“POTTER!”

Flora turned around and Pansy was right in her face. “What do you wan-..” Just like that, Pansy pushed her to the ground and started to beat her. Flora lost her breath hitting the ground as hard as she did and could barely hold Pansy back as she was swinging. A crowd began to form around the fight and any actions Ron and Hermione made to get pansy off of Flora were impeded by Malfoy and Crabbe.

Flora could feel herself blacking out as she was now inhaling her own blood. Luckily, by this time Snape, McGonagall, and Umbridge intervened. The crowd went silent as McGonagall pulled pansy off of her.

“What happened here! All of you to your common rooms, NOW!” McGonagall shouted at the crowd. Flora could barely hear what was happening, she had rolled over to cough the blood out of her lungs. Her vision was blurred and she was in no state to comprehend what just happened. Mcgonagall was lightly holding onto flora

“Pansy attacked her, we were heading upstairs when she just attacked!” Hermione exclaimed to McGonagall.  

“That’s not true, professor! Potter hexed me first and it was only self defense!”

“Youre lying!” Ron bellowed.

“ENOUGH” Umbridge shouted. “Pansy, clearly you would never fight another student unprovoked, would you?”

No, madame, I certainly would not. I think Draco could vouge for me too…” Pansy said confidently.

“They’re lying, look at Flora, does she look like she really attacked first.” Hermione tried her best to convince everyone. Flora was laying there, still coughing out blood and holding her nose, trying to stop the bleeding, all while being barely conscious.

“That will be enough out of you, miss granger, you have earned yourself detention Monday night, for your lies. And as for miss potter, she can join you”

McGonagall was in shock of the blatant corruption just occurred. “Now wait a minute, as their head of houses, it is up for myself and professor snape to be handing out punishments for what had happened. Professor Snape, I am assured you can find an appropriate punishment for miss Parkinson, yes?”

Snape nodded toward McGonagall. “You three, my office, now.” Snape pointed at his Slytherins.

“And as for Miss granger and potter, I will speak to them and punish if need be. Miss granger, please get miss potter to the hospital wing.   

Flora departed with Hermione, with McGonagall and Umbridge arguing in the background.

Professor Snape was not looking forward to his next lesson with that potter girl. She may have had part of his intelligence, but she could not pick up occlumency. She was weak in that regard. He sat at dinner next to Albus, who was conversing with Flitwick about his favorite pair of socks. Kill me, he thought to himself, just wanting the night to be over with. He looked around the hall and noticed Potter glancing at him. He could see she was not eating like usual. If she doesn’t die by some unforeseen circumstance at this school, she will die from exhaustion. He remembered lily would be the same way sometimes before a test or flying lesson. It was always her stress. Clearly potter inherited that too.

Snape and the rest of the teachers heard shouting coming just outside of the great hall.

Oh my god, is that…potter? He could see this helpless girl roll over in pain. He hid his emotions well of being angered with his saintly Slytherins.

“You three, my office, now.” He kept his eyes on them as they began walking down to the dungeons.

In his office, he had to think quickly, he was angered with these students, but he could not just punish them for avenge Potter. He worked with their parents; he couldn’t give them any excuse to bring doubt to the dark lord.

“I commend your work, Miss Parkinson, but you have to be careful. You are fortunate I can protect you all from expulsion this one time. Any fighting further, the headmaster will have a case to expel all of you. You will have detention this Saturday night, am I understood?”

They nodded in agreement. As comfortable as they all were with Professor Snape, they would never talk back to him.

Flora was sitting on the end of a bed in the hospital wing with a blood drenched rag up to her nose. She could feel her face swelling, especially around her eyes.

“Let me see, miss Potter. Your nose won’t fix itself!” With a flick of her wand, Madame Pomfrey popped Floras nose back into place. There was slight stinging in her face that felt better once she was given a pain potion. I have to be at my lesson, I’m going to be in trouble.

Hermione could she the worry in her face. “You know, I think Professor Snape won’t be expecting you to be at your lesson tonight. He, I’m sure, has a lot on his plate right now.”

Flora sighed and followed Hermione back to the common room.