human again / hp.

Chapter 107

The door slammed shut behind Umbridge, Harry, and Hermione.

For a long moment, silence stretched across the room like a drawn bow.

Then chaos erupted.

Neville twisted hard against Crabbe's grip, stomping on his foot. Ginny lunged sideways, wand flashing as she fired a well-aimed Stunner at Goyle. He crumpled with a thud.

"Hey!" Draco shouted. "Hold them—"

The room exploded with movement. Shouts, sparks, spells—someone fired a hex that scorched a tapestry. I barely ducked as a Disarming Charm whizzed past me.

Ginny's wand snapped toward me.

"Expelliarmus!" she yelled, but I was faster.

"Protego."

Her spell ricocheted off my shield. She blinked, startled, and I seized the moment, wand flicking. "Petrificus Totalus."

She dropped mid-lunge, stiff as a board.

But the others weren't watching. Ron had tackled Montague. Neville had grabbed someone's wand. Luna was twirling out of the way of a wild spell like it was a game.

I stood over Ginny, panting. For a second, I just stared at her.

Her eyes rolled furiously beneath her frozen face, trying to glare at me.

Then the spell began to wear off. Her lips twitched first, then her fingers.

She blinked up at me and whispered through clenched teeth.

"You could've helped them. You could've."

I didn't answer. I couldn't.

My chest felt like it was being crushed by a cold, invisible hand.

I looked around — Draco was distracted, yelling orders. The others were panicking.

And no one was watching me.

Ginny's voice was low, sharp. "What are you doing, Malfoy? Why are you just standing there?"

I knelt beside her, pretending to check her bindings. My hair fell around my face like a curtain. No one would see my lips move.

I whispered, "I'm not fighting."

Ginny blinked. Her voice was a hiss. "Then why hex me?"

"I had to," I muttered. "They were looking."

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, but she didn't say anything.

I looked up. The Inquisitorial Squad was falling apart.

Ron had just wrestled a wand from someone and was shouting something to Luna. Draco looked furious. Neville had cast an Impediment Jinx that sent a Slytherin flying into a cabinet.

I backed away from Ginny slowly, raised my wand towards my own chest...

...and whispered, "Stupefy."

I let the red light hit me.

It wasn't strong — just enough to make it convincing. I staggered, let my wand slip from my fingers, and dropped onto the floor beside the bookshelf, limbs slack, breath shallow.

A practiced fall.

In the blur of spells and shouting, no one noticed.

I lay still, staring at the ceiling, heart thudding in my ears.

Somewhere to the left, I heard Draco yell my name just once, but it was swallowed by a sudden cheer.

They'd done it.