Apparently my honorable actions of taking the detention instead of Ginny resulted in the opposite effects I wanted. Dumbledore's Army quit breaking school rules and Ginny was officially banned from Hogsmeade after graffiti lightning bolts. When Neville heard what had happened to me he had decided to put Dumbledore's Army meetings on a hiatus until after the winter holiday.
And Draco Malfoy was furious with the Carrows after I showed up with new cuts and bruises after my detention. The rest of my detention consisted of writing with the same quill Umbridge had made me use. Except this one left a long lasting effect. It had been nearly four days since the detention and my hand still hadn't stopped bleeding.
Now both of my hands consisted of scarred writing. My right with 'I will respect my authority' and my left with 'I must not spread lies'. Alecto had decided that Ginny's mural was me spreading lies about Harry Potter and Voldemort. I could care less what she had made me scar into my skin, what I cared about was that it wasn't stopping bleeding. At this rate I was going to die of blood loss. I've already had to drink a blood replenishing potion. Not even Madam Pompfrey could get it to stop.
I didn't dwell on the issue of Dumbledore's Army too much, though. Given the upcoming exams and the mounds of homework we had been receiving, I found myself drowning in education rather than drama. Which was rare. I hadn't cared about my education for almost three years now. But even with the ongoing war outside the castle walls, I still spent every night poring over Arithmancy charts with Draco. It was maddening, but I cherished the moments when Draco snickered at my incompetence and stupidity. It was his favorite subject, so I would endure the torture if it meant he was happy.
When the term ended and I was confronted with the harrowing reality that we would be returning to the Manor for two weeks. We would be returning to Voldemort.
On the train ride home, I opted for a compartment instead of sitting amongst the other Slytherins. For the first time everyone seemed to be going home. Draco and I were headed back to the Manor, Astoria was headed back to her own mansion with her family, and Theo had been instructed by his father to return home for 'death eater' business. I prayed he wasn't going to be branded as well. The Nott's were close to Voldemort.
"You know recently I've been wearing clear, but I've always liked pink..." Astoria was going on about her lipgloss shades. Seated on the bench across from me, she was perched comfortably in Theo's lap, leaning back against his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her waist. When she'd initially settled into this position, he'd been bemused, but there had been no complaints from him, and he now wore the same lazy, confident smile that he'd been sporting since I met him. They weren't officially dating, but they were something.
"I prefer clear," I said trying to be present in the conversation. I sat wedged between the wall and Draco Malfoy. He had taken to ignoring the rest of us and staring out the window. "Do you think you'll come visit the Manor over the holiday, Astoria?" I asked, directing the conversation away from her collection of lip products.
"My parents might." She replied.
"But you won't?"
She shifted in Theo's lap and cleared her throat. "I don't want You-Know-Who to get any ideas for me." Her eyes slid toward my forearm, covered by my sweater, as if she could see the Dark Mark through it. "My parents have decided they don't wish to oppose him, but I don't want any part of it. Besides, I'm spending the holiday with Theo."
"Really?" His eyes lit up.
She nods. "I can't stand the thought of enduring two weeks with Daphne—"
Theo's face falls. "But my dad's a Death Eater, you won't be avoiding You-Know-Who..."
"I never said we were staying at your place." She said. "We're going to Paris to visit my great aunt who knows nothing about You-Know-Who and only speaks French. Therefore she can't question why you're with me."
