I glanced over my schedule.
1 N.E.W.T Charms
2 N.E.W.T Potions
3 N.E.W.T Defence Against the Dark Arts
4 N.E.W.T Herbology
5 N.E.W.T Transfiguration
6 N.E.W.T Arithmancy
7 N.E.W.T Astronomy
8 N.E.W.T Alchemy
9 N.E.W.T History of Magic

Great, the only class I Freddie and I had together was DADA. I sighed, and looked at Fred, who was lightly snoring next to me.

"Freddie, wake up." I planted a kiss on his nose.

"Why..." he groaned, slightly opening his eyes. "It's still dark outside..."

"That's because it's seven, it will start getting light soon, and you still need to get to your dorm and change."

"Oh shit you're right!" Fred bolted upright, his eyes now fully open.

"Freddie I'll see you today in DADA." I plant another kiss on his nose.

"That's it?" He frowned.

"Well you only have 3 classes, and only your DADA class is advanced." I giggled. "You can see me in your free periods."

"How does it feel to be smart?" Fred grumbled, a small goofy grin plastered on his face.

"You should know." I trailed my fingers along his neck.

"Don't you go finding yourself a new boyfriend in all those smart kid classes." Fred said, getting up and grabbing the invisibility cloak and his clothes.

"Freddie you're the only person I will ever have eyes for, and you should know that, now go!" I playfully shoved him towards the door.

~~~~

Upon entering the DADA classroom with Fred and George, I saw Professor Umbridge was already there, seated at the teachers desk, wearing the fluffy pink cardigan of the night before and the black velvet bow on top of her head.

The class was quiet as it entered the room; Professor Umbridge was, as yet, an unknown quantity and nobody knew how strict a disciplinarian she was likely to be.

"Well, good afternoon!" she said, when finally the whole class had sat down.

A few people mumbled "good afternoon" in reply.

"Tut, tut," said Professor Umbridge. "That won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge'. One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!"

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," we chanted back at her.

'There, now," said Professor Umbridge sweetly. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."

Many of the class exchanged gloomy looks; the order 'wands away' had never yet been followed by a lesson they had found interesting. I heard Fred groaning next to me while putting away his wand.

Professor Umbridge opened her handbag, extracted her own wand, which was an unusually short one, and tapped the blackboard sharply with it; words appeared on the board at once:

N.E.W.T Defence Against the Dark Arts

A Return to Basic Principles

"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" stated Professor Umbridge, turning to face the class with her hands clasped neatly in front of her. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your OWL year."

She rapped the blackboard again; the first message vanished and was replaced by:

Course Aims:
1. Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic.

2. Learning to recognise situations in which defensive magic can legally be used

3. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use.

For a couple of minutes the room was full of the sound of scratching quills on parchment. When everyone had copied down Professor Umbridge's three course aims she asked, "Has everybody got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

There was a dull murmur of assent throughout the class.

"I think we'll try that again," said Professor Umbridge. "When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply, 'Yes, Professor Umbridge', or 'No, Professor Umbridge'. So: has everyone got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

"Yes, Professor Umbridge," rang through the room.

"Good," said Professor Umbridge. "I should like you to turn to page five and read 'Chapter One, Basics for Beginners'. There will be no need to talk."

Professor Umbridge left the blackboard and settled herself in the chair behind the teacher's desk, observing them all closely with those pouchy toad's eyes. I turned to page five of his copy of Defensive Magical Theory and started to read.

It was the most basic level of DADA, and I remembered going over this in my first year. I quickly closed the book and stared at Umbridge, who was looking around with a smug grin.

"Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?" She gave me a sickly sweet smile.

"Not about the chapter, no," I said.

"Well, we're reading just now," said Professor Umbridge, showing her small pointed teeth. "If you have other queries we can deal with them at the end of class."

"I've got a query about your course aims," I said defiantly.

Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows.

"And your name is?"

"Y/n Cheshire."

"Well, Miss Cheshire, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully,"said Professor Umbridge in a voice of determined sweetness.

"Well I cease to understand. There is absolutely nothing written about using defensive spells." I stared at her.

There was a short silence in which many members of the class turned their heads to frown at the three course aims still written on the blackboard.

"Using defensive spells?" Professor Umbridge repeated with a little laugh. "Why, I can't imagine any situation arising in my classroom that would require you to use a defensive spell, Miss Cheshire. You surely aren't expecting to be attacked during class?"

"We're not going to use magic?" Fred exclaimed loudly.

"Students raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Mr.--?"

"Weasley,"said Fred, thrusting his hand into the air.

Professor Umbridge, smiling still more widely, turned her back on him.

I raised my hand again.

"Yes Miss Cheshire? You wanted to ask something else?"

"Yes. Surely the whole point of Defence Against the Dark Arts is to practise defensive spells?" I said, trying to keep my cool.

"Are you a Ministry-trained educational expert, Miss Cheshire?"asked Professor Umbridge, in her falsely sweet voice.

"No, but--"

"Well then, I'm afraid you are not qualified to decide what the "whole point" of any class is. Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new programme of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way--"

"What use is that?" George asked loudly. "If we get attacked, how are we supposed to defend ourselves?"

"Do you expect to be attacked Mr. Weasley?" Umbridge smiled irritably at George.

"No, but--"

Professor Umbridge talked over him. "I do not wish to criticise the way things have been run in this school," she said, an unconvincing smile stretching her wide mouth, "but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed--not to mention," she gave a nasty little laugh, "extremely dangerous half-breeds."

"If you mean Professor Lupin,' piped up Fred angrily, "he was the best we ever--"

"Hand, Mr. Weasley! As I was saying--you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group and potentially lethal. You have been frightened into believing that you are likely to meet Dark attacks every other day-"

"Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examinations, which, after all, is what school is all about."

"But don't the Newts have a practical examination?" Angelina Johnson asked incredulously.

"As long as you have studied the theory hard enough, there is no reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under carefully controlled examination conditions," said Professor Umbridge dismissively.

"Without ever practising them beforehand?" Exclaimed Angelina. "Are you telling us that the first time we'll get to do the spells will be during our exam?"

"I repeat, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough-"

"What good is theory in the real world?" I asked, trying my hardest to remain calm.

Professor Umbridge looked up.

"This is school, Miss Cheshire, not the real world," she said softly.

"So we're not supposed to be prepared for what's waiting for us out there?"

"There is nothing waiting out there, Miss Cheshire. Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?" enquired Professor Umbridge in a horribly honeyed voice.

"You know who." I stated.

The class began to mutter.

"Ten points from Slytherin, Miss Cheshire. I expect better leadership from a Head Girl."

The classroom was silent and still. Everyone was staring at either Umbridge or myself.

"Now, let me make a few things quite plain."

Professor Umbridge stood up and leaned towards them, her stubby-fingered hands splayed on her desk.

"You have been told that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead-"

"He was never dead." I felt my anger bubbling to the surface.

"Miss-Cheshire-you-have-already-lost-your-house-ten-points-do-not-make-matters-worse-for-yourself," said Professor Umbridge in one breath without looking at me "As I was saying, you have been informed that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again. This is a lie."

"I haven't lied Professor!"

"Detention, Miss Cheshire!" said Professor Umbridge triumphantly. "Tomorrow evening. Seven o'clock. My office. I repeat, this is a lie. The Ministry of Magic guarantees that you are not in danger from any Dark wizard. If you are still worried, by all means come and see me outside class hours. If someone is alarming you with fibs about reborn Dark wizards, I would like to hear about it. I am here to help. I am your friend. And now, you will kindly continue your reading. Page five, 'Basics for Beginners'."

Professor Umbridge sat down behind her desk. I, however, stood up. Fred and George looked fascinated.

"Have my parents and Cedric Diggory dropped dead on their own accord then?" I asked, my voice unwavering.

There was a collective intake of breath from the class, for none of them aside from Fred and George have ever heard me talking about my parents deaths and what had caused them.

Professor Umbridges fake smile dropped, and she was now staring daggers at me, her thin eyebrows raised.

"Your parent's deaths were a tragic accident. There is no evidence that they were killed by You Know Who." She said coldly.

"I trust my fathers letter!" I yelled.

"Enough! Detention, my office, tomorrow seven O' clock sharp!" She yelled, and I sat back down.

"Good job." Fred whispered in my ear when Umbridge turned away.

~~~~~

"Good evening Miss Cheshire."

I started and looked around. I had not noticed her at first because she was wearing a luridly flowered set of robes that blended only too well with the tablecloth on the desk behind her.

"Good evening Professor." I said rather stiffly, sitting down in front of her.

"You know, I had a student in detention that behaved just like you. Harry Potter, yes." She smiled. "As a Head Girl I really expected you to be setting a better example, who knows why Dumbledore chose you for the job." She tutted.

She was watching me with her head slightly to one side, still smiling widely, as if trying to gauge my reaction to her insult. I kept a straight face and looked her directly in the eyes.

"What are you going to make me do?" I asked bluntly, causing her to smile so wide, it made her look like she swallowed an especially juicy fly.

"You will be doing some lines for me."

I began reaching into my bag.

"No, not with your quill, with my own."

She handed me a long, thin black quill with an unusually sharp point.

"I want you to write, I must not tell lies." She said softly.

"How many times?" I asked politely.

"As long as it takes for the message to..." She paused. "Sink in."

She moved over to her desk, sat down and bent over a stack of parchment that looked like essays for marking.

"You haven't given me any ink." I remarked.

"Oh, you won't need ink," said Professor Umbridge, with the merest suggestion of a giggle in her voice.

I placed the point of the quill on the paper and wrote: I must not tell lies.

A searing pain shot through my upper arm. The words had appeared on the parchment in what appeared to be shining red ink. I lifted up my sleeve, to uncover the same words carved into the skin on my arm, as though traced by a scalpel. Even as I stared at the shining cut, the skin healed over again, leaving the place where it had been slightly redder than before but quite smooth.

I looked around at Umbridge, who's face was now stretched out in a maniacal smile.

"Yes?" She asked, letting out an evil giggle.

"Nothing." I said quietly, and continued writing.

Again and again I wrote the lines, with what I realised to be my own blood rather than ink. I stopped waiting for my skin to heal up and continued carving away, making an effort not to scream in pain, as to not give Umbridge the satisfaction of my suffering.

Darkness grew outside Umbridge's window. I didn't ask when I was allowed to stop, I didn't even check my watch. I knew she was watching me for signs of weakness, and I wasn't going to give her any, even if it meant cutting my arm off.

"Come here," she said, after what seemed hours.

I stood up and looked down at my arm. It was now swollen, and had a deep gash consisting of the words I must not tell lies.

"Arm." She said.

I extended it to her. I repressed a shudder as she touched me with her thick, stubby fingers on which she wore a number of ugly old rings.

"Seems that you have learned your lesson. Have a good night." She smiled.

I quickly walked out her office not saying a word, flinging the sleeve of my robe over the cut.

"Hey Y/n what did you do in there?" Fred asked getting up from the bench he was waiting for me on.

"Lines." I answered curtly. "Look Fred I have to go do something..."

I picked up my pace, trying my best to get to the nearest bathroom to clean myself up. I couldn't tell Fred the truth, knowing him he would try to break in her office, and get himself expelled.

"Are you ok?" He ran next to me.

"Yeah I just really need to piss." I force a smile, turning a corner into the girls bathroom, leaving Fred in the hallway.

I scrubbed the blood off my arm, and reached into the first aid box under the sink, pulling out some bandages and tightly wrapping them around the bleeding cuts. I felt my arm throbbing under the bandages, but I payed it no mind and threw my sleeves over them.

Upon walking out of the bathroom I see Fred waiting for me outside again.

"You look really pale, are you sure you're ok." Fred asked grabbing my arm, and I try my hardest not to wince at the pain.

"Yeah, I'm fine, really Freddie." I pulled my arm away from him.

"You're not telling me something." Fred stepped in front of me, placing a hand on my waist.

"I'm sorry Freddie, I can't." I whispered, avoiding his gaze.

"Why not? You know you can trust me with anything." He softly brushed my cheek with his hand.

"I know... Freddie can we talk about this later?" I looked up at him.

He looked concerned and hurt, his jaw clenching slightly. I wanted to give him a hug, but my arm hurt too much.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Thank you Freddie." I smiled weakly, taking his hand.

~~~~

As soon as we said our goodbyes and I reached my dorm I collapsed on my bed out of exhaustion. I wanted to tell Fred, but I knew if he found out now, he would do something rash, and get expelled.

I pressed my head into my pillow.