The Disgraced of the House of Black - A Multi-Character Fanfiction - Part One

142. Hitting a Nerve

Finally, Umbridge decided the situation could no longer be ignored as she looked at Hermione and asked, "Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?"

"Not about the chapter, no," Hermione admitted.

"Well, we're reading just now," Umbridge said with a patronizing smile. "If you have other queries we can deal with them at the end of class." Turning to Althea, she asked, "Yes?"

"I have a query about your course aims," she said, her tone showing her genuine confusion.

"And your name is?" Umbridge asked.

"Thea," she replied.

"Well, Miss Thea, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them thoroughly enough," Professor Umbridge said in a tone of determined sweetness.

"But Professor," Althea said in a tone of such meekness Umbridge did not stop her. "Your course aims and this textbook talks a lot about defensive theory. What about practical application? There's nothing mentioned about using defensive spells."

"Using defensive spells?" Umbridge said with a little laugh as the other students frowned, looking over the course aims again. "Why, I can't imagine any situation arising in my classroom that would require you to use a defensive spell, Miss Thea. You surely aren't expecting to be attacked during class?"

"N-no, but-" Althea began, her cheeks flushing.

"We're not going to use magic?" Ron interrupted.

"Students raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Mr-?"

"Weasley," Ron said, instantly raising his hand again.

Harry, Hermione, and Althea quickly raised their hands as well.

"Yes, Miss-?" Umbridge said, looking at Hermione.

"Granger," she said. "Surely the whole point of Defence Against the Dark Arts is to practice defensive spells?"

"Are you a Ministry-trained educational expert, Miss Granger?" Umbridge retorted.

"No, but-" Hermione began.

"Well, then, I'm afraid you're not qualified to decide what the 'whole point' of any class is. Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new program of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way-"

"What use is that?" Harry interrupted indignantly. "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be in a-"

"Hand, Mr Potter!" Umbridge cried. Ignoring Althea, Ron, and Harry, who had just raised his hand again, she turned to Dean, asking, "And your name is?"

"Dean Thomas," he replied.

"Well, Mr Thomas?" she said.

"Well, it's like Harry said, isn't it?" Dean said. "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk-free-"

"I repeat," Umbridge interrupted. "Do you expect to be attacked during my classes?"

"No, but-"

Ignoring him, she resumed, "I do not wish to criticize the way things have been run in this school, but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed - not to mention, extremely dangerous half-breeds."

"If you mean Professor Lupin," Neville spoke up indignantly. "He was the best we ever-"

"Hand, mister-?"

"Longbottom," Neville said sharply.

"As I was saying," Umbridge resumed. "You have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group, and potentially lethal. You have been frightened into believing that you are likely to meet Dark attacks every other day-"

"No, we haven't!" Hermione cried as Althea said, "Professor-"

"I didn't call on either of you!' Umbridge shouted. Turning away from them, she resumed, "It is my understanding that my predecessor not only performed illegal curses in front of you, he actually performed them on you-"

"Well, he turned out to be a maniac, didn't he?" Dean interrupted harshly. "Mind you, we still learned loads-"

"Your hand is not up, Mr Thomas!" Umbridge trilled. "Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which, after all, is what school is all about." Her expression souring slightly, she said, "Yes, Miss Thea?"

A little more boldly than she had intended, she asked, "For what?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand you," Umbridge said with a sickeningly sweet smile.

Shrugging, Althea said, "If school is only about exams, what's the point of exams? What is it all for?"

"So you may work and aid the wizarding community," Umbridge sputtered in confusion.

"And how do we do that if we only ever learned theories and never practical application?" Althea asked evenly. "Are you trying to make the next generation of wizards and witches completely incompetent?"

"Are you suggesting the Ministry's view of defensive magic is inadequate?" Umbridge asked shrilly, her voice suddenly cold.

With a small smile, Althea replied, "Yes, I am, just as I will readily imply your specific treatment of my father is inexcusable."

"Your-" Umbridge began in confusion.

With a cold smile, Althea said, "My last name is Lupin, Professor."

Umbridge stared at her with unfettered horror as she resumed, "Now, as I'm sure you must have been made aware when you suddenly decided you wanted to become a teacher, there is a practical portion to our O.W.L. which you seem to be implying will be the first time we are allowed to perform any of the spells we are by then supposed to know. Is that not correct? Spells that, in the real world, the world full of rapists, murderers, kidnappers, terrorists, shooters, human traffickers, sex traffickers, paedophiles, sadists, oh, and of course, moving on from just the muggle world, dark wizards, spells that could save our very lives are spells we will never once be allowed to practice...those are the ones you will be instructing us on the theory of?"

"As long as you have studied the theory hard enough-" Umbridge began, looking very white.

"What good's theory going to be in the real world?" Harry snapped, raising his fist in the air.

"This is school, Potter, not the real world," Umbridge retorted.

"So we're not supposed to be prepared for that's waiting out there?"

"Nothing's waiting out there!" Umbridge said coldly. Glancing at Althea, she added, "You seem to have all been taught some very disturbing and untrue parts of-"

"Oh yeah?" Harry cried, his temper surging.

"Who do you imagine wants to attack children such as yourselves?" Umbridge said in a horribly honeyed voice.

"Hmm, let's think," Harry said in a tone of mock thoughtfulness. "Aside from every kind of person Thea mentioned, maybe Lord Voldemort?"