Whatever happened to Sally-Anne
Sally-Anne had been over the moon when she had learned that she was a witch. It had felt like a fairy-tale come true. But with each passing year, the cracks became more and more visible, until she had no idea how to overlook them anymore. Every day was a struggle against seemingly everyone. The Gryffindors didn’t like that she was quiet, and neither did her fellow Hufflepuffs. The Ravenclaws, oddly, were upset at the scientific approach she used for magic, and the Slytherins hated her on principle because she was Muggleborn. The fact that the most outspoken Muggleborns at Hogwarts were Gryffindors with no social skills - Hermione Granger and the Creevey Brothers - probably didn’t help with the overall perception that magically-raised students had of muggles.
Even those three had a thing, though. Granger was absurdly well-read and technically capable AND best friends with the Boy-Who-Lived, Creevey the elder was a published photographer, and Creevey the younger both had someone looking out for him when he came to Hogwarts and was apparently a great storyteller. Sally-Anne, on the other hand, was in no way special. She wasn’t outgoing enough to really make close friendships, and it had become clear quite quickly that the supposed loyalty and kindness of Hufflepuffs was more a vaguely held ideal than actual reality.
Now, in fifth year, Sally-Anne was reaching her breaking point with this anti-intellectual toad of a teacher. She hadn’t paid much attention to Wixen Britain’s politics in years prior, but by now it was nigh unavoidable. The level of obvious bias in the newspapers, the way they exploited children for stories, and the sheer impact they made was concerning. And the Ministry itself was clearly no better. Sally-Anne had been pretty sure that she would leave the Wixen World for good after her OWLs ever since they let Harry compete in the death tournament, and Umbridge was reaffirming that decision with each passing day.
Just one more semester, and I’m done. Just one more semester and I’m done. Just one more semester, and…
“Hem-hem”, the disgusting sugar-sweet voice called into Sally-Anne’s musings.
“Miss Perks, you are not paying attention. I think detention is in order. Tonight, after dinner.”
Sally-Anne had seen other students get detention, but it had never been her before. She knew the protocol on how to react only by observing others.
“Yes Professor, Sorry Professor”.
The toad smiled and Sally-Anne just wanted to punch her in the face.
She arrived at Umbridge’s office that night, full of anxiety. The way everyone had pitied her over writing lines of all things, the way everyone was so cowed after detention… something was off here. As a failsafe, she had brought a set of Puking Pastilles, hidden in her right palm. Her hand was shaking as she knocked on the door.
“Enter, Miss Perks”, came from the other side. The heavy oak muffled Umbridge’s voice, but not enough to mask her gleeful tone. With a deep breath, Sally-Anne entered.
Umbridge was sitting at her desk, wearing the same sickly-sweet smile as always when she laid out the terms for detention. “You will write ‘I must listen to my Professors’ until I am convinced that the message has... sunk in.” She gestured to a small, rickety desk with a similarly questionable chair. Atop the desk lay a long sheaf of parchment and a quill.
“Yes, Professor”, Sally-Anne said as she sat down. She picked up the quill and lowered it onto the parchment, starting the first line. She gasped at the burning pain in her right hand. Her nails dug into her palm as she forced it shut. As she examined the back of her hand, she saw a faint outline of the words he had written appearing. A blood quill for detention? This was it. No more of this bullshit.
“Is there a problem, Miss Perks?” Umbridge asked in a fake-concerned voice.
“No, Professor”, Sally-Anne replied dully.
“Then keep writing”. Damn her.
“Yes, Professor”. When she was sure the tremors in her hand had seized, Sally-Anne wiped her mouth, secretly slipping the orange pastille inside it. The puking started almost instantaneously, and it was intense. Umbridge had no choice but to send her to the Hospital Wing.
“You will take your detention tomorrow. Perhaps it will take longer than expected”, the Professor threatened before letting her go.
Sally-Anne took the purple antidote as soon as she had escaped the corridor, then rushed to an abandoned classroom to think things over. She couldn’t stay here any longer. The magical world was getting worse with each passing year and now they were implementing torture? That was unacceptable. But if she were to leave, the Ministry would come after her and her family. She had no desire to have her mind messed with, and certainly not the minds of her family. Who knew how Obliviation would affect them? Lockhart had apparently been proficient with them, and one mistake had practically killed him. That was a risk she couldn’t ignore. They would have to flee the country, and quickly. Her parents wouldn’t be happy, but they would be even less happy if they learned their daughter had been tortured. And mum especially kept talking about how maybe it was time for them to move back home. They had come to Scotland when Sally-Anne had been very young, and she had barely any memory of the place, but they were all still Australian citizens as well.
Sally-Anne’s breathing calmed as a plan took shape in her head. If she left Hogwarts today and flooed home, then they would have enough time to pack the most essential things and get a flight to their family back in Australia. They could stay there until they found their own place and get the rest of their possessions sent there. She knew there was a magical school in Australia. On their visit last summer, she had poked around the magical society in Australia a bit, and it seemed much more tolerant than Britain.
Sally-Anne hid enough time had passed for her to be able to go back to her common room without being asked too many questions. Everyone who came from Umbridge’s detention was quiet, so she wouldn’t be bothered by anyone and could pack in peace.
Shortly before curfew, Sally-Anne left the common room “for a walk”, her trunk with everything she could sneakily pack shrunken in her coat. She made her way across the grounds and summoned the Knight Bus once she had left the wards.
The Perks family fled Scotland that night, never to return.