Light In The Dark

Chapter Thirteen

In loving memory of Michael Gambon. Must have 10 comments and 20 votes for another chapter. Ai Artwork by me of Vero using Bing.

                    In her office, Umbridge pours spoon after spoon of sugar into her tea and then stirs it. A knock comes from her door. Umbridge lays her cup down, then reaches over, fixing a pin that is out of place. "Come in," she called out. The door opened, revealing Harry and Vero, who walked in. Vero's right eye twitched, growing irritable by the overwhelming amount of pink in the room. Even the walls had been colored pink with kitten plates all over it. "Good evening, Mr. Potter and Miss Riddle," Umbridge greeted, then looked at Harry. "Sit," she ordered, nodding towards a desk in the room. Harry closes the door, then goes and sits down, leaving only Vero standing. "You're going to do some lines for me, Potter, while I have a private talk with Miss Riddle," Umbridge explained. Vero grows uneasy at Umbridge's words. Harry reaches for his quill. "No, not with your quill. Instead, you're going to use a rather special quill. One of my own," she explained while standing up. She grabs the quill from her desk and walks over to Harry, laying it on the parchment before him. "I want you to write I must not tell lies," Umbridge ordered. Vero bites the inside of her mouth, holding back a snide comment. She would rather deal with Draco than this lady. At least Draco didn't hide his cruelty with a fake personality.

                   "How many times?" Harry asked.

                   "Well, let's say for as long as it takes for the message to sink in," Umbridge said, then led Vero towards another door.

                   "You haven't given me any ink," Harry said.

                    Umbridge looks back at him, "Oh, you won't need any ink," she says, then guides Vero into a different room, closing the door behind her. Harry starts to write the first sentence on the parchment paper when he starts to feel pain in his left hand. He looks over, and his eyes widen in horror as he sees the words he had just written being carved into his own flesh. A chilling cry of pain comes from the other room Vero had walked in, causing Harry's head to snap up in fear. In the other room, Vero lays on the floor, breathing heavily. "Tsk, you young folks have no respect for authority, but don't worry, I'll teach you where you stand in this world," Umbridge said with a sickening smile as she pointed her wand toward Vero. "Crucio," she said with a flick of her wand, sending Vero through overwhelming torture.

                    An hour later, Vero lay curled up in her own bed, glad that Dumbledore had sent her father away on a mission to retrieve something for him. She didn't want him to see her like this. After detention, Harry had wanted to stay with her once he had gotten her back to the hut, but Vero had refused, saying she needed to be alone. In reality, she didn't want him to see her cry. Vero's entire body hurt like she had been hit by a train. Every movement of her body, including breathing, sent a shockwave of pain throughout every limb. Bandit, who had been sunbathing in the window, noticed his companion's distress. He leaps from the window onto her desk and scurries across it. Bandit jumps onto the desk chair and then climbs down to the floor. He runs across the floor to the bed and then uses the blanket to climb up to Vero. He walks over to her face, partially hidden in a pillow. Bandit licks her cheek and then nuzzles against it, trying to comfort her. The pain and exhaustion from the torture cause Vero to slip into the land of dreams. An hour later, banging on the front door startles Vero awake. She groans in pain while slowly sitting up. Every inch of her body protested the movement. Bandit curls up in his friend's spot, enjoying the warmth she left behind. Vero slips out of bed and walks into the living room. She looks through the window, seeing it's well after dark. Vero opens the front door and is instantly engulfed in warm, comforting arms. She can't help but bury her face in smooth, curly brunette hair. "Mione...," Vero whispered as tears began to fall down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around the bookworm, pulling her as close as their bodies would allow it, but even then, it didn't feel close enough.