❝Give 'em hell kids❞
In which Harry Potter decides he needs the help of a certain troublemaker to make it through his Third Year at Hogwarts.
[The Prisoner of Azkaban - The Deathly Hallows]
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Is that a toad?
Draco hadn't stopped laughing since Theo had entered their carriage with a shiny Prefect badge and a more than annoyed expression. The group had been sitting together, Blaise and Pansy already deep in conversation about their trips to God knows where leaving Draco and Frankie to question where Theo could possibly be. They assumed it was his father's fault, it tended to be that way in the Nott household, but with this whole Voldemort fiasco, Draco had sworn Theo likely hardly saw his dad over the break. That's when they saw him with Daphne, setting Pansy and Draco into a gossip circle about possible fifth-year couples. Daphne had bid him goodbye with a hug, something they were all surprised to see him allow. None of them had noticed the gleaming badge at first. It was obvious he had tried to hide it, but Pansy was always tuned in to changes in dressing.
"I mean, it's like a year-long punishment for Theo," Draco pointed out with a wicked grin, doing everything but pointing and laughing at Theo, "And why would they even choose you? No offence. Actually, take offence. I don't care that much,"
Theo's frown had somehow deepened, doing his best to ignore Draco outright as he ate the food around them. Frankie watched in amusement, wondering how long it would take for Theo to jump clear over the table and tackle Draco to the ground.
"I mean, Theo's a very unbiased person," Pansy tried to come to Theo's rescue, although everyone could tell even Pansy was slightly taken aback, "He'd be pretty good at dealing with all the year groups below us,"
"Oh yeah, if they wanted someone who doesn't give a single shit about what anyone is doing?" Draco corrected, earning a jab in the side by Pansy, "What? A kid could be setting the place on fire, and Theo would turn around and walk away,"
"I mean, realistically, who else would've been fit for it?" Blaise piped up, glancing over at Crabbe and Goyle a few seats down, "Theo is the best of us when it comes to a leadership role that requires restraint,"
"If either of you wants it, please be my guest," Theo muttered before lowering his voice so only Frankie could really hear beside him, "This is going to be so shit,"
Frankie patted him on the back amusedly, noting the marked difference between Harry not getting the badge and Theo getting the badge. She smiled slightly, knowing Theo would give the badge to a Hufflepuff first year if asked, so maybe Harry would get a badge- just a Slytherin one.
The conversation about Theo's new title died down pretty quickly as another topic of conversation took its place. Then, another topic of conversation took the place of the last, and so it went until Dumbledore's speech sent silence throughout the hall.
"We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher,"
"Oh God, I know that woman," Pansy whispered to them, looking at the woman like she had run over Pansys' cat a few years ago, "She's absolutely horrid, you know, other than her terrible fashion sense, she's the biggest suck up in the Ministry. Which says a lot considering my dad works there too,"
"Mmm, my mum has talked about her before, too," Blaise spoke up in a hushed way, "Don't know what she'd know about the Dark Arts,"
Draco and Theo were also looking over at the woman in suspicion, exchanging glances every now and then. Frankie sat in confusion, assuming she would get it all explained to her down in the common room. She sometimes forgot how small the wizarding community in the UK could be, especially among purebloods and some of the half-bloods.
The Umbridge lady broke through the hushed gossip session that was occurring between the Slytherin friends and Dumbledore's own speech with a concernedly high-pitched clearing of her throat. Cutting Dumbledore off even made Draco frown, who was known for his pretty open general dislike of the Headmaster.
"What a bitch," Frankie heard someone say on the Slytherin table.
The comment received a hushed murmur of agreement from some of the other Slytherins as they watched her take over Dumbledore's podium and begin speaking to them like they were in preschool.
"Thank you, Headmaster, for those kind words of welcome," Umbridge said with the fakest smile Frankie had ever seen, which was saying a lot considering she was sitting around Slytherin students, "Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say! And to see such happy little faces looking back at me!"
Blaise snorted at that, getting a snicker from Pansy as they swapped looks. Looking around at the Slytherin table, many students were whispering to their friends, pointing obviously at the woman. She could see the Ollivander twins sitting together, with Greer shifting his hair colour to match the incredibly pink colour of Umbridge's outfit as he mimicked her silently. The act sent a wave of giggles down the table, with most of the students around him watching on in amusement. It only got shot down by the head girl, a Slytherin she believed was named Fawn, who seemed just as amused as everyone else but had the foresight not to get into the woman's bad books just yet.
"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching."
It all sounded like droning to Frankie, who quickly lost interest and tuned the woman out, certain she wasn't close to finishing her speel.
"Great, on top of having to be prefect, we're going to have ministry propaganda all year," Theo grumbled, placing his head on the table.
"Yeah, if they want us to love the Ministry, they need a person with a bit more flair, something to keep us engaged," Pansy added, "Though I don't mind the Ministry,"
"Theo doesn't either," Blaise explained, "I think he meant, if they want us to, this is definitely the way to go about it,"
"I'll tell you one thing," Draco began darkly, staring straight at Umbridge with a disapproving look, "This will not be like any other Hogwarts year, not now that the Ministry is involved,"
"They're really involving themselves?" Pansy questioned, almost aghast at the idea, "That's not the norm,"
