'For life,' Umbridge finished, pleased with the outrage she had provoked. 'And I know what I saw, Miss Johnson.'
'I told you that you would pay,' Malfoy sneered.
'You never learn do you, Draco,' Harry hissed. 'Aguamenti,' he spat, raising his arm and slipping his wand from his sleeve in one smooth motion to produce the spell.
A thick stream of water shot from the tip of his wand, striking Malfoy on the shoulder and knocking him of his feet, but the charm did not act as Harry had intended.
The spell came out twisted by his cold rage and within the water, thick, jagged chunks of ice formed, lacerating Malfoy's shoulder and upper arm. The Slytherin screamed, clutching instinctively at the deep, rough cuts through the tattered remnants of his quidditch robes, but only managing to cut his hands not the fragments of ice that were lodged in his chest.
Both groups of students stared at him in disbelief as Malfoy writhed in pain in the floor, making a high-pitched keening noise and smearing blood and dirt all over himself as the ice melted. It was hard to stop himself from smiling, but he quickly managed to pull his features into a horrified look of shock. The surprise wasn't hard to show.
'Mr Potter,' he had never heard Umbridge sound so satisfied. 'You're also banned for life.'
That's it?
Malfoy was lying in a pool of his own diluted blood, whimpering and shaking. He'd expected to be expelled.
Dumbledore must still be the only one who can expel students.
Umbridge had banned him from playing quidditch, but had seemingly forgotten to give him detention in her joy at finally catching him doing something wrong.
'What have you got to say for yourself, Mr Potter?' Umbridge demanded, no doubt hoping to extract further reaction from him.
Harry ignored her, helping Katie to her feet and in the direction of the hospital wing. He'd get his revenge on Umbridge soon enough.
'That was stupid,' Katie gasped, still pale, as he looped an arm under her uninjured arm to let her lean on him and walk more easily.
'I know,' he replied shortly. 'I shouldn't have lost my temper.'
'Fleur's going to be twice as angry with you,' she laughed weakly.
'Why twice?'
She's going to be disappointed.
The thought left Harry with a very bitter taste in his mouth and he raised his free hand to press it to the triangular locket on his chest.
'You did something stupid,' Katie giggled, wincing each time her chest moved, 'and you did it because I got hurt.'
'I'll blame you,' Harry assured her. 'Then Fleur will come and set you on fire instead of me. Now hush, you need to see Madam Pomfrey, I think you've broken some ribs.'
'And my fingers,' Katie agreed. 'I can't move them, and my chest hurts lots when I breathe.'
'Madam Pomfrey will fix it,' Harry smiled, 'she regrew all the bones in my arm after Lockhart vanished them.'
'You can always have a look first,' Katie giggled again, motioning to her chest with her uninjured hand. 'Not funny, Katie,' Harry reminded her. He really hoped it was the pain messing with her head, because he was glad to have his friend back and didn't need anything to come and spoil that now, not when they'd found such a close, comfortable relationship.
She looked faintly disappointed and a little hurt.
'Fleur,' he reminded her.
'I'm not pretty enough for you, Harry,' she giggled. 'I'm glad you're my friend again,' she sighed, collapsing against him, 'I enjoy scaring the firsties with you.'
'You're the one who does all the scaring,' Harry reminded her, sweeping her legs out from underneath her to carry her through the halls to the hospital wing. Katie was heavier than Fleur was. 'I just stand there.' 'It's still fun,' Katie murmured.
Harry disillusioned them both to avoid awkward rumours or, worse, another Daily Prophet article. Fleur might actually immolate him if she found that.
'Are we there yet?' she laughed.
'Nearly,' Harry told her patiently.
'It's quite painful,' she told him, 'like, it really really hurts, but, at the same time, it doesn't. How weird is that?' She was talking very quickly and quietly, Harry could hardly hear her.
'That is quite strange,' he answered absentmindedly, turning around to back though the doors to the hospital wing.
'You aren't going to do something silly and go after Umbridge, are you?' Harry didn't answer that and placed her gently on the nearest bed.
'Madam Pomfrey,' he called out, disturbing the nurse from her office. She bustled out, pulling her wand from her pocket, and giving Harry a contemplative look that suggested she would have been quite unhappy with him if he'd managed to get himself injured again.
'Promise me you won't get caught doing something stupid,' Katie demanded, glaring up at him through half-closed eyes.
'I promise not to get caught doing something stupid,' he responded smiling reassuringly. She beamed tiredly, then squirmed to take a firm grasp on his hand, forcing him to take a seat on the edge of her bed, and shut her eyes.
I won't get caught at all.
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