destruction ➙ h. potter

5

"Ms. Lyston, what can I do for you?" Umbridge said.

"I just have some questions, not related to class, though," Isabel started.

"Go on then," Umbridge said.

"Well, I was just curious about your punishment tactics. You see, when Harry had detention you gave him a quill that injured his hand, and according to the 'Hogwarts Handbook for Staff and Students' it says that no teacher may harm a student under any circumstance." Isabel said, very pleased with her knowledge.

"Is that so," Umbridge said she was very angry with this stupid 15-year-old who was getting in her way.

"Yes, and I'm afraid if you don't apologize or tell an authority what you did, I will report you myself," Isabel said. She let out a sigh of relief. She is actually standing up for what she knows is right. This is so unlike her, but she likes it.

"Ms. Lyston, if you are questioning my ways of punishment, you are questioning the ministry itself, do you hear me? You need to hold your tongue and mind your own business." Umbridge retorted.

"Professor, I am usually a very quiet girl. I never speak up, but these friends I have made have shown me that I have a voice and I can use it. I am using my voice right now to tell you that what you are doing is wrong and cruel. Harry is not lying. He is fighting for what he believes in and I will not hold my tongue and not say what I know is true and let my friends get hurt." Isabel said.

"Ms. Lyston, please sit here." Umbridge motioned towards a small desk at the corner of the room. There was a piece of paper and a quill. Isabel knew what this was.

"Since you won't stop questioning my authority and won't comply with my rules, I'll have to shut you up myself," Umbridge said in a vicious voice.

"You will write to me 'I will keep my mouth shut'," Umbridge said, enjoying herself.

Isabel started to write. She knew what was coming.

The pain was excruciating. But she refused to give Umbridge any satisfaction.

"Anything wrong dear?" Umbridge cooed.

"No, I'm lovely, how are you?" Isabel mocked. She felt powerful rebelling. She knew it wouldn't last long, she was weak, she would crash down sooner or later, but she had to prove Umbridge wrong for what she did to Harry.

"I'm great. Because I am showing a naive young girl that opening her mouth to fight against me will only hurt her in the end. You are not strong, and you know deep down, you will never be more than an invisible, quiet girl." Umbridge said glaring at Isabel and ending in one of her signature creepy giggles.

Isabel knew she was right, so she let the pain of writing the lines overwhelm her and take away from her mental pain. She was used to that.

~

About an hour had passed, Isabel had filled up 2 sheets of paper, front, and back. Her hand ached and she was light headed, she was very pale.

"I'm bored of you, you may go," Umbridge said.

Isabel quickly gathered her stuff and went to the Gryffindor common room.

~

"I swear she was right behind me when we came back from dinner," Harry said, pacing the floor. The three, Ron, Hermione, and Harry could not find Isabel.

"Harry, we checked the whole castle, she must've wondered off or had something to do, don't worry so much," Ron said.

"Let's just wait here," Hermione said sitting on the couch. Ron joined Hermione on the couch, but Harry continued to pace, deep in thought.

He couldn't stop thinking about what could have happened to her, they were in a magical school, the possibilities were endless.

Harry checked the time, it was nearly 22:00.

Suddenly the door opened and in walked a drained looking Isabel.

"Isabel!" All three said in unison jumping up from the couch and running towards her.

Isabel walked past them and said nothing.

She tried to stand up to Umbridge but it did nothing, she didn't fix anything.

I'll never try again, she thought to herself.

She walked towards the girl's dormitory and was about to walk upstairs when she stopped.

The others were standing in the middle of the room watching, very confused and concerned.

You are stupid and useless, Umbridge is right, you don't have anything worthwhile to say so you should keep your mouth shut. You never do anything right. You useless, pathetic, girl. Isabel thought to herself.

She started to cry.

She gripped her scarred hand to her chest and slowly sunk to her knees crying.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all gave concerned looks and walked over to her.

"Isabel, what happened, are you okay?" Hermione asked, sitting down next to her.

"Isabel, what's wrong?" Harry asked sitting in front of her, trying to look at her face.

Isabel had her head down and her hand clutched to her chest and she just cried.

"Isabel, talk to us," Hermione said kindly. She attempted to brush Isabel's blonde locks out of her face.

Harry took her injured hand from her chest, he meant to comfort her, but he then saw the scarring.

The three all gasped.

The scarring was so deep and there was dried blood on it and was still slowly bleeding.

Isabel just cried harder, trying to get her hand away from Harry.

Hermione said, "Isabel, what happened, why did she do this to you?"

"'I will keep my mouth shut'." Ron read, "bloody hell, Isabel, what did you do."

Isabel looked up at Ron with bloodshot eyes and just looked at him.

What did you do echoed in Isabel's head?

She quickly tugged her hand away from Harry and stood up, one of the wounds opened and starting bleeding again.

"I'm sorry," Isabel said and ran up to the girl's dormitory and ran to her bed, hid under the covers, and cried.

"I hate Umbridge," Hermione scowled, staying where she was sitting, "tomorrow I'm telling McGonogall."

"What the bloody hell was wrong with Isabel?" Ron asked.

"Ronald, do you not understand anything? Isabel went to Umbridge to fight for Harry and ended up getting the same punishment, but worse because she refused to give up for the sake of standing up for Harry. And obviously Umbridge said some awful things to her and now she doesn't want to talk and she is in a lot of pain." Hermione said.

"How'd you figure that?" Ron asked.

"Well I can read people and I actually take the time to try to understand," Hermione said, then she walked up to the girl's dormitory.

Ron shrugged in defeat and walked up with Harry to the boy's dormitory.

Harry couldn't stop worrying about Isabel. He felt like this was all his fault.

Somehow this girl randomly came into his life and turned it around and he started to care for her a lot. She was always there for him, but she wouldn't let him be there for her.

°°°