Love Triangle

Confessions And Decisions

  I was in my dorm room with the sheets pulled over my head. It was nearly seven o'clock, but I didn't want to move. Who cared if I missed detention? What would Umbridge do? Murder me in my sleep. The thought of her toad face waiting for me as soon as I lifted the covers caused unpleasant shivers to stir me from my bed.

With a sigh, I tossed the covers back and got to my feet. I tucked my wand inside of my robes, and gave the room a final look. For some reason, dread filled my body as I moved forward. Umbridge wasn't that bad, annoying as all living hell, but not terrible... right? She would probably make me write lines until my fingers bled or until I died of boredom.

As I left my room and started down the stairs, they suddenly collapsed into a stone slide. I tumbled down until I landed on top of a boy.

"Harry?" I murmured, rubbing my head. "Um, hello?"

"Nixie!" He sighed in relief. "I've been looking all over for you. I was afraid you already went to detention."

I shook my head, frowning, "On my way now. What's wrong?"

"You can't go." He said, his green eyes deadly serious.

Raising a brow, I replied, "I don't really think it's optional, Harry."

"I've had detention with her before, and trust me, she's sadistic." Harry insisted impatiently. "Just... you can't go."

His words alarmed me, but I couldn't imagine what he meant. Besides, I knew I couldn't just not show up; I'd probably get sentenced for another two weeks or even longer. "I'm sorry, but I have to." I shrugged. Detention wasn't that big of a deal for me considering I've so often had them. However, most of the time I was with the twins, and we served our sentences together. "I'll be fine, Harry, but thanks."

"Nixie!" He protested, but it was too late. I was already past the portrait.

I hurried down the stairs until I made it to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Looking back to my fifth year, I remembered loving this class. Professor Lupin was incredible, and I eagerly anticipated each one of his lessons. Now, however, I dreaded DADA classes.

Upon entering the room, Umbridge got to her stubby feet and greeted me with a heinous smile. "Just barely made it on time, Miss Thorne." She mused. "Please have a seat." I sat in the seat she gestured to, the one right in front of her desk. There was a piece of parchment lying in front of me with a quill beside it. I resisted the urge to laugh at how predictable she was. "You'll be writing lines tonight."

"Shocking," I mumbled as I stared at the parchment.

Suddenly, her hand slapped against my desk causing a terrible cracking sound to bounce off the walls. I jolted up in my seat from the near surprise of her action. When I met her eyes, the smile was wiped clean from her face and glared at me. "I see you've inherited your father's disrespect for authority figures." She sneered hatefully.

"You knew my dad?" I whispered, my eyes widening.

The smirk crawled back to her face stretching her toad-like mouth to eerie lengths as she purred, "Oh yes, Benjamin Thorne was well known in the Ministry. I... interacted with him on several occasions. Your father was a terribly prideful man, sticking his nose into the business of others. His superiors for that matter!"

"You were the wicked hag trying to tag merpeople!" I all but laughed.

I remembered this memory distinctly. I wasn't even fifteen when my dad started fighting for more equality for magical creatures such as werewolves, centaurs, and merpeople. At the time, I was awfully concerned with coming up with new ways to torment Lockhart, but my dad's pride in his work made me care for it as well. He told me that in order to grow stronger and more united, we had to make room for others who had just as much of a right as we did. He told me about how werewolves were proclaimed murderous villains, and centaurs ravenous beasts. However, he knew a bright werewolf (one I later learned to be Professor Lupin), and he knew centaurs to be intelligent and thoughtful creatures... so long as they were not mistreated.