He spent the rest of the lesson keeping his head down and enduring Parvati's glares. She had clearly realised that the iguana's appearance and the loss of her textbook were connected to him.
'Well that was a better lesson than normal,' Neville remarked, when Umbridge finally released them. 'Amazingly there were no detentions,' Harry agreed. 'Normally at least one of Ron, Seamus or Dean finds themselves in Umbridge's detention schedule.'
'The iguana made a marvellous distraction,' his friend agreed. 'Well done, that's NEWT level transfiguration too.'
'Thanks,' Harry grinned, 'I thought distracting Umbridge worked well.'
'Umbridge?' Neville laughed. 'We both know you did that to stop me asking about the marks on your neck as much as alleviating out boredom.'
'Perhaps,' Harry admitted. Neville knew him well.
'Seeing as you don't want to speak about it, and I'm nicer than you I'll only make one comment about them,' Neville promised, turning to the portrait of the Fat Lady. 'Really?' Harry asked, surprised.
'Yes,' Neville grinned. 'I'm going to tell Katie.'
'That seems cruel,' Harry complained. 'Can't you just pretend you never saw it?'
'I believe in revenge,' Neville replied. He wasn't joking either. If Neville ever came across any of the Lestranges Harry fully expected him to do his utmost to kill them.
'Can't I owe you a favour instead?' Harry tried. Katie would tease him about it mercilessly.
'No.' Neville shook his head, taking a seat across from Katie, who was working alone at one of the study tables in the common room. Harry took a seat on her left, making sure Fleur's memento was on the other side to her. 'Have you seen the beautiful, purple mark on Harry's neck?' Neville asked her, not even trying to sugar coat it.
Katie's essay was immediately forgotten.
'Oh,' she favoured Harry with a sultry smile, 'and who was the lucky girl?' Harry gave her a flat stare, before showing his unmarked right jaw line.
'There's nothing there,' she sulked, turning to level an accusing stare at Neville.
'It's on the other side,' Neville grinned.
'That was more than one comment,' Harry pointed out, as Katie none too gently turned his face round.
'This is old and fading,' she beamed, 'and I know you haven't been able to visit her since Umbridge took over. She must have been enjoying herself a lot for it to last this long.'
'How would you know?' Harry countered. 'Been sneaking off for secret meetings in broom cupboards again, have you?'
'Again?' Katie's voice slipped up an octave. 'The only meeting I've had in the last two years with a boy ended in disaster,' she confessed lightly. 'It's a shame really, I've heard his current girl really appreciates him.'
For once a retort, witty or otherwise, didn't spring to mind; mainly because Harry was busy remembering just how much Fleur had appreciated that evening, and was desperately trying to control his flush.
'Are you blushing?' Katie giggled. 'So did she give you those for fun, or is little Harry no longer innocent.' 'I guarantee she gave me these so everyone, especially you,' Harry added pointedly, 'would know that I was hers.'
'You didn't answer the whole question?' Katie reminded him coyly.
'No I didn't,' Harry agreed. 'I'm also wishing that I'd never told her the marriage contract between us was just a joke so she'd come and hunt you down.'
'What marriage contract?' Katie dropping her quill and staring at him.
demanded,
'I paid a visit to Gringotts with her to check anything that might affects us in the future, such as old marriage agreements,' Harry grinned, recalling the look of perfect horror on Fleur's face when he'd told her Katie would have to be his wife. 'I told her that we were engaged,' he sighed nostalgically, 'you should have seen the look on her face. I thought she was going to immolate me on the spot, kiss me, or both.'
'That was a horrible joke to play,' Katie cried, swatting him on the head with her rather hefty transfiguration text. 'No wonder she was so determined to mark you as hers if you keep baiting her about me.'
'That was the only time,' Harry placated, relieving Katie of her weapon.
'It better be,' she warned, 'or I'll spend my free time terrorising you.'
Neville watched the trouble he had caused with mild amusement, no doubt feeling vindicated after all the times Harry had happened to mention Hannah, either Hannah, in Herbology.
'Oh,' Katie remarked suddenly. 'I worked out what was happening with Umbridge's detentions,' she beamed.
'What?' Neville leant in. As both he and Katie suffered more than most, and had been repeatedly saved by Dobby, they had decided to try and track down the cause.
'It's the house elves,' she announced triumphantly. 'Normally the room gets re-arranged, or things start moving around, but last time she tried to get me to clear out this horrible, old looking closet. It was covered with black stains,' Katie shivered, 'and then there was a crack and I was in the courtyard. I only realised it was a house elf because I saw it's reflection in Umbridge's window.'
'Does Umbridge know?' Harry asked swiftly.
'I don't think so,' Katie shook her head, and Harry suppressed his relief. 'It happened fast and she was busy talking to Filch about the next decree.' 'Hear anything interesting?' Neville cut in.
'Only confirmation that Umbridge is every bit as depraved as we thought,' Katie sneered. 'She's given that vicious old man free reign to punish as he pleases. I heard him muttering gleefully to himself about flaying students.'
'That's torture,' Neville said, sickened and pale.
'That's Umbridge,' Katie spat.
Harry frowned to himself. The woman was vicious, spiteful, bigoted and thoroughly detestable, but recently she was becoming disturbingly malicious. The thoughts of the Cruciatus Curse and her new decree were extreme even for her, and if Dobby had needed to physically apparate Katie out of her office then he doubted the cupboard had contained her cardigan collection. Her sudden increase in cruelty didn't make sense. It was unpredicted, unprecedented and inexplicable. Harry didn't like what it might herald at all, but there was nothing he could do but continue with his plan to remove her as quickly as possible.
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