Beyond the Bonds of Blood: The Threshold of Hope | Harry Potter

Detention

Bellarose woke up the day after the Quidditch match feeling tired. She had slept very little and was struggling to recover from the scene that had unfolded at the stadium. The heated conversation with Pansy and Draco, followed by the detention imposed by Professor Snape, had left her mentally exhausted.

She descended to the Great Hall for breakfast, hoping to regain some energy. As she took her seat, she overheard students around her discussing that a student had been petrified during the night. Bellarose furrowed her brow, wondering what could have happened.

Throughout the day, rumors spread, but no one seemed to have concrete details. Bellarose became increasingly concerned about this incident. She knew something unsettling was happening at Hogwarts, but she couldn't be sure of what.

Later in the day, while wandering the school corridors, Bellarose coincidentally ran into Ginny, who looked troubled and lost in thought.

Bellarose approached Ginny and broke the ice.

Bellarose: "Hey, Gin. Are you okay?"

Ginny, somewhat surprised, replied cautiously:

Ginny: "Hi, Bella. I'm fine, thanks. And you?"

It was evident that Ginny was not at her best.

Bellarose: "As good as you, it seems."

A heavy silence hung in the air for a moment, and then the two girls chuckled softly. The tension seemed to dissipate.

Bellarose broke the silence by saying,

Bellarose: "It seems we had a similar kind of night."

Ginny, with a knowing smile, replied,

Ginny: "Yes, it seems so. Do you want to talk about it?"

Bellarose shook her head and said,

Bellarose: "No, not really. How about you?"

Ginny did the same, indicating she didn't want to talk about it either.

Bellarose: "If you ever need to talk about anything, I'm here for you, and I'm sure Luna is too."

Ginny gave a grateful smile and said,

Ginny: "Thank you, Bellarose. I promise if things don't get better, I'll come talk to you."

Bellarose nodded, relieved to hear that.

The two girls continued walking side by side, each carrying their own burdens.

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Later that day Bellarose and Pansy found themselves in the dark dungeons of Hogwarts for their detention session with Professor Severus Snape. Snape had assigned them the unenviable task of cleaning cauldrons, a typical punishment for rule-breaking students.

The two young girls approached Snape, who was waiting for them with his usual severe expression.

Snape: "Well, ladies, you will clean these cauldrons until they shine like gold. Any sign of negligence will be severely punished."

They silently nodded, knowing that protesting would be futile. They had heard about Professor Snape's strictness in the past.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the school, Draco was with Professor McGonagall for his own detention session. He had been assigned to clean the cages of animals used in Transfiguration classes. It was a tedious task, but he had no choice but to comply.

Professor Snape watched them closely, then said in a cold voice,

Snape: "I will return shortly, and I expect to see progress. Don't forget that I will know if you've done a sloppy job."

Both girls nodded in silence as Professor of potion left the dungeons.

They got to work, scrubbing the cauldrons diligently. The task was tedious, and the atmosphere in the dungeons was tense. Bellarose was growing more tired as time passed. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she struggled to keep her eyes open.

Finally, as she was scrubbing a particularly stubborn cauldron, fatigue overcame her. Her fingers slipped, and the cauldron slipped from her grasp, crashing loudly to the floor, making a resounding metallic sound.

Pansy watched her rival pick up the cauldron with a mixture of annoyance and amusement. She wasn't used to seeing her make such blatant mistakes.

Pansy: "Bellarose, be careful! We need to finish this task before Snape returns, and I won't get punished because of your slip-up."

Bellarose was clearly embarrassed by her mistake, and she nodded to indicate that she understood. However, Pansy couldn't help but add with a mocking smile,

Pansy: "It looks like yesterday's Bellarose is gone. Where's the cruel girl who was taunting Draco ?"

At Pansy's words, she shot her a glare but decided not to say anything. She knew she had made a mistake that day and needed to focus on the task at hand.

Over the course of the two weeks of detention, a routine had settled in. Every time Professor Snape momentarily left for some reason, Pansy found a way to tease Bellarose. The cauldrons had become the site of their silent exchanges, and the tension between them was palpable. Bellarose was determined not to be provoked, even though Pansy's words deeply affected her.

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Ginny had waited for a while before joining Luna and Bellarose by the lake. She apologized for her delay, explaining that she had been held up by last-minute obligations. Luna, sitting on a checkered blanket, was reading a book on magical creatures, while Bellarose lay beside her, asleep.

Ginny: "Hi, girls, sorry for the delay. Oh, she's asleep again, is she okay?"

Luna looked up from her book and smiled gently at Ginny.

Luna: "Hi Ginny, don't worry, she's fine. Bellarose is just a bit exhausted. The detention with Pansy really took a toll on her."

Ginny sat down next to Luna, concerned.

Ginny: "Pansy? What has she done now?"

Luna sighed and set her book aside.

Luna: "Pansy spent the two weeks of detention teasing and taunting Bellarose. Plus, with the rumors and what happened at the Quidditch match, she hasn't had much time to rest."

Ginny nodded, understanding the situation better.

After Bellarose had slept for a while, she began to stir and slowly opened her eyes. She blinked, trying to fully wake up, and noticed Ginny sitting beside her.

Bellarose: "Hey, Gin. Sorry, I don't know how I fell asleep here."

Ginny warmly smiled at her.

Ginny: "It's not a problem at all, Luna is great company ."

The three friends then spent a nice time by the lake. Luna shared fascinating anecdotes about magical creatures she had read about in her book, Ginny told amusing stories about her adventures with the Weasley twins, and Bellarose was enveloped in the warmth of their friendship.

Eventually, the sun began to set on the horizon, and they realized that time had passed much faster than they had thought.

Ginny: "It's getting late! We should probably head back to Hogwarts."

Bellarose nodded, and Luna stretched after sitting for so long. They gathered their belongings and headed back to Hogwarts together, leaving behind an afternoon of relaxation.