𝗗𝗜𝗘 𝗔 𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘 ☼ 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘆

↘︎ chapter fifty-five

55 | Hog's Head Inn

At five o'clock, Marley Potter was heading to Umbridge's office when she came across Harry Potter, her half-brother. Umbridge had mentioned that he had also been punished. When Harry noticed his older sister, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Are you following me?" he questioned when Marley caught up with him. The girl just let out a bitter laughter. Harry seemed worried and nervous.

"Not at all. I have a punishment at Umbridge's office." she replied. "Yes, I know I'm also missing the tryouts but hey, I thought I saw Ron through the window while coming. Is he really going to try?"

"Yes, for a Keeper." confirmed Harry, nodding along. "We trained once and he was really good. But he gets easily nervous and I'm scared this couldn't bring him good skills. Anyway, why the Frogface punished you?"

"Because I'm suppposed to have a N.E.W.T-level class. And maybe I joked I should practise the Imperius curse by myself, so I can control her and make her have practical exercises."

Both Harry and Marley burst out laughing, but her brother's smile faded in the moment when they arrived in her office. Harry knocked on the door and the sweet voice of Professor Umbridge echoed from the inside, inviting them to enter. Both Potter siblings entered the room.

"Oh great, Mister and Miss Potter." she smiled, greeting them. "Please, have e seat."

She had prepared two chairs against her desk and two quills to two sheets of parchment. Marley and Harry sat down, and Harry picked up the quill and began writing directly without ink, and Marley looked at him in astonishment.

Umbridge, who had noticed how confused she was, spoke: "You won't need ink with my quill, ebcause it's a special one. Now, you will also write like your brother, Miss Potter. But I want you to write I must be more respectful. Start."

"How many times?" she questioned, looking at Professor Umbridge.

"Until it leaves an imprint in your heart." she replied sweetly and stood up from her desk. Marley started writing this sentence and when she wrote the first one, the girl felt strange pain in the back of her right hand and she saw the same words, written on her skin. They quickly disappeared as strange as they appeared.

"Something wrong, Miss Potter?" asked Professor Umbridge, looking at Marley. She simply licked her lips and shook her head. The girl turned to see Harry and saw that he also had words written on his right hand, but they were red and blood had spilled from the wound but he didn't even emitted a sound. From Umbridge's window, Marley was capable to watch the Quidditch tryouts and sometimes she was secretly doing it, along with Harry.

Umbridge released them in a few hours, and Harry's hand was full of blood. Marley was far from that. Her sentence was pale on her skin and more like a graze, but the words were clearly read.

It was quite late and they went into the common room in silence. Marley asked him nothing about the other punishments, and when the two said the password to the Fat Lady, only Ron and Hermione were in the common room. The two seemed puzzled to see her go together with Harry after a punishment with Umbridge, but Marley politely wished them a goodnight and went to bed.

The next day, the Gryffindor Quidditch team training took place on the pitch. Marley was dressed in her robe and was in the locker room talking to Katie Bell, and then Angelina Johnson greeted Ron for joining the team as a Keeper. She looked sternly at Harry and Marley because they hadn't appeared on the tryouts yesterday.

"Oh, there are some people at the stands." warned them Angelina, while the seven-membered team was going out on the pitch with their uniforms and broomsticks. "Don't pay attention to them, okay?"