The Potion Princess

Umbridge

They had heard of her already (the news of Harry's outburst had spread through the school like wildfire) and had been given a reasonable amount of warning as to what her class would hold, but nothing had been able to prepare them for this.  Audra knew that they were not going to be allowed to use magic, but she had perhaps not been ready for the cheerful order of "wands away" followed by a simpering, girlish giggle, or to have what's normally a interesting subject replaced by a load of ministry garbage.  And she certainly wasn't ready to have to listen to someone wearing an explosion of pink.

She was walking between the desks now, peering over them as they wrote their names on the insides of their textbooks.  Audra hadn't even been able to turn to look at Fred or George, who had snorted audibly during Umbridge's explanation of the class.  "It's been made clear to me that some of you," It probably wasn't an accident that her eyes travelled over to where the twins were sitting with Lee.  "Won't take this class seriously."

"Well how can we?"  Lee asked, poking at his text book like it was something distasteful he had found stuck to the bottom of his shoe.  "You're not even letting us use magic.  How are you expecting us to defend ourselves?"

"And who would want to hurt children like yourselves?"  Umbridge smiled at them, lips pressed into a thin line, her face more toad like than ever.  You do, Audra thinks viciously, surprised by her own certainty, but then she remembered the rumors about the quill that writes in blood and knows that its right.  "Certain people among you are saying that the a certain Dark Wizard has returned.  Simply put children- this is not true."  She punctuated each word with a tap to the chalk board, still smiling at them.  It seems that after the fiasco she had had with the last class, she had decided to address the issue head on. 

"So you think Harry's lying, do you?"  George, who had been previously leaning back against the wall, let his chair fall back to the floor with a bang.  "Something else killed Cedric?  Our last teacher being a nutter was just a coincidence?"

"Harry's a troubled boy."  Her teeth were gritted, Audra saw with some alarm.  "Don't you read the prophet?"

"If I'm in the mood for a laugh."  Audra jumps in, kicking out at Emmeline's chair.  Part of her new that it was better to keep quiet, that this was a woman who wanted to be obeyed and believed, but the other part of her was telling her that if George was in, she was in.  Also, it was hard to take a woman who wore that much pink seriously.  "It's not very well informed about anything, is it?  Too busy pushing Fudge's agenda to bother even wondering about what really happened in that graveyard."

"I happen to think I know a bit more about the subject than you, Ms. Stanton."  Umbridge was standing in front of her desk now, hands gripping the sides so tightly her stubby figures were turning white.  She was leaning forward, which might have been scary if she hadn't been so short. 

"I doubt it."  Audra laughed, and Emmeline kicked back, trying to get her to shut up.  "I think you know about as much as the minister knows, which is very little."

It was one thing, Audra thought, to hear about the Dark Lord's return from someone who the whole wizarding world was being told had gone a bit loopy, side affect from that horrible brain trauma he'd gone through as a baby, the normal things.  It was a bit harder to ignore it when one of the most popular boys in the year were taking his side, and then a girl with confirmed connections to the dark arts had basically confirmed that he had returned.  The whispers didn't stop all class, and neither did the side ways glances that were coming her way.  Harry on his own might have been easy to ignore, but if the rest of them keep doing things like this- keeping the truth from being silenced, being brave- people might start to listen. 

Of course, you don't get out of things like that without punishment, which is why Audra had to stay after class.  The twins hesitated at the door before she waved them on, and now that the room had emptied out, it was just the two of them.  Umbridge was on one side of her desk, Audra still in her chair.  She thought it best not to move any closer to her.  "I think you want to be more careful with your tone, Ms. Stanton.  Especially when addressing your professors."