The Cursed Ones

Chapter Nine: The First Checkmate

Somehow, the rest of the week goes relatively calmly. Rather than making me feel better, however, the stint of calamity only builds the suspense. Who is next to attack; us, or them? I'm sick of the back and forth. I want to go at this strategically, like in a chess game. I want to call checkmate. This needs to end in my favor and by my own hand. I will deal out the consequences. But Darwin and his friends are proving to be worthy opponents.

In the meantime, until I can manage to corner them, I need to amp up the violence. Them beating me to a pulp kind of reframed my view on the whole thing. It's become more personal than ever.

The school day is nearly over. It's Friday. Pansy and I are spending study hall with Umbridge once again. The room has fallen into silence. I think Umbridge has caught onto the fact that pairing me and Pansy not only benefits us, but her as well. We get one another's company, and we aren't so relentless in our attacks on her during detentions.

I've been saddled with writing two separate lines ever since she gave me the added bonus one about me being worthless or whatever, and Pansy has also acquired double lines. The first one is the classic I will not speak in Umbridge's class. The second one takes more of an I'm dead if I take things too far angle. Umbridge has been getting rather creative this year, and we're only just finishing our second week of the beginning of the school year.

A slam echoes throughout the office out of nowhere. It gives all three of us a start. Pansy's quill has clattered to the ground in her shock, and mine does more of a flip into the air as I accidentally let go of it mid-jump.

Narcissa's eyes are taking in the scene. She's holding a thin stack of papers as she freezes in the doorway. Her eyes flit to my hand and then to Pansy's. Her eyes narrow, and before anyone can react, she's storming over to the pair of us.

She spots the quill a few inches from my hand and snatches it up as she closely examines the lines I've scrawled neatly in repetition over my parchment. She reads the words. I see her register what the "ink" really is, and then her mouth drops open. She brings the quill down to the paper and draws a straight line experimentally, and I watch blood blossom over the back of her hand. She gasps sharply and jumps a little at the sudden metallic bite of being cut by an invisible blade.

She spins on Umbridge, who immediately cowers away with large eyes. "You're torturing my students!" hollers Narcissa. "How dare you!" She drops the papers she had been holding and they flutter to settle over the carpeted office floor in abandonment. She practically grabs the scruffs of mine and Pansy's shirts as she urges us to stand. "I'm leaving with them," she declares as she pushes us towards the door, gently despite her tremendous level of rage. "They will no longer be serving their detention with you. From now on, they'll be serving your detentions under my watch."

We don't even make it out the door when suddenly I feel Narcissa crumple behind us. Pansy and I turn just in time to take in the sight of Narcissa crumpled and passed out on the ground as Umbridge's wand points down at the now unconscious woman within one trembling hand.

It's certainly a foul blow, attacking Narcissa when her back is turned. I stoop over Narcissa as Pansy tries to make a bolt for the door to get help.

"Don't move!" barks Umbridge. Her wand levels with Pansy's back and my eyes widen in fear. Pansy isn't aware of the danger she's suddenly in.

"PANSY!" I let out in a scream. "Stop!"

Pansy freezes and very slowly turns to look at Umbridge. When she sees the wand pointing at her with intention, she brings her palms up in front of her in submission and cautiously kicks the office door shut behind her, not saying a single word in fear of provoking an attack.