Harry looked at his left hand in surprise. I must not tell lies appeared carved into his skin. Did Umbridge do what he thought she had done? Harry's eyes shot up to the evil professor who was smiling sweetly at him over the top of her floral teacup. Yep, this was all her doing! She was intentionally harming Jamie! For one very intense moment, Harry really did seriously consider eating her soul, or at least sucking out all the happiness and joy she'd ever felt from her evil toad-body.
Harry took a deep breath and felt the jar of Essence of Murtlap in his pocket that Snape had given him earlier. Promising that he'd heal Jamie shortly, Harry pushed down his murderous anger. If Snape hadn't given him a means of taking care of Jamie, he was positive he wouldn't have been able to dampen his dementor instincts. Umbridge had no clue how close she had come to disaster…for now.
Breathing in deeply, Harry felt Umbridge's soul; he knew she would taste like candy floss. Nope! Don't think about that! He shook his head and started writing again. The pain helped him concentrate his thoughts and not think about eating the evil DADA professor. Well…he may have still thought about it. He did like candy floss. But no, he wouldn't eat her, not even a little. If Luna said he couldn't eat Binns, then he definitely couldn't eat Umbridge. Maybe he would ask though; Luna could change her mind.
"Hermione, you mind helping me with his?" Harry asked as he put the jar Snape had given him on the table in front of where Ron and Hermione were studying when he stumbled back into Gryffindor Tower after his detention. He was having a hard time opening the jar with his injured hand.
Hermione easily opened it and motioned for him to show her the cut from earlier. "No, this first," he sighed as he held his hand out for her to see.
"What the bloody hell?!" Ron growled as he stood up and examined Harry's hand. Several of the other students looked up from their homework or activities at Ron's outburst, but quickly brushed it off and went back to what they were doing.
"Umbridge," Harry explained with a murderous look still on his face.
"Did she have you writing lines with a blood quill or something?" Ron asked, Harry's hand held just centimeters from his eyes as he looked the bloody mess over.
"Ron, let me look at it," Hermione protested as she reached up to pull Harry's hand away.
"If a blood quill is a quill that writes in your own blood while you use it, then yeah," Harry sighed when Hermione grabbed his hand and pulled it over to her face to study.
"Harry…those are highly illegal," Ron put a hand on his friend's shoulder in comfort. "We need to tell someone."
"She's the Undersecretary to the Minister; who are we going to tell?" Harry asked in seriousness, already having spent the last two hours thinking that through while carving into Jamie's hand.
"Dumbledore or McGonagall?" Hermione asked while she slathered the cream onto his hand and then the unicorn injury.
"Both already in trouble with the ministry," Harry frowned in frustration. "They wouldn't have sent Umbridge here if they were happy with the headmaster and the deputy headmistress, and it's not like I have any parents to complain to. Snuffles would storm into the school and curse her, getting himself arrested again, then I'd have to break him out of prison, then we'd have to go on the run to maybe Tahiti, and I could be sitting on a warm beach right now instead of freezing my arse off…Maybe we should tell Snuffles," Harry smirked at the end.
Hermione smacked the back of his head with her hand. "It's still summer. It's not even cold right now, so stop complaining," she chastised him. Harry pulled his robes closed more, not commenting on the fact he was currently wearing three layers and still freezing. "I'll look over some law books in the library and see if there's any way we could get around her and get her kicked out of the school," Harry's brilliant friend offered.
Harry smiled at her and Ron groaned. "Ergh, that means we have to go do research too, doesn't it?"
"Yes, Ron. It'll do you good," Hermione smacked him upside the head next. "Now bed, both of you."
"Yes, mum!" They both laughed, dodging thrown books as they headed up to their dormitory.
"Not that I don't love spending time with you, Luna, but where are we going?" Harry asked as he was pulled down another corridor deeper into the castle the next Thursday evening, thankfully a night he didn't have detention with Umbridge.
Luna stopped immediately and turned to smile at him sweetly. Harry was certain he'd agree to just about anything she said when she turned her large, blue eyes on him like that…well anything until she opened her mouth and said, "Remedial Potions."
"You had better be kidding, Luna Lovegood," Harry gaped in shock. "Potions might not be my best subject, but I do pretty decent when I'm not being sabotaged, nowhere near needing Remedial Potions! Plus, it's only one week into the new term. Why would any study group be starting up this early?! I'm Gryffindor, not Ravenclaw, remember?"
"I'm top in my year in Potions," Luna informed him with a mischievous grin.
Harry was shocked, he hadn't expected that. "So…this is a joke? Where are we really going then?"
"Nope, I'm listed as a tutor," Luna grinned once more and pulled the dementor down another hallway. "Sorry, Harry, I don't think we can pass you off as a Potions tutor. We're going to have to tell people you're actually taking it."
"What makes you think I'll take Remedial Potions willingly!" Harry sputtered indignantly.
Luna pushed him into an alcove and blocked his exit. She waved her wand, throwing up an impressive silencing ward to Harry's surprise and academic interest. "Because it's not actually Remedial Potions, that's just our cover," she explained with a roll of her eyes. "We're more of a secret society. The society was started back in the early 1800s and the secret has been kept successfully from the faculty, students, and all headmasters except for two since then, and those two were both former members."
"You're taking me to a secret society?" Harry asked, a little excitement creeping into his voice. "That's awesome!"
"Yes," Luna giggled. "We're the Hogwarts Society of Magical Creatures."
For the millionth time in that one conversation, Harry's jaw dropped in shock. "We're going to meet other magical creatures at Hogwarts?"
"Of course, silly!" The blonde Ravenclaw berated him with an indulgent grin.
"Wait…wouldn't the headmaster or at least Snape notice if there was a random Remedial Potions class meeting?"
"Well, we haven't always been Potions," Luna leaned against the wall, getting comfortable for a long explanation. "We've been Remedial Divination, Remedial Charms, and many others just depending on who our faculty sponsor is. Most of the sponsors have all been past members, though we did have to branch out a few years in there when there wasn't a magical creature on staff."
"Snape's your sponsor?!" Harry grimaced and crossed his arms in stubborn irritation.
"He is, now calm down and listen to me, Harry, you need this," Luna pinned him with a glare. The dementor pouted a bit but motioned for her to continue explaining. "Anyway, there are several rules you're going to have to follow to be a part of this society, and rule number one is that house rivalry is checked at the door. We all face enough discrimination as it is, this is a safe place where rivalry is off limits."
Harry nodded, understanding the rule completely. "I can do that," he agreed wholeheartedly.
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