Sneak | Harry Potter

IV

four | 04.

A RELUCTANT UNDERSTANDING.

    Marietta sat in the dimly lit corner of her dorm room. Luna Lovegood ruffled aimlessly through her trunk while Cho read a muggle magazine on her bed.

    Her hands quivered as she unfolded a letter from her mother.

Her eyes scanned the page, every curve of the letters betraying a precision that only years of careful composure could construct.

    Marietta, I was informed that you have caused unnecessary disruption in Professor Umbridge's class. This behavior is unacceptable. Dolores Umbridge has influence, and she has already begun whispering things to Minister Fudge.

    It has made my position within the Ministry increasingly precarious. From this point forward, you must cease any actions or words that might align you against the Ministry. I expect you to comply. Do not disappoint me.

    Marietta read the letter twice, then a third time, her chest tightening with every line. The words "unacceptable" and "disappoint" seemed to leap off the page, clinging to her.

    Her mother's tone had been as cutting as ever, and the implications were clear: Marietta's missteps were not just her own.

    Every word she uttered, every action she took, reflected on her mother—a woman who had worked tirelessly to build her standing in the Ministry.

And now, that standing was at risk because of Marietta's perceived disobedience.

    It wasn't fair. None of it was fair. She wasn't the one whispering lies into the Minister's ear or carving words into students' hands. Yet here she was, chastised and reprimanded for even daring to stand out of line.

    Her mind drifted back to Umbridge's classroom—the feel of the blood-red quill digging into her skin, the relentless sting, the smug satisfaction on Umbridge's face.

Marietta's fingers brushed over the faint scars on her hand, tracing the words that still tormented her.

    Her mother's letter felt like a betrayal, a declaration that Marietta's pain didn't matter. What mattered was obedience—falling in line, keeping her head down, and protecting the Ministry's fragile reputation.

    The cluttering sound of Luna sifting through her trunk pulled Marietta from her thoughts, and she looked down at the letter once more. She folded it carefully, smoothing out the creases as though handling it with precision might dampen the sting of its contents.

    She would comply, of course. What choice did she have? But the resentment boiled beneath the surface still.

    Cho's voice broke the following silence, her tone distracted. "Your mum wrote you?" She asked without looking up, flipping a page in the glossy magazine she had been idly skimming.

    Marietta nodded, her lips pressing into a thin line. "Yeah, unfortunately." She replied, subdued.

She placed the letter carefully on her bedside table and then flopped onto her mattress, staring at the canopy above.

    Cho only hummed in acknowledgment, clearly uninterested, as she returned to her reading.

    The quiet rustle of paper filled the room as Marietta let her gaze drift across their shared dormitory.

    The space was cozy, though cluttered with its occupants' personalities: books piled high on bedside tables, half-filled mugs forgotten on desks, and robes slung over the backs of chairs.