Being Different Year 5

“Come here Mr. Potter,” said Umbridge handing him a letter.

“If you would take that to Professor McGonagall,” she said sweetly, “oh, and take your sister with you.”

“What?” asked Harry deeply confused.

“Now please.”

Harry got Anne back up from where she had been hyperventilating, leaning against the wall, and they left the classroom.

“I’m sorry you got dragged into this Sis,” muttered Harry as they headed towards McGonagall’s office.

“It’s ok,” she muttered.

“Mr Potter what is going on?” asked McGonagall as they arrived at her office, “you are meant to be in class.”

“Umbridge sent us.”

“What in the world do you mean by that?” she asked as Harry passed her the letter.

McGonagall’s eyebrows rose higher and higher as she got further into the letter.

“Sit down,” she said firmly.

Harry sat down and Anne flopped into her chair.

“What I don’t understand is how Anne got pulled into this?”

“She was trying to help me,” mumbled Harry.

“But it shouldn’t have reached the point where she needed to help you Potter!”

“She brought up Cedric!” shouted Harry, “she said his death was an accident.”

“That would about do it wouldn’t it,” muttered McGonagall, “have a biscuit Potter.”

“A what?”

“A biscuit,” she repeated, “and give one to Anne she seems to have gone into shock.”

Harry pulled out a ginger newt and passed Anne a piece of shortbread.

“Go on Anne, you’ll feel better,” Harry said coaxingly.

Anne just continued to stare into blank space. Harry placed the biscuit in front of her on the desk in case she wanted it later.

“You’ve both been given detention, starting tonight and every other night this week.”

“Both of us?” asked Harry astounded, “but Anne didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Anne defended you by saying that Voldemort killed Cedric Diggory, and then apparently you tried to attack her.”

“I wasn’t going to attack her!” his voice rising again

“So all of this is true then?” asked McGonagall.

“Yes but everything I said was true too.”

“Harry, you need to keep your head down,” she said gently.

“Yeah yeah I know, keep my head down, be a good boy, don’t attract any unwanted attention.”

“Yes Harry that’s exactly what you need to do, you need to learn to keep your temper if nothing else. You are both going to have to attend detentions all week.”

“I don’t care,” said Harry, “punish away but keep Anne out of this!”

“Harry that may be part of her strategy,” pointed out McGonagall, “she’s probably going to try to use your sister as incentive for you to behave yourself. After today she’s realised how protective you are of her and believe me she will try to use that in her favour.”

“So you’re telling me,” stuttered Harry, “that if I don’t behave myself, Umbridge is going to punish Anne for my actions?”

Harry looked over at Anne who was still staring at the wall, completely oblivious to the conversation going on around her as she had gone into shut down.

“I’m afraid so yes Harry,” nodded McGonagall firmly.

Harry sighed and tried to get Anne’s attention.

“Anne,” he called, “Sis, we need to get something to eat we’ve got detention in half an hour.”

Harry took Anne’s hand and shepherded her down to the Great Hall for a quick dinner before detention.

Harry and Anne received some strange looks from some of the students, rumours certainly spread quickly at Hogwarts.

“Just ignore them Anne,” said Harry as he shovelled down beef casserole.

Anne didn’t touch a bite and before long it was time to go to Umbridge’s office.

“Good Luck Annie!” called Irwin as they got up to leave.

“We’ll wait up for you,” added Persephone.

Harry knocked on the door when they reached Umbridge’s office.

“Come in!” she called in a high girly voice.

“Good evening Mr Potter, Miss Potter.”

“Good evening Professor,” said Harry as he sat down behind one of the two spare desks in the room.

Anne sat down at the other desk; she hadn’t uttered a single word since they had left Umbridge’s classroom nearly an hour earlier.

“I want you both to write some lines for me,” she said.

Harry and Anne started to shuffle in their bags for quills.

“Oh no you won’t be needing them,” she giggled handing them two very long black quills.

“Harry, I want you to write ‘I must not tell lies.’

“Anne,” she continued turning to look at Anne, “I want you to write ‘I must learn the difference between dreams and reality’”

“How many times?” grumbled Harry.

“As long as it takes for the message,” she paused for a moment to smile, “to sink in.”

“Wheres the ink?”

“You don’t need any ink,” said Umbridge simply

Harry glared at her for a moment and then started to write using the new quill.

Anne picked up the quill and inspected it for a moment. The bracelet on her right wrist began to burn again, its probably just because of Umbridge.

She started to write ‘I must learn the difference between dreams and reality’ but she hadn’t even got to the end of the first start line when she felt another sharp pain from her right hand.

She bit her lip in pain and took a closer look at the writing, she wasn’t using ink, she was writing in her own blood.

“Is there a problem?” asked Umbridge innocently.

Anne shook her head nervously and continued to write frantically. As they got further into the detention she realised that she was actually writing into her right hand whilst her left hand wrote the lines.

Harry thought about protesting for a moment but then thought that if he didn’t behave what would Umbridge do to Anne next?

It went on for hours, she must have written out the lines hundreds of times, the only thing that was keeping her awake was the constant pain from her right hand.

“Let’s see how we’re getting on,” said Umbridge coming over to inspect their hands after what felt like an eternity.

“That will do for tonight,” she said, “see you both again tomorrow.”

Harry picked up both school bags and grabbed Anne’s hand before practically running away from the office.

“You ok Sis?” asked Harry once they had put five floors between themselves and Umbridge.

Anne was clutching her hand which was no longer bleeding but still in agony.

“At least the writing doesn’t show,” he muttered.

“I’m sorry I got you dragged into this,” said Harry as he walked her back to the Ravenclaw Tower.

“Anne,” said Harry outside the entrance to the tower, “you know we can’t tell anyone about this right?”

Anne nodded slightly.

When Anne got back to the tower it was completely empty and the clock said it was quarter to one in the morning. She didn’t want to go up to bed in the dormitory because she didn’t want to disturb anyone but she knew she couldn’t sleep.

She pulled her spare jumper she sometimes wore when she got cold out of her school bag and tried to get on with some of her homework. She somehow managed to write her charms and transfiguration essays, by then it was nearly five o’clock.

By the time Irwin came down at just before seven o’clock he found Anne leaning against one of the sofas watching the sunrise out of the window.

“Hey Annie,” said Irwin sitting down to join her, “how was detention?”

Anne merely shrugged.

Irwin tried to put an arm around her waist, but she flinched away.

“Sorry,” muttered Irwin slightly shocked, Anne never flinched away from him, he could never hurt her.

Not long after this the first years began to show up.

“Morning Anne!” called Morgana cheerfully.

Anne just continued to stare out the window blankly.

“Anne’s not feeling her best this morning,” explained Irwin.

“Has this got anything to do with what happened yesterday?”

“I think so yeah, she’ll probably be fine after breakfast.”

The first years spent several days wondering why their favourite Prefect was acting so strangely, she’d show up to class and help them if they got lost.

But she never spoke a word or a ate a morsel. Anne would get back from detention once everyone else was already long in bed but would still be awake in the Common Room when they all started to come down.

By the Friday morning Irwin was getting desperate.

“Anne can you please tell me what’s up?” pleaded Irwin.

“Has this got something to do with Umbitch?” asked Terry.

“Umbridge,” corrected Padma.

“I know,” said Terry.

“Annie you have got to eat something,” begged Irwin at Friday dinner.

Anne wasn’t just acting secluded and not talking, eating, or sleeping which she had done before but never for anywhere near this long. But for some strange she had started wearing her fingerless gloves even though it was only September, she normally didn’t start wearing those until at least November.

The night before after detention Harry had noticed that the writing had stopped fading away.

“You need to cover your hands up,” he explained, “otherwise people will start asking questions.”

After detention on Friday night Harry and Anne vowed that they would never go back in there.

Harry took Anne back up to her tower again and then left to go to bed himself.

It was past midnight again and she didn’t want to wake up her roommates, she had spent the last few nights keeping up with her homework and reading instead of sleeping. Her right hand hurt too much to let her sleep, she had tried sleeping on the sofa on Monday night.

It was over she thought sighing with relief as she collapsed onto the sofa and let out the tears that she had been holding back since Monday afternoon. She thought that her hand had been burning, but the tears running down her cheeks burnt even more.

She must have dropped off into an uneasy sleep because she kept on having nightmares about Umbridge but the next thing she knew Irwin was standing over her with his arms folded. The rest of the fifth years were with him.

“Let me guess,” said Irwin, “that’s the most sleep you’ve had all week?”

“What time is it?” she muttered.

“Quarter to five in the morning,” said Mandy.

“What are you all doing down here at this time?”

“The question should be, why aren’t you in your bed, why is face covered in tears, and since when do you sleep in fingerless gloves,” said Anthony counting on his fingers

“I don’t,” mumbled Anne pulling down the sleeves of her jumper to cover her gloves.

“Also, when’s the last time you took a bath, or changed your clothes?” asked Persephone

Anne shrugged.

“Can you at least tell us what’s been going on?” asked Lisa.

“We tried talking to Harry, but he said that Umbitch had just set you lines,” said Terry.

“We have been doing lines,” said Anne, it wasn’t lying they had been writing lines. Of some sort.

“I’ve had enough of this,” muttered Irwin, going to sit down next to Anne, and starting to pull up her jumper sleeves. “You guys said try the gentle method so we did but this is getting ridic….”

Irwin stopped in the middle of the sentence, he was staring at Anne’s right hand and was holding the glove he had just taken off it.

“Did she do this to you?” he asked.

There was no answer.

“Did she do this to you!” he screamed.

“Woah,” said Anthony, “calm down there Scamander.”

“Look at her hand,” shouted Irwin, “then tell me to calm fucking down!”

“How’d this happen Anne?” asked Persephone gently picking up Anne’s right hand.

Anne stared down at her shoes, she had promised Harry not to tell anyone.

“Look whatever this is,” said Persephone taking a closer look at the scars on Anne’s hand, “it’s clearly dark magic.”

“We need to get her to Flitwick,” said Mandy.

Anne began to shake her head frantically.

“Come on Annie,” said Irwin pulling her gently off the sofa.

Anne had only been standing up a second when she began to feel dizzy.

“Merlin not again,” muttered Michael as Irwin picked her up off the floor.

“When’s the last time anyone saw Anne eat?” asked Anthony trying to keep calm, Merlin knows somebody out of this lot needed to.

“Monday lunchtime?” suggested Padma.

“What’s more important here,” asked Mandy, “Flitwick or Pomfrey?”

“Flitwick,” reasoned Anthony, “whatever she’s been doing to Anne and Harry she might try and do to other students.”

Irwin nodded and they all left for Flitwick’s rooms Irwin still carrying Anne.

Michael and Terry started knocking frantically on Flitwick’s door.

“What in the world could be the matter boys?” asked Flitwick answering his door and looking at Michael and Terry.

“It’s five o’clock on a Saturday morning.”

“It’s Anne sir,” explained Persephone.

“Are you all out there?” asked Flitwick confused coming out into the corridor so that he could see them all properly.

“All present and correct sir,” nodded Anthony.

“Apart from Anne,” pointed out Lisa.

“Why did you not take her straight to the Hospital Wing?”

Anne had gotten into this state before when she had forgotten to eat and sleep but usually not anywhere near this badly.

“Because of this sir,” said Persephone showing him Anne’s right hand with the words ‘I must learn the difference between dreams and reality’ cut deeply into it.

“Blood quill,” hissed Professor Flitwick through sucked teeth a look of anger in his eyes.

“Detention sir,” started Michael.

“Umbitch, I mean bridge sir,” explained Terry.

“And how many detentions did Anne serve again?”

“Um,” muttered Irwin having to think it over for a moment, “five nights.”

“She always left at five o’clock but didn’t come back till gone midnight,” added Padma.

“If you would please take Anne down to the hospital wing,” said Flitwick, “I’ll only be a minute I just need to contact her family.”

They all rushed down to the Hospital Wing, Irwin followed at a more dignified pace as he was carrying Anne.

Michael and Terry started banging frantically on the door again when they arrived at the Hospital Wing.

“Are you lot trying to wake up the devil?” asked Pomfrey opening the door in her pyjamas, “you lot are lucky I don’t have any patients.”

“Ah Anne,” she muttered nodding her head, Anne had been brought in many times over the last five years, having had a fainting fit or a panic attack, but never at five o’clock in the morning or accompanied by eight other people.

“Just pop her down on the bed dear,” said Pomfrey to Irwin.

Irwin placed Anne down on the nearest bed and sat on the bed next to her clutching onto the wrist of her uninjured hand.

“What was it this time?” asked Pomfrey checking Anne’s pulse.

“Hasn’t eaten or slept since Monday,” said Persephone.

“No wonder she fainted then,” muttered Pomfrey, as she checked Anne’s temperature.

“It’s all because of Umbitch,” growled Michael.

“Oi come up with your own insult!” said Terry.

“What’s this got to do with Umbridge?” asked Pomfrey.

“Anne was getting upset because of detention,” said Lisa.

“Yeah every night this week,” nodded Padma.

“She must be exhausted poor thing,” tutted Pomfrey.

“Flitwick also said something about a blood quill,” added Anthony.

“A what!” Pomfrey screamed almost waking up Anne.

“Don’t worry Poppy,” said Flitwick, “I’ve already rung Sirius and Remus.”

“Do you know if shes being do this to Harry too?” he asked turning to the Ravenclaws gathered round the bed.

“I think so yes sir,” said Lisa.

“I’ll go tell Minerva,” he muttered.

Pomfrey managed to get Anne settled into the bed still fully dressed, she could eat and bathe later, the thing she needed first was sleep.

The fifth years had just got settled into the chairs next to Anne’s bed and Irwin was sat cross legged on the bed when there was a disturbance in the corridor.

“Where’s Anne!” screamed Remus as he came running through from the entrance hall into the Hospital Wing.

He was followed by a just as anxious Sirius and Tonks.

“Annie,” he said walking over to her bed in relief at seeing his niece.

“Who did this?” growled Sirius.

“Umbitch,” said Terry.

“Who?” asked Tonks.

“Um-bridge,” enunciated Padma.

“She’s some ministry hag,” said Mandy.

“I know who she is,” muttered Remus, “she’s the reason I can’t get a job.”

The other Ravenclaws decided to leave at this point, Irwin stayed sat on Anne’s bed.

“Will she be alright?” asked Remus after a while.

“She’ll be fine Remus; she needs some rest and something to eat and then she’ll be fine.”

“What about the scars?” asked Sirius already knowing the answer.

“There’s nothing I can do to remove them, essence of murtlap should help with the pain though.”

“What’s going on?” asked a very confused Harry in a dressing gown who was being dragged by McGonagall who was fuming.

Harry was even more confused when he arrived at the Hospital Wing to find Anne, Irwin, Remus, Sirius and Tonks.

“Pass me your hand Harry,” said Remus firmly going away from Anne’s bed for a moment.

“What are you talking about?” he asked evasively hiding his hand behind his back.

Remus raised his eyebrows at him and Harry sighed before showing him the hand.

‘I must not tell lies,’ mouthed Remus.

“Is there nothing we can do about this!” shouted Remus, “she’s been torturing our kids on a nightly basis.”

“We can probably get the blood quill banned,” said McGonagall, “but she works for the ministry, I’m afraid we’re stuck with her.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone!” screamed Sirius.

“You two told me to keep my head down!” said Harry pointing at Remus and Sirius, “and to do as I was told.”

“Not when that meant literal torture!” said Sirius exasperated.

“What’s happening?” asked Anne finally coming to.

“Annie,” exclaimed Irwin jumping on her to give her a huge hug.

Pomfrey went to go find some nutrition potions for Anne and some breakfasts for everyone.

“Remus, Sirius, what are you guys doing here? I thought parents weren’t allowed to come in apart from life and death situations?”

“And illegal torture,” added Sirius, “Dumbledore’s writing to the ministry now to get them taken her away from her.”

“Harry,” said Sirius as they all ate breakfast having applied a dose of murtlap to Harry and Annes hands, “just promise me one thing?”

“Yeah,” said Harry as he ate a sausage.

“Keep your head down and all that, but if you or Anne are in danger or getting hurt ever again, I want you to tell us alright?”

“Ok,” he grinned.