The following weekend, the meetings of Dumbledore's Army continued like normal. Thankfully, the awkwardness between you and Harry disappeared instantly after that night you returned from winter break and you were free to continue learning how to defend yourself from Death Eaters (as ironic as that was).
You were in a wonderful mood; Umbridge hadn't approached you or anyone else since the end of the Christmas holiday. You barely saw her outside of DADA class and when you did, she was all smiles as she waddled to wherever she was headed. It was suspicious, yes. But were you complaining about the lack of detentions? Absolutely not.
DA meetings always ran late into the night, after the day's classes were complete. This way, you could sneak back into your dorm while everyone was asleep and be there before they woke up the next morning. Pansy had recently taken to asking where you disappeared so often and with the help of Hermione, you crafted a clever excuse.
"The library. Neville is tutoring me in Herbology."
It was a good excuse for three reasons and three reasons only. Firstly, because Pansy hated going into the library, period. Secondly, Pansy avoided Gryffindors like the plague so the chances of her actually going out to look for you under the impression that she would run into Neville Longbottom of all people were slim. Lastly, because Pansy had quit her Herbology class in favor of taking Study of Ancient Runes with Professor Babbling.
For this session, Harry surprised everyone by introducing a new charm that you would spend the hour practicing: the Patronus Charm. He instructed you all to spend a few minutes conjuring the happiest memories that you could. The Charm drew from feelings of joy.
"Make it a powerful memory," he instructed, walking around and giving everyone advice. "The happiest you can remember. Allow it to fill you up!"
You looked around and watched with glee as everyone began casting their patronuses. Michael Corner casted his almost immediately and it took the form of a squirrel that scampered through the air around him. Fred and George stood back to back and you watched as a pair of hyenas sprouted from either of their wands.
The wisp-like animals began appearing all throughout the room, illuminating everyone's faces in a bright blue light. You jumped back in surprise when a few feet away, a lion took shape from Neville's wand. He looked equally as shocked but more so proud as the animal strut bravely around him. His patronus suited him perfectly.
"A full-bodied patronus is the most difficult to produce but shield forms can be equally as useful against a variety of opponents," Harry called out once more, now walking closer in your direction. You had been standing off to the side, too distracted watching everyone else's fun to even attempt casting your own.
"Go ahead then," Harry stepped to the side and gestured for you to raise your wand. "Give it a go."
You cleared your throat and slowly raised your wand to chin-height. Closing your eyes, you wracked your mind to find a powerful memory from your childhood.
Your first time riding a bike? No, that had been traumatic.
Getting accepted into Ilvermorny? It was happy, but it wasn't the happiest.
Harry was still standing there when you opened your eyes, his wand gripped tightly between his two hands. He smiled brightly in reassurance, flashing you a quick nod. You remembered the way he smiled at you when you first met on the Hogwarts Express, like meeting you was a fresh breath of air. You remembered him pulling up his shaggy brown hair to show you his scar while Ron pigged out on Peppermint Toads in the compartment beside you.
It was like a sudden burst of energy shot through you as you held your chin up higher and raised your wand a fraction.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Not a second later did a wispy blue light emit from your wand. It swirled around in the air for a moment before morphing to take a larger shape. You gawked at it for a few seconds, unsure if you were seeing it correctly.
"Is...is that a.."
"A thestral," Harry finished for you, blinking back behind his glasses. "It's a thestral."
The tall, angular creature took shape right before your eyes. It's skeletal build and translucent skin were highlighted by the ghostly blue light. Slowly, it picked up it's hooves and began to trot in a tight circle around you and Harry.
"I've never seen a Patronus that wasn't a non-magical creature," he said in near-disbelief.
In a quick flurry, your patronus picked up speed. As it galloped, trails of iridescent light spun around the air in its wake. You looked up at Harry, giggling, and saw that he was equally in awe of what was happening. As the blue light encased the two of you, your eyes met and you could see the glow of your patronus reflecting in his glasses.
"I didn't know I could do this," you said through your fit of giggles. "You really are a great teacher, Harry."
He opened his mouth to reply when a dull thud sounded throughout the room. You dropped your wand instinctively, unintentionally whisking away your patronus. As you looked around the room, you saw that the dim blue light was beginning to fade as more people lost focus in the Charm.
The crystal chandelier in the middle of the room swayed left and right as another thud rocked the room, causing you to shift your feet to maintain balance. A low murmuring rose up as the lights flickered. You looked over to Harry for answers but he had already begun pushing through the crowd of students. You followed quickly in his wake, stopping only when you reached the front of the group.
From your new position, you could source the rumbling from the wall directly in front of you. It warped the glass and your reflection wobbled as Harry approached it cautiously. Just as he took an additional step, glass that coated the wall split open and shattered against the floor, revealing the sanded stone behind it.
A few people gasped and you took a step back into the group, accidentally bumping into the chest of one of the twins. Without saying anything, they exchanged eye contact and pulled you safely behind them.
All of a sudden, the stone wall erupted outwards, sending clouds of debris and fragments of rock in every direction. You turned your face away from the explosion but dust still invaded your eyes, making them water.
As the dust cleared, you could make out the silhouettes of figures standing on the other side of the wall. Standing in the very front were Professor Umbridge and Mr. Filch, both of whom were grinning smugly at you and the others. Umbridge cocked her head to the side as you made eye contact and you gulped.
It finally happened, you were found out.
"Let me go!" A voice called out just past the makeshift door.
Seconds later, Cho Chang came into view. Her face was downcast but you knew right away that it was her that ratted you out. She was being dragged harshly by the shoulders by none other than Draco, who sneered into the room before his eyes fell on you.
"Firethorn?" He sputtered disbelievingly, dropping Cho's arm.
You could feel everyone's eyes slowly shift to you. Gulping, you tried to hide behind George but it was too late. You had been seen. Harry's jaw tightened as his head swooped left and right between you and Draco. Knowing that you couldn't possibly say anything helpful, you only ducked your head.
"Get them!" Umbridge hissed.
Not a split-second later did Draco march into the room and grab you up harshly by the shoulder. Both Fred and George tried to step in but their efforts to protect you were fruitless and you were dragged back out of the room. Despite your attempts to break free, you were completely defenseless.
The sound of strugglings grew louder behind you and you threw a look over your shoulder just to see Harry trying to wrestle his way around both the twins, Neville, and Ron, all of whom were holding him back.
"Lay a single finger on her, Malfoy and I'll make you regret it!"
Draco stopped walking and forced you to turn around and face the rest of Dumbledore's Army. His hands dug into the skin of your shoulders. "What, you mean like this?" He purred, dragging his cold metal ring against the side of your face. You squirmed to get away, eyes squinted shut. When you opened them again, Harry was still attempting to fight through and return to your side. The only thing you could do was shoot him a sorry look before you were turned once again, this time to face Umbridge herself.
She looked you up and down disapprovingly. "Detention, Ms. Firethorn," she chirped. "Detention every night for the rest of the school year."
Suddenly and unexpectedly, you tried to lunge out of Draco's arms. Umbridge jumped back, startled, and you laughed loudly. "You have no idea what this means, do you, Toad-Face?" You quipped, using the nickname Ron invented for her. She blinked up at you in surprise.
"Now," you chuckled. "Now I have nothing left to lose."
With that being said, you focused all of your energy into your foot which you stomped down on top of Draco's toes with all of the force you could manage. He let go of you instantly and you ran off down the corridor. As you ran, a laugh slipped through your lips. You heard Umbridge call out behind you.
"Someone get her!"
But no one did.
The entire sprint back to your dorm, your blood rushed loudly in your ears. The adrenaline only began wearing off as you threw yourself onto your bed with a loud sigh. If it were physically possible, there would have been steam pouring from your ears. You barely registered the door opening and someone walking in until Pansy sat down beside you on her bed. Her face was stern and serious, a look that very rarely crossed her features.
You groaned and sat back up straight on the mattress. "I don't care if Draco is outside. I refuse to speak with him."
"Why do you always assume that I'm coming on behalf of him?" She snapped, standing up from the bed. You took a deep breath in through your nose and closed your eyes tightly for a moment. "I'm sorry," you said. "Didn't mean to assume."
The dorm room went silent once more. The only sound was of distant conversations taking place in the common room. "So it's true then?" Pansy asked, though it sounded more like an accusation.
"Is what true?"
"That you're a blood-traitor," she stated matter-of-factly. "That you're helping Potter and Dumbledore conspire against the Ministry."
"Excuse me?" You nearly whispered, rising off of the bed.
Pansy's eyes turned to slits as she pointed an accusatory finger at your chest. Her Inquisitorial Squad badge caught the light and flickered. Somehow, it made you feel as if it were laughing at you.
"I expected as much from you. You're friends with Potter for crying out loud!"
You opened your mouth to speak but snapped it shut. You could tell that her tirade was long overdue and you were curious to see how far she would actually go in insulting you and your friends.
"I would kill to be in your position. Did you know that?" She laughed darkly. "A pureblooded heiress, with two real Death Eaters in the family. And to think I was so jealous of you. I can't believe you're wasting your potential!"
"You can have my life!" You nearly scream, causing her to jump back in fright. "All of it! You can have the money, the Malfoy's, the Death Eaters. But what would you be then?"
"Happy!" She wailed, surprising you. "I would be happy!"
"No," you spat, moving toward the door. "You would be a vile, hollow shell of a girl that I once considered to be my best friend."
"I...I am your friend," she reached out for your hand, eyes filled with regret. But it was too late for regret. She had made her true feelings very much known. Before she could wrap her hand around yours, you pulled it back out of her grasp.
"Friends don't call each other blood-traitors, Parkinson," you whispered to prevent your voice from cracking.
This was decidedly not your best day at Hogwarts.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a detention to get to."
That was all you said before turning out of the dorm, slamming the heavy wooden door behind you.
(A/N: Welp. Sometimes I forget that people actually read my authors notes so haha oops. Whoever called pansy out for being suspiciously friendly, hats off to you. I'm listening to the Phelps twins podcast while editing this haha. If you don't know, they play Fred and George in the movies. They're actually quite funny. If you want to give it a listen, it's on Spotify and it's called Double Trouble).