Roses and Riots | f. weasley

Chapter 34: Brothers

A/N: As always, comments/votes are always appreciated (so I feel like people are actually reading this lol), and thank you to everyone who's been reading so far! I hope you enjoy! Xx

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Emilia and Harry didn't speak the following day, or the day after, and Emilia decided after talking to Hermione about what they'd seen on Harry's hand, and on those of other students, that it was time to tell someone.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Hermione asked as they crossed the courtyard. "He'll be less likely to take it out on you when he finds out you said something."

Emilia shook her head, "Hermione, Harry being a brat is the least of my worries right now. What that woman is doing is child abuse."

"You're right, and McGonagall will know what to do," Hermione said encouragingly. "Umbridge is going to be in Trelawney's class this morning, according to what Parvati was saying, so she won't catch you."

Emilia nodded gratefully, "I'll see you later."

"Good luck," Hermione said with a worried but encouraging smile.

Emilia hurried to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, and checked around her to make sure no one saw her going in. She pushed her way into Umbridge's office as quietly as she could, and blanched at how pink the office was.

She went straight over to the desk, and looked for a black quill. Hermione had managed to drag snippets of information from Harry about his detention, and Emilia picked up a deadly sharp quill from the surface of the desk, and upon closer inspection, she spotted what looked like dried blood on its tip.

She shook her head in disgust and put the pen into the front pocket of her robes before hurting out of the office, and straight to McGonagall's office.

"Ah, Emilia, here for tea?" McGonagall asked as she stepped into her office, gesturing for the seat she usually sat in for tea when they had their regular catch ups.

"Not today, I actually need to show you something," she said, and her tone made McGonagall straighten up.

She took the quill from her pocket and placed it on the desk in front of the older witch.

McGonagall eyed it curiously, and then picked it up, "what is this, Emilia?"

"Umbridge is using this as a form of punishment in detention. It's hexed, or something. The ink it uses is the writer's blood. First it was Harry, and I've seen a few others with scars on their hands too, and Hermione has spoken to some first-years who she found crying in the bathroom with the same marks," she said hurriedly.

McGonagall looked horrified, and she, too, saw the dried blood on the tip of the black quill, "this is abhorrent, what in Godric's name-"

A knock on the door startled them both, and McGonagall put the quill up her sleeve as the door swung open without invitation.

"Minerva, I was wondering if- ah," Umbridge's tiny eyes landed on Emilia.

"What can I help you with, Dolores?" McGonagall asked coldly. "Aren't you 'supervising' Sybil's Divination class this morning?"

"Well, I was, in fact. But I was informed that Miss Potter here was spotted coming out of my classroom a few minutes ago, and I was hoping you would know why that was?"

McGonagall studied the other witch without masking her disdain, "well, whoever told you that must have been mistaken, as Miss Potter has been here with me for the past hour. She found a curious quill on the floor outside your classroom and had the good sense to report it to me, as per her duty."