Liar. Harry Potter's sister ~ Book 2

chapter nine

I must not tell lies.

The words cut into the back of my hand like a knife. They dig deeper and deeper with every letter I write, sprouting fresh, scarlet blood, each time. Umbridge glowers over me, her hands on her hips, scolding me every time I stop writing even for a few seconds. The endless torture makes tears prick at my eyes but I bite my tongue to keep myself from sobbing. I won't give her the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Blood trickles slowly down my wrist in a tiny stream, and drops off my hand, leaving little splotches on the parchment. I've been here for almost half an hour now. She told me to keep writing until she says stop. The sky was a dusty pink through the window, and I wondered all the things I would rather be doing right now.

I continue writing, for what feels like hours, enduring the torturous pain and trying to steady my breathing: I can't stand being in her presence, it makes me panic. I feel like she's going to shout at any minute. Do something to me any minute. She's malevolent. She's been getting away with making me write with my own blood, who knows what else she can do. I don't feel at all at ease around her anymore. It's like she's made me genuinely believe that I'm a liar. I have a constant reminder of her on my left hand and it makes my stomach knot at the very sight.

I must not tell lies.

I flinch. My body goes into shock as a sharp, searing pain spreads throughout my upper back. I drop the quill and it clatters to the floor as I feel the invisible scalpel move up to my back and begin carving there. I arch my back and my lip trembles as I feel the words I must not tell lies being incised into the untouched skin. It feels like it's being cut deeper than on my hand. My lip trembles and my eyes squeeze shut, trying to escape from the pain. I feel my back begin to grow wet with blood. I hear the soft clacking of Umbridge's shoes as she bends over and thrusts the quill back into my hands off the floor. She glares sternly at me, her eyes angry.

"Continue." She says, firmly, glaring daggers at me. I whimper silently and begin to write the words, once again. They alternate from my hand to my back. It's slow and it's excruciating. Each time, it's as though she's carving away each tiny bit of my self-respect, turning me against myself, wishing that I had just kept my mouth shut in the first place. I gave up holding back my tears and watch as they fall off my face and splatter onto the desk below me.

After many pain filled hours, Umbridge takes another look at my hand and my tear-soaked face, and sends me away, taking extra caution to pat me on the back on my way out.

"Maybe next time you'll think twice before telling evil little attention-seeking lies in my classroom." she says sweetly, with an evil grin. I nod, not wanting to make matters worse, and push open the heavy door of her office and out into the corridors. I cover my mouth with my hand as I walk through the halls, muffling my sobs. My bag digs into my back, making my eyes well up and sting even more. When I turn the first corner I am met with a boy, sitting against the wall, book in his lap flicking through it. The boy was crowned in a head of unmistakably white-blond hair. His head turns and he snaps his book shut, springing to his feet, his face excited. I look at him for a few seconds before walking past him, not really wanting to speak to him. Every time I blink more tears come pouring out uncontrollably. I hear his footsteps and his calls from behind me, but I ignore them.

"Hey!" Draco calls, his pace quickening. I sprint up a staircase and head for the girls bathroom. "Olivia, wait!"

"Leave me alone Draco," I say, wiping my tears, once again. Why is it every time he sees me I'm always a crying mess?

"What's wrong?" He calls, his voice frantic.

"Nothings wrong," I say, sniffling. I don't even know why I tried to lie. "I'm fine." I prey that his footsteps will stop any second now, but they don't. I just want him to leave. But I also want him to stay. Ugh why is everything so complicated?