Silence stirred as an invigilator passed between the rows of seats. A black sky illuminated the exam as Beatriz watched the alignments before her. The word 'Pluto' filled one space as the planets aligned and her beady, emerald eyes stared through her telescope. From the corner of Beatriz's eye, she noticed Harry losing track as he thought about something and felt his forehead. Losing herself in the work before her once again, Uranus and Mars were examined closely, looking out for anything that could be assumed. Just as the exam flew close to the end, from the doors of the castle, candlelight suddenly bounced free and students from all houses snapped their eyes towards it. With Dumbledore gone, Beatriz had hoped to see him make an appearance but alas it was Umbridge and three unrecognisable bodies. Gasps erupted but the man who stood at the front advised them all to focus once again on the exam. Not that many were listening. Just as some had dared to return to their work, Beatriz being one of them, a loud racket began to echo in the distance. Peering around, trying to find the source of all the noise, Beatriz stood and examined the space around her. Professor Tofty was attempting to reign them all in as he furiously stated that they ought to remain seated.
With a gasp, Hermione even dared to speak. "It's McGonagall." Shifting her field of view, Beatriz flicked her eyes over to her mother who was leaving the building quickly. Professor Tofty seemed to back down, accepting that none of them intended on listening to him.
"Leave him alone! Alone I say. On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, nothing to warrant such-" before her words could leave her mouth, a blinding light came flying from where the Aurors and Umbridge stood. In an instant, the woman was on her back, completely frozen, as if she had died.
"NO!" Students and staff immediately turned to the noise as Beatriz stood, her hands over her mouth as she too lost the ability to move for a moment. Fighting to pass through the students, a loud voice and arms held her back but Beatriz fought against them.
"Miss Urquart, this is not appropriate. Please sit down and let the adults deal with it." Not giving in, Beatriz pushed and clawed at the door to try and leave.
"She's my mother." In an instant, the man holding her was shocked and the split second that he left her alone gave her the opportunity to break free, barreling down the stairs, tears fogging up her eyes as the hat on her head fell behind her.
"Beatriz, what is wrong?" Squeaked Flitwick as he rubbed his eyes, staggering from wherever he had hidden for the night. No answer was returned though and he failed to keep up with her as she jumped down multiple steps at a time, hurting her ankles as she did so. Hair was flowing behind Beatriz as if she were surrounded by water as she made her way down, running all the paths she had discovered while growing up, not bothering to wait for any moving stairs as she found the quickest way down to the fields.
"MUM!" Finding the energy draining from her, Beatriz rushed from the castle doors, noticing two injured Aurors and a frightened one at their sides. Umbridge furiously watched the Forbidden Forest with her hands on her hips. "Expecto Patronum." Dumbledore's army had taught Beatriz one thing, to stand and fight with all she had but at that moment, all she had were the happy memories from her mother. It seemed enough as a lioness jumped from her wand. "Help, mum's been hurt in the field." The message passed through Beatriz as she forced herself to smile, to remember all the happy memories that she had shared with her mother. As a child, being allowed to run and dance through the classroom despite a lesson going on, all the times McGonagall tried to tell her off for being rude when really she was proud, or in Beatriz's second year when she watched her mother get drunk and blush as Hagrid kissed her cheek. Or when McGonagall got in a fight with Professor Trelawney during her third year. As soon as Beatriz was sure that the spell had arrived, she stopped forcing herself to smile and instead she looked down at the woman at her feet.
"Miss Urquart, it would be wise to back away." Not listening to Umbridge, Beatriz crouched and then eventually hunched over her mother, placing two fingers on her neck to check for a heartbeat, just as Poppy had taught her.
"You're alive. Mum, please," stopping for a moment, Beatriz let out a shaky breath, spitting her tears everywhere as she did it. The hat that always sat on her mother's head was pulled off and placed to the side as Beatriz hopelessly watched the scene before her. "I can't lose you now. Who else have I got? Mum, please be okay. I've sent for Poppy, I know it's term time so I should call her Madam Pomfrey but maybe you'll have to survive, just to tell me off." Sitting on her heels with her legs crossed below her, Beatriz began to double breathe as she felt eyes glued to her. "Do you remember when Snape lost his wand when I was, I think I was seven? He didn't lose his wand in his desk, I stole it because I heard him annoy you about the Quidditch game and I wanted to get revenge. And all those times Peeves annoyed the Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers, I stole their schedules and gave it to him because I thought it was funny to see them angry. And every year, when we go to see dad's grave, I know that I promise not to but I cry every time because I see how sad you are. And I know that you visit the farmer's grave every year. Even if you pretend that you don't, I also know that you sneak off to see Uncle Roberts grave more than everyone else realises." Beatriz began to cry harder as she watched her mother's breaths become shallower as her chest moved less. The tears had grown too hard and fast for her to speak as she furiously wiped her eyes with her robes.
"Beatriz, out of the way." Shifting back, Beatriz watched as healers joined her side, Madam Pomfrey did what she could when she could but in the end, panicked faces met and they informed the school's healer that they needed to take her to St Mungo's immediately. Beatriz hiccupped as she heard them and followed closely, holding her mother's hat that had been pushed aside originally. By the time the healers passed through the Hospital Wing's fireplace, Beatriz attempted to join them but Madam Pomfrey took her hand to try and stop her.
"She's stopped breathing." The last words were spoken as they passed through the fire and immediately Beatriz pushed herself forward, trying to get through.
"Calm down Bea, she'll be fine. I'm sure." The words were loud and forced but Beatriz didn't hear them as she pushed, thrashing around as the healer held her to her chest, Beatriz's chin twitched uncontrollably as she shouted and tried to push the woman away from her. An ear-shattering scream erupted as Beatriz's voice broke into a new octave, the yell was broken up and raw as Poppy barely managed to keep herself together.
"Miss Urquart, I demand that you stop this instant." Umbridge's voice was heard only by herself as half the castle began to stir at the sound that echoed through the place. After a few more moments, losing energy, Beatriz was growing quieter as her throat ran raw and her lungs gave way.
"Bea, your mum wouldn't want this." Ignoring the healer, Beatriz pushed herself free for a moment before Poppy managed to grab her again and stop her from grabbing the Floo powder.
"Miss Urquart, this is the last time, you calm down this instant. If not you will serve detention with me tomorrow night." Beatriz had heard the woman but chose to ignore her as she gave another plea to break through to the fireplace.
Eventually, Beatriz wore herself out as tears could no longer leave her body, her muscles ached from the resistance and her head pounded with a fresh headache. Beatriz's stomach had dropped and her heart contracted painfully as she leant against Poppy who carefully hugged her. "Off to bed now Miss Urquart, that was quite a display and now that you have embarrassed yourself, you can explain to Gryffindor why they have no house points at all. Off you go." Double breathing, wiping her face with the back of her hand, Beatriz tried not to choke on her words as she responded.
"My mum is the only reason I have been stupid enough to stay out of trouble. I bet it made you feel really powerful, a group of three specially trained Aurors, and a fat toad, all ganging up on a woman in her sixties. There is nothing more that you can do to hurt me and there is nothing more dangerous than someone who is emotionally unstable with nothing to lose." Leaving with a rough voice and irregular breaths, Beatriz passed her other professors who didn't say a word. Umbridge attempted to respond but found herself completely speechless as she heard one of the most obedient students insult her. "Oh, and two more things, I never wrote my name down but I was part of Dumbledore's army and when you have your back turned, the students call you Professor Dumbitch. Rather apt now that I think about it, only you would be stupid enough to do this, Dumbledore was one thing but this one step too far. If she dies, I would start counting the minutes because you won't have many left." Had the circumstances been any different, those who had heard her words would have smirked or dared to feel internally happy but the situation that they found themselves in had stopped them.
"Are you threatening me?" Her voice had come back finally as Umbridge had hoped for support but even Filch had momentarily fallen quiet.
"Only if I become an orphan, oh, and it isn't a threat, it's a promise. So, let's hope that those healers are better at their job than you are at yours. Goodnight." The doors flew shut behind Beatriz as she walked away, hands beside her and her head hung low.