White Heather for Protection

The Boiling Toad

The first thing Heather did after detention was head straight for Gryffindor Tower. There was still an hour till curfew for seventh years and she needed to speak to her brother right now. That boy had some explaining to do.

Stood in front of the Fat Lady, she requested the portrait to call Hadrian out. A few moments later, the entrance to the Gryffindor common room swung open to reveal him.

"Hello there Hadrian," Heather said sweetly, "how are you this evening?"

"Heather!" Her brother looked relieved to see her. She noticed that he couldn't help but dart his gaze towards her blood-soaked hand. His jaw clenched angrily at the sight. "I knew it! That sodding bitch!"

Heather sighed and pulled her brother out of the entranceway. She could already hear the curious murmuring of his housemates. Once the portrait hole had shut behind him, she set up a privacy bubble around them.

"Ahh, so you didknow about what Umbridge was doing."

Hadrian snorted. "Yeah, considering my thousand or so detentions with her, I reckon I did."

Narrowing her eyes, she said lowly, "So why am I only finding out now that my brother has been having his flesh carved like a turkey since the year started?" Her eyes tracked the unconscious way he rubbed soothingly over his hand. She was slightly mollified to see no scarring in the area. At least her potions had done their job.

"Err, about that," Hadrian trailed off nervously, hand coming up to rub the back of his head. "It was...no big deal?"

"You needed Blood Replenisher Hadrian," she forced out.

He groaned. "I didn't want to worry you okay?"

"Hiding the whole thing doesn't make things any better! Did you know she's been giving the other students detentions too? First years!" She waved her hands around wildly. "I had little firsties coming to me for potions to prevent scarring!" She could understand it if her brother didn't want to go to the other Professors for help, but what about her? If Hadrian had come to her in the first place, then she could have tried to put a stop to it much earlier!

Guilt flashed in his eyes for a moment before he straightened defiantly. "Well, what could youhave done? You've been half-dead the better part of the term! Or have you forgotten your stay in the infirmary already?"

Heather jerked back, stung. "I said I was sorry! I know it was wrong to try and do everything on my own. In fact, youwere one of the people who told me that! Why did you even continue provoking Umbridge anyway?" she demanded. "You should have kept your head low and avoided notice!"

"I couldn't just sit there while she spouted such lies! I was there.Voldemort almost killed me and Cedric! You want me to just listen to her nonsense?" He shook his head roughly. "No way!"

She made a frustrated noise. "I can't believe you! You're being so reckless, and ill-thought, and brash, and-and," she tried to find an apt description, "Gryffindor!"

"Well, hate to break it to you, Heather, but I am aGryffindor. Not all of us can be sly and cunning Slytherins," he sneered, "now can we?" Heather made to protest, but it was clear that her brother wasn't done.

"You really think I'm incompetent, don't you?" Hadrian scoffed. "I can't do anythingwithout you trying to stick your nose in."

"I'm just trying to help you!" she protested, reaching her hand out to her brother. Her heart gave a painful jolt when he immediately shrugged her off.

"Help me?Merlin, you'd think I was a helpless toddler, the way you hover. Just because you're my sister doesn't give you the right to interfere with everything I do and say. Newsflash, Heather, I'm perfectly capable of fighting my ownbattles, so why don't you just mind your own business and leave. Me. Alone!" With that, he turned and stomped through the portrait-hole, leaving her standing in the middle of the corridor.