𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑

the one with the sneak

“What is more unfair than
having to choose between
being a monster or
a hero.”

•

IF PEOPLE DIDN'T BELIEVE me before, they sure as hell don't believe me now. Ever since the news of the mass breakout, everyone's been avoiding me like I was a contagious disease. Susan Bones, who was sympathizing with Harry now, told him to keep an eye on me, to which Harry reacted horribly and flipped her a finger. When I went to apologise to him for his childish behavior, she flinched back so hard that she toppled over a few potted Snargaluffs outside greenhouse three. Zacharias Smith was loud and open about his indignation towards me and that I shouldn't be allowed in the P.O. meetings anymore because of parentage. It was still just the Slytherins who defended me. Pansy and Theo had taken it upon themselves to be with me at all times. I do believe Pansy was particularly happy when she got to take points from everyone who harassed me, especially the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. She restrained from doing so to the Gryffindors because, well, I'm a Gryffindor and she didn't want to win the House Cup by cheating.

This latest decree had been the subject of a great number of jokes among the students. Lee Jordan had pointed out to Umbridge that by the terms of the new rule she was not allowed to tell Fred and George off for playing Exploding Snap in the back of the class. "Exploding Snap's got nothing to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor! That's not information relating to your subject!" When I next saw Lee, the back of his hand was bleeding rather badly. I recommended essence of murtlap.

Harry's interview was published and well known when nearly twenty owls dropped copies of it on the Gryffindor table. Harry had passed on a few around and opened one himself. We were just reading it through when Umbridge happened to come along behind us.

"Why have you got all these letters, Mr Potter?" she asked slowly, in her disgusting girly voice.

"People have written to me because I gave an interview," said Harry. "About what happened to me and Skylar last June."

"An interview?" repeated Umbridge, her voice thinner and higher than ever. "What do you mean?"

"He means a reporter asked him questions and he answered them," I said.

"Here —" And Harry threw the copy of The Quibbler at her. She caught it and stared down at the cover. Her pale, doughy face turned an ugly, patchy violet. And then she was ranting

"How you dare. . . How you could. . . I tried again and again to teach you not to tell lies. Fifty points from Gryffindor and another week's detention."

I couldn't help it.

"This is ridiculous," I scoffed. Her cold eyes darted towards me.

"Did you say something, Miss Firegold?"

"I said," loudly, as if talking to a deaf person. "This is ridiculous."

She narrowed her eyes and was practically shaking with anger at this point.

"Looks like detention for both of you, Miss Firegold."

When she left, I wasn't angry. All year, I've been trying to stay quiet at every disgusting thing she did. But, there was no reason. She's just a horrid woman. She has no control on what's happening, neither to I need her to like me or anything.

Draco was looking at me across the tables as I could only shrug and smirk.

What her educational decree twenty seven did was unleash a wildfire of rebellion amongst masses. No one pissed quibbler, literally, but had transfigured pages of books to the article. The teachers, who were just as done with Umbridge's behavior,awarded points to Harry left and right, except Professor Snape who awarded me fifty points for telling him the page number of a reference potion.