𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬 | l. lovegood

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𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒, Dorothea, Luna, and Neville made their way to Umbridge's office for detention.

The youngest of the three hadn't spoken to either of them since they got caught Saturday night, and she refused to look them in the eye. How was she supposed to when she'd gotten them in trouble just because they wanted to help her?

'Friends help friends' was what Neville had said, not 'Friends get each other in detention.'

I really suck at this whole friends thing, Dorothea thought as they reached the door of Umbridge's office. I knew I was better off without them, but nooo, Mum just had to tell me to socialize. Look where that's gotten me.

Neville knocked on the door, and a second later, a soft voice said, "Come in."

Dorothea wanted to gag at the amount of pink that threw up in her face the moment she stepped foot into Umbridge's office. The walls were pink, the furniture was pink, the floor was pink...

Why is everything pink? Gross.

"Good evening, children," Umbridge greeted them with a toady smile. She motioned to three desks that she had set up. Parchment and quills laid on top. "Have a seat. You're going to be doing some lines for me this evening."

Just lines? I guess that's not so bad.

Dorothea sat down at the desk closest to the window, Luna in the middle desk between her and Neville. The sun had already started to set, so she made sure to say the Amato Animo Animato Animagus incantation before leaving with the others.

"Now, I want you three to write, 'I must not sneak out after curfew'."

"You haven't given us any ink," Neville pointed out with a soft frown.

Umbridge grinned, almost evilly. "You won't be needing any ink."

Dorothea frowned at the quill. She noticed Luna and Neville exchange a look out of the corner of her eye. She picked up the quill and pressed it to the parchment. Her neat handwriting came out in scarlet ink: I must not sneak out after curfew.

She felt a prick on the back of her hand and winced a little. She shook it off and wrote again, I must not sneak out after curfew.

She felt the prick again, this time more painful. She looked down at her hand, her face paling. She looked between the scarlet ink on the parchment and the words I must not sneak out after curfew carved on the back of her hand.

It's not ink...It's blood.

She looked up to meet Luna's gaze for a split second before looking down. No one said anything to Umbridge about the quill. The woman just sat there watching them write with a satisfied smile on her toady face.

This continued for the whole week. Every evening, the three of them would come to her office and write I must not sneak out after curfew, and the cuts on the back of their hands from the cursed quill would open up and bleed. By the time their final detention was over on Friday, Dorothea was sure that the cut was so deep that it would leave a nasty scar that wouldn't go unnoticed by her parents or sister when she saw them again.

"She's demented," Neville whispered as they left her office Friday night. "How is she allowed to get away with this?"

"I never want to see the colour pink again for as long as I live," Dorothea muttered, shaking her head. She pulled her wand out of her robe pocket and pointed it at her hand. "Ferula."

Bandages sprung out from the tip of her wand and wrapped around her hand. She did the same for Neville and Luna.

"Umbridge just needs a high-five," Luna said as they continued down the corridor, "in her face...with a chair."

Dorothea and Neville laughed. She pictured a chair lifting up off the ground and hitting Umbridge in the face like it had a mind of its own. How she desperately wished she could make this fantasy a reality, but the last thing she wanted was more detention. Her hand was already hurt enough as it was.

"I'm so sorr–"

"I'm gonna stop you right there, Dorothea," Neville interrupted. They all stopped walking so that they could face each other. "This isn't your fault. We knew there was a chance we'd get in trouble, and, honestly, I'm glad we were there so you wouldn't have to deal with Umbridge all alone."

"So...you're not mad?" Dorothea asked quietly.

Neville and Luna shook their heads, the blonde smiling softly, which made Dorothea smile too.

"Are you guys hungry?" Dorothea asked as they started walking again. "I have friends in the kitchen who would be more than happy to whip something up."

"You have friends in the kitchen?" Neville asked.

Dorothea nodded with a grin. She led them down to the kitchen, tickled the pear in the portrait, and led them inside.

"Miss Thea!" one of the elves exclaimed. "How long it's been!"

"Dobby!" Dorothea kneeled down as the house elf ran up to her and threw his arms around her neck. "I missed you!"

"Dobby has missed you too, miss!" Dobby beamed up at her. "Is there anything special that you would like?"

"Anything would be great. My...friends...and I were in detention, so we missed dinner." Dorothea glanced over her shoulder at Luna and Neville, who were already being surrounded by house elves eager to serve them.

Dobby's big eyes lit up, and a huge smile spread across his face. "Oh, Miss Thea, you have friends! Dobby is so happy for you! Dobby shall go and prepare something extra special for you and your friends!"

"Thank you, Dobby."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, miss!"

"They're house elves," Neville said in amazement as he watched the little elves rush about the kitchen.

"You didn't think the food made itself, did you?" Dorothea smiled. "What did you think all of Hermione Granger's S.P.E.W. activism was about last year? She was furious when she found out house elves work here."

"But they look happy," Luna said. "That one you were talking to...Dobby. He was more than thrilled to be of service to you, Dorothea."

"Thea."

"What?" Luna and Neville asked together.

"My...My family calls me Thea," Dorothea told them. "And you guys can too." Her face fell. "Y-Y'know...if you still want to be friends after having your hand sliced open by a cursed quill all week. I understand if you don't."

"Are you kidding?" Neville questioned. "After having our hands sliced open, we're practically bonded for life. We're in this together now."

"And we're not leaving your side, Thea," Luna added, smiling when Dorothea too.