The Intelligent Potter

AN: It's weird to think that this story is closer to 150k words than it is to 100k. Also, woah, we're so close to 1000 reviews on FFNet! I sincerely hope you enjoy this chapter!

*** Present

"I shall have you do lines!" she announced happily, much to Harry's confusion.

"Lines?" he repeated slowly, confused.

"Yes, Lines," Umbridge smiled a creepy smile, "And I want you to use my...special quill for it."

Harry shrugged and took the proffered utensil from his professor.

He looked at her expectantly, "Well. What do I write then?"

Her smile only widened as she spoke.

"I must not tell lies."

The line ignited Harry's ire.

"In your dreams," he wanted to retort, but didn't.

He put the quill to paper reluctantly but then realized, "You haven't given me any ink, professor."

"You won't need any."

With that cryptic answer, Harry got to writing. As soon as he started, he realized something was wrong. Using the quill felt less like writing and more like he was cutting into something.

Skin.

He shortly also realized whose it was, as the skin on the back of his hand started burning in pain. Harry grimaced and glanced at his hand, where Umbridge's words were being grotesquely carved into his hand as he wrote them. He put the quill down at the end of the line and watched as the carved lines faded from his hand, but it continued to sting. He knew what this was. It was a blood quill! A very dark magical torture artifact which had been banned by the ministry.

As he stopped writing, Umbridge looked at the boy with a sadistic look in her eyes, "I did not instruct you to stop, Mr Potter...was I unclear in my instructions?"

"Yes professor, you did not clarify how many strokes you wanted me to do."

"Oh, as many as it takes for the message to sink in."

Harry tried his best to suppress his anger at the woman. She intended to force him to torture himself by carving 'I must not tell lies' onto his very own hand.

In as inconspicuous a manner as he could manage, Harry started to tap out a message in morse code on his communication bracelet.

get mcg umboffice blood quill

The message was sent to both Hermione - who had charmed the bracelets - and Daphne, who also had one of them.

Seeing nothing else to do, Harry just continued to write the message with the blood quill, as Umbridge continued to gloat over her victory over Harry.

A sharp knock on her door broke Umbridge out of her reverie, and the toadlike woman scowled at the interruption.

"I'm busy. Please come back later," Umbridge called to the door.

"I'm afraid I need to see you urgently, Dolores," McGonagall's voice brought some relief to Harry, the back of whose hand was beginning to get extremely red.

"I said I was busy, Minerva," Umbridge said tightly.

"And unless you want to lose your position, you need to put aside whatever you're doing and open your doors for the headmistress of the school."

"You're going to pull that card on me?" Umbridge narrowed her eyes, even though the door was still closed and McGonagall couldn't see her.

"I am."

Still scowling, Umbridge waved her wand at the door to her office and it swung open. Behind it, McGonagall stood alone, her wand in her hand.

"What did you want to discuss, Minerva?"

"Your methods of punishment, Dolores," the older woman announced, "As a ministry official, I am surprised you are not familiar with the list of banned dark items, and specifically that the usage of a blood quill would qualify you for five years in Azkaban. However, I am willing to accept it as mere forgetfulness, if you burn that infernal thing this instant."

Much to Harry's surprise, Umbridge's response was to start laughing.

"You think you are in any position to threaten me?" she said mirthfully, "I'm the one in the position of power here, McGonagall. If you were smart, you would let me continue as I am, and hold onto your job."

"You think I would ever let down a student for something as insignificant as my job? Please, Dolores, don't kid around with me."

McGonagall's wand was raised.

Now Umbridge seemed slightly worried, "It's not just your job, McGonagall," she threatened, "If you fight me, I can declare the administration criminal and bring the ministry's aurors down on your students."

Harry could tell what McGonagall was going to do by the expression on her face.

"No Profess-"

"I Resign," said the former Headmistress of Hogwarts.

"I'm sorry, what?" Umbridge blinked.

"I resign from my position as Hogwarts' Headmistress, and I recant all responsibilities and positions I hold at this school."

Before Harry could register Umbridge's shocked expression, bright red beams ran from McGonagall's wand, barely being parried by the toadlike woman.

"Stop this at once!" Umbridge screeched, "I won't leave Harry Potter alone! He'll have to do lines everyday!"

McGonagall paused, and Umbridge had a look of triumph for a second, before McGonagall fired a curse at the table on which the blood quill was kept and it caught on fire. Harry jumped away from the desk, just about managing to get away from the fire.

"Get out of here, Potter," McGonagall said, "This school is your responsibility now."

Harry could only nod and run as McGonagall kept firing at the headmistress. As soon as he was out of the office, he felt an invisible hand catch a hold of him and he turned around, his wand slipping into his hand, only to poke Daphne right in the nose.

"Dumbass," she rubbed her nose, "Get under the cloak."

Harry slipped under his own invisibility cloak which Hermione seemed to have somehow acquired.

"Where are we going?" he hissed to the girl.

"The Room of Requirement, Professor McGonagall told us to hide out there if things got violent."

"We need to help!"

"Harry, if Professor McGonagall is thrown out of school, we need to remain here. Besides, don't you trust her to hold her own against Umbridge?"

Harry had to concede her point, and acquiesced reluctantly to the plan to head to the room of requirement.

*** End of Chapter

AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter!