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The second detention with Umbridge was just as bad as the first. Marina would curse under her breath, eyeing her Professor, wanting nothing but to run outside, but she knew that if she did so, the toad would do everything in her power for her to lose her Prefect badge.
After the detention, she had silently found her way to the couch in the Common Room, but this time, Draco wasn't there to welcome her. She found her books and wrote her first Potions essay of the year, gripping her own quill until her knuckles turned white; there was no pain; she was safe in the Common Room. She wanted to stay there forever. She fell asleep, only to be awakened by Louis.
Wednesday was hard. The detention had become worse. Harry refused to speak to her. He didn't speak to Umbridge, either. After three days, their written words started to leave drops of blood as they carved into their skin. The Professor stopped Marina when the fifth drop of blood hit the parchment, and let her go.
She knocked on Professor Umbridge's office door at five o'clock on Thursday. She could see the Slytherin Quidditch Team fly out on the Quidditch Pitch from the window. She tried to get Harry's attention, to show him that the training had started, but he kept quiet and wrote his lines.
On Friday, the Professor dug her pink nails into Marina's arm to stop her from writing more. Her heart was thumping fast as the woman looked her up and down.
"I think I have made my point, Miss Black. You may go."
"I'm not leaving until Harry is," she spoke bravely, making Umbridge pout and Harry drop his quill.
"Well then," the Professor looked at Harry for a split second. "I suggest you get back to your writing."
Harry shook his head. Marina was already bleeding, and his hand was fine - well, not fine, but better; better than hers, just a little red. She bit the inside of her cheek and put the black quill down on the paper again.
'I shall not pride'. She let out a whimper.
'I shall not pride'. She clenched her fist.
"Well?" the nasty Professor smiled. She reached for Harry's hand. He moaned quietly. "You are excused."
Harry pulled his hand away from her grasp and grabbed his schoolbag from the floor. Marina let the quill fall to the table before the pair found their way to the door.
"You didn't have to do that, you know," Harry whispered after the door had been shut. "Let me see."
Marina looked down. She brought her left hand to the sleeve of her Slytherin robe, carefully lifting it away from her right hand. She was still bleeding, her skin pink, the four words 'I shall not pride' carved into her.
