Fight With Me | Hermione Granger x Female OC (Book 2)

06 - I Must Not Tell Lies

The next day passed quickly, and it was soon time for Ellie's detention. At just 4:50 p.m., Ellie began her painfully slow walk towards Umbridge's office. Hermione had already warned her about trying anything dangerous, and though Ellie wanted to punish Umbridge for what she said, she agreed solemnly.

Ellie stood outside of Umbridge's door, waiting until the last minute to enter. She watched as Harry approached her in silence and gave a reassuring nod. Harry stepped forward and knocked on the wood, resulting in Umbridge's high-pitched invite from the other side.

Ellie observed the room she had just stepped in. Every where she looked was colored pink: the walls, desks, chairs, and rug. On the walls hung dozens of plates, moving images of cats plastered on the front of the chinaware.

"Good evening, Mister Potter and Miss Evans. Sit," Umbridge greeted as she nodded towards the two desks near the wall. "You're going to do some lines for me today."

Ellie and Harry took a seat next to each other and proceeded to reach for a quill in their respective bags.

"No, not with your quill. You're going to be using a rather special one of mine," Umbridge spoke with a heinous grin.

Harry and Ellie looked at each other in confusion as Umbridge stood up to place an ordinary quill on top of the parchment in front of them.

"Now. I want you to write: I must not tell lies," Umbridge instructed. "Same goes for you, Miss Evans."

"How many times?" Harry questioned monotonously.

"Well, let's say... as long as it takes for the message to sink in."

"I guess I won't be here long then. I'm not a liar," Ellie muttered under her breath.

"What was that you said?" Umbridge inquired, stopping just in front of Ellie.

"You must've been hearing things," Ellie retorted as the lady simply giggled in response.

"You haven't given me any ink," Harry remarked as he glared up at the lady.

"Oh, you won't need any ink."

Ellie raised an eyebrow at Umbridge's response, but she brushed the though away as she began to write. The dry scratches turned into a vibrant red ink, the two frowning at the words in confusion. Within seconds, Ellie's left hand started to hurt, as if the tip of a knife was carving into her skin. The pain was excruciating, and she looked down at the back of her hand to see the words, I must not tell lies, etched into her skin. Harry seemed to have the same situation happening to him, as he tried to stifle a groan from the pain.

Umbridge heard Harry's groan and proceeded to walk in front of him, her hands crossed in front of her with a seemingly oblivious smile.

"Yes?"

Harry paused for a moment. Ellie felt the rising tension in the room as she wanted so badly to hex the lady.

"Nothing," Harry muttered through his clenched jaw.

Umbridge bent over to come face-to-face with the boy.

"That's right. Because you know, deep down, that you deserve to be punished. Don't you, Mister Potter? Go on," Umbridge cackled before gesturing to Ellie. "That friend of yours, she deserves it too. Unless you learn your lesson, your friends will suffer."

Umbridge gave a filthy smile as she walked away from his desk, the Hufflepuff glaring menacingly at the seemingly pleased professor.

—

After the excruciatingly painful detention, Harry stormed off, walking quickly in attempt to put as much distance as he could between Umbridge. Ellie quickly packed up her things, clutching her hand as she ran to catch up with Harry.

"What is it?" Harry growled as Ellie caught up next to him.

"Why the hell are you in a bad mood?" Ellie countered with a frown.

"I don't know, maybe I just got my hand carved out by Umbridge," Harry hissed defensively.

"Same thing happened to me. You're not special, Harry," Ellie jeered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Why'd you stop me, then? I just want to go my dorm and not have to deal with anything else."

"Look, I get it if Umbridge pissed you off. But you're not the only one affected by Cedric's death. Just because that lady gave you detention doesn't give you a right to be bitchy to others."

"Actually, I want to know why you defended me yesterday," Harry intervened, his head tilted expectantly.

"Well, I was getting there if you hadn't cut me off," Ellie addressed with slight annoyance. "I was defending Cedric more than I was defending you. I know people don't believe you about what happened last year, but I do."

Harry paused for a moment, his expression morphed into confusion.

"And I'm not just saying this to try and be friends with you. It's because I mean it. I do believe that Voldemort's back—that he murdered my best friend."

"You're not afraid to say his name?"

"I'm not afraid of him, Harry."

"Looks like Hermione's rubbing off on you," Harry mumbled.

"What I'm trying to say is... I know we didn't get off on the right foot. And I know that shaking hands with someone isn't going to earn your trust. Even if you don't trust me, I believe that what you're saying is true, that Voldemort is really back. People are mad to think you'd be lying about such a thing."

Harry's face softened, his frown no longer visible. He seems to hesitate slightly, Ellie's belief surprising him.

"Thank you," Harry finally uttered in a much quieter tone. "For believing in me, of course."

Ellie flashed a tight-lipped smile as him, and even Harry nearly did the same. They continued to walk together until they reached the Grand Staircase in which they had to split up. The two split up without acknowledgement, their footsteps being the only sound that echoed.

As Ellie began to walk towards the Hufflepuff basement, she halted abruptly, remembering an important detail. She sprinted back to the Grand Staircase, but Harry was already a few stories up. She stepped onto the steps and called out to him, his head turning to face Ellie as he stopped in his tracks. Just before Ellie was to advance any further, the staircase beneath her feet started to shift, forcing her to grip onto the railing.

The platform to get to Harry was just in front of her, but it drew further away with every second of the staircase's movement. Without thinking, Ellie leaped into the air, leaving the staircase beneath her. Her hands clutched the stone tightly, and she swung her knee over the edge successfully. She groaned at the movement as Harry held out his hand to her. Ellie took his hand without question, brushing off the dirt that had accumulated on her robes.

"Harry," Ellie panted as she gestured to the faint scarring made by Umbridge's quill. "I'd gladly appreciate if you don't mention this to Hermione."

"Was that so important that you nearly died for it?"

"Yes, it's more important than you can imagine," Ellie answered knowingly, her mind envisioning the angry girlfriend she'd have to face if she found out.

"See, I would try to keep it a secret, but she'll find out anyways. You know how she is," Harry sighed apologetically.

"Oh. You're right. I forgot."

"Right."

There was a moment of awkward silence. After a few seconds, Harry nodded at Ellie as he turned on his heel to walk back towards the Gryffindor Tower. Ellie stayed there momentarily, then proceeded to walk back in the direction of the basement. She clutched her injured hand to her chest, wincing in pain as she walked the corridors back to her dorm.