Fallen Angel

Chapter Five: Rise and Fall Again

Harry was running on that final Friday in April, heart pounding in his chest and ears, feet slamming down one after the other upon the stone floor, wanting to put as much distance as possible from Defense Against the Dark Arts and himself as possible. He wasn't hungry, after yet another sparring match with Umbridge, and he could practically feel the blood still dripping from the back of his hand, where five words had carved themselves.

Harry finally made it to the Room of Requirement and got inside, shutting himself in from the outside world, content to remain there in his makeshift bedroom from Grimmauld, as the room had identified it as a safe space for him. Harry climbed onto the bed and dropped his bag beside it, drawing his knees upwards and to his chest, wrapping his arms around them as he did so. He couldn't believe the conversation he'd just had with the pink toad...

"So, according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord?" he'd lashed out, unable to control his temper any longer.

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident," the woman had replied. "However, I will not have you spouting lies in my classroom."

"Lies? Lies?!" Harry cried out. "What are you talking about?"

"Let me make this quite plain," she said, making a spectacle of herself then as she moved to address the entire class. "You have been told that a certain Dark Wizard is at last. This...is...a...lie," she said, breaking up the words one by one, almost as if that very action would drive the point home.

Harry immediately shook his head. "It's not a lie! I saw him! I fought him—!"

"Detention, Mr. Potter!" Umbridge shouted, speaking over him as she moved back towards the front of the classroom. "My office, once class is over," she said, and let out a little pathetic squeak of laughter, making Harry's blood boil even further.

Harry angled his hand just so, looking down at the words, which had previously been carved into his skin several months ago, but now were brighter again, due to the fresh blood outlining the words, I must not tell lies. He'd told Sirius and Remus that he would make an effort to keep his head down during class time, but the return of Riddle, as well as the death of Cedric, were equally touchy subjects for him. He leaned back then, head hitting the pillow at the head of the bed as his eyes grew heavy, and fluttered closed.

It was the smell of sandwiches which woke him and, checking his watch, saw that it was nearing eight o'clock at night. Opening his eyes and sitting up, he saw that there was a platter of sandwiches, a jug of pumpkin juice with a glass, a decent-sized packet of crisps, and a generous slice of treacle tart waiting for him on a massive platter beside the bed. Shaking his head and almost immediately knowing that Dobby had been up to this, he nevertheless pulled the little table towards him and tucked into the meal. He knew a Stasis Charm had likely been used upon the food to keep it fresh, and briefly praised the elf for thinking of everything.

Once he'd finished his meal and put a Cleaning Charm upon his hands, the platters and table and everything else disappeared, likely returning to the kitchen to be washed. It suited Harry just fine, as he took out a charms essay which was due Monday, and proceeded to scratch out what was left to be done of his final draft. As he worked, only aware of the fireplace crackling opposite and the scratching sounds his quill made against his parchment, he was completely unaware of the door opening towards his right, his head bent into his work.

"Mr. Potter."

All of the hairs on Harry's body immediately stood at attention at the sound of that velvet-like voice, and he looked up, flushing immediately. "Sir," he said softly.

"You and I are required to touch base on Monday and Friday evenings to discuss how the blocks against the Dark Lord are working within your mind," Severus Snape said, walking closer to him, an impatient look in his onyx eyes. "Am I to assume you forgot this evening, or are so willfully arrogant that you believed it to be unnecessary?"