My Story: Serena Snape

Chapter 25- Detention

I walked as slow as I possibly could to Umbridge's office, somehow thinking that would hold off what was about to happen to me. I didn't know which rumors to believe and which ones to toss aside as fake. And if there was more than one that was true, then which kind of detention would I be getting? As I rounded the corner to her office, I saw Gregory coming out of it. Had he somehow gotten detention too?

He saw me, and quickly walked over. Glancing around to make sure there was no one else, he gave me a quick kiss. "I talked to her as you asked. I couldn't get you out of detention, but she did say she was going to go easy on you since it's your first time." He wasn't smiling, and that concerned me.

"What is she going to do to me?" I was truly terrified now as it all became a reality.

"It's going to be okay. Come find me when it's all over, I'll be in our hallway." He kissed me one more time, longer than before, then hurried down the hallway. I was practically shaking now. There was no reassurance of false rumors or of not being hurt. Just 'it'll be okay'. I forced myself to walk again, and knocked softly on the door, partly hoping she hadn't heard it. 

The door opened swiftly, with Professor Umbridge standing on the other side. "Come in Miss Snape." She opened the door wider and motioned for me to enter. As I did, I saw that her office was uglier than her outfits. All pink with a whole wall dedicated to plates with cats on them. There was no doubt in my mind now, this woman was insane. I heard the door close and she walked over, motioning to a desk with a paper and quill on it, no ink. "Please sit." I did so, just wanting to get this over with as quickly as I could. "You'll be writing lines for me tonight. 'I will not read forbidden books during class'." 

"But class hadn't-" I stopped myself. I knew too well that my mouth always ended up worsening whatever trouble I was already in. I sighed as I picked up the quill. "How many times?"

"Until it sinks in." She smiled and sat at her own desk, watching me.

I went to dip it in ink, remembering that there was none on the desk. "There's no ink here. How do you expect me to write anything."

"Watch your tone young lady. And you'll find that it is a special quill."

I sighed and shook my head. Putting my quill to the parchment, I began to write out the first line with my right hand. I began to feel a sting in my left hand, which quickly rose to searing pain. I dared not check my dark mark or yell out in pain, giving away to a member of the Ministry that I was a death eater. I quickly noticed, however, that this pain was different. Unlike the last time I was cursed through my mark, this didn't spread, and it didn't even start at my arm. It started and stayed at the back of my hand. I was on the third line when I decided to take a glance at my hand. What I saw made me gasp. The words I had been writing were being carved into the back of my hand. I compared the writing to the words on the page, and saw that not only was it my handwriting, but also that the ink was in fact blood. I had been too preoccupied with the pain that I hadn't noticed I was writing with my own blood!

"Everything alright?"

I sat there, looking from my scared hand to her and back. Was this kind of punishment even legal? I collected my thoughts and stood straight up, holding the quill in my right hand. "No! What kind of quill is this?"

"It's called a black quill." She remained calm, seated, smiling.

"It's carving words into my hand! You can't do this to students!"

"Please sit down Miss Snape and finish your lines." 

"No! I'm not going to just sit here and cut myself willingly!" I quickly ran out of the room, the back of my hand still searing with pain. I quickly forgot about Gregory and my plan to meet him afterwards, as I hurried right past our hallway and to my father's office. I didn't know if he knew about my detention or not, or even if he knew what Umbridge did during her detentions, but I was sure he'd find out. It was dinner time, surely he wouldn't be there, and if I had stopped for just a second to realize that I wouldn't have gone to his office. But there I was, knocking on his door frantically. So my own surprise, he opened the door, but looked awfully annoyed.