Too Far Gone (Don't Save Me Book 4)

Chapter 6: The Quibbler

The next few days were brutal. Numerous sightings of the escaped convicts were reported, though it was impossible to know which ones were real and which ones were simply to create mass hysteria. That didn't make it any easier hearing someone claim they'd been spotted in Hogsmeade.

Once again I found myself sitting in the Great Hall when all hell broke loose, or rather Umbridge's version of hell. Harry had been sitting at a table with his friends, opening a bunch of letters that several owls had just brought, when Umbridge stalked over. I couldn't exactly hear what she was saying but her face told me enough when she turned away, fuming with a copy of the Quibbler in her hands. I looked at Harry curiously and he seemed nervous, almost apologetic as he looked back at me. I stood up, making my way over to him as Umbridge stopped me in my tracks, grabbing my arm with her pink claws.

"I suggest you warn Mr. Potter against these sorts of interviews," she hissed. 'If I find out you had anything to do with this, you won't just lose your job, Miss Y/l/n... I'll have you sent to Azkaban."

I pried her nails away from my arm. "Do. Not. Touch. Me," I spat. "It's hard for me to speak with Mr. Potter when I'm unaware of what he's being accused of."

She thrust the Quibbler into my hands, Harry's photo staring back at me from the front cover. HARRY POTTER SPEAKS OUT AT LAST: THE TRUTH ABOUT HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED AND THE NIGHT I SAW HIM RETURN. She reached for the magazine but I snatched it away from her.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Delores," I replied, my voice dripping with unbridled rage. "I shall address this with my godson."

"See that you do, Professor... or it's your job on the line."

I rolled my eyes as she walked away, before moving to the table Harry and his friends were sitting.

"May I speak with you?"

"Aunt Y/n, I-."

"All of you," I interrupted, looking around at Harry, Hermione, Ron, Fred, George, and Luna. "Gather the letters. You may bring them with you but I expect all of you in my old office immediately." I waited as they gathered the letters, catching a glimpse of Umbridge and her satisfied smirk as I guided the students out of the Great Hall and I certainly didn't miss how she slowly stood from her chair; I imagine she was planning to follow us. Professor Binns never used his office as he mostly fell asleep between (and sometimes during) his classes, so Albus had allowed me to keep the space. It was rarely used as most of my time was spent with Severus on his lessons, but it came in handy for moments like these.

"Have a seat, please," I said, conjuring several chairs, and closing the door behind us. I suspected Umbridge was not far behind as there was no way she would miss this interaction.

"Professor, we-."

"Quiet, Mr. Weasley," I hissed, sensing the toad's sickening presence outside the office door and the shadow of her feet peeking under the door. "You will sit here while I read this article and I want not a sound from any of you."

I looked down and began reading the article written by Rita Skeeter. It detailed the events of that horrendous night, though carefully leaving out my heritage. It simply stated I was in the wrong place at the wrong time while on the lookout for students signaling for help around the maze. Tears filled my eyes as Harry's words were quoted on the page "My Aunt Y/n saved my life that day..." She risked her life, despite the danger she knew it would put her in."

I sighed, placing the magazine on my desk, wiping the tears from my eyes as I could still see Umbridge's lingering shadow.

"What were you thinking?" I asked Harry.

"I was thinking that people need to know the truth! You were there! You saw it happen!"

"I do not know what I saw that night, Harry."

"What?" I could see the tears forming in his eyes as I continued.

"Perhaps Umbridge is right. The stories I tell now... they hold more weight. We'd be sending people into a frenzy."

I could see Harry getting worked up and I placed a finger over my lips, pointing to the door where the shadow could still be seen. The twins' faces lit up, a glint of mischief in their eyes as they smirked, shaking their heads. Harry nodded in understanding, a small sigh of relief leaving his lips as Hermione, Luna, and Ron also began to realize we weren't alone. I scrawled a note on a bit of parchment and held it up. Act natural.

"Do you understand the danger this could put people in?"

Harry nodded, understanding my note as I buried it beneath a stack of other papers.

"All I did was tell the truth!" Harry hissed. "It's something maybe you should try." He looked up at me apologetically but I smiled at him, knowing it was all an act, as I gave him a small nod.

"That's enough, Potter!" I hissed, leaning over the desk to find another bit of parchment to scrawl a note. "You'll be spending the next week with me in detention. All of you."

"But, Professor!" Hermione exclaimed, joining in on the act. "Harry's already been given detention with Umbridge this week!"

"And he will join me following her detentions," I replied, holding up the note. Bring things to study. You all have important exams coming up.

They nodded as I continued. "You will be helping me scrub the potion's lab after lessons. Fair warning... I hear today's lesson will be particularly putrid."

They groaned in unison, trying to stifle their laughter as I listened carefully to the sound of Umbridge leaving. Her footsteps faded away and I quickly cast Muffliato on the room just to be safe.

I breathed a sigh of relief, placing my wand back in my robes. "Sorry about all that, you guys."

"Blimey, Y/n!" Fred exclaimed. "We'd thought you'd jumped on the crazy train!"

"Bloody hell!" Ron added, agreeing with Fred. "I thought we were done for."

I chuckled. "Sorry about that. Umbridge is on my case and she's looking for any reason to fire me. I'm actually quite proud of you all." I turned to Luna. "I assume you had a hand in getting this published."

She nodded.

"Thank you, Luna."

She beamed. "Of course, Professor."

"You can simply call me Y/n."

She smiled as I turned to Harry. "I'm so proud of you, love... and the things you said in that article... they meant a lot to me."

Especially the things you didn't say, I thought to myself, knowing he'd chosen to hide the information of my heritage.

He smiled before something seemed to occur to him. "U-Umbridge is trying to fire you?"

"She's trying to fire half the staff," I replied. "Anyone that doesn't agree with her."

"Sh-should we be worried?"

"No, dear... but I must ask you... is there anything you wish to tell me? Anything else that I might be... surprised by?" I asked, gesturing to the magazine. The five students shared a look and Luna nodded slightly, to which Harry seemed to smile, but I could see he was still hesitant about something as he looked to Ron and Hermione for help.

"We can trust her," Luna said, flashing her signature smile. "She wants Umbridge gone as much as we do."

"Look, it's alright if you don't want to tell me... just promise me that whatever you're doing... you're being safe about it... and let me know if I can help, yeah?"

They nodded. "I-it's not that we don't trust you... we just... we can't have any of the other Professors finding out about this... and it doesn't just affect us. There are... others involved," George explained, looking at Harry who nodded.

"I understand, just please be safe... and if Umbridge finds out about this I never knew you were hiding anything, yeah? I can't help if I'm fired."

They nodded in agreement and Harry turned to the others. "Should we-."

They all nodded at the unspoken question and Harry took a breath. "Come with us. We need to show you something."