Chapter 554 — I Won't Tell Him!!
Harry was surprised.
He had thought Darren would never let him confront Umbridge like this.
After all, Darren had always respected professors, or at least worried about Harry enough to restrain him. That didn't mean Darren didn't feel bad—Harry knew that. But what Harry wanted was to protect Darren, not the other way around.
Letting Darren get hurt for his sake was something Harry absolutely could not accept. Because of that, he had already prepared a whole speech, ready to argue with Darren.
But when Darren actually told him to go ahead, Harry's eyes reddened.
He understood. Darren had always understood him.
As expected of his little brother.
Harry didn't tell anyone except Darren about what Umbridge had done to him in her office.
He felt that if he told others how Umbridge punished him, it would be the same as admitting defeat. As if he had bowed his head to her.
So every time he came back, he pretended nothing had happened.
When Ron and Hermione asked, he simply said he was copying lines.
In Harry's mind, this was a battle between him and Umbridge—a battle where neither side wanted to give in.
But after several days, his hatred for Umbridge only deepened.
He had once believed there was no one in the school he hated more than Snape. But after Umbridge arrived, he realized that disgust could reach a level where it made him want to vomit.
There was no choice. If he didn't want to lose completely, he had to endure it. Every day, he went to Umbridge's office and bore the pain.
He grew exhausted and sore, hiding it from everyone.
But his condition clearly affected his Quidditch performance.
The current Gryffindor captain was Angelina Johnson.
Before becoming captain, Angelina had been fairly gentle. But after taking the position, she became sharp and demanding. Harry's recent state made her increasingly irritated.
Especially since Harry had to go to Umbridge for detention and missed practice almost every evening.
This made Angelina furious.
She yelled at Harry, asking whether he could stop offending other professors for once.
Harry didn't respond.
He just wanted to fight this through to the end.
What puzzled him, though, was that while he was exhausted every day, Ron had also become strangely tired. Ron came back drenched in sweat every night and collapsed into bed almost immediately.
Harry was curious, but compared to Umbridge, nothing else seemed important.
Still…
Things were getting worse.
When Harry came out of Umbridge's office again, the wound on the back of his hand hadn't healed at all.
Umbridge smiled in satisfaction as she examined it.
She told him it would take "one more time" for the punishment to truly take effect, so that he would learn a deep and unforgettable lesson.
Harry didn't apply the ointment until he had walked far away from Umbridge's office.
The potion was something Darren had given him.
Knowing Harry would continue clashing with Umbridge, Darren had gone to Madam Pomfrey and asked for a large supply.
Harry used it every time to dull the pain.
Otherwise, he suspected he wouldn't even have the strength to pretend in front of Ron and Hermione.
Usually, Harry was careful to check his surroundings before applying the medicine.
But today, it hurt too much.
He endured for a while, but in the end, he really couldn't take it anymore.
"Harry!"
Ron's voice rang out.
Harry turned and saw Ron staring at the back of his hand, his face filled with shock and horror.
"Didn't you say you were just copying sentences?"
Ron looked at the words carved into Harry's skin, his expression twisted with rage and disgust.
Harry hesitated.
But he knew there was no way to hide it now. And even if he did, Ron would eventually ask Darren.
Darren obviously wouldn't lie.
So Harry told Ron everything that had been happening in Umbridge's office.
"Tell Darren!" Ron said angrily. "Let Darren deal with that old witch!"
"Darren knows," Harry said quietly. "And I won't let him step in. I don't want him protecting me anymore."
"Then tell Dumbledore!" Ron suggested again.
Harry shook his head.
"He's too busy…"
His voice was hesitant.
In truth, Harry was filled with resentment toward Dumbledore.
Since the end of the summer holidays, Dumbledore had barely looked at him, barely spoken to him—like Harry was invisible.
Faced with that kind of Dumbledore, Harry didn't want to say anything at all.
Even when it came to learning Occlumency, Dumbledore hadn't told him personally. Instead, he had Sirius Black pass on the message.
After Harry agreed, it was likely Snape who would teach him.
Snape teaching him Occlumency.
Harry thought Dumbledore had lost his mind.
He had heard that Darren was also going to learn Occlumency—but Dumbledore would teach Darren himself.
That difference didn't make Harry jealous.
It made him uneasy.
It felt like a plan he couldn't see through.
Dumbledore's attitude toward Darren had always made Harry wary. Teaching Darren Occlumency personally—who knew what that meant? Was Dumbledore trying to see what Darren was thinking? Had he started doubting Darren again?
Harry couldn't stop thinking about it.
If Snape were teaching Darren Occlumency and Dumbledore were teaching him, that might at least suggest trust in Snape.
But the current arrangement only showed that Dumbledore had already made his own calculations.
Harry felt it was deeply unfair.
Last year, he and Darren had nearly died.
They had brought back Cedric Diggory's father's body. They had confirmed that Voldemort had returned.
Yet Dumbledore treated them like insignificant pieces, left them inside the school, and ignored them.
He didn't care how they were treated. He was always gone. Always absent.
As if he were no longer the headmaster.
"No," Harry said firmly. "I won't tell him. He's too busy. I'm just a trivial matter."
Then he looked at Ron, who was standing there holding a broomstick.
It was the new broom Mrs. Weasley had bought for him after he became a prefect.
"You're…?"