Verboten

Repellius Intruda

    Erwin Smith was given many things before. He was given student privileges, three different badges, the Quidditch cup, the House cup, and many promises for a bright future.

    Detention, however, was a nightmare that sprung to life.

    He felt like all hope had been drained out of him as he walked to Snape's office with the sealed note from Umbridge in his hand. A sense of doom seemed to come over him, as though a dementor walked behind him on the way, bent over his neck. What would Professor Snape say? And just when he promised to keep Bennett under control, too...

    Merlin, why did she have to act so rashly? He had it all under control. Part of him wanted to turn the paper into ashes and put a Memory Charm on Umbridge so that they could all pretend that this never happened and then they would have to endure nine months of bad teaching. He knew how. He had the power to do so. He had done many things. But then, that was definitely okay! He was ready to go through that if it meant not having to look his Head of House in the eye and tell him he had gotten detention for the first time in his life in his last year as Head Boy. Who had ever heard of a head boy getting detention?

    Oh, Lord, that wasn't all... word will eventually reach the headmaster's ears. He wasn't ready for that. There was no way in which he was.

    Damn Hanji Zoë. Why did Erwin have to throw himself in front of every offence that hit her? He should stop doing that, it was humiliating for everyone... he bet by now the Slytherins would be having a large conference on wondering why their ring leader was standing up for a stupid Ravenclaw muggleborn.

    He knocked on the door of the gloomy dungeon room, awaiting a slow 'enter'. It never came. Instead, the dungeon room swung quickly open, yellow wand sparks coming out of it.

    He stepped back a safe distance away, holding his wand. A dumpy witch with stained brown robes and curly grey hair and a black hat faced him, her face lit up with alarm.

    "Professor Sprout? What are you doing in here?"

    Pomona Sprout quickly shouted "Colloportus!" and the door closed rapidly, making them both jump. She had her back to it, breathing heavily. Erwin stared at her. "Professor, are you...?" he reached for her wrist and checked her pulse. Blood pounded in her veins rapidly. She nodded, taking her wrist back.

    "Bloody fireplace... Snape forgot to lift the curse off his fireplace..." she muttered, waving at her face. Erwin took off her hat, swinging it over her sweaty forehead.

    "Do I go in and disable it?" he asked.

    "No, I'm fine, Smith, thanks..."

    Erwin suggested taking her to the hospital wing, and she promptly declined.

    "I've just been discharged from there. And I've faced worse than a pesky Repellius Intruda," she rose, her face determined. "Thank you very much, Head Boy, but I really must get-"

    "I hope you don't mind if I hold you back only a few seconds, professor," he said earnestly. "But do you know where Professor Snape is, if he isn't in his office?"

    "Why, yes, I do!"

    "Where?"

    "He kipped down to the Ministry just now on an errand."

    "Oh."

    "Is that a letter for him? May I see it? He said I should take care of his students in his absence, like I don't already have Hufflepuff to care for, can you imagine?"