In Servitude to the Dark || Tom Riddle

𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙮

"Oh, why do you say that?" Both Hermione and Neville craned their necks to peek at the schedule.

"Because I decided not to sign up for Divination or Care of Magical Creatures after all," Aster replied. "Hold on, let me go talk to Professor McGonagall."

This earned her a proud look from Hermione. "Runes and Arithmancy, then," she nodded.

Aster smiled weakly at her before heading back up to the Head table. "Excuse me, Professor McGonagall, but I think I got the wrong schedule." She slid it over. "See, I signed up for Healing and Politics, but I know Ron signed up for Care and Divination."

Professor McGonagall shot her a stern look before examining her schedule. "No, there has been no mistake, Miss Potter," she replied.

Aster looked at her frowning. "But I sent you my choices for Electives. I got all the right signatures and approval letters and everything."

McGonagall nodded. "Indeed you did, but the Headmaster believes these are the better courses for you."

Aster's frown darkened into a glare. "But it's my schedule!" she protested. "What right does Dumble..."

"Professor Dumbledore..."

"Fine. What right does Professor Dumbledore have to select my class schedule for me?" Aster asked, reigning in her temper to be reasonable. It wouldn't do to throw a tantrum and prove she wasn't mature enough for the special electives. "Professor, I pay for my own tuition here and I'd like to know why the Headmaster thought these classes, Divination, and Care of Magical Creatures, are better than Healing and Politics."

"Miss Potter!" McGonagall scolded. "These are perfectly fine classes..."

"No, actually, they are not," Aster interrupted, causing McGonagall's lips to thin out. From the side, she noticed the other three Heads of Houses had turned to listen, startled that one of the students had actually interrupted the stern woman. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but these really aren't."

"And what do you know about the quality of classes you haven't even taken yet, Potter," Snape snarled. "Or are you already trying to get special treatment even before classes start?"

Sprout was about to interject, knowing well the famed animosity between the two, and not liking the fact that one of the students was being bullied.

But instead of being cowed as she would have before, Aster simply smiled. "Actually Professor Snape," she began in a perfectly reasonable tone. "In Professor McGonagall's own words, the instructor must have at least passed their NEWTS with an 'E' in their subject. According to the most recent edition of Hogwarts: A History, Sybill Trelawny only got an 'A' in her NEWTS for Divination. And Hagrid never even got his OWLs let alone his NEWTs. I would say that is substandard, wouldn't you?" Then, ignoring the startled looks, she turned flashing eyes back on her Head of House. "Now, will you please tell me why the Headmaster is trying to alter my schedule?" Try as she might, she couldn't really keep the challenging tone out of her voice, but by Merlin! She paid 10,000 galleons for her Hogwarts tuition.

Aster waited patiently, knowing she had cornered her Head of House, simply because everything she said was true; she had dotted every 'I' and crossed every 't' in the application. So it was no surprise when Professor McGonagall stood up.

"This isn't the place for such a discussion," she said. "We will take this up with the Headmaster."

Aster nodded in agreement and followed her professor out. As she passed the dour-looking Potions Professor, she gave the man a nod, a gesture that couldn't be interpreted as anything other than respect. "No offense intended, Professor Snape." And with that, the doors of the Great Hall closed upon two bewildered-looking professors and one calculating one.