silence | r. weasley

chapter 1

BEATRICE UMBRIDGE WAS sitting quietly at the Gryffindor table in the great hall. She was fidgeting with her hands, thinking about where her mother was at that moment. What was this new job that she was so excited about that she'd thrown a party? Nonetheless, a party that the whole Ministry Of Magic was invited (Cornelius Fudge as the guest of honor) and her own daughter wasn't. Beatrice didn't care much, she stayed in her room most of the time anyway. Everyone was constantly congratulating Beatrice's mother, and sending their regards through Beatrice. When she tried to ask what they were talking about, the other witches and wizards would give her a strange look, and suddenly remember an appointment or an errand they'd forgotten about. Convenient. On the last week of summer, Dolores Umbridge had told her daughter that she would be starting a new job on the 1st of September, the same day Beatrice would start her fifth year at Hogwarts; the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Other than the starting day, Dolores revealed nothing. She was the happiest that Beatrice had ever seen her.

Beatrice and her mother had never gotten along well, but it's not like they were ever in the same room alone for more than 10 minutes at a time. The Ministry kept Dolores busy, and Beatrice spent her time in the basement of their huge house, painting and listening to muggle music. They were both pureblooded, but because Beatrice had lived in such a strict, yet empty house her entire life, she was left to discover things on her own. One day, she had stumbled upon a record shop in the summer before her second year, and she found a cheap phonogram, and some vinyl. When she'd gone to pay, and she pulled out her wizard-money, the salesman looked at her like she was insane. But the owner of the store, a plump woman with short blonde hair had happily taken the money and given the little girl her music. Of course, Dolores Umbridge had no idea that there was an entire shelf full of muggle music sitting in her basement; even at 12 years old, Beatrice knew better then to leave her things lying around.

A seat away from Beatrice sat the three Gryffindors she knew best as the "Golden Trio." That's what her Slytherin friend had called them, anyway. The three of them looked uncomfortable, they kept glancing up to the professor's table, before giving each other nervous looks. Raising her head just slightly, Beatrice caught the eye of her favorite Slytherin, Draco Malfoy. They'd been forced to be friends when they were little, because they were both parts of the more "respectable" (as their parents called it) pureblooded families. Their parents also worked in the Ministry, so that didn't make the forced friendship any lighter. For several years, Draco and Beatrice couldn't actually stand each other, until they realized they were more similar than they'd been led to believe. That was, until they were thirteen, and Beatrice had found Draco listening to her muggle music while waiting for her to get home from an appointment. Draco had been crying silently swaying to the song. He'd told her about his unfortunate position.

Draco didn't truly believe that everyone was equal, but he wanted to. He was forced to believe he was better because he had no muggle blood intertwined with his own. He explained the shit he went through at home, his father only speaking to him to talk about the importance of their family, or to trash the wizarding families like the Weasleys. He hated it, hated his father, but his father had manipulated him into believing the hate was for the Weasleys and "Mudbloods". That had been the first and only time the two had connected on that level, talking about their shitty parents and shitty positions in life. But they didn't need to talk more about it, seeing Draco cry was enough for her to understand him, and letting her see him that vulnerable confirmed his confidence in her.

Draco smiled for half a second, before turning it to a playful smirk, so no one else would question anything. Although Beatrice didn't know it, he'd threatened everyone into not questioning their friendship, and not commenting on it. Beatrice thought it was odd at first, when the Gryffindor girl and Slytherin boy suddenly hung out between classes, when the prince of Slytherin was suddenly hexing younger half bloods less than before, and no one was saying anything. She soon learned not to care about the validation of other people, and stopped trying to catch people's eyes when they stared at the two walking down halls.