Interstellar || Draco Malfoy

35 || Defense Against Theoretical Spells

The first Defense Against the Dark Arts class of the term was upon us. I sat in my usual spot beside Draco muttering transfiguration spells at my quill with my wand. Professor Umbridge made her grand entrance by waddling into the room and using a spell to slam down new textbooks onto our desks.

"Your Defense Against the Dark Arts education has been rather fragmented and disjointed in your previous classes, hasn't it?" She asked with the same sickly sweet tone as the one she used at the welcome feast. I shook my head at her assessment, knowing that my education hadn't been fragmented or disordered. "Know now that this is about to be rectified. I will be following a pre-approved Ministry-prepared, theory-centered Defense lesson plan."

I turned my quill from a mouse back to its original state, just in time for Umbridge to have my textbook slammed down harshly on my desk.

"Copy this down." Umbridge instructed, waving her wand across the blackboard to tell us which pages she meant. As I looked through the book, I realized I had already covered even the most complex spells from the book.

"Miss Littlesea," Umbride called, causing me to look up at her. "Why aren't you writing?"

"I've already learned this professor." I answered truthfully.

"This lesson?" Umbridge prompted.

"This book." I corrected.

"Well," Umbridge said, clapping her pretty pink hands. "I have no evidence of that. Copt the pages from your book."

"All the evidence you need is with my head of house, Professor Snape." I told her, shoving the closed textbook to the top of my desk.

"Copy down the pages, Miss. Littlesea." Umbridge insisted, her sweet disposition dissolving like candy floss in water.

"I don't need to copy down theoretical uses of a spell that I'd mastered two years ago." I sighed, raising my green eyes to glare into her brown ones.

"Lucky for you, there's no need to master spells in my classroom. The Ministry has approved this theoretical cou-" I lifted my head and shook it in disbelief.

"If I'd only learned the theoretical Ministry approved spells, I wouldn't have survived past the first task of the Triwizard Tournament." I cut Umbridge off hastily. "And, not only would I be gone, but Cedric Diggory as well."

"Well, there's no ne-"

"Do not tell me there is no need for me to have mastered the magic that I have." I said icily, ignoring the warning look from Draco. "There are threats outside these castle walls and we should be prepared for those threats."

"This is a school, not the real world, Miss Littlesea." Umbridge chirped. "There is nothing waiting to get you."

"Is that what the Ministry told my mother?" I huffed.

"What about Lord Voldemort?" Harry Potter finally spoke up.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter, and ten from Slytherin, Miss Littlesea. Let me set the record straight." She leaned over her desk, her knuckles turning white as she leaned down on them. "Your mother died because she was impatient and reckless. Perhaps if she'd spent more time reading theories, she would've been around to read you bedtime stories."

I sucked in a breath, tightening my hold on my wand. Sure, I didn't have the greatest image of my mother, but I'd be damned if I let some pink toad speak about her that way.

"Calm down, love." Draco whispered from beside me, taking one of my hands in his. "She's really not worth it."

"Some of you have been told that a certain dead wizard has returned." Umbridge sighed. "This... is... a... lie."

"It's not a lie!" Harry shouted.

"Mr. Potter, you have just landed yourself in detention." Umbridge announced, thinking she could get Harry to back down. But that wasn't the Chosen One's way.

"So, according to you, Cedric Diggory's near death is a lie?" Harry spat heatedly, standing up behind his desk.

"Miss Littlesea disapparating away proved that she was just scared, not that Mr. Diggory's life was in danger." Umbridge began to spin a web of lies.

"It was an attempted murder." I stated firmly. "I heard the killing curse with my own ears."

"I watched it happen!" Harry shouted again.

"Miss Littlesea, Mr. Potter, you have both earned yourselves a week's worth of detentions!" Umbridge snapped, letting her facade slip away.

"Tell it to someone who cares." I scoffed, rolling my eyes. Umbridge leaned over her desk, scrawling across two separate pieces of parchment.

"These go to your heads of house, dears." Umbridge stated, handing Harry and I our own pieces of parchment. I gathered my belongings and snatched the note from her hand. Angrily, I made my way to my father's office. When I pushed open his office door, I dropped my things at the door and handed him the note. He looked it over with an expressionless gaze, and then looked over at me.

"Is it true?" He questioned, a smile fighting to make an appearance. "Did you shout at Umbridge?"

"I didn't shout." I shook my head, sinking into the seat across from my father. "I just got frustrated. She said that I didn't save Cedric, that I was only scared and I disapparated us away before I realized there was no danger."

"Anything else?" My father pressed, knowing somehow that there was more to my frustration.

"She's trying to teach us to use Defense spells in a theoretical way. I've already learned all the spells practically with you, so I refused to participate in the lesson. When she asked me why I wasn't doing the assignment, I told her students needed to learn spells practically, because had I not learned practically, Cedric and I would be dead." I said, running a hand through my wild raven hair.

"And?" My father prompted.

"And she said there were no dangers in the real world. And I asked if that's what she told my mother. She told me that if my mother spent more time studying theories, she would have had time to read me bedtime stories." I finished, feeling my voice shake. I leaned further into my chair, willing the tears gathered in my eyes not to fall.

"Listen, darling." My father started gingerly, moving to my side and placing a wark hand on my back. "Dolores Umbridge is not someone you want as an enemy. She knows how to use one's weakness against them, as she did you. Don't let her win, darling."

"You're right." I nodded, looking into the concerned eyes of my father.

"Now," He cleared his throat, giving me a stern look. "Stay out of trouble."

"Sorry, dad." I muttered, taking him by surprise. It was the first time I'd called him that since I found out he was my father.

"It's alright, darling." He nodded, helping me out of the chair I was in. "Good luck with detention."

"Yeah," I breathed. "Thank you."

========

"Are you alright?" Draco's voice pulled me from my thoughts. I blinked, looking away from the fire and toward my concerned looking boyfriend.

"Yes." I nodded, readjusting on the couch so he could sit with me.

"Are you sure, Mona?" He pressed, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"Yes." I nodded again, leaning into his side with a sigh. "I just didn't appreciate her using my mother against me like that."

"That was uncalled for." Draco nodded, pulling me into his arms. I laid my head on his shoulder, looking back into the fireplace.

"My father told me not to let her win." I told him. "So, I'll take my week's worth of detention and do everything in my power to annoy her instead."

"That's my girl." Draco said proudly, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of my head.