If This Isn't Love (Fred Weasley Sequel)

Chapter 30 | To Think I was Defending Myself

Sunday, December 10

I have 1 month left until I'm leaving Hogwarts.

Why does Umbridge seem to know this? She's been after me every single day, as if she's trying to catch me misbehave. I haven't gotten another detention, but it feels like I am about to.

She even threatens me one time when I'm not even in her class. Her reason? I'm not taking notes. "Surely,
you should be writing this down. Minerva, what do you say about this?"

"Thank you, Dolores, but I haven't instructed anyone to take notes. Unlike your class, we practice through wand manipulation, not through pen and paper."

I'm glad McGonagall took up for me, even if I can be a troublesome student sometimes.

Literally the only one taking notes in the class is a Ravenclaw swot. Why doesn't she sink her teeth into someone other than me?

After classes, she's still managing to find fault with my actions. At this point, I'm just waiting for her to give me a detention for nothing.

"(L/N)!" She barks unseemly.

I suppress a sigh and turn to where she is standing in the hallway. "Yes, ma'am?" She's lucky I'm not in a bad mood.

"Shouldn't you be in the Great Hall by now?" She asks. "It's late enough and you're going to miss dinner."

I refrain from telling her that if she's been following me this whole time, she should've seen me eat dinner. "I've already eaten."

"Then head back to your dormitory," she says. "No need for students hanging about, unless they're waiting for a certain unauthorized club meeting." She definitely knows something is going on.

She steps closer, a dangerous glint in her beady eyes. "Oh, but that isn't you, is it?"

"Of course not," I snap, turning my back to her so I can head back to the tower.

"Temper, temper," she says with a chortle.

I don't say anything else. As soon as I can get out of her sight, the better.

~~~~
I walk alone in the hallways, almost to the tower. I can't wait to open up a thick book and get to some light reading. Maybe the Adelman sisters will be there, waiting to tell me a fun story about their day.

Almost when I enter the room with the moving staircases and all those paintings, I hear a dry chuckle behind me. I instantly freeze. Who is laughing at me?

"I know you," they inform me. It's a boy either in my year or older. I can't tell until they step out of the shadows. It's one of Draco's older cronies.

I roll my eyes. "Look, I'm tired. I'm just trying to get to my dormitory."

Another person comes out as well, another nameless Slytherin. "Didn't you attack Reeves just the other day?"

"I don't even know who you're talking about," I say.

"You put a fourth year into a full-body bind, yes?" The first one asks, cracking his knuckles.

"For a few seconds. That was just to warn him," I tell them menacingly. I'm going to prove I'm not scared of either of them. I pull out my wand. "You better lay off before I curse you worse than him."

In an instant, they start throwing spells at me and I have trouble blocking them. I send a curse their way and hide behind a pillar. The second Slytherin blasts it, causing me to slip under the crumbling pieces.

I get up only a moment after, but they're on me again. I feel the beginnings of a bruise on my face and I yelp. "What do you want from me?"

"Revenge!" The first one drawls, casting a hex on me.

The cartilage in my nose breaks and I Yelp. Blood pours down my chin, and I grab it. Sending a few spells to them, I hear a distasteful shout.

"Get off her!" Ginny (lovely) comes to my rescue and sends two heavy curses towards them. They step back and I send another blasting curse so they are thrown into the wall.

I get up and Ginny and I cast so many hexes, you can't even recognize the boys anymore. When we're satisfied they are out cold for a good minute or two, Ginny hurries me to the infirmary.

"Let me see," she says, gently taking my hand off. "Merlin's beard!"

"That bad?" I ask, cringing at her lack of subtlety.

She doesn't answer, but escorts me faster than ever to Madam Pomfrey. "Madam!" She calls. "She's injured. She broke her nose."

"As expected, coming from such a hazardous student." She sighs, but tends to my nose anyway. "What happened here?"

"Two older Slytherins hexed her. They attacked her out of nowhere, I saw it." Oddly, Ginny is defending me. Maybe she isn't so mad at me anymore.

"My, my. You are getting out of hand."

Moments later, the two Slytherins are brought in by a livid Umbridge. The last person on Earth that I want to see. I groan, Ginny and I sharing a look. We know what's to come out of this.

"Look at these students!" She exclaims, angered that we decided to defend ourselves. My bad. "Just look at them! Hurry up, now, do they look like they can wait?"

Her eyes zero in on me. "You evil little cockroach. I've always known you were up to no good."

"Look at my nose!" I scream, knowing I was inevitably going to get a detention. "Do I look like I started this? Can't I defend myself without getting in trouble?"

She glares. "I was told differently. You and Miss Weasley are the perfect match for an unruly evening. Detention to the both of you!"

"For what?" I yell.

"You are a disruptive, disobedient, absurd little girl! To start fights like this is just uncanny for a tot like you, yet at the same time just as predicted," she shouts. I can physically see the veins popping from her forehead and I will admit I am a little frightened. Just a little.

"If you think I will stand by and watch you spread your undisciplined conduct around these innocent students, you are mistaken!" She screams the last part, earning a wince from everyone around, even the Slytherins, who were originally grinning this entire time.

"Now, then," she murmurs, calming down after speaking her mind. I gaped at her. "Surely you will be out of here by tomorrow. As for Weasley, come with me. I'll teach you not to join in on such a disorderly act."

She gives me a frightened look, but I frown. I mouth sorry but she waves it off and follows Umbridge with her chin high and mighty. Her family would be proud.

I'm still sorry I dragged her into this mess. I didn't mean for anyone to get in trouble.

Except for those nasty Slytherins of course.

~~~~
Published 5-14-20