☾ఌ☽ఌ☾ఌ☽ఌ☾ఌ☽
"𝑝𝑒𝑟ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑠 𝑖 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒 𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑖 𝑎𝑚 𝑝𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑠 𝑖 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟."
THE HUFFLEPUFF COMMON ROOM smelled of honey and maple, leaving my nostrils in heaven. We had just gotten back from our Christmas break, Alice and I now sat in our common room, waiting for our next class to start, which was DADA.
Defense Against The Dark Arts had surely been everyone's favorite class when dad taught, but since then we had not been so lucky with each teacher placed there. First year it was Voldemort, then a celebrity who faked all his adventures, my dad (who was good, but almost attacked Harry.) Mad-Eye, who wasn't even Mad-Eye at all. And of course, everyone's least favorite, Dolores Umbitch. I mean- Umbridge.
I couldn't even describe how much I loathed her, and her prejudiced views. Everyone here knew that I was a half-breed, and she made sure to point it out any chance she got. If my tie wasn't tucked in perfectly, it was because I was a half-breed. If my ink spilt, it was the crazy dog in me coming out to attack everyone. I had tried my hardest this year to stay away from her as much as possible, but the death glares she always shoots at me, cause me to bite back.
Once, she tried delaying Snape on giving me the wolfsbane potion. A way for me to go rabid and get expelled I guess. Even though I'm sure Snape hates me, he saw right through her and insisted in getting to me on time. She was furious, and I was happy. Because I loved seeing her plans fail.
She constantly degrades werewolves in class, saying we are not to be trusted and could turn on you any second. And that we had fleas. Which was not true by the way. Through all of her nasty comments though I don't say anything, I've been very, very, close to snapping on her. Yet I haven't, and I'm not sure how much longer I can be patient with her.
"Should we head off now?" Alice asked, waving her hand in front of my face, dragging me out of my trance. I gave a sideways smile and nodded, walking towards the classroom. "Think she'll be in a better mood today?" She asked hopefully.
I scoffed lightly in humor, "maybe, then I'll walk in and her mood will turn to shit again." I laughed sarcastically, as Alice pressed her lips together and nodded in agreement.
I groaned, rolling my head back. "When is the next normal year at Hogwarts going to be?" I sighed, knowing the last good year was 1st and second year. Third year would've been better if my friends didn't find out I was a werewolf.
She chuckled humorously, "Do you really expect a normal year now that, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back?" She inquired, as we shared a sideways glance.
I sighed quietly, "No, I suppose not. And Alice, just say his name. There's no need to be scared of a name." I reprimanded her, turning a corner to where all the other 5th years sat by, waiting for her to let us in.
She hummed quietly in response, much like she did every time I told her. We all stood outside the doors, waiting for the pompous pink toad to arrive. She marched in, her chubby body swaying from side to side as she walked with her head held high.
Each of us sat in our seats unenthusiastically, already getting bored from the class even if it hadn't started yet. Everyone tucked away their wands, seeing as there was no use for them. "Hem hem," She ended everyones conversations, each of our heads turning towards her.
"Today we will be learning about blood and breed statuses." I threw my head against my book, already hating where this was going. "Is there a problem, Miss Lupin?" She called out to me, her voice high as she wore a sick, fake smile on her face.
I removed my head from the book while clenching my teeth in anger, "no problem at all." She hummed in response, "Very well, turn to page 628 children." She instructed us, as she walked back and forth in the front of the classroom.
"Now, if you'll note each blood rank best to worst. Number one: pure bloods. Please write down the definition too. . . after me. Pure blood individuals are people who have no muggle or muggle born- parents or grandparents. This is the best blood status, immediately ranking higher than all others."
Everyone wrote what she said quickly down, even if not believing her. I had heard from Harry that detention with her was cruel, and I wished to never find out why, but I was sure I would someday.
"Number two," She began again, "Are Half Bloods. This name is given to witches and wizards with known muggle, or muggle born grandparents and/or parents. Of course a half blood is okay, but very humiliating."
I rolled my eyes and bit my tongue, not daring to yell out at her for her prejudiced beliefs. I looked to my right, noticing Harry practically shook with anger. He looked over to me as I raised my eyebrows and shook my head no, telling him not to do anything.
He turned back, and wrote on his paper with so much force I was sure his quill would break. "Onto the next one, muggle-borns. These people have two non-magical parents, which is a complete and utter disgrace to the wizarding world. These kinds of people should not be taught at this school, nor any others. If accepted here, and or, anywhere else in the wizarding world, the person in charge has made a complete mistake." She smiled again, a very forced one though this time.
I covered my hand over my mouth tightly, curse words flowing out of my mouth like crazy as I tried to hide my sadness and anger from everyone. I tried not thinking about Hermione, and how she sat in the front of the class, trying to learn so she could have a good job somewhere. Only to be told by so many biased people that she didn't deserve to be here, and her blood status was sickening. And Alice, who was once welcomed in the wizarding world with open arms, yet now people liked to call her disgusting for something she could not control.
"And of course, the most despised of all. A half breed, and we have one sitting in this room right now." She spat the last words out like venom, her cold eyes staring into mine. "Mind telling us what you are?"
I nodded promptly, deciding to throw this toad a curveball and to show her who I truly was. "A half breed is used as a insult, and I take it offensively, as do many others. So, I would greatly appreciate when referring to me you did not call me that. But the term does mean I have one non-human parent. As all of you aware my dad is a part werewolf, and when I was born he passed his lyncanthropy onto me, making me a werewolf now too. We're harmless, we won't go rabbid on you at any given minute and if i scratch you as a person you won't be affected. Some of you make me out to be this great big monster, yet the only monster there was yourself." I concluded, giving a lengthy explanation with some justification to my fathers name, and mine.
Umbridges smile faltered, as she stared at me with those dark eyes. "Detention, miss Lupin!" She shouted, spinning on her heel to the marker board. I jumped up from my seat in anger, "what for!?" I yelled outraged, my eyebrows scrunching up in confusion and anger.
"For spreading false information to everyone in this class, now apologize to me and to them." She slowly stalked her way over to my desk, that annoying smile plastered on her face once more.
"I won't." I defended myself, straightening my back, looking more brave than I actually was. "Two more weeks of detention, do you want to keep it going?" She shouted, her voice shrilly high. She looked down at my notes in horror, anger radiating off of her. She noticed how I didn't rank each group from worst to best, instead wrote it all in one section. Claiming they were all equal.
"And two more for disobeying orders." Her nostrils flared, as she crinkled up the paper and threw it on the desk. "I am not a dog, I do not disobey orders." I stated, in a deathly whisper. She grabbed ahold of my wrists tightly, "No your right. Your much worse than a filthy dog." She squeezed my wrists tightly, as each of us glared at one another. "Cut that out!" George yelled behind me, anger radiating in his voice.
I shook my head slowly, telling him to stop without using my words. "Your hurting her!" Hermione yelled, tears brimming at her eyes while she stared at my red wrists. Umbridges gaze at me switched to Hermione, her eyes flashing with crazy. "How dare you! You filthy mudblood, you don't deserve to talk to me!" She shrieked, her voice exceptionally high.
Hermione clamped her mouth shut, as I turned my attention back to Umbridge. "How dare you say things like that to her!" I scrunched my eyebrows up in disbelief, and ripped her filthy hands off of me. The bell rung before I could say anything more, as I darted out of the classroom and into the hall. Quiet tears streamed down my face, making my makeup smear. Hermione came rushing up beside me.
She pulled me into a deserted hallway, holding onto my face carefully while brushing away the tears. "Adira, don't listen to her, that old hag —" Yet I cut her off. "Hermione don't tell me all that stuff she was saying about me wasn't true, I've been told that my whole life by everyone! How can I not believe it? I really am just a filthy dog. . ." My body shook as she carefully looked into my eyes, sadness on her features from my words.
"You can't believe that — can you?" She whispered, brushing the stray strands of hair out of my face. I looked down, not meeting her sad eyes. She frowned and pulled me into a hug, embracing me in her warmth making me a little less cold. I cried onto her shoulder, my body shaking but not making any noise. "It's okay, Umbridge is a terrible person. . . you can't let her get you down." She muttered soothing words into my hair.
• • •
I walked back into her classroom a couple hours later, now wearing a white sweater and black jeans with my hair in a low bun, and strands falling at the side of my face. I knocked on her office door, hearing her unusually high voice, "Enter." She called out.
I sighed quietly before opening up the door and sitting down on the seat in front of her. Placing my bag of parchment and quills on the ground beside me. I pulled them out and placed them in front of me, assuming I'd be doing lines.
"Oh, you won't be needing that quill." She arose from her seat, delicately placing hers on the desk in front of me. I rolled my eyes before grabbing it, almost putting it in the ink. "No, you won't be needing that either." She snatched it and placed it farther away from me.
"And what will I write?" I clenched my teeth, refraining from glaring at her. She smiled innocently at me, "half-breeds deserve nothing." I swallowed the growing lump in my throat, and blinked away the angry tears before quickly writing it down on paper.
I felt a prickle on my hand, with each new letter I wrote it increasingly grew in pain. I let out a surprise gasp as 'half-breeds deserve nothing," was now spelt across the back of my hand. I slowly looked up to Umbridge, yet she stood with her back to me, a triumphant 'hm' escaping her lips.
I turned back to my paper and continued writing, an accidental flinch here and there from the pain of the stabs. "How many times?" I whispered, knowing my voice would waver if I tried to talk any louder.
"100 should do." She turned on her heel and gave me a crooked smile before sitting down at her desk, and drinking her tea. I tightened my hold onto the quill, trying to distract myself from the pain.
75 lines later, blood was dripping from each letter onto a towel Umbridge placed there. She didn't want to spread the werewolf blood anywhere. My hand shook with pain as a silent tear traveled down my face, even though I promised myself I wouldn't cry.
It was 11 o clock, normally I'd be finishing class work now and heading off to bed but seeing as I was stuck in here...Sleep was going to come much later tonight.
I wondered what my father would think of this, and how I've been treated this year. He was normally one to keep his anger under control, yet he was still strict. Maybe he'd be saddened at this unfair treatment, or he could've been used to it. The possibilities were endless, but I'd try my hardest for him not to find out.
I finished the last word and placed the quill down carefully, making sure to not get a drop of my contaminated blood on it. "Very good, perhaps now you you might agree what is etched on your hand?" She tilted her head while smiling, as I wiped off the blood that continued to spill. "Never." I darkly muttered before snatching up my bag and rushing out of the room in anger.
I raced to the Gryffindor common room, remembering I left all my books in there when I was studying with Hermione. I hid my hand behind me, standing in front of the fat lady's portrait. "Mimbulus Mimbletonia," I called out to Elizabeth. "Now Adira, how many times have I let you in when your technically not allowed?" She asked, bowing her head and raising her eyebrows while swinging the portrait open.
"Too many." I gave a fake smile, quickly walking into the common room and hastily grabbing my books. "Dobby says hello to Adira!" Dobby the house elf called from the couch, peeking his head over at me. I turned to see Harry, Hermione, Ron and Dobby all sat on the couch in front of the fire. "Hello Dobby, how are you?" I asked kindly, hiding my hand away.
"Dobby is happy, because he is seeing his friends!" He cheered, a broad smile plastering his face, causing me to smile as well. Harry quickly came rushing over to me, "Harry don't —" I tried stopping him but he grabbed my hand from behind my back abruptly and stared at the words scarred on my hand. He quietly muttered over and over, 'half-breeds deserve nothing...' He looked up to me, anger flashing in his eyes.
"It's really nothing, it doesn't hurt —" I lied, as he shouted at everyone to look at what she wrote. Hermione stood beside me and gasped, as Ron bit the inside of his mouth to stop cuss words from flying out. Dobby pulled on the bottom of my shirt, causing me to look down at him with tears clouding my vision.
"Dobby can help you, miss." He gave a small smile before I leaned down eye level to him, handing him my hand so he could fix it. "Tergeo," Dobby muttered, the blood disappearing as he also casted a bandage spell. "Thank you, Dobby." I mumbled, pulling him into a hug. I waved everyone goodbye as I walked out of the Gryffindor common room, Harry following behind me. "What?" I asked him confused as to why he was following me.
"You'll get caught for being out this late, hide under the invisibility cloak." He ordered, as I ducked under it, walking alongside Harry to the Hufflepuff common room.
_____________
A/N: Bonjour! Umbridge is terrible, isn't she? She deserves to rot in Azkaban and the dementors kiss. :) But can we appreciate Dobby please, he is such an amazing character and I love him.
Is there anyone in the series that you want Adira to be closer with? Some underrated character that you want to be her friend?