Two Souls

Chapter Forty Seven

    The following day in Care of Magical Creatures was horrific. It felt like an ongoing, unspoken battle between the Gryffindors and Slytherins. The Gryffindors wanted Hagrid and the Slytherins wanted Grubbly-Plank, and I was in the midst of all the tension.

"Who can tell me what these things are called?" Professor Grubbly-Plank asks, holding up a heap of twigs above her head.

Hermione gingerly raises her hand to answer the question. Behind her, Malfoy sticks his front two teeth out and imitates Hermione. Pansy lets out a shrill scream of laughter.

"Will you two shut it?" I growl quietly. Pansy and Draco have been spending an awfully large amount of time together.

"Bowtruckles. They're tree guardians, and they usually live in wand-trees," She answers.

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry interrupts.

"Never you mind," Professor Grubbly-Plank says repressively. Draco seizes the moment and leans across the table to speak to Harry.

"Maybe," He whispers, "The stupid great oaf's got himself badly injured," He sneers. "Maybe he's messing with stuff that's too big for him, if you get my drift."

Malfoy readjusts himself and heads over to where the rest of the Slytherins are. "Father was talking to the Minister just a few days ago, you know, and it sounds as though the Ministry's really determined to crack down on substandard teaching in this place. So even if that over-grown moron does show up again, he'll probably be sent packing straight away."

Harry clenches his fist around the bowtruckle so hard that it nearly snaps, causing the Slytherins to chuckle amongst themselves.

"If he calls Hagrid a moron one more time . . .," Harry whispers to me as I walk over to the Gryffindors.

"Harry, don't go picking a row with Malfoy, don't forget, he's a prefect now, he could make life difficult for you," Ron tells Harry.

"Wow, I wonder what'd it be like to have a difficult life?" Harry responds sarcastically, traipsing across the vegetable patch with the three of us shortly behind him. The doors of the nearest greenhouse open and a group of fourth years spill out of it, include Ginny Weasley.

"Hi," She says brightly as she passes us. She's with Luna Lovegood, a dazed fourth year Ravenclaw.

"I believe He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back, and I believe you fought him and escaped from him," Luna says to Harry without even a proper hello.

"Er — right," Harry says awkwardly.

******

The next week passed by uneventfully. Harry was always busy in detention with Umbridge, Ron was preoccupied with Quidditch, and Hermione was always studying. I kept myself busy — whether it was mingling with the Slytherins, practicing my spells, or writing letters to Grayson.

Hermione and I sit in the Great Hall in silence, both reading different books for different classes.

"Well," Hermione says after about fifteen minutes. "I'm going to go up to the library, the atmosphere is much better to study in. Would you like to come?"

I can't imagine studying even more. "Thank you but I think I'm just going to return to the common room," I tell her truthfully. "I'll see you later?"

She nods before collecting her books and heading upstairs to the library. I wait a few seconds before exiting in the opposite direction.

As I walk to the dungeons, I pass Professor Umbridge's classroom. Her door is ajar and Harry sits in the front row, writing lines with a special type of quill I have never seen before. Umbridge sits at her desk, her beady little eyes focused on Harry for the entire time.

"Yes it hurts, doesn't it?" She says to Harry, causing my attention to divert over to the classroom. I quickly duck behind a pillar in order to eavesdrop.

"Well I think I've made my point, Mr. Potter. You may go," She says after Harry doesn't respond.

Harry collects his school bag and exits the classroom, coming face to face with me.

"Er — hello, Amelia," He says awkwardly. He seems to be in quite a rush. Once he sees me, he tucks his hand behind his back so that it's out of sight.

"How was detention?" I ask, walking in pace with him. Harry is walking abnormally fast today.

"It was alright. I just did lines," He shrugs.

I raise an eyebrow. "Why did Umbridge say it would hurt? Is she hurting you?" I ask him suspiciously. "Because if she is, we can go to Dumbledore and —"

Harry steps in front of me so that I can't walk forward. "No! I mean — we don't have to. I'm fine," He assures me. However, I manage to catch a glimpse of crimson red blood from his hand.

"Harry, your hand!" I gasp, grabbing his large hand in my two own. "We have to go to Madam Pomfrey."

Harry rips his hand away from my grasp. "No. And don't tell Ron and Hermione about this either, please," Harry begs me. Desperation is laced in his voice. I look at him tentatively.

"Fine, but if it gets any worse you have to tell someone. Promise?" I ask him, holding out my pinky in order for us to do a pinky promise.

"I promise. Er — why is your pinky out?"

With my free hand, I take his pinky and wrap it around mine. "It's a pinky promise. That means if you break it, you have to chop your pinky off. Not actually, since it isn't bound by magic, but it's basically a promise that you most certainly cannot break. It must be an American thing."

Harry nods. "Okay, fine. I pinky promise."

We diverge off into two different directions — I go downstairs to the Slytherin Common Room in the dungeons, whilst he goes upstairs to the Gryffindor Common Room in the North Tower.

"Pureblood," I say, rolling my eyes at the ridiculous password. The dungeon doors open, permitting me to go inside.

I don't even bother to greet my fellow fifth years in the Common Room before I head off to the dormitories and fall asleep on my comfortable bed.

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HI!!! SORRY FOR NOT UPLOADING IN 19 HOURS IM SO HUNGOVER RN LOLOL