HP • 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 ─ 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐱 𝐎𝐂

Breaking Down

Everyone called it: "Umbridge-itis ."

But even the users of the kits couldn't compete with the lord of chaos: Peeves, who seemed to have taken Fred's farewell words very seriously.

Giggling maniacally, he flew through the school, flipping tables, bursting out of chalkboards, toppling statues and vases. Twice he trapped Madam Nora inside a suit of armor, from which she was rescued, meowing loudly, by the furious caretaker.

Peeves broke lanterns and extinguished candles, juggled lit torches over screaming students' heads, toppled neat stacks of parchment into the fireplaces or out of windows. He flooded the second floor, tearing out all the bathroom taps, dropped a bag of tarantulas in the middle of the Great Hall during breakfast, and whenever he felt like taking a break, he spent hours floating behind Umbridge, imitating the sound of farts with his mouth every time she spoke.

No Hogwarts staff, except Filch, seemed to be moving to help her. In fact, Cassiopeia overheard Minerva, in a loud voice, passing Peeves, who was determined to drop a crystal chandelier on Umbridge.

Saying to the poltergeist under her breath, "Unscrew it the other way."

And when the ghost did so, the chandelier crashed into pieces while Minerva hid her laughter behind her hands, pretending to be shocked.

She had also lent her cane to the ghost to chase Umbridge, but pretended it had been taken from her.

Minerva is an icon.

Meanwhile, the Slytherin team was without a captain because, quite strangely, Montanque went mad after a mysterious disappearance in a cupboard. This led Snape and the other team members to appoint Cassiopeia as the captain.

She couldn't have been happier with the leadership position and made sure to train them to exhaustion.

In Transfiguration class, the dates for the O.W.Ls were shown on the board. During the last two weeks, they had only been revising for the exams, going over what they already knew. Cassiopeia spent day and night studying in the library, common room, her dormitory, and also with Minerva. She used the Time-Turner several times, and she wouldn't be surprised if, by the end of the semester, she was a few years older.

The exams would consist of theory in the morning and practical in the afternoon. The practical Astronomy exam, of course, would be held at night.

They would receive the results in July, so they wouldn't have to lose their minds during the holidays.

During breakfast, Cassi received a letter from Narcissa. She smiled joyfully as she read the lines, tracing them with care.

My dearest Cassiopeia,

Draco mentioned in his letters that you've been buried in books for the past month, barely setting them aside even to eat. I am immensely proud of your effort and dedication, but I am also very concerned about your health. Don't forget to take care of yourself. This is not a request, it's an order.

I heard that exam week starts on Monday, so I wish you good luck and send countless kisses. I am certain that you will make everyone proud with your talent, my little witch.

Remember to rest and sleep well, as I know fatigue can be a cruel enemy to scholars. And if you need encouragement, dream of me, for I will always be by your side in thought.

With much love,

Yours,

Narcissa

(...)

As the other students headed to their classes, at half-past nine, they were called, group by group, to re-enter the Great Hall, which had been rearranged. The House tables had been removed and replaced with many individual tables, facing the teachers' table at the back of the hall, where Minerva was seated, facing the students' tables. After everyone had settled down, she said: