped himself across her back, chin on her other shoulder. "Either change the scenery or get us a couch."

Chuckling softly, the stone bench changed into a soft sofa and she let herself be squashed into a Lena-sandwich, closing her eyes and wondering how many detentions it would take for the ugly toad to get bored of her.