Feint Potter

Six

"I never had so much disrespect from a student! 30 points will be taken from your House missy!"

I slammed the palms of my hands down on top of the desk before pointing at my wand with my pointer finger, my own anger leaking over the edge.

"I havent picked it up! Its not going to do anything just sitting there! I dont have anywhere to put it!"

"Detention. After class, my room. Another 10 points will be subtracted from your House."

*

"The both of you will be writing lines for me until the message sinks in, you may start now."

I eyed my brother as she walked around us with her wand in hand, full of questions, but he just shook his head and put a finger to his lips and bending over the piece of parchment she'd given him; I followed suit only to realize there were no ink wells remotely close by.

Dont open your mouth, shes looking for any form of weakness-

I looked at the coal black quill before i touched it to the parchment curiously, scribbling half of the letter I to see what it would do; I hissed in pain when the same thing was sliced painfully into the back of my left hand. The ink on the paper matched the blood oozing from the cuts and i was suddenly sure of where it came from. Umbridge inclined her chin and walked off with a chuckle back to her desk, so i gnawed on my lower lip before i sat back to endure whatever hellish detention i landed myself in.

*

"What is that?"

Fred, taking extra care not to tweak my skin too much, gingerly took my left hand and stared at the 'Im nothing but Mudblood filth' that was carved deep into the skin above my knuckles. Harry was across the common room with Ron and Hermione tending to his own hand and I still hadnt gotten the chance to ask how he ended up there with me.

"Surely you didnt do that to yourself?"

I rolled my eyes before Fred took his wand and traced a massive circle over the throbbing cuts, all at once they began to feel better as a cooling sensation eased the pain.

"Sure, im the one that cut this nonsense into my own hand. Really Fred? I was in detention with Umbridge, she made me write stupid lines with my blood."

I heard a sharp intake of air as the cooling gradually went away and Fred bent his head down to kiss the now pink puckered wounds before doing the same to my ring finger.

"Please, please be careful around her, we have to last just a little longer ok?"

"It's the start of term. . what do we need to last just a little longer for?"

"You'll know when the time comes, dont worry."

*

A few detentions a piece, and students began to learn not to speak in Umbridge's class, and you couldnt walk around the castle halls without seeing at least three people rubbing the backs of their hands. After a few weeks of this my brother actually approached me during a break between classes.

"Hey, i have something to ask you."

"Finally talking to me are you?"

"Do you want to hear what i have to say or not?"

"Not really."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Shut up and listen, Fred and George are doing it so i thought to ask you. Im gonna be. . offering a proper class that she's not teaching us. I want to know if that's something you want in on as well."

". . . when?"

Harry turned his back to me and flicked a wrist up into the air, wiggling his fingers around.

"Ask Fred if you're interested, he knows."

"Wait-"

I reached out to try and touch him but he was already gone, his back having vanished among the sea of students that cluttered the hall; I sighed inwardly and let my arm fall before i headed off to Potions down in the dungeons.

*

"Potter, you're to stay for a little bit."

I bit my lower lip to keep my retort silent and just stayed by my cauldron while the rest of the class filed out for evening dinner, and Snape approached me when the last one had left; lip curled back over his teeth like he smelled something awful.

"Be careful not to get too many detentions while she's to teach here."

"O. . k. . Im not my brother."

"Yes, yes, im aware. Its still best of you to head my warning before its too late nonetheless. I dont give out help like this to everyone."

(Christmas)

"It's weird."

Both Fred and George were nursing wounded hands at midnight in the common room this time, and I helped them spread bandages over their skin while i watched the snow flitter past the windows on the other side of the room.

"Are we really one of the few who chose to stay?"

Fred winced but leaned his head against my shoulder reassuringly anyway.

"For now, yeah. We got detention almost every day after break tomorrow because we-"

"Id rather your wife not know about our plans for the lower years exams."

George hit Fred in the knee with his wand and little orange sparks shot from the tip, fizzling out on the carpet.

"Fine."

Tap, tap, tap; a sharp tapping on one of the windows made me blink a few times.

Had the snow turned into hail?

A couple more taps sounded before I looked at the lower half of the windows and saw the smallest little brown owl cowering against the glass with a roll of parchment in its beak. I shoved Fred off of me and ran to open the bottom panes before I pulled the cold creature in and took the scroll; grateful to be inside where it was warm, the owl quickly rushed to warm himself by the fire while i broke the wax seal on the parchment.