𝒯𝒽ℯ 𝒫𝓇ℴ𝓂𝒾𝓈ℯ𝒹 𝒪𝓃ℯ | 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲 |

#5 I Must Not Tell Lies

"Girl, you look terrible", El breathed out amused as she sat down next to me in the Great Hall for breakfast.

I didn't sleep that night.

Not just because my hand was tense and hurting, because Umbridge was the worse and I was thinking about a way to come through the year with her as my teacher, also because another nightmare sprinkled my mind as I was finally drifting into a calming blackness.

Maribel woke me with the other two girls in an upright position on their beds. By the looks on their face, I had screamed them all awake, which was pretty embarrassing.

Much worse was, that they didn't say anything in return, not even Pansy. And after that I refused to go back to sleep and sat in the common room by the fire with a book, until the first student came down to head towards an early breakfast.

At least I got the first chapter of Divination done before the first lesson even started. But since I only took the subject for dream interpretations and since I was awake because of nightmares, it seemed to be the right thing to do.

"Well, thanks", I answered with a scoff and dug back into my pancakes.

"And what the hell is that on your hand?", Maribel said as soon as she joined us. "Did you hurt yourself tonight?"

She started to talk to me again after I came back from my disturbing detention with Umbridge. My sister was still angry for mentioning Cedric in front of the whole class like that, especially while I knew that it bothered her. But like always, she couldn't stay mad as soon as she saw my face. I decided to not tell anybody - so not her either - about what happened in Umbridges' classroom. Not because I felt the need to, but because Harry silently insisted. I tried my best to hide the bruises under my sleeve, but it slipped over my arm as I was trying to eat in silent while my friend rumbled on. Maribel had sneaked up to the Slytherin table and I didn't realize she was about to sit down next to me until she took my hand in hers.

"No, why should I? It's nothing", I said quickly and ripped my hand back from my sisters tight grip.

"Nothing? Are you kidding?", her voice raised to a point I looked around to see if anyone was listening.

"Could you be louder? I think the Ravenclaw firsties on the other side of the hall haven't heard you already."

The Slytherin table around me shot us questioning looks, especially Blaise and Draco, who sat in the cleared-out rows just a few seats away. But my gaze was on the Gryffindor table across the room. On Harry's eyes, especially, who sat next to Hermione and Ron, eying me in an understanding look. Harry more than the others, but out of their resting faces I knew that he told them.

"I must not telllies?", El eyed the back of my hand next carefully, but let it sink againbefore I could do anything about it. Other than my sister her voice was quiet.

"Would you stop touching it? It hurts.", I snapped and looked at the two girls to my sides. "It's Umbridge way to keep the cheeky students in line. No big deal. Please don't make this bigger than it is."

"You have to report that. She fucking cut you, girl", El said in return and tried to keep her voice down by my warning gaze in her direction.

"Who the hell cut you?", Draco slighted his plate over the long table from where he was sitting, moved on the bank nearer until he sat right in front of me, his narrowing eyes flickering between me and Maribel who filled her plate with some fruits and eggs by now to my right side.

"Umbridge", Maribel answered quickly without looking up from her meal.

Just then his eyes went down to the back of my hand, which he quickly took in his, causing my pulse to immediately pick up with his touch and his cold skin on mine. By the way he grabbed my wrist, traced his fingertips over the bruised lines, I was afraid he could feel it under my skin, so I ribbed it away again.