Dealing with Ourselves : Fred Weasley

29

     The next morning when I get up and get dressed I feel even more exhausted than the day before. I'm not sure I got any sleep. If I did it wasn't any more than 30 minutes or maybe at most an hour. At least I don't have Umbridge today. I would rather spend every day with Snape than her. I do have her detention tonight though. I'm not looking forward to that, but at least I will have Harry there with me.  
     I get up before everyone else so I can go to the owlery and send my letter to Von. I make sure to send a small, kind seeming owl. In the past, I would have sent one that bites, but I am asking him for a favour, so I need to be nice. I hope he gets back to me with an answer soon. 
     I skip breakfast, feeling like if I eat I will probably be sick. Plus I would rather not deal with the looks and whispers from the students in the Great Hall. Instead, I make sure to drink a glass of water in the common room, so at least I am hydrated. 
     I don't see Reno as I drink my water slowly. He must be off doing head boy stuff or at breakfast. "Hey Charlie, feeling okay?" Zacharias Smith says with a smile. I look at him for a few seconds. "Hey. I'll be okay," I say with a shrug. "You here to talk to me about what happened yesterday? Sorry for losing house points," I say without really caring. I don't regret anything I said to that frog. 
     "No, I was just seeing how you were. You don't look well," he says, his smile falling a bit. "But since you brought it up, I am proud of you for standing up to Umbridge." I give him a look of surprise. "What do you mean?" I ask confused. "I believe Harry and Dumbledore about You-Know-Who being back. And I believe you are Harry's sister. I mean, it is a little obvious," he says with a small smile. 
     I slightly smile back and finish my water. "Thanks. That means a lot." He smiles at me. "Well Zacharias, I should go. I'll see you at tryouts," I say while setting the glass down. He smiles back. "Okay, see ya, Charlie," he says before I walk away. 
     That was a little strange. Zacharias never talks to me outside Quidditch, the other day was just because he was telling me about Quidditch tryouts. But for him to just come up and try to chat with me is strange. Maybe he is trying to do what the sorting hat said. 
     
     The day seems to go by even slower than yesterday. The harder that I try to concentrate on the session that the professors are giving the more my brain seems to drift. I don't know if it is the lack of sleep or stress from yesterday. It is probably a mix. I decide to go to dinner tonight just so I can meet up with Harry and walk with him to detention. 
     "Hey, Charlie!" The twins say at the same time to me. Smiles wide on both of their faces. "Hey boys. I'm not really in the-"  "We have something that may interest you!" George cuts me off. "Oh?" I ask unamused. "Yea, it is one of our Skiving-"  "Thank you for the offer, but Umbridge would just reschedule detention I'm sure. I'd rather just get it over with," I say before they can continue. They look at each other then lightly shrug. 
     I walk over to the Gryffindor table and take a seat next to Harry who seems to be feeling as irritated as I do. Several Gryffindors look over at Harry and I before whispering to each other. I try to ignore them. "How are you feeling Harry?" I ask while looking at him. "Oh fantastic," he says sarcastically. 
     "Hey, Charlie! Do you want to go explore with me? Maybe you can show me around," Harmony says after walking over. A wide smile on her face. I slightly smile. "I can't tonight Harmony. I have detention," I say to her, trying to sound a little happier for her. Her face falls. "Detention? What for?" She asks sounding a little sad.  
     "I was speaking out of place and telling the truth about some things to Umbridge," I say while getting a glass of pumpkin juice. "Is it about your family?" she asks, remembering that I had told her the Ministry doesn't believe who I really am. I lightly nod while taking a drink. "Part of it is. The other stuff is about how my friend died," I say in between sips. She looks at Harry, Ron and Hermione. 
     "Are you the twin's brother? You look like them. It's your hair and freckles," she says while smiling at Ron. "Uh, yea I am," Ron says sounding a little upset. He must not like being compared to his siblings, not that I blame him. "You aren't letting them use you for experiments are you?" Hermione asks sounding worried. Harmony shakes her head. "I met them on the train with Charlie." 
     "This is Harmony. Her older sister is dating my adoptive brother," I explain to them. "Are you Charlie's real brother? You both look similar," Harmony asks Harry. Harry lightly nods. "Yea. I am," Harry says still sounding sour. I look at the time. "We should go, Harry. I don't think being late would help us at all," I say while standing. He agrees then stands. We say our goodbyes before heading off to Umbridge's office. 
     "So since when do you go by Danielle Potter? I thought you still went by Charlie West?" Harry asks, looking at the floor as he speaks. "I go by either one. But I figured that if the ministry won't just simply acknowledge the truth I will have to force them to," I explain while watching him. He doesn't say anything. "Do you not want me to go by Danielle Potter?" I ask slowly. "I don't care what you go by. It's your name," he says simply. We stay silent for the rest of the walk.  
     When we get to her room we find that the surfaces have all been draped in lacy covers and cloths. There were several vases fullof dried flowers, each residing on its own doily, and on one of thewalls was a collection of ornamental plates, each decorated with alarge technicolour kitten wearing a different bow around its neck. 
     "Good evening, Mr. Potter and Miss. West." I look at Umbridge who is sitting at her desk, she is wearing a luridly flowered set of robes that blendedonly too well with the tablecloth on the desk behind her."Evening," Harry and I say stiffly at the same time. I look at him surprised. That was weird. s that what the twins feel when they talk at the same time? "Well, sit down," she says, pointing toward a small table draped inlace beside which she had drawn up two straight-backed chairs. They are across from each other. 
     Two pieces ofblank parchment lay on the table, apparently waiting for us. "Er," Harry says, without moving. "Professor Umbridge? Er —before we start, I-I wanted to ask you a... a favour." Her bulging eyes narrowed. "Oh yes?" "Well, I'm... I'm on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. And I wassupposed to be at the tryouts for the new Keeper at five o'clock on Friday and I was — was wondering whether I could skip detention thatnight and do it — do it another night instead..."
     "Oh no," Umbridge says, smiling so widely that she looked asthough she had just swallowed a particularly juicy fly. "Oh no, no, no.This is your punishment for spreading evil, nasty, attention-seekingstories, Mr. Potter, and punishments certainly cannot be adjusted to suit the guilty one's convenience. No, you will come here at fiveo'clock tomorrow, and the next day, and on Friday too, and you willdo your detentions as planned. I think it rather a good thing that youare missing something you really want to do. It ought to reinforce thelesson I am trying to teach you."
     I bite my tongue to resist the urge to say something nasty to her. Evil, nasty, attention-seeking stories? I can feel my face get hot from anger. I can see by his expression that he is just as angry. Harry and I both set our stuff down and sit. A wide smile goes across Umbridge's face. I wish I could slap it off her. 
     "There," Umbridge says sweetly, "we're getting better at controllingour temper already, aren't we? Now, you are going to be doing somelines for me. No, not with your quill," she added, as Harrybent down to open his bag. I was about to do the same. "You're going to be using a rather specialone of mine. Here you are."
     She handed him a long, thin black quill with an unusually sharppoint. She then hands me an identical one. "I want you to write 'I must not tell lies,' " she says softly."How many times?" Harry asks, with a creditable imitation ofpoliteness. "Oh, as long as it takes for the message to sink in," Umbridge says in her disgustingly sticky-sweet voice. "Off you go."
     She walks to her desk and sits down. "You haven't given us any ink," I say stiffly. "Oh you won't need any ink," She says with a very small laugh. No ink? Is it like a pen then? I didn't know they used pens in the wizarding world. Harry and I look at each other for a second before looking down at our parchment ad writing the first line. 
     Harry lets out a small gasp of pain. I don't have to ask why, because I know exactly why. The words had appeared on the parchment in what appeared to be shining red ink. At the same time, thewords had appeared on the back of our right hands, cut into the skin as though traced there by a scalpel — yet as I stared at theshining cut, the skin healed over again, leaving the place where it hadbeen slightly redder than before but quite smooth.Harry and I look around at Umbridge.
     She is watching us, herwide, toadlike mouth stretched in a smile."Yes?""Nothing," said Harry quietly. I look at him with shock as he looks back at the parchment, before placing his quill upon it oncemore,  and wrote I must not tell lies, the words once again spearing on his arm. "Is there a problem Miss. West?" Umbridge asks me. 
     I look at her and say in an equally sticky-sweet voice back. "I would very much appreciate it if you would call me by my correct name." She tilts her head to the side slightly. Her smile not fading. "Continue writing," she says. I take a breath and look at Harry. He is looking up at me. He has a sympathetic look. We are both feeling the same thing. He looks down and continues to write through the pain. 
     I look at my parchment and write the second sentence. I restrain from making any sound or facial expression that might suggest that I am in pain. I don't want to give Umbridge the satisfaction. It seems like hours before she finally speaks. "Come here Mr Potter," she says sweetly. Harry hesitantly get up and walks over to her. 
     I don't look up from my parchment. I can feel tears in my eyes. I don't want her to see. "Hand," she says to him. It is silent for a few seconds. "Tut, tut, I don't seem to have made much of an impression yet. Well, we'll just have to try again tomorrowevening, won't we?" Anger fills inside of me. This is torture. It is cruel. And she wants to continue doing this to him all week. Out of anger, I push the quill hard onto the parchment. I push down so hard as I write the next few sentences that I think I may rip the parchment. My arm stings more painfully than it has this entire time. It feels as though someone is caring deeply into my arm. I look at it. It isn't healing yet. 
     "Miss West?" She says next. I hesitate before looking at her. My eyes filled with tears. "Come here please," She says just as sweet. I get up and walk over and hold my hand out before she can ask me to. She looks at it. "I hope that you at least got the message, Miss West." I don't respond. "You both may go. I will see you tomorrow Mr Potter," She says with a smile. I quickly get my things and walk out. Harry walks out just as fast. 
     He doesn't speak until we are a good distance from her office. "Charlie, are you-"  "Night Harry. See you around," I say quickly before walking away from him. I don't want to talk to anyone except Cedric and Reno. The tears stream down my face as I hurry to the common room. I bet that old bat is watching us through her evil crystal ball, her flying monkeys by her side. 
     When I get to the common room I manage to force myself to stop crying. Reno is sitting in the chair in front of the fireplace doing homework. He looks up when I walk in. Instantly he knows something is wrong. "What happened?" He asks worriedly. I walk over and sit next to him. I pull my sleeve up and show him my hand and arm. 
     It stings badly. Most of them are just bright red with skin healed over them. The last few almost are, they still are slightly open though. He looks and gasps. "She did this to you?!"  "Technically I did it to myself," I say with a shaking voice. I explain to him the quills. "That is barbaric! She can't do this! We have to tell Dumbledore!" I shake my head. "It will make things worse Reno. She is with the Ministry. They will overrule him," I say while trying to keep my voice steady. 
     "Charlie, we can't let her get away with this! What did Harry say?" I shrug. "I didn't stay long enough to talk to him."  "Charlie. This is evil. You have to report this. Or at least tell Sirius."  "I can deal with it. I don't want anyone to worry or make things worse. So please don't say anything to anyone. Not Sirius, not Lupin, not Dumbledore, not Sprout, and definitely not Fred. Promise me Reno?" "Charlie. you should at least tell Fred," He says softly. "No, it will just worry him more and make him mad. Promise me Reno?" I plead. He looks at me for a long time before sighing. "Fine... I promise..."  "Thank you. I am going to try to sleep. I am exhausted," I say while standing. 
     I don't wait for him to say goodnight. I go straight to the dorm room and lay in bed. Pebbles comes over to me and rubs against my legs. I don't more. I want to tell Cedric what had happened tonight. But right now the last thing I want to do is write. I push my face into the pillow and let out my emotions. Pebbles crawls up on me and lays on my back. Maybe I will cry myself to sleep.