The Detention

Third Person P.O.V.

Asteria need a way to talk to everyone about what's going on. Maybe if she should get them all together in secret she would be able to talk about the bigger problem. If not their mission would be in vain.

"Asteria!" Percy says as she was walking to class.

She didn't notice until now that Percy was beside. To distracted by trying to make sure everyone is safe.

"You seem worried about something," He says.

"I'm trying to find a place so we could talk about everything we know right now," Asteria says.

"You shouldn't be the only one looking."

"I know. But I have to get going, see you later."

Asteria waves goodbye to Percy as she runs to Charms. Percy waves back but sees that she'll go back to trying to do it alone. So even though he couldn't stop her Percy would get Annabeth to try and help her as well.

Double Charms and then double Transfiguration. Both of the professors told the class that it would be more difficult from their former classes. But the demigods didn't notice much of a difference to them. To them, it was just another school day. Hermione continued to watch Thalia and Asteria, after the incident with Professor Umbridge. Even as the day went on Asteria still more worried about getting everyone on the same page then Hermione eyeing them down.

Too much of Thalia's dismay, at 5 pm she was there with Asteria and Harry. Asteria and Thalia didn't expect Harry to also have detention. But what can they say they did start an uproar.

"Good evening, Mr. Potter, Ms. Katsaras, and Ms. Grace."

Thalia clutched her fist with that last name. Professor Umbridge had the usual fake smile plastered on her face. It seems to have excited Umbridge to make Thalia clench her fist.

"Evening," Harry said stiffly.

"Well, sit down," she said, pointing toward a table draped in lace beside which she had drawn up straight-backed chairs. Pieces of blank parchment lay on the table, apparently waiting for them.

"Er," said Harry, without moving. "Professor Umbridge? Er — before we start, I-I wanted to ask you a . . . a favor." Her bulging eyes narrowed.

"Oh yes?"

"Well, I'm . . . I'm on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. And I was supposed to be at the tryouts for the new Keeper at five o'clock on Friday and I was — was wondering whether I could skip detention that night and do it — do it another night . . . instead . . ."

"Oh no," said Umbridge, smiling so widely that she looked as though she had just swallowed a particularly juicy fly. "Oh no, no, no. This is your punishment for spreading evil, nasty, attention-seeking stories, Mr. Potter, and punishments certainly cannot be adjusted to suit the guilty one's convenience. No, you will come here at five o'clock tomorrow, and the next day, and on Friday too, and you will do your detentions as planned. I think it rather a good thing that you are missing something you really want to do. It ought to reinforce the lesson I am trying to teach you."

"Evil, nasty, attention-seeking. That sounds so much like you but I don't hear anyone complaining about you," Thalia mutters under her breathe.

Asteria snorts as both Umbridge and Harry look at them. Umbridge seeing more and more nastier at the second.

"Is there anything you wish to say, Ms. Grace," Umbridge asks, sweetly.

"Actually I do. My name isn't Grace it's Thalia," Thalia says firmly. "If you want to address me as miss it is Ms. Thalia, not Ms. Grace."

"I do not compromise with children, Ms. Grace."

Thalia almost punched Umbridge in the face before Asteria grabs her hand and squeezes it to get her back into reality. She was watching them with her head slightly to one side, still smiling widely, as though she knew exactly what Thalia was thinking and was waiting to see whether she would start shouting again. With a massive effort, Harry looked away from her, dropped his schoolbag beside the straight-backed chair, and sat down. Thalia and Asteria followed as well not trying to be suspicious.

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

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

She handed them each a long, thin black quill with an unusually sharp point.

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

She turns to Thalia and Asteria and says, "You both will write 'I must not disrupt the class.' "

"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. "Off you go."

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.

At that moment Asteria knew something was wrong with the quill. Even if she couldn't figure out what it was she knew it would be wrong. So they began to write with the quills, I must not tell lies and I must not disrupt the class.

Harry let out a gasp of pain. The words had appeared on the parchment in what appeared to be shining red ink. And when Thalia turned to look she sees the words ungraded in his skin and then healing quickly. Thalia and Asteria didn't feel it, one being demigods it is hard for a slight scratch to make them gasp in pain

Darkness fell outside Umbridge's window. Harry did not ask when they would be allowed to stop. Though he notices Thalia was constantly making sure he was okay. He also knew Umbridge was watching him for signs of weakness and he was not going to show any, not even if he had to sit here all night, cutting open his own hand with this quill. . . .

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

They 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 and raw. Even Asteria notice her left hand having more

"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."

They left her office without a word. The school was quite deserted; it was surely past midnight. Harry walked slowly up the corridor then, when he had turned the corner and was sure that she would not hear him, broke into a run.