Veiled Hearts ~ HP Fanfiction (Harry Potter X OC)

Chapter 36: Neville's Bravado

Celestia turned around, seeing Harry who had just asended the stone staircase, faces set and fist cleanched. They seemed to have heard Draco's every word.

Draco made a grotesque face, his mouth sagging open and his eyes rolling. Crabbe and Goyle gave their usual grunts of laughter; Pansy shrieked with glee and Celestia laughed at Draco's antics.

Hermione yelled, suddenly "Neville, No", startled, Celestia turned to look Neville launching himself at Draco.

Harry leapt forward and seized the back of Neville's robes; Neville struggled frantically, his fists flailing, trying desperately to get at Draco who looked, for a moment, extremely shocked.

Neville face was scarlet as he snarled "'Not... funny... don't... Mungo's... show... him..."

Celestia felt bad for Neville, for what her father had told them, Neville's parents were cursed to insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange, Draco's and her's material aunt.

The dungeon door opened.

Snape appeared there. His black eyes swept up the Gryffindor line to the point where Harry and Ron were wrestling with Neville.

"Fighting, Potter, Weasley, Longbottom?" Snape said in his cold, sneering voice. "Ten points from Gryffindor. Release Longbottom, Potter, or it will be detention. Inside, all of you."

Harry let go of Neville, who stood panting and glaring at him. Harry whispered something to him and Neville replied with nothing, he just took his bag and stalked off into the dungeon.

The class around them was whispering about what Neville had just done, but when Snape closed the dungeon door with an echoing bang, everybody immediately fell silent.

"You will notice," said Snape, in his low, sneering voice, "that we have a guest with us today." He gestured towards the dim corner of the dungeon and Celestia saw Professor Umbridge sitting there, clipboard on her knee.

Celestia got into her seat at the front of the class, choosing to sit beside her twin brother Draco as pulled out parchment, quills and their copies of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi.

"We are continuing with our Strengthening Solution today. You will find your mixtures as you left them last lesson; if correctly made they should have matured well over the weekend - instructions -" he waved his wand again "- on the board. Carry on."

Professor Umbridge spent the first half hour of the lesson making notes in her corner.

Celestia had so emerged in her potion that she didn't notice Umbridge had got to her feet until Draco nudged her slowly, she strode between two lines of desks towards Snape, who was bending over Dean Thomas's cauldron.

"Well, the class seems fairly advanced for their level," she said briskly to Snape's back. "Though I would question whether it is advisable to teach them a potion like the Strengthening Solution. I think the Ministry would prefer it if that was removed from the syllabus." Snape straightened up slowly and turned to look at her.

Celestia watched their interaction with keen interest and saw Harry is been doing the same.

"Now... how long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" she asked, her quill poised over her clipboard.

"Fourteen years," Snape replied. His expression was unfathomable.

"You applied first for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post, I believe?" Professor Umbridge asked Snape.

"Yes," said Snape quietly.

"But you were unsuccessful?"

Snape's lip curled. "Obviously"