In His Shadow (A Harry Potter Fan Fiction)

Chapter 46- Umbridge's Tea

Chapter 46

When I woke up the next morning, I realised I still hadn’t replied to Sirius’ letter. I sighed and got out of bed. I had to do it that evening, otherwise he would start to worry even more.

Eleanor saw me and smiled,

“You’re only a tiny bit late waking up.”

I groaned,

“It’s because Zach and Draco made me stay up for an extra three hours.”

She laughed in a way I’d never heard her laugh before: softly. I frowned, wondering if I’d imagined the soft laugh.

I expected I probably had, seeing as it was early in the morning.

I quickly had a shower and got changed into my robes. When I walked back into the dormitory, Eleanor looked at my hair,

“Should I do something with your hair?”

I sat down and shrugged,

“Yes please. I sometimes run out of ideas.”

She began to look through the drawer where I kept my hairbrush and clips. She shook her head,

“You shouldn’t run out of ideas. Your hair is a lovely colour. There are so many things you could do with it.”

I smiled,

“Thanks. I love your hair though. I used to wish for blonde hair when I was younger.”

She pulled something out of the drawer and grinned,

“This ribbon looks nice. Mind if I use it?”

It was the green ribbon Ginny had given me for Christmas.

I shook my head,

“Go on. It’s fine.”

I was quite surprised that Eleanor was being so kind to me. She’d never offered to do my hair before.

I stayed silent as Eleanor began to brush my hair slowly. She pulled it up into a high ponytail and tied the ribbon around it.

I glanced at myself in the mirror and smiled,

“Thank you. It looks nice.”

She shrugged,

“No problem. Now, we should probably go to the Great Hall.”

We left the common room and made our way there. Eleanor was just in front of me, so she didn’t notice Fred sneak up from behind me and tap my shoulder. I smiled at him and pushed him behind a stone gargoyle before clearing my throat,

“Eleanor? I’ll be in the Great Hall in a few minutes. I just need to… do something.”

She turned around and nodded,

“Don’t be too-”

She stopped as she noticed Fred hiding behind the gargoyle. Her expression changed. She didn’t look happy anymore.

She pursed her lips,

“See you in there, Potter.”

As soon as she was out of sight, I threw myself into Fred’s arms. He whispered,

“I believe it’s your birthday tomorrow, Miss. Potter.”

I pulled away and raised an eyebrow at him,

“I’m pretty sure I’ve never told you when my birthday is. How do you know?”

He grinned,

“Sirius told me a while back. March 28th, isn’t it?”

I nodded,

“I’d kind of forgotten it was coming up. I suppose I’ve been a bit busy recently.”

“Anyway, meet me outside the Great Hall after dinner. Be quick.”

I squeezed his hand,

“I’ll be there, Freddo.”

Fred chuckled before pulling me back,

"Oh and by the way, I prefer your hair down."

I smiled at him as I walked into the Great Hall. Eleanor was sitting at the Slytherin table with a nervous expression on her face.

I sat down opposite her,

“What’s the matter?”

Draco smirked,

“Nothing. Eleanor’s just a kind-hearted person, and she’s worried about you.”

“Why would she be worried?”

He laughed,

“Oh, I can think of many reasons.”

*                    *                    *

“Sirius told me it’s your birthday tomorrow.”

I looked up from my book to Harry and laughed,

“Has Sirius just been telling everyone?”

He sat down opposite me,

“Pretty much.”

I was spending my lunchtime in the library, trying to read up on some potions. Professor Snape had been telling me about all sorts of ingredients and mixtures that I needed to learn. He told me that I’d crammed enough into that year to complete my O.W.L’s. That freaked me out slightly, because a lot the subjects, I wouldn’t have a clue what the answers were.

I sighed,

“So how much trouble did you get into with Umbridge?”

He shrugged,

“Enough. She tried to get me to answer some questions about the DA but I didn’t tell her anything. I have a feeling I would have told her the truth if I’d have drunk that tea she gave me. I think she put something in it.”

I raised an eyebrow,

“She tried to make me answer some questions earlier on in the year. She practically forced me to have a cup of tea. I nearly drank some, but I was interrupted. You’re lucky you knew something was in it, otherwise you might have given something away!”

My brother nodded gloomily,

“She’s still going to want to ask me more questions, I’m sure of it.”

“Just stick with the same sort of lie, and eventually she’ll stop asking you. I’ve got to say though; the woman is desperate to find a way to get this whole school into trouble with the Ministry.”

Harry took a deep breath,

“We have to make sure that Hogwarts stays the way it is. We can’t let Professor Umbridge change the school. Most of all, we can’t let her change us.”

I nodded slowly, but I knew deep down that things were already changing.