✔️ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐆𝐎 → ℎ. 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦

14 | D O L O R E S

   USUALLY IT WAS just a stone's throw til October had passed, but this time to Ember it seemed like this windy and rainy autumn month would last a lifetime. Umbridge finally gave in and let Hufflepuff and Gryffindor play Quidditch, but she also came up with new educational decrees adnd ridiculous rules, so Hogwarts grew from home to hell within just a couple of weeks.

   When teachers to the beginning of the year had told them that the O.W.L. year wasn't a pleasant walk through flower fields, they haven't made false promises. With Quidditch practice and the tons of homework they got, Ember didn't really find the time for anything else besides eating and sleeping, keeping up wondering how Harry could manage all of this while he additionally had detention every night with Umbridge. But circumstances made it hard for her to ask him, first, because they simply didn't find the time to meet him, second, because Woody delivered her a friendly reminder from Draco Malfoy that she had to stay away from Harry the best she could.

   She hadn't met Draco ever since the kiss in the library; he didn't ask for it and Ember would under no circumstances ask him. Instead he was writing her letters, even though he still kept sitting next to her during Defence class — a highly uncomfortable situation for her, so her eyes remained glued to Slinkhard's book without even getting a single word for all those hours she was forced to be close to him.

   "Miss Potter", her teacher's disgustingly girlish voice had her snapped back to reality, and looking up, Ember found Umbridge already glaring down at her, her toadlike mouth widened to a false smile. "Tell me, Miss Potter, how's it possible that your classmates are all reading chapter sixteen, while you're still stuck at chapter twelve?"

   Ember blinked down at the book, noticing that indeed she hadn't turned pages for a full hour, having just randomly opened the book at some point by the beginning of the lesson and pretended to read.

   "Oh, er, I'm ... rereading ... for better understanding, you know?", she said, hearing a quiet snort coming from Malfoy.

   "I don't see how chapter twelve would be relevant for chapter fifteen", the tiny witch replied. "What I do believe is that lying is in your family, am I right, Miss Potter?"

   "Well, I won't call it a lie, Professor", Ember said, trying to keep her voice casual, but a cynical undertone she couldn't fully hide. "It's just that the truth would be inappropriately impolite, so I choose to whitewash the a little bit."

   "Is that so, yes?", Umbridge replied, the corners of her mouth flickering in an attempt to keep up her fake smile. "My dear, I think I'm capable to cope with the truth. Come on, just give it a try."

   "It's just that your class is a joke." The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. Malfoy's head jerked around with a clearly audible cracking in his neck, Hannah sharply sucked in the air, and Susan visibly paled. "And not a good one I may add. It's boring, and it's useless, what's probably the worst of it. I could clean Myrtle's toilet and I'm sure I'd have more fun and at least would do something valuable."

   Umbridge's smile grew wider, revealing two rows of tiny teeth. She'd Ember where she wanted her, and Ember was pretty much aware of that. But that didn't mean she would stop now. The child has drowned in the cauldron, no need to send a rescue mission.

   "I had the great displeasure to meet your father once, Miss Potter", Umbridge purred. "Terribly arrogant, absolutely misplaced in this honourable position of working in the Ministry. But look, where his arrogance took him." She pursed her lips in contentment when she noticed the girl's hands had started to shake. "You remind me a lot of him. But unlike your father, our ways fortunately crossed earlier. Maybe it's not too late for you. Discipline is what your father obviously lacked of, but we won't let your hybris overgrow your sense in authority, will we, Miss Potter?"

   "You know nothing about my father", Ember hissed through gritted teeth, about to lift out of her chair if it wasn't Malfoy to grab her wrist and pull her back. Angryly, she shook his hands off, but remained sitting on her chair, hands shaking, blood speeding through her veins, and her vision growing darker.

   "What do you know about your father, stupid girl? Heard all those heroic stories, did you? Told by murderers and half-breeds, I wouldn't put too much of a verisimilitude in them." She turned around and walked back in front of the class. "Detention, Miss Potter. Eight o'clock, my office." She turned around, still a bright smile on her lips. "Let's see if the message will at least get under your skin."

   "Have you lost your mind?" After class, Draco cut off Ember's way back to her dormitory, pushing her against the wall. Her blood was still boiling, her hands still shaky, and she tried to shove him away, but he held her pinned against the wall, his icy blue eyes narrowed. "You exactly know that she's provoking you! Have you forgotten that you're turning in a furious killing machine whenever you get angry?"

   "I won't kill anyone", Ember growled. "But you can't deny that she deserves a nicely broken nose."

   "You don't know what detention with Umbridge is like, do you?", Malfoy whispered, his minty breath tingling in her nose. "I'm not there to save you this time, Potter!"

   "I don't need you to save me! What could it be? Reading another boring book?" Ember snorted, finally pushing him away. "There's nothing this bitch can throw at me to get my temper high enough for —"

   "Gosh, girl, even I do get your temper this high!"

   "Why, you're an high quality asshole", Ember lazily replied, starting to walk down the corridor and away from him, "and she's just a poor little toad. What should happen?"