Incendio

*Trigger warning, some parts of this chapter may be difficult to read. Please take caution.*

The Christmas holidays were simple this particular year. They celebrated as a foursome, but Jack seemed more distant. He spent much of the holiday writing letters and seemed uninterested in the regular festivities.

Samantha on the other hand was happy to be home with her parents. Although she had received a letter or two from friends (one of which was from Ginny explaining her father had been bit by a dangerous snake, but he was expected to live), she tried to focus fully on her family. They watched Christmas movies, ate tons of food and on New Years her mother let her try Fire whiskey for the first time.

Her parents almost seemed excessively festive, as if they knew things were about to get worse. Samantha couldn't help but agree, especially if everyone kept ignoring Harry's warnings, something was bound to happen. This theory was proven correct when barely a week after returning to Hogwarts, there was a mass breakout from Askaban prison. Nearly a dozen Death Eaters had escaped. Her parents had written almost immediately after. They were going on a small trip to America and the Fyre children were welcome to join, but that Hogwarts should be safe if they wished to stay.

There had been a new Educational Decree instated after the breakout. Teachers were only supposed to discuss topics pertaining to their academic subject with students, nothing else. The day after the decree was made, Hermione and Luna had both cornered Samantha behind the greenhouses as she took her evening walk before dinner.

"I was wondering if I could ask your help Samantha." Hermione explained in hushed whispers the plan she'd made with Luna to publish Harry's real story in the Quibbler. Apparently they both wanted to ask Samantha to write it.

She considered it for a moment before coming to a very concise decision. "Honestly I'd love to, but if I'm being honest, no one is going to respect the writings of a fifth year Hogwarts student. Even if I wrote it anonymously, someone could contest it as a falsehood because it wouldn't be reliably sourced. " Samantha shook her head. "You would need a really big name before anyone would take it seriously."

Hermione nodded, the cogs in her mind spinning faster, "You aren't wrong."

"I can still come along if you find a more respected journalist. I can give them notes." Samantha offered.

"My father already thinks you are a respected journalist." Luna smiled. "I showed him your article about Umbridge and her detention methods. He wants to publish that too."

"Wait, I didn't give you my article." She remembered specifically not showing it to Luna.

"I stole your journal out of your bag and made a copy while we were on the Express. I knew you wouldn't show it to me otherwise." Luna crossed her arms. "Dad said with a little revision he could publish it in a few months time."

Samantha was flabbergasted. She didn't think Luna would have that in her. "He wants to what? That article got the Gazette banned, I could get expelled if that were published under my name."

"I hadn't thought of that." Luna bit her lip. "I'll tell dad to hold off on that one."

"But if you could come with us and help, that would be amazing Samantha." Hermione interjected.

"Wait isn't it Valentine's day the next Hogsmead trip." Luna continued playing with the edge of her hair.

"That shouldn't matter." Samantha shrugged.

This time Luna interjected louder. "But you will have a date."

Samantha shook her head, "Why would I have a date?

"Oh," Samantha realized she meant Lee. "I'm sure that even if I did have a date, which I don't, I'd be fine to still meet up. This is obviously more important."

The three left and headed for dinner. Ginny was over by Lee and the twin at the Gryffindor table.

Lee smiled when Samantha arrived and seated herself beside him.

"What's with your expression Sam?" Ginny asked.

"Remind me to never underestimate Luna again." Samantha explained the situation further.

"You don't mean Looney?" George asked.

"Don't call her that." Ginny, Lee and Samantha all defended together.

"And now we know what it sounds like when we do that." Fred nudged his brother in the side. "So are you going to let Loon, I mean, Luna publish it?"

"No. Could you imagine?" Samantha asked puffing up her face and making her voice higher, "Miss Fyre, you are herby expelled for publishing another horrid article about how I really don't want to be everyone's best friend."

"You are too pretty to do an accurate impression of her." Lee said making Ginny wrinkle her nose at Samantha.

"You never tell me that Lee." George said putting his hand on his heart.

Fred laughed, "That's because your impression is scarily accurate. Can't be an accurate Umbridge and be beautiful. The two are not synonymous."

"Well on that note, I'd best be off." Lee said, taking a deep breath.

Fred and George's normally jovial expressions both changed.

"Where are you off to?" Samantha asked softly noticing even Ginny's expression change.

"I've got detention." Lee confessed.

"Umbridge didn't like it when he explained that she couldn't tell us to stop playing exploding snap." Fred said and Samantha's heart sunk.

George continued, "It goes against her own Educational Decree. She doesn't teach exploding snap after all."

"I bet she'd be absolutely useless at exploding snap." Fred interjected. "He honestly had a point.

She knew exactly what Umbridge did to those who got detention. Lee also knew, she'd told him. She couldn't decide if it was stupid or brave of him to tell her off in her own classroom.

Samantha began arguing. "She's a bloody hypocrite."

Samantha looked over and noticed Umbridge had stood from the head table. She was leaving to obviously meet Lee at her office for his detention. She had a smug expression on her face, like she enjoyed what she did. Like if she didn't have a magical pen to do it, she'd find a way to carve the words into their hands herself.

A small thought, and not a fully formed one at that, popped into Samantha's mind. It was a wordless form of protest she knew would anger Umbridge. Samantha stood up on the bench she'd been sitting on. Samantha grabbed Lee's collar, knocking his nose into her's. Right there, in front of everyone at dinner and of course, in front of Umbridge, Samantha planted a very public kiss on Lee.

She was always fairly repulsed by public displays of affection and she certainly had never imagined to ever partake in such an activity herself. However she got what she wanted, it meant something. It didn't mean what she thought it would, but it sure meant something powerful.

She knew it broke the very decree Umbridge had warned them about. She knew it would get her in trouble.

Lee looked shocked as her lips released his'. It was a moment that Ginny would later recount as, "The only moment Lee was without words in his whole life."

The twins began clapping furiously and whistling. The entire Gryffindor table joined in as well. The teachers remained mysteriously silent, on an average year it wouldn't have been considered exactly respectable. It was as if they all knew that this was simply another form of protest.

Umbridge's face had never been a deeper shade of red.

As swift as her decision to kiss Lee had been made, fifteen points were lost from Gryffindor and her detention was set.

It was as horrible as she knew it would be. Her detention had been first, and she had cried for part of it. Physical pain was not something she was good at tolerating. Her hand was stinging beyond belief. It was bleeding rather profusely when she left.

When she exited the room she saw that Lee was waiting outside the door. "I heard you crying, are you ok? Did she hurt you?" The blood drained from his face when he saw her hand. He looked angry and looked angrier when Umbridge peeped her round head to look at him.

When he went in, Samantha went back up to the dormitory. She grabbed her cloak which would disguise her if she ran into Filch. On her way out Harry had stopped her, looking at her hand. He handed her a bottle.

"Essence of Murtlap, it will help." He said softly.

"Thanks Harry."

Samantha waited down the hallway, putting the stuff Harry had gave her on her hand. It did work. Just as the stinging was starting to subside, Lee emerged into the hallway. She pulled her cloak's hood down.

"Samantha" He said softly, trying to look brave. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, "Are you? She kept you so long."

"I yelled at her for hurting you, so she made me do more lines." Lee revealed.

She pulled the bottle from her cloak before he could say anything else. "I have Essence of Murtlap. Potter said this would help and it does."

"Come with me, we don't want her royal thickness finding us." He said taking her hand and having her follow.

He led her away to an odd passage behind the old statue of the one eyed witch.

"Lumos." Samantha called, her wand emitting a glow.

"Fred and George showed me this passage years ago." He admitted as the two secluded themselves across from each other inside the cold dark passage. "It comes out at Honeydukes."

"Really?" Samantha exclaimed.

"I hope it's not too interesting to keep secret." He mentioned in a whisper.

She shook her head. "It's off the record I think."

She began helping Lee dress his wound properly.

"You didn't have to do that you know." Lee whispered as she put the Essence of Murtlap on his scarred hand.

"It was worth it." She smiled and re-wrapped his wound. She didn't remove her hand from his'.

"You knew what she'd do."

"So did you."

"Well, thank you for the Essence of Murtlap." He said with a sudden smile looking down at their intertwined hands. "And thank you for the kiss."

"Sorry, it was so rotten." She'd unfortunately convinced herself that it wasn't a very good kiss. She'd practically missed, at first hitting the side of his mouth. Her nose was still sore from hitting his nose on accident. He had been shocked by her action, so she definitely couldn't judge his side of things. "I'm sure you've had better kisses."

"Are you kidding? If I have to get detention every day, I'll do it, if it means you'll kiss me again." He confessed, and she wondered if he was joking. "Heck, I'll set off a dung bomb in Umbridge's class tomorrow. Why wait till tomorrow? I'll do it now."

"Don't waste your dung bombs. That was a one time thing." She could feel her cheeks reddening. Her heart also began beating at several miles a minute.

"What if I kiss you instead?" He asked leaning closer to her, making her heart flutter.

She considered her options, she had a real feeling this would go nowhere. He was finishing Hogwarts in a few months and few relationships held up after that. She also knew she really liked him, and it couldn't truly hurt to let him kiss her.

It was a much smoother kiss, compared to the one in front of everyone. It was more how she'd imagined her first kiss would go. Private, sweet and with someone she really liked.

"This is a ruddy first date." Lee joked, causing Samantha to laugh slightly as they let go of each other.

"It's not our first date." Samantha admitted.

When they both emerged from the passageway, they were still holding hands as they snuck back to Gryffindor tower.