Defend

Chapter Twenty-Four Please, Take The Twenty Points

 I lay in my bed that night, thinking about everything that happened in the past twenty-four hours. Neville made a patronus, Umbridge went from High Inquisitor to headmaster, from her own educational decree one hundred nineteen, the stone gargoyle won't let Umbridge into the headmasters office, Dumbledore's gone, we don't know if we can do anymore meetings, and most of all I replay the conversation Draco and I had today.

I walked into the common room after the whole thing with Harry and the DA.

"You really should change that tie," Draco stared at me.

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes and curled into a chair.

"I caught Potter today. Headmistress is quite proud of me, and it turns out he had a whole team."

He turned and stared at me as I bit my lip nervously.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you? All those long hours away?"

I stared him dead in the eyes. "No. I told you, Ginny and I have been studying in the library a lot because we have OWLS next year."

He stares at me. "You're telling the truth, right?"

His eyes are piercing my soul.

"Yes."

I hate that I lied to Draco, but to be fair, he's part of the Inquisitorial Squad. I don't know if he's on Umbridge's side or mine. He can't be both.

~~~~

 I'm walking down the hall when the twins close in on me.

 "You have Umbridge's class today, right?" George whispers.

 "Unfortunately. It's the next class."

 "Can you place this in the old twits chair? It's one of our own inventions," Fred says.

 "The portable swamp," they murmur.

 They place a squishy atramentous ball in my palm.

 "Throw it under her desk and it will do the rest," George grins.

 "Believe me, class will be cancelled, so try and do it at the beginning of class," Fred laughs.

 I cautiously drop it in my pocket. "Thank you!"

~~~~

 I run to Defence Against the Dark Arts class.

 "Woah." Draco holds out his hand to stop me.

 I sit down and turn to Draco. "What?"

 "You look way too happy for this class. You have something up your sleeve. What is it?"

 I smile at him. "Nothing."

 He continues glancing at me suspiciously as Umbridge walks in and does her usual prattle.

 I carefully pull out my wand, knowing we're not allowed.

 "Wingardium Leviosa." I whisper, levitating the small ball towards her desk. I raise it about two feet in the air, and plunge it towards the ground.

 I hastily shove my wand in my pocket and act like I was reading.

 And wait for the magic.

 In mere seconds, a huge puddle of mephitic, murky water expands from under the desk. My eyes widen in horror.

 This is going to be HILARIOUS.

 The puddle continues to increase, filling the room with water. Umbridge looks repelled and steps backwards on her squat legs.