✔️ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐆𝐎 → ℎ. 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦

15 | D A R K N E S S

but I know a thing or two
about pain and darkness.

    THICK, WARM BLOOD was trickling down the back of her hand, and even though the wound was closing up quick after every time it was ripped open, the burning sensation on her skin was constant, and though was an equal feeling inside her. Her jaw was hurting from gritting her teeth too hard in an desperate attempt to keep herself from slamming her fist into Umbridge's feisty face. It was hard; an primeval instinct inside her was roaring to be freed.

   After an hour of this torturous treatment, Umbridge moved over. Ember hadn't made the smallest sound for the passed sixty minutes now; not a whimper, not a cough, nothing. Breathing flatly, she resisted to hiss like an angry cat as Umbridge took her hand, lifting it a little closer to her toadlike face.

  "Seems like we left an impression here, didn't we", the professor chirped, and it took anything from Ember to not rip her hand out of Umbridge's grip, who was turning Ember's hands in her short, chubby fingers, so she could get a clear look on the words shining red and sore against the girl's pale skin; I must not tell lies. "But it's still a work in progress, isn't it?" Finally she let go. "You can go now." Ember quickly reached out for her bag and lifted from the chair. She wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to control the burning darkness inside her. "Tomorrow, same time", Umbridge's words sounded from farer than the woman actually was. Ember had already crossed the room and reached the door. "It's still a long way to deepen the massage as it has on your brother."

   Fingers around the door handle, Ember's whole body froze as the words seemed to explode in her ears.

   "What did you just say?", she breathed, not moving a muscle while the shadows around her grew larger.

   "I think I told you to go", Umbridge said, her voice domineering, but that wasn't enough to impress Ember even a bit.

   "You did this ... this —" She slowly turned around, her hand raised, not fully healed cuts shown. "— to Harry?"

   "Like you, he has to learn a lesson."

   "You did this to my brother?" Her feet didn't exactly work on her orders as they moved forward, her hand clenched to a fist.

   "Miss Potter, I must insist that you will leave my office now!" No smile, not even the fakest, was left on her lips. There was a shake in her voice, a barely noteable trembling; but Ember noticed, and it was like music sounding in her ears.

   "It is impolite to not answer, Professor", Ember hissed. "I asked you a question. Did you do this to Harry?"

   It seemed like the darkness behind Umbridge was reaching out for her, slowly stretching, raising, growing; and so did the darkness inside her grow, tickling in her fingers, waiting, waiting ...

   Umbridge's mouth opened, and Ember was ready. The floor underneath her feet started to shake, her vision rimmed in blackness. Say it, a deathly voice silently commanded Umbridge, come on, say it. Give me a reason. Just one reason ...

   There was a knock on the door and Ember flinched, her conscious fighting itself back through a blackened mind.

   "Professor!", an excited voice appeared behind her, but Ember kept her eyes fixed on Umbridge. "Mr. Filch is asking for you. Peeves is demolishing the trophy room."

   The teacher's face relaxed. "Thank you, Mr. Malfoy", she said. "I'll take care of it. You will bring Miss Potter back to her common room."

   "Of course." A rough hand grabbed her shoulder, shoving her around through the still opened door. "Come, Potter", he spat, giving her a push, but his hand never losing touch of her until they'd brought enough space between themselves and Umbridge's office.

   "I am not the type to say I told you so", he said, "but haven't I told you so?"

   "You knew it", she whispered, shrugging off his hand, before she jogged him into the wall. "You knew what she's doing to Harry! You knew it! Why haven't you told me? You should have told me!"

   "You weren't ready."

   "Bullshit!"

   "Shut up, you ... Do you want to wake the whole castle?" He grabbed her wrists and tore her hands off of his shoulders; it was only their pairs of hands — his wrenched around her fragile arms — between them like a wall. Like a shelter. But who was it that needed to be protected from the other? "You can't let the bloody ministry find out about you!"

   "I won't." Her chest was heaving heavily up and down.

   "When you murder that woman, you will!"

   "They could never prove it was me." Surprised about her own words, shivers ran down Ember's spine. Nevertheless, she added, "I can easily make it look like an accident. Or I can make her vanish. She's evil enough to become a part of darkness."

   "You can't do anything of this, because you can't control it! It is controling you, don't you get it? It's consuming you, it's acting through you!" He shook her wrists and her whole body followed. "You stupid girl! You haven't understood a thing, have you? This isn't just any magical power! Uncontrolled you're like a freaking werewolf, just that you don't need a full moon to lose your mind! You're dangerous. You're unstable!" He paused, his eyes piercing into hers, whispering, "And yet you're so pure. Innocent. I won't let you murder anyone. I won't let this break your soul."

   Ember stared at him startled, her heart pounding heavy, her head feeling light as a feather. "Why are you doing this?", she asked in a breath.

   "Could ask you the same ...", he muttered, and before Ember could even wonder, what he was talking about, the invisible wall between them crumbled, broke, and she found herself in the warmth of his kiss once again, her breath got stuck in her lungs, as she felt the urge to push him away, to kick and hit and then run —

   But her shadows purred fully satisfied, and instead of doing what her mind ordered, Ember's lips moved against his, finding his rythm, sinking into his touch. Because this boy ... this boy knew about darkness. This boy carried it himself. Not the same way she did, for his weighed more, his went deeper. And now she knew who was the one that needed to be saved.

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