How To Annoy A Gryffindor ; harry potter

Step 4: Be a Suck Up

Ember was walking to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom with her two best friends by her side. As they entered the classroom, Professor Umbridge was seated cheerfully at her desk peering down happily at everyone entering. She was wearing her dreadful fluffy pink cardigan, the same one she was wearing the night before.

Ember quietly took a seat next to Draco, Cullen and Billie took the desk behind them and Georgia and Blaise took the one to the left of them. The six Slytherins watched as many other students began to file into the room including Gryffindors.

"Well, good afternoon!" Umbridge said when the whole class was seated.

"Good afternoon," muttered Ember and Draco in reply, only a few others joined with them.

"Tut, tut," said Professor Umbridge. "That won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge.' One more time, please... Good afternoon class."

Ember could hardly hold back her snickers as she chanted with the rest of the class.

"There, now," said Professor Umbridge sweetly. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."

Behind Ember she heard a small groan, only loud enough for her, Draco and Billie to hear. Others in the class were exchanging gloomy looks at the words 'wands away'.

Umbridge opened her handbag, extracted her own wand, and tapped the blackboard sharply with it; words appeared on the board at once: Defence Against the Dark Arts A Return to Basic Principles.

"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" stated Professor Umbridge, turning to face the class. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your OWL year.

''You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centred, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please."

She tapped the blackboard again; the first message vanished and was replaced by:

Course Aims:

1. Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic.

2. Learning to recognise situations in which defensive magic can legally be used.

3. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use.

Everyone was quickly copying down these aims onto parchment.

When everyone had copied down Professor Umbridge's three-course aims she asked, "Has everybody got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

There was a dull murmur of assent throughout the class. "I think we'll try that again," said Professor Umbridge. "When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply, 'Yes, Professor Umbridge', or 'No, Professor Umbridge' Soo: has everyone got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

"Yes, Professor Umbridge," rang through the room.

"Good," said Professor Umbridge. "I should like you to turn to page five and read 'Chapter One, Basics for Beginners' There will be no need to talk"

Umbridge settled herself in the chair behind the teacher's desk, observing them all closely with those pouchy toad's eyes. Ember flipped her book open to page five and read it dully.

Ember looked up from her textbook when in the corner of her eye she saw Granger's hand raised determinedly in the air. Ember frowned at the Gryffindor, she could not remember her ever neglecting to read something, Ember waited for Umbridge to call on her.