The Mudblood

Chapter 65 : Year 4

Though the skin on my hand was healed, Umbridge had not failed to notice the parchment I'd left in her office, which very clearly repeated lines of "I must always torture children." Because of this, she yelled profusely at me in the Great Hall at breakfast the next morning, though my mind was glossed over because I'd been up so late studying that I barely heard a word of it. According to Harper, it had been quite a comical sight.

Over the next few weeks, my mocking of Umbridge subsided substantially, due to the fact that I simply did not have time to entertain myself. With the knowledge that I had to take the D.A.D.A. O.W.L. this year, I was now completely focused when trying to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts. The textbook Umbridge insisted that we read really gave us no viable information on how to defend ourselves, so I spent a lot of time doing research on real defenses that would likely be on the O.W.L. Whenever I wasn't doing that, I was trying to cram in the piles of homework I had, along with Malfoy's D.A.D.A. homework that I now spend considerably amounts of time trying to complete.

Other than during classes, I didn't speak with Draco Malfoy much for the rest of September. I felt heavily conflicted by how he'd acted toward me in his dormitory, since it did not at all add up with how he treated me around our peers; even though he'd basically admitted he wanted to snog me in private, he did not hesitate to berate me in front of the other Slytherins over the next few weeks.

In clear contrast, I spent a considerable amount of time with Fred and George during the next few weeks. When I wasn't doing homework, studying or trying to patch up the Slytherin's Quidditch uniforms, I spent my free time testing out pranking products on first years with the twins. While I did not usually enjoy the Puking Pastilles, the Waltzing Wafers were quite humorous, and I'd been informed by the twins that they'd started experimenting with Dancing Donuts in my honor.

As far as Astoria's issue with my brother, she'd sent him a very, very nasty letter the day after Melody informed her of his wrongdoing, one that apparently spawned a brawl between Evan and Lyle, and consequently, a squabble between Lyle and Melody. Astoria and Melody were no longer on speaking terms, and apparently Astoria and Anderson were feuding now even more than before, therefore Astoria had taken Ashley, and the two of them had been sitting down by the first years during meals for weeks. It felt similar to when Astoria had been cross with me in our second year for sweeping the dungeons with Malfoy during detention, Astoria again being ridiculously angry over a boy. Apparently, Malfoy was right when he'd said that not much has changed...

The first Saturday of October was also the first Hogsmeade visit, a much needed vacation for my strained brain. As Astoria was not speaking with us, and Ashley wasn't allowed to speak with us, Melody, Harper, Anderson, and I headed over to Hogsmeade as a small group of four, something that greatly displeased Harper.

"Slytherin Four?" he scoffed, shaking his head as we walked through the streets of Hogshead. "Doesn't sound nearly as cool as Slytherin Six. Anderson, do something about this."

"Me, why me? Melody's the reason Astoria's not talking to us," Anderson insisted defensively. "She's the one who told Astoria about that dumb Muggle cheat—"

"Hem, Hem," I coughed forcefully.

"Trying to be Umbridge again?" Harper chortled, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"I only relayed information," Melody said coolly, her eyes on the large book she was reading as we strolled down the street. "It's you boys that are the problem. Evan cheated on her, and then you refuse to snog her now that's she's single—"