3rd Person's POV

"We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

There was a round of polite but fairly unenthusiastic applause during which Harry, Ron, Karina and Hermione exchanged slightly panicked looks. Dumbledore had not said for how long Grubbly-Plank would be teaching.

Dumbledore continued, "Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on the —"

He broke off, looking inquiringly at Professor Umbridge. As she was not much taller standing than sitting, there was a moment when nobody understood why Dumbledore had stopped talking, but then Professor Umbridge said, "Hem, hem," and it became clear that she had got to her feet and was intending to make a speech.

Dumbledore only looked taken aback for a moment, then he sat back down smartly and looked alertly at Professor Umbridge as though he desired nothing better than to listen to her talk. Other members of staff were not as adept at hiding their surprise. Professor Sprout's eyebrows had disappeared into her flyaway hair, and Professor McGonagall's mouth was as thin as Harry had ever seen it. No new teacher had ever interrupted Dumbledore before. Many of the students were smirking; this woman obviously did not know how things were done at Hogwarts.

"I don't like her."

Pansy chuckles quietly and pats Karina's shaking hand, "You don't like a lot of people."

"That is true. But there's just something about her... something is off."

Karina glances over and catches Draco's gaze. She smiles lightly before looking away. Draco frowns as he watches the new Slytherin boy stare at Karina with gleaming eyes as he sat close to her.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge simpered, "for those kind words of welcome."

Her voice was high-pitched, breathy, and a little girlish and again, Karina felt a powerful rush of dislike that she could not explain. All she knew was that she loathed everything about her, from her stupid high nasally voice to her fluffy pink cardigan. She gave another little throat- clearing cough ("Hem, hem") and continued: "Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!"

She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. "And to see such happy little faces looking back at me!"

Almost as if the scene was playing on a screen, the room changes into a pink office full of weird things all over the wall.

Karina looks around frowning and tapping her foot as Harry clears his throat, making her look over at him. She stops tapping her foot and sits up straight in the desk.

"There," said Umbridge sweetly, "we're getting better at controlling our temper already, aren't we? Now, you are going to be doing some lines for me, Mr Potter and Miss Grey."

"No, not with your quill," she added, as Harry bent down to open his bag.

Karina looks at her confused. What the hell would they be using if they couldn't use their own quills?

"And how are we supposed to do your ridiculous request?"

Umbridge grins evilly, "You're going to be using a rather special one of mine. Here you are."

She handed them two long, thin black quills with an unusually sharp point.

"I want you to write 'I must not tell lies,' " she told Harry softly.

"How many times?" Harry asked, with a creditable imitation of politeness.

"Oh, as long as it takes for the message to sink in," said Umbridge sweetly.

Karina scoffs lightly rolling her eyes as she crosses her arms over her chest, "And what am I supposed to write?"

Umbridge's eyes gleam as she grimaces, "I must not talk back."

"Really? Well I guess I will definitely learn my lesson." Karina replies sarcastically.

"Off you go." Umbridge smiles and waves her hand making Karina feel slightly uncomfortable.

She moved over to her desk, sat down, and bent over a stack of parchment that looked like essays for marking. Harry raised the sharp black quill and then realized what was missing.

"You haven't given us any ink," he said.

"Oh, you won't need ink," said Professor Umbridge with the merest suggestion of a laugh in her voice.
Harry placed the point of the quill on the paper and wrote: I must not tell lies.

He let out a gasp of pain.

Karina frowns looking over at Harry in worry, "You okay?"

Harry nods still in his own world as he watches the words appear on the parchment in what appeared to be shining red ink. At the same time, the words had appeared on the back of Harry's right hand, cut into his skin as though traced there by a scalpel— yet even as he stared at the shining cut, the skin healed over again, leaving the place where it had been slightly redder than before but quite smooth.

Harry looked around at Umbridge. She was watching him, her wide, toadlike mouth stretched in a smile.
"Yes?"

"Nothing," said Harry quietly.

He looked back at the parchment. Karina watches Harry grimace in pain every few minutes as she stares down at her blank paper.

"We don't want to be here all night Miss Grey, do we?"

Karina glances over at Umbridge and glares before looking at the tip of the quill. She smirks before placing the quill upon the parchment and writing I must not talk back as she stares dead into Umbridge's eyes not flinching one bit.

Umbridge sighs before looking down at her desk. Karina rolls her eyes and looks down at her hand. She felt the searing pain on the back of her hand. And just as it did for Harry, the words had been cut into her skin then healed over seconds later. And on it went. Again and again Karina and Harry wrote the words on the parchment in what they soon came to realize was not ink, but their own blood.

Darkness fell outside Umbridge's window. They did not ask when they would be allowed to stop. Karina knew Umbridge was watching them for signs of weakness and she was not going to show any, not even if she had to sit here all night, cutting open her own hand with this quill.

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

Harry stood up. His hand was stinging painfully. When he looked down at it he saw that the cut had healed, but that the skin there was red raw.

"Hand," she said.

He extended it. She took it in her own. Harry repressed a shudder as she touched him with her thick, stubby fingers on which she wore a number of ugly old rings.

"Tut, tut, I don't seem to have made much of an impression yet," she said, smiling. "Well, we'll just have to try again tomorrow evening, won't we? You may go."

Harry glances back at Karina once more before stepping out the office. Umbridge walks over to where Karina was sitting and bends down to her level. She smiles before looking down at Karina's raw hand.

"It seems as if we have to try some other sort of punishment on you, Miss Grey."

And again the room sort of dissolves. It was the same room but darker. Karina lays on the ground withering in pain as she hears the words, "Crucio..."

"Ah!"

"Karina! Wake up."

Karina sits up quickly, shuddering slightly as she looks around at the dimly lit room. She sighs remembering where she was.

"Nightmare?"

Karina looks to her right and sees Severus Snape, her Godfather, standing somewhat stiff beside her bed. She sighs nodding as she pushes her hair out of her face.

"Yes. I'm fine though."

"Good. Um it is just a figment of your imagination if that makes it better."

Karina smiles as he pats her head awkwardly, "You're not the best at this comforting thing. But that's okay at least you're trying."

Severus grimaces and scratches his head, "Would you like some tea?"

"Sure that would be lovely. Thank you."

Snape nods and quickly makes his way out. Karina let's out a large breath as she falls back onto the bed and stares at the black ceiling.

Narcissa had arranged for her to stay with her Godfather seeing as she literally had no where else to go. He was nice enough to welcome her into his somewhat homey house. It was very black and yet comfortable. Karina loved it there. She had found many pictures of Snape with her mother that she hung on the wall in her room.

Karina glances over feeling the urge to write in her journal. She picks up her quill from the nightstand before reaching under her pillow for her journal.

Opening the book she sees pages full of writing that her and Draco had filled up during the summer. She smiles as she sees, "Are you okay?" appear just as she gets to a blank page.

"Yes how did you know?"

"I felt it. I know you Karina... I know when you're okay and when you're not."

Karina smiles and scratches her eyebrow trying to figure out what to say.

"Thanks for caring."

"Always."

...

"Excuse me what?"

Severus raises an eyebrow at the sassy Slytherin girl as she crosses her arms over her chest, tapping her foot on the floor.

"Sit back down please."

Karina sighs rolling her eyes before sitting down, "Alright I'm sitting now."

Snape wants to smile at how similar she was to Salli. The resemblance was uncanny. Karina definitely had her sass, anger, and strong will power.

"I have some business to attend to. You know I cannot miss. For this meeting is too important and I do not need to raise question if I were not to attend."

"I understand that. The dark lord is calling all death eaters blah blah blah... what about me? Why do I have to leave? Why can't I stay?"

"I don't need him raising any questions or popping up out of the blue then seeing you. I promised to keep you safe as your Godfather and now I am."

Karina nods slowly, "Well where am I going?"

Karina stands confused as to where Snape had sent her. She gets to the house, knocks and waits for the door to open. As soon as she sees a head of black curly shoulder length hair, she knew that she was outside the home of Sirius Black.

"What the- I thought you hated my Godfather... and vice versa..."

"We do. I can't stand the bloody guy. But you have done nothing to me and he wishes to keep you from the dark lord I see no problem with lending you a spare room of mine."

Karina smiles lightly, "Really?"

Sirius nods and watches her face light up, "Really really. That is of course if you abide by my house rules."

"Oh of course." Karina nods frantically.

"Well then I guess that means no more of that..."

Karina looks down to see him pointing at her wrists that were covered with a long sleeve shirt.

"How did you-"

"It's almost 90 degrees out Karina... and I can see the pain in your eyes. No matter how much you try to hide it."

Sirius watches as Karina shows a blank face as if blocking any emotion from illuminating.

"Any more rules?"

"I can't think of anymore at the moment. But when I do I'll let you know. Now let me show you to your room."

𝑆𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑔𝑢𝑦𝑠!! 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝐼 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑦𝑎'𝑙𝑙 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑡!

𝐿𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑡𝑜?

𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑙𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔?