In The Shadows [Book Two]

Chapter Three:

[[A/N: READ ME: Hey so last chapter I'll be able to post for a couple of weeks, sorry

Chapter Three:

Glancing at the professor's table in the Great Hall at supper, I noticed two distinct people missing. The great oaf, Hagrid, who taught Care of Magical Creatures and Professor McGonagall, the Transfiguration professor were both gone.

Whispers were carried around the large dining hall from house to house, rumors of what happened.

Some said Hagrid got sacked and McGonagall too, while others stuck with the first half but said Umbridge attacked McGonagall. Some went as far to say that McGonagall was attacked by Hagrids dog and got eaten, or that they all went into the Forbidden forest and never came back out.

All of the rumors floating around seemed like lies to me, I could completely believe that Hagrid got sacked but not McGonagall, nor would she have been attacked by Umbridge, she seemed like the only woman Umbridge couldn't bring herself to confront. Hagrid's dog, I'd heard, was a giant sweetheart who loved everyone so obviously he wouldn't have eaten or attacked anyone.

For the first time in months, I actually sat next to my brother. Harry and I spoke a few sentences to each other but for the most part, our time together was full of an awkward silence that was hard to handle. We had nothing in common, no equal ground that we could stand on. But I'd made a decision, and this decision would change my life not at all like the decision to become a Death Eater had.

This decision was to go back with Harry.

"Harry, do you stay with the Dursley's during summer?"

I spit the words out, hoping the vile taste of them would leave my mouth. I didn't want to act nice, I didn't want to necessarily follow my brother back to the Dursley's but with the anger between Draco and I, I knew I couldn't go back to the Malfoy's, not yet. I needed at least a couple of weeks away during summer to get my head straightened.

Harry nodded, and as I knew I should show some form of friendliness, I smiled at him. "Do you think they'd mind overly much if I came back with you after classes?"

I thought of Bambino and Gumball, but I knew that at least Narcissa would care for my precious little beasts so I wouldn't have to worry overly much. I could leave, and when I came back, they'd still be there waiting on me, without a doubt. I could work this to my advantage, so that even the Dark Lord wouldn't be angry that I didn't come to Malfoy Manor for the summer.

Perhaps I could simply say that I was getting closer to Harry, learning his ways. Maybe I could say he was getting too suspicious and I had to keep an eye on him.

I could easily come up with something to say, at any rate.

"Who cares if they'd mind? I'd love for you to come back with me. We don't spend enough time together, and now with everything that's gone on, perhaps it's best if we spent some time together so there's nothing to regret in the future, you know?" Harry's words struck a chord in me, but I wasn't sure what to say to him.

"Do you have detention with Umbridge again?"

I nodded, smiling slightly at the thought of it. More time to get on her last nerves, who wouldn't be happy with that? "Yeah, directly after supper and for much of the foreseeable evening."

"I've got that with Flitwick, only for an hour though. Umbridge really is a cow, isn't she?"

"Well, in her defense, I have walked out on the last two detentions mid-way through, I've laughed relentlessly at her, called her all sorts of names to her face.. I'm probably her worst student, now that I've thought about it."

Still didn't give her the right to scar me for life with a million and one words across my hands.

Harry laughed, "No offense, Amaryllis, but you're probably every professor's nightmare."

"Well no, I'm actually rather sure Snape adores me. I mean, I'm terrible at Potions but at least I'm not calling him Batman or somesuch."

I hadn't had such a nice conversation with my brother since he was eleven years old, I had to say.. it was nice, not at all like I expected it would be. I thought of angry words, screams and emotions too thick to handle but this was just pleasant laughter, between two acquaintances. Pleasant talks between strangers who knew absolutely nothing about each other except who the other's parents were.

***

"If you don't finish your detention this evening, you can expect to have detention with Filch for the forseeable future girl."

"Yes, Miss." I muttered, feeling the distinct need to roll my eyes. It was particularly hard to control that habit of mine but I knew if I couldn't, it'd only get me into even more trouble than I was usually in.

"Good. I'll be back, don't let me catch you slacking off, Potter."

I grunted as the cow left her office, repeating over and over in my mind 'I will finish my lines, I will finish my lines' while having to write on the piece of parchment many times over 'I will respect authority figures'.

It wasn't even an entire ten minutes since Umbridge had left me in her office (instead of her classroom, again) and someone who was definitely not Umbridge was trying to get in. When it was the Toad, I always heard her heels tapping away at the flooring of the corridors but not this time.

I saw the office door open yet nobody stood there, but that was when I heard a feminine voice say something about security.

Harry Potter, Hermione Granger.

Their eyes swept the room before landing on me in surprise.

"What are you doing in her office? I thought you had detention with her?"

"Well I do.. she's begun bringing me to her office for detentions," I glanced at Hermione, who seemed to be ignoring our conversation in favor of searching for something. "What is she looking for?"

Harry's green eyes assessed me, looking at my scarred hand before the red quill.  "Floo powder."

"I think she put it in that cabinet over against the wall, left hand side," I grinned, half wondering what was needed for it and half watching as Hermione handed the pink bowl of green powder to Harry.  He took a small handful out of the bowl and while Hermione replaced it in her cabinet, Harry tossed his into the fireplace and knelt down in front of the grate before muttering something.

It sounded like 'Number 12 Grimmauld place'.

I could see the body of Harry moving, but his head was stuck in a fire, talking to someone on the other side; to whomever lived at twelve Grimmauld place I assumed. For a couple of minutes, all seemed relatively normal, except that Harry looked agitated... well what parts of Harry I could actually see looked agitated.

Then, suddenly, the door to Umbridge's office burst back open for the second time in seven minutes. Several people rushed in, first Umbridge, then Filch, then Draco, Millicent Bullstrode and two other Slytherin's who were undoubtedly part of the Inquisitorial Squad.

Well, this didn't look too promising.