Surviving......Hogwart's Fanfic

Chapter 14: Back To School

(TW: the evil pink cat lady, detention/injury, & brief mention of homophobia)

It was just after dawn; it took a bit to get everyone up and ready. They had to be there earlier than all the others, since Minerva and Iris were Professors. Even though everyone was up early, only Draco, Ginny, and Luce went with Minerva and Iris.

An hour passed and the other Weasley kids arrived with Harry. Hermione came ten minutes later, and by the end of the hour the Hogwarts Express arrived with all the students. The Professors greeted everyone before sitting down for the Monday morning's breakfast.

The rest of the day went smoothly as everyone got back into the school day routine and classes ended early. The snow was barely there anymore, leaving the ground muddy and brown, the grass beginning to grow back.

Everyone had leisure time before curfew and the Gryffindor Quidditch Team had the first practice of the season, under Minerva's approval. Ginny and Luce were dressed for practice and were racing each other to the Quittage Pit, laughing the whole way. Oliver Wood, the old Captain and Keeper graduated the last year or so and now Angelina Johnson has replaced him. Quidditch Practice went on for a little over three hours, and most of it was drills and conditioning. Angelina called it quits, since it was close to curfew and the bad weather that was coming hit; it made it hard to keep on their brooms and see.

Luce and Ginny stayed, playing around a bit more till the rain picked up and drenched them. As soon as they realized it was well past curfew, the two ran hand in hand through the rain and mud back to the castle. They went separate ways, in order to avoid Filch and his cat, along with the some Prefects and House Head Boys and Girls, whom were allowed to be out and patrol. Ginny knew the quickest route from Fred and George and Luce took the longer way, passing the Great Hall. Luce made it up the stairs and walked quietly down the hall, until she froze, hearing a familiar voice that no one liked. She turned around slowly, her hair out of its braid, laid messy in its long waves down her back, and dripping wet from the storm. Her outfit was muddy and soaked as well.

At this moment Professor Umbridge gave a very tiny cough, but also sounded like a laugh, which she did a lot and annoyed everyone. Luce remembered when her mum was talking to Harry because he wanted to be an auror and she kept making the same noise. Her mum offered her a cough drop. Ginny and Luce bursted out laughing when Harry had told them that part of the story.

"Detention, Miss Malfoy; considering the fact that it's past curfew, I don't think you mind? Ehm,"

Luce smiled at her response to the toad. "Not at all, Professor," Luce said, her attitude sounding a lot like her mothers.

"In my office, now!" She demanded and stormed away, leading Luce to her office.

"Sit, you will be writing lines for me today," Dolores said coldly.

"What do you want me to write?" Luce asked, rolling her eyes.

"I must follow all timely standards," Luce started to panic. She has never once broken the rules, so she felt as if her mums would be disappointed again.

"Can I have a quill," Luce sounded slightly annoyed.

Delores turned around smiling. "Of course, you will be using a special one of mine," she handed the quill to Luce.

"How many lines?"

"Just until the message sinks in, ehm," Dolores said walking away from Luce, and pacing behind her, occasionally taking sips of her overly pink-colored tea.

"So...never then?" Luce mumbled under her breath. Next, she grabbed the quill and started to write.

After a few seconds of writing the first line, Luce started to feel a sharp pain on her wrist, slowly leading down the rest of her hand. She winced. When she checked to see what it was, she saw her handwriting and the words she wrote across her wrist to her knuckles.

Luce looked up at Dolores with a little bit of fear and anger in her eyes. Dolores smiled at Luce and coughed again. Luce quickly got up and left the room without looking back. She had tears running down her face. She was hurt by the message Dolores made her write, as soon as she processed what it actually meant.

Luce raced back to her dorm as quietly and quickly as she could. Ginny was already asleep. Luce threw off her muddy practice clothes and put on a nightgown. Her hand stung still and she was trying to not wake Ginny. Somehow, she was still used to the pain, so it didn't completely bother her much.

Luce wiped the mud off her face, before brushing through her wet hair. Her mind started to race, the words she had to write were on repeat in her head. "Will you shut up?!" Luce was both upset and annoyed, saying that a little more loudly than she intended.

"Hmm? Luce, you there?"

"Yeah, sorry, I was uh-, um talking with my mums." Luce threw her clothes in the corner, before putting a sweatshirt on to cover her hand. Their dorm was a bit chilly anyways.

"You okay?" Ginny was sitting up, only her outlined shadow could be seen, as dark clouds blanketed the night sky.

"Fine." Luce sighed, realizing she said that sort of rudley. "Sorry, just exhausted." Luce climbed into the bed and Ginny wrapped her arms around Luce.

"Goodnight love." Ginny mumbled, falling back asleep.

Luce barely slept that night, her mind was filled with many thoughts; she tossed and turned most of the night, tears, not willingly, escaped from her eyes on occasion.