"She's been a WHAT?" Said Harry loudly causing people around them to momentarily abandon their breakfast to look over at the Gryffindor table, Eliza kept her eyes on her eggs and gradually the chatter resumed a normal volume.
"Wait, there's more," said Hermione grimly as she continued to scan the rest of the article.
"Of course, there is" Rigel muttered ignoring Umbridge's almost predatory expression she was setting at him.
"The power to inspect teachers! I can't believe it, it's outrageous!" Hissed Hermione, putting down the article with clear disgust. Eliza looked up and saw a smile on Ron's face.
"What?" Asked Harry and Hermione together.
"Oh, I can't wait to see McGonagall inspected, Umbridge won't know what's hit her!"
Rigel couldn't help but give a thin smile. Oh yes.
Mumbling about going to the library, Rigel left the rest of her breakfast and walked quickly out of the Great Hall. There were still thirty minutes left until Transfiguration and if he was lucky Rigel would just about be able to finish his homework. The thought of how behind he still was with all his work almost made him feel sick. He pushed the doors into the transfiguration classroom feeling even more guilty.
"Good morning everyone. Mr. Weasley, please hand back last week's homework, Miss Johnson please give out these mirrors. Today we will be continuing our module on Human Transfiguration by changing our hair color and style, starting with..."
"Hem, hem." Umbridge's annoying cough came through the open door and the new High Inquisitor walked to the back of the classroom and sat down with a pink clipboard in her hand. Professor McGonagall ignored her,
"The instructions are on..."
"Hem, hem."
"Yes?" Said Professor McGonagall briskly looking over at Umbridge.
"I was just wondering, Professor McGonagall, whether you received my note telling you of the date and time of your inspec-"
"Obviously I received it, or I would have asked you what you are doing in my classroom. As I was saying the instructions are on the board, try and start by simply darkening or lightening your hair by a few shades, when you have..."
"Hem, hem." McGonagall closed her eyes briefly and then looked at Umbridge.
"I wonder how you expect to gain an idea of my usual teaching methods if you continue to interrupt me. You see, I do not generally permit people to talk when I am talking."
Umbridge looked like McGonagall had just hexed her. Rigel bit his lip in an attempt not to grin.
Professor McGonagall continued to give her instructions and she then set the class to work. Rigel glanced down at his homework and saw, to his utter horror, that he got a P. He had never got anything less than an O in Transfiguration, ever and now he failed in an assignment.
The class worked in relative comfort for the next twenty minutes; Rigel and his partner Alicia Spinnet had both managed to lighten their hair and were now focussing on changing the color to a darker shade. Alicia was trying to get her hair to go as black as Rigel's who was trying to get his hair blonde.
"So Mr. Black, you're in this class are you?" Said Umbridge standing up and walking over to her, Professor McGonagall left Angelina and Fred and walked over to Alicia and Rigel so quickly that it was almost a run.
"Mr. Black, how are you getting on?" McGonagall asked, Rigel opened his mouth to respond but Umbridge cut across him.
"You have already received your OWL I take it?"
"Obviously Mr. Black has received it otherwise he would not be qualified to take the class." McGonagall snapped before pointing at Rigel indicating he should demonstrate his work, he performed the spell and his hair turned red.
"Not bad, try to stick to the color chart so..."
"What grade did you receive at OWL?" Umbridge asked glaring up at Rigel.
"He received an Outstanding," McGonagall answered, not taking her eyes off Rigel.
"Do you enjoy Transfiguration, Mr. Black?"
"Yes ma'am," he said as Alicia turned her hair blonde
"Perfect Miss Spinnet, twenty points to Gryffindor..." Again McGonagall was interrupted by Umbridge.
"Are you quite sure that Mr. Black is talented enough to be in this class, Mr. Black's latest homework was only a P." Rigel felt his hair turn beet red as Umbridge announced his latest result to the class, loud enough for them all to hear, to their credit, not one student turned around.
"Well perhaps if you stopped keeping Mr. Black in detention until the early hours of the morning then he would have more time to devote to his homework." Said McGonagall looking livid.
"I am quite within my right to punish Mr. Black for his blatant insubordination, Minerva."
Professor McGonagall looked ready to retort but the bell rang out, none of the students moved to gather their possessions but instead watched McGonagall see how she would respond.
"Please hand your homework in as you leave and this lesson's assignment is on the board make sure you copy it down correctly."
Umbridge smiled smugly and left the classroom looking triumphant.
Rigel made his way out of the classroom; he was nearly at the door when Professor McGonagall next spoke.
"Your uniform is perfect Mr. Black, twenty points to Gryffindor." Rigel turned back to look at McGonagall.
"Do you really expect me to allow my house to lose the house cup this year?" Rigel smiled shakily and McGonagall nodded at her and ushered her out of the classroom.
After lunch, which he spent in the library frantically trying to finish his Potions homework, He joined Eliza, Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they made their way down to the dungeons.
"I heard Umbridge inspected McGonagall, was it good?" Asked Ron as they walked down the stairs to the dungeons,
Rigel smiled at him. "Brilliant."
"I'm gutted I missed it, I would have paid to see that!" Ron exclaimed, Harry laughed and even Hermione looked like she would have liked to be there.
Professor Flitwick walked towards them carrying a tray of Potions, as he passed the group he stopped them momentarily.
"You are walking calmly and efficiently to your next lesson, an excellent example to younger students; forty points to Gryffindor!" Flitwick continued along the corridor and Eliza, Rigel, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all looked at each other in confusion.
"What in Merlin's name was that about? An example to younger students- there's no one around!" Said Ron looking around the deserted corridor.
"It's because Umbridge is taking all of Gryffindor's points. I think Professor McGonagall's had a word with the other teachers, I've already got sixty points today." Rigel said smiling at the expression on Ron's face.
"That's brilliant, it's a shame they'll all go tonight but it must be driving Umbridge mad. It's a small act of rebellion on the part of the teachers." Said Hermione as they turned the corner into the potions corridor.
"Viva la Revolution!" Eliza waved her wand and Rigel couldn't help but laugh.
The cheerful atmosphere soon dissipated as the quintet entered the classroom and saw Snape standing at the front of the room.
"I have awarded you the grade that you would have received if you presented this work in your OWL." Said Snape smirking at Harry as he sent the homework flying back to them, Rigel glanced down and was relieved to see that he had scored an A.
"The general standard of this homework was abysmal. Most of you would have failed had this been your examination. The instructions for today's potion are on the board. You have an hour and a half."
When Rigel knocked on Professor McGonagall's office door for his History of Magic tuition and Animagus training Rigel felt very nervous. He had not been able to get the P out of his head all weekend.
"Come in." Rigel opened the door and walked in.
"Hello, Professor," he said quietly, sitting down.
"Good afternoon, how are you?"
"Fine thank you, how are you?" Rigel replied.
"Quite well, stop shaking your legs, Mr. Black. Now we'll start with the Goblin rebellion of 1219, read this section and then answer these questions." he nodded.
As she worked, Professor McGonagall was clearly marking essays. When Rigel glanced over he recognized Hermione's writing and wasn't surprised to see an O
When she finished the questions Rigel put down his quill and sat back. Professor McGonagall continued reading for a few minutes and then put the essay aside.
"Right, I shall give that to Professor Binns. You still have your mandrake leaf." Rigel nodded ." Perfect now, here's a paper on the animagi potion. I suggest "Start it now and then finish it next weekend."
Rigel nodded but could not concentrate on the book and McGonagall appeared to notice.
"Would you prefer to do it another time?"
"It's not that it's not interesting but...I'm really behind on my homework, in all my classes." Rigel admitted.
"We'll leave this until next week then. Good day, Mr. Black." Rigel nodded but didn't stand up, he looked at the essays.
"Have you marked mine yet?" He couldn't help but ask.
"No, not yet." Rigel could tell that McGonagall was lying but he didn't ask again, it was surely another P, or maybe even worse.
"Wands away," Umbridge instructed them at the beginning of class. She assigned them to read chapter 2, so Rigel naturally pretended to be reading while actually reading an enchanted book about curses. Ron was doodling on the corner of his book next to him. Eliza was taking a nap and Rigel was jerked out when Umbridge snapped at Hermione.
"I've already read chapter two," said Hermione.
"Well then, proceed to chapter three," Umbridge said irritated.
"I've read that too. I've read the whole book."
Professor Umbridge blinked but recovered her poise almost instantly.
"Well, then, you should be able to tell me what Slinkhard says about counterjinxes in chapter fifteen."
He says that counterjinxes are improperly named," said Hermionepromptly. "He says 'counter jinx' is just a name people give their jinxes when they want to make them sound more acceptable."
Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows, and Rigel knew she was impressed against her will.
"But I disagree," Hermione continued.
Professor Umbridge's eyebrows rose a little higher and her gaze became distinctly colder.
"You disagree?"
"Yes, I do," said Hermione, who, unlike Umbridge, was not whispering, but speaking in a clear, carrying voice that had by now attracted the rest of the class's attention. "Mr. Slinkhard doesn't like jinxes, does he? But I think they can be very useful when they're used defensively."
"Oh, you do, do you?" said Professor Umbridge, forgetting to whisper and straightening up. "Well, I'm afraid it is Mr. Slinkhard'sopinion, and not yours, that matters within this classroom, Miss Granger."
"But —" Hermione began.
"That is enough," said Professor Umbridge. She walked back to the front of the class and stood before them, all the jauntiness she had shown at the beginning of the lesson gone. "Miss Granger, I am going to take five points from Gryffindor House."
There was an outbreak of muttering at this.
"What for?" said Rigel angrily
"Don't you get involved!" Eliza hissed urgently to Rigel.
"For disrupting my class with pointless interruptions," said Professor Umbridge smoothly. "I am here to teach you using a Ministryapproved method that does not include inviting students to give their opinions on matters about which they understand very little. Your previous teachers in this subject may have allowed you more license, but none of them — with the possible exception of Professor Quirrell, who did at least appear to have restricted himself to age-appropriate subjects — would have passed a Ministry inspection —"
"Yes Quirrell was a great teacher," said Rigel loudly, ignoring Eliza's pleading him to stop "there was just that minor drawback of him having Tom Riddle aka Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head."
"I think another week's detentions would do you some good, Mr.Black," said Umbridge sleekly.
Rigel flicked the finger at her.
When Rigel got back to the Gryffindor tower pale and breathless, he saw Harry and Eliza arguing with Ron and Hermione.
"I'm serious!" Harry said, jumping to his feet. The portrait hole opened behind him as Rigel came in, his detention done. "You can't just say that was all me, I didn't—STOP LAUGHING!" Harry bellowed.
Ron and Hermione's smiles had vanished.
"Alright, what happened?" Rigel asked.
"They want Harry and me to lead a bloody defense class!" Eliza yelled, throwing her hands up in aggravation.
"Ok calm down-" Rigel said placing an arm on Harry's shoulder
Harry wrenched his arm out of Rigel's grip, causing the older wizard to double over with a cry of pain. He clutched his side, panting, his face contorted in pain.
"Rigel!" Eliza cried jumping towards Rigel
Harry stepped back in confusion as his sister rushed over to Percy. The witch pulled his hand away from where he was clutching his side, revealing fresh blood staining his palm and shirt.
"I'm 'kay," Rigel muttered weakly, hobbling over to the couch, a hand on his side. Harry and Hermione sat down on either side of him, watching the wizard cautiously.
The words "I am a blood traitor" were carved into Rigel's skin, dripping blood.
Harry leaned forward and tugged off the bandage on Rigel's hand. The older boy snatched his hand back, but he couldn't hide the phrase, "I am a liar" scar on the skin.
"You said you were doing lines," Ron said horrified.
"You have to report this," Eliza said quietly.
"I don't want you to get hurt," Rigel murmured.
"Rigel, Umbridge is making you cut yourself open every night. How can you not say anything?" Ron exclaimed
"Because she's Ministry, Ron!" Rigel said. He pushed off the couch and conjured a fresh set of bandages. "If I told someone, Dumbledore and dad would have to get involved," he explained, pulling off his bloodied shirt.
"Then Dumbledore would have to do something, and that means taking action against the Ministry," Rigel continued waving his wand and his right hand was bandaged. "I don't want to put him in an awkward situation. Besides, he's on thin ice with the Ministry as is," he added, using the damp shirt to dab at his side.
"So what, you want us to just forget this happened?" Eliza asked in bewilderment.
Rigel nodded. "Exactly and about this defense group thing—I assume I can't talk you out of it?"
"Nope," Hermione stated firmly.
Rigel sighed. "I think it's a bad idea, but fine. If I can't talk you out of it, then I'm chaperoning."