The Girl Who Protected [3]

Year 5 - 9

Walking to the office of Professor Umbridge was something that Cassiopeia really didn't want to do. She didn't want to spend any extra time with the toad than she had to. But she could only delay so long, and she ended up standing in front of the door to the woman's office. Cassiopeia reached her hand up and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Professor Umbridge's voice said from inside. Cassiopeia took a breath and then pushed the door open. Cassiopeia was completely shocked by the look of the room. Completely contrasting with Professor Moody's (well, Barty Crouch Jr's) dark and mysterious look last year, everything in the room was pink. The walls, the floors. But the walls were covered with decorative plates- each one containing a cat. Professor Umbridge was sitting at her desk, which may not have been pink- but it was covered with a pink table cover and pink stationary. "Welcome, Ms Reid."

"You've definitely made the room your own." Cassiopeia commented, still looking around in shock.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The Professor asked.

"Just that it's different. I mean, Lockhart had pictures of himself, Lupin had normal DADA stuff, and then Moody had dark arts stuff. And you have cats." Cassiopeia replied. "No offence meant, you've made it your own."

"Sit down, Ms Reid." Professor Umbridge spoke, gesturing to one of the desks in front of hers. They were smaller, one for her and one for Harry- whenever he was due to arrive. Cassiopeia sat in the one she was gesturing too, which was the one on the right. "Now, you're here because-"

"Because I asked a question." Cassiopeia replied with annoyance in her tone.

"Because you spoke without raising your hand, questioned my teaching, and continued to question me after I'd said to stop." Professor Umbridge replied before sipping her tea. "Now, I thought we had covered what was at stake, but clearly you didn't understand. I could get your father fired, is that what you want?"

"No." Cassiopeia replied quietly.

"Speak louder." Professor Umbridge ordered.

"No." Cassiopeia said louder.

"I didn't think so. Now, I'm going to give you another shot. But your insubordination must go punished. You will be writing lines for me today." Professor Umbridge replied. She then brought out a black quill and walked around her desk to hand it to Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia took it from the woman and looked to it, a look of familiarity. "I see you know what this is."

"Yes." Cassiopeia said.

"Well, then you'll know that you don't need ink." The Professor replied, ignoring the glare being sent her way. "Now, I want you to write 'I must respect the Ministry and my superiors. I am inferior.'" Cassiopeia looked to the paper and then the quill before writing what was asked of her. Professor Umbridge moved around to sit back on her chair, watching the girl. Cassiopeia wrote it once and immediately began to feel the effects. The letters that she'd written, carved into the skin on her right hand. She gasped a little at the unfamiliar pain. But refused to give any other response.

"Oh, and Ms Reid?" The woman spoke, Cassiopeia looked up. "Tell anyone about this and, well, let's just say I think you'll find your sister joining your sessions."

"You'd threaten me with my eleven-year-old sister?" Cassiopeia asked.

"I'd threaten you with all three of your siblings if they were here. Just remember that." The woman replied. "Do you understand?"

"Yes." Cassiopeia replied through gritted teeth.

"Good, now get back to it." She replied.

After writing the same phrase over and over, there was then a knock at the door. It was Harry's turn. Cassiopeia watched as the woman poured herself another cup of tea before replying to the boy.

"Come in." She spoke and the door opened. Harry walked in and turned to look at the room also. "Good evening, Mr Potter. Sit." As he sat in the desk besides Cassiopeia, the girl turned and gave him a small smile. He gave one in return, not noticing the hand on the other end of the table. The hand that was being repeatedly carved into. The hand that was dripping blood. "You're going to be doing some lines for me today, Mr Potter." Harry then went to reach into his bag for his own quill, but her voice stopped him. "No, not with your quill. You're going to be using a rather special one of mine." She then walked around her desk and gave Harry a quill. The same quill as Cassiopeia was using. "Now, I want you to right: 'I must not tell lies'."

"How many times?" Harry asked.

"Well, let's say for as long as it takes the message to sink in." She replied. Cassiopeia looked up and glared at the Professor- considering the message will literally sink in. Or more like carve in. "Get back to your own, dear." Cassiopeia rolled her eyes before continuing to write- every time another layer being carved in. Professor Umbridge then moved back to her desk.

"You haven't given me any ink." Harry spoke, stopping her in her movements.

"Oh, you won't need any ink." She spoke before moving to look out the window. Harry looked to her in confusion before starting to write. There were some exclamations of pain from Harry and Cassiopeia looked over to see him staring at his left hand. She understood that the words had just carved into his skin. As he stared at the hand, Professor Umbridge moved so she was in front of him. "Yes?" She asked.

"Nothing." Harry replied.

"That's right. Because you know, deep down, that you deserve to be punished. Don't you, Mr Potter?" Professor Umbridge replied. She then pulled away and looked to the paper. "Go on." As she made her way back behind her desk, Harry looked over to Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia looked back to him with tired eyes and lifted her hand so he could see. And when he did, he was horrified. He could tell that it was a longer sentence, going onto two lines, but he was more horrified by the amount of blood. Looking to her page, he saw that she had almost finished the page, and that there was another one completed underneath. She just gave him a small shake of the head before continuing to write. Harry followed suit.

But as she continued, silent tears begun to fall from Cassiopeia's eyes.

~*~

After another two cups of tea, Professor Umbridge broke the silence. Well, almost silence. There were gasps of pain from the pair every now and then. But Harry's heart broke every time he heard Cassiopeia whimper. He wanted to get out his chair and pull Cassiopeia out of the room, but he couldn't.

"Come here." She spoke, and Harry and Cassiopeia stood from their seats. The Professor held out her hands. "Hands." Cassiopeia and Harry then put their injured hands into hers. At this, Harry got a proper look at Cassiopeia's- it was still bleeding and he could see it was struggling to heal itself again. He couldn't read what it said, because of the amount of blood covering it. Cassiopeia also got a look at Harry's, his was raw but not bleeding. It hadn't been cut enough for there to be complete damage, it would heal over. "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? Same time for both of you. You will still come an hour before Mr Potter, Ms Reid. You may go." At this the pair turned and walked from the office, Harry grabbing his bag on the way out. As they got out and started to walk, Harry turned to Cassiopeia.

"Show me." He said. Cassiopeia just brought her hand closer to her side and shook her head.

"We're keeping this between ourselves, right?" She asked him.

"Right. We can't give her the satisfaction that she's won." Harry replied and she nodded. They then got to the part that they had to split up. "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." She replied, walking off.

Getting back to the common room, she was confronted by the group. She brushed them off, saying she just had to do lines- which wasn't exactly a lie. But after saying she was tired, she made her way to her room. Going straight to the bathroom, she washed the blood off and cast a cloaking spell over it. She wasn't going to risk her friends seeing it. She was going to keep this between herself and Harry.

-----***-----

Thanks for reading

-Zoe