Sitting in the Common Room, I see Fred and George advertising joke sweets for the sweet shop they hope to open - Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Then, I hear Ron asking Hermione to help him with an essay he's supposed to be writing.
"I'm not asking you to write all of it for me, it's just I've been busy studying for these stupid O.W.L. exams." Hermione exhales slightly and says that she'll write the introduction for him as they sit down on the floor in front of the fire, me and Harry sat on the sofa. He has his arm wrapped around me as I read through a book I found in the library on vampires.
"Hermione, you're honestly the most wonderful person I've ever met," Ron says, a satisfied smile on his face. "If I'm ever rude to you again--"
"I'll know you've gone back to normal," Hermione finishes, a cheeky smile on her face as they look at each other. Just as I look down at my book again, I see Hermione staring at my hand. "Aurora, what's wrong with your hand?" She asks, catching Harry and Ron's attention.
"Nothing," I mumble, not looking up at any of them. But Hermione crawls forward and gently grabs my hand, Ron and Harry look over and look at my hand. "Did Umbridge do this?" Harry asks. I don't respond in any way, but when Harry takes my book from me and makes me look at him, I see worry and anger in his eyes.
"Yes. I had to write 'I must not tell lies', but the quill she gave me must be enchanted somehow, as the words etched themselves into my hand."
I look down at my hand, seeing the words starting to scar into my skin. "You need to tell Dumbledore," Hermione says, but I shake my head. "No, he's got enough on his mind right now, with her and the Ministry interfering with the school. Besides, that would only give Umbridge the satisfaction she wants."
"Bloody hell, she's torturing you, Aurora. If your family knew about this--"
"Well, I don't have any blood family anymore, do I?" I snap, grabbing my book back from Harry. "You've got to report it," Harry says, taking my normal hand in his, "it's simple enough to--"
"Harry, whatever this is, it's not simple. You don't understand," I sigh as I stand up to walk away. "Then help us to," Hermione says. I look back at them all and just shake my head, before making my way up to the dorms.
-
"Did you send that letter to Sirius?" I ask Harry as we reach Hagrid's hut, both of us still feeling downcast that he's not around. "Yeah I did," he says, taking my now bandaged hand in his. I see him look up in the sky and his eyes follow something that I don't see.
"Can you still not see them?" He asks, to which I shake my head. "I can't see anything. I'm sure there's a reason why you can see what you see but I can't."
Harry nods and he leads me into the forest, where we see a barefooted Luna, stroking the thing that I assume Harry claims to be seeing. "Hello Harry Potter and Aurora Diggory," she says, turning around and smiling at us both.
"Aren't your feet cold, Luna?" I ask and she nods slightly. "Unfortunately, all my shoes have mysteriously disappeared. I suspect Nargles are behind it." I smile at her as they both look back up again.
"What are they?" Harry asks, his eyes filled with wonder. "They're called Thestrals. They're quite gentle really, but people avoid them because they're a bit... different," Luna responds and I gasp in realisation. "Oh, that's why I can't see them."
Harry looks at me with confusion. "Thestrals can only be seen by someone who's witnessed someone die. You can because you saw... what happened to Cedric, but I can't because I just saw him after," I explain, Luna nodding at my statement. I turn to her and ask who she knows who's died.
"My mum. She was quite an extraordinary witch, but she did like to experiment and... one day, one of her spells badly wrong. I was nine," she says in a dreary voice. Me and Harry both apologise.
"I do feel quite sad about it sometimes, but I've got my dad," she replies, rolling an apple across the ground. "We both believe you, by the way. That He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned and you fought him and the Ministry is conspiring against you and Dumbledore."
Harry thanks her, saying that they seem to be the only ones who do. "I don't think that's true," I say, squeezing Harry's hand slightly, "I just think that's how he wants you to feel."
"What do you mean?" Harry asks, looking at me. "Well, if I was Voldemort, I'd want you to be cut off from everyone else because if you're alone, you're not that much of a threat anymore." Luna nods her head at my statement as she tosses a piece of meat across the floor.
We stay in the woods with Luna for a while until I suggest we head back to the Castle to have some breakfast. "Are you coming, Luna?" I ask, but she shakes her head, her kind smile on her face. "I'm going to stay here for a while."
I nod and both me and Harry make our way to the Great Hall. Once we arrive, we go to sit with Hermione, Ron and Ginny, but Umbridge's voice outside the Hall alerts us, especially when we hear McGonagall's voice as well.
"What's going on?" I ask, looking at everyone with confusion. They all shrug, so I let go of Harry's hand and walk out of the Hall, finding McGonagall and Umbridge stood on the stairs, arguing with each other.
"I am merely requesting that when it comes to my students, you conform to the prescribed disciplinary practices," McGonagall says, looking Umbridge dead in the eyes. "So silly of me, but it sounds like you're questioning my authority in my own classroom, Minerva," Umbridge replies, moving up a step.
"Not at all, Delores," McGonagall fires back, also stepping up a step, her voice rich in sarcasm and anger. "This is not going to go well," I mutter to the rest of the group.
"Merely your medieval methods," McGonagall says, clearly insulting Umbridge. "I'm sorry, dear, but to question my practices is to question the Ministry and by extension, the Minister himself. I am a tolerant woman, but the one thing I will not stand for is disloyalty."
McGonagall steps back down, not impressed with Umbridge in the slightest, who then turns towards everyone gathered. "Things at Hogwarts are far worse than I feared. Cornelius will want to take immediate action."