CHAPTER SEVENTY ONE
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-: fifth year :-
── IN WHICH AVIANA'S
TEMPER RISES
. . .
With the meeting all done with, the rest of the Hogsmeade visit was a breeze, and Aviana eased through the day naturally, somehow less annoyed with Draco than before, sitting merrily in the corner of the Three Broomsticks with a butterbeer and... a couple Firewhiskey shots, and with her arms slipped into the elbows of Pansy and Blaise, a little less able to walk than usual.
Certainly, it wasn't the best idea to get a little bit drunk on a Hogsmeade visit, but that hadn't stopped her. All she was going to do when she got back to the castle was lounge about in the common room with her friends, in a much more comfortable scenario than usual.
"Not far now, Avi." Pansy hummed.
"How many shots did you give her?" Blaise asked, as Aviana rested her head on his shoulder, getting tired from the long walk.
"Not that many." Pansy replied. "I think she just wanted to relax... this has been her only chance to not do anything, not Quidditch or work or argue with Draco or Umbridge in a while." She shrugged. "Right, Avi? All that arguing-"
"Merlin, it's exhausting!" Aviana agreed. "Everyone is so... everyone is being such a dick right now. And do you know who I hate?"
"Draco?" Blaise's eyebrows rose. Several paces ahead of them, the blond glanced back.
"No... no... he's just piss annoying." Draco breathed out and continued his conversation with Theo, Aviana waving her hand dismissively, stumbling a little before the same hand she had been waving about clamped down on Blaise's arm to steady herself. "Wow. Head rush. No, Zacharias Smith."
Pansy frowned. Above Aviana's head, she met Blaise's eyes, repeating the name silently.
Blaise just shrugged. "Yeah... yeah, he's awful." He agreed. "Hufflepuff?" He whispered to Pansy, who nodded in recognition. "There – look, we're back at the castle."
"We are?" Aviana's gaze danced over the sight in front of her, nodding. "Yeah, yeah we are."
"Have you eaten today, Avi?" Pansy asked, concerned. Aviana shook her head. "You'll bring her down to the kitchen with me, won't you Blaise? Help her sober up?"
"That's probably for the best." Blaise nodded, and the two began to guide Aviana towards the Entrance Hall, leading her along in a quick fashion in hopes of avoiding any prying eyes of teachers or older students, who certainly would not approve of a fifth year getting drunk on a Hogsmeade visit, underage and mid-afternoon. "Come on..."
"That will not be necessary, Mr Zabini." Professor Snape appeared as though from nowhere, stern frown as always and in a sweep of black robes. "Miss Rosier has a meeting."
"Pardon?" Aviana blinked. "With who?"
Snape didn't reply. He looked to her friends, instead. "She is drunk, yes?" He asked, drily.
Pansy shifted nervously. "A little... but she hasn't eaten anything so-" And Snape gestured them forward, leading the way down to the dungeons and settling her down in an armchair in Snape's office, before the two friends were dismissed and sent back to the house.
Aviana watched merrily, lounging about in the chair as Snape set about mixing a potion, it taking him only a few minutes before he took the beaker of a purplish-grey potion and a glass of water, tipping it in. She looked mildly impressed as the entire solution turned clear. "Drink this." Snape instructed, placing the glass down. "You need to sober up."
Meekly, under the impression that perhaps she should have taken more care in what she had been doing down in Hogsmeade, Aviana took several sips, wincing at the taste and gagging when she held the glass away. "What the fu-"
"Language, Miss Rosier." Snape said. "Did Professor Umbridge decide not to inform you of this meeting?"
"I've not been going to breakfast." Aviana said, confused. "This is a meeting with Umbridge? Oh, so she finally grew a set of balls and decided to do something about it."
"Five points for your language, Miss Rosier. That is no way to speak about a member of staff." Snape drawled.
"And that is no way to pretend that you don't like her almost as much as me." Aviana rolled her eyes, falling back down to reality and once again achieving that attitude she always had, legs crossing.
Snape glared at her, but there was no time for him to respond and inform her otherwise, knuckles rapping on the door, it opening before Snape had even had a chance to reply.
"Professor Umbridge, come in." Snape said, dully, not looking any more pleased by the idea than Aviana was, as the girl sat sullenly, staring at the floor, curled up right in the armchair.
"Miss Rosier, I'm pleased you decided to turn up to this meeting." Umbridge simpered, as she took a seat on the second armchair, Snape taking a seat behind the desk. "You are aware that this is the second time I have had to schedule this meeting."
"I haven't checked my mail for weeks." Aviana replied, curtly. "If you wish to hold a meeting, perhaps you should ensure that everyone participating is aware of it?"
"And that is a simply wonderful way into what this meeting is about." Umbridge clasped her hands, allowing them to rest in her lap. "As you can see, Professor Snape, Miss Rosier consistently shows disrespect and disregard to any of the attempts I have to remedy this behaviour. She refuses to go to the detentions-"
"Wonder why." Aviana muttered.
"Now, should that not be enough, Miss Rosier has constantly gone out of her way to stand inappropriately within public spaces and engage with Mr Potter."
Aviana shot up in her seat. "This is what this meeting is about? Surely you're aware that there are no rules against any students dating. Just because you don't like either me or Harry then that doesn't mean we can't shag."
"Miss Rosier." Snape looked horrified, and failed to mask that, a hand raised to stop her. "I don't believe that this meeting has anything to do with your choices in who you spend your time with, but rather how you act towards your teachers."
"Teacher." Aviana corrected. "I believe you'll find that if look back throughout there years that there has not be one instance of me acting like this towards any other professor."
"As you can clearly see, Professor Snape, Miss Rosier is more than blatant towards the vendetta she holds against me."
Snape looked away from Aviana, eyes settling on the woman in pink. "Yes... what do you wish to do about this?" He asked.
"Well, I can only expect to have to begin to inform other people of this behaviour, because to be quite frank, Professor Snape, any attempt I make to help Aviana better herself for learning this year will be swiftly swept under the rug." Umbridge folded her palms. "Perhaps, Professor Dumbledore-"
"Headmaster Dumbledore is currently a very busy man, I'm sure you're aware." Snape drawled. "He will certainly have no time for discipline a student."
"Then, I believe it's time we contacted her parents and had a discussion with them about this behaviour and allow them to consider the best path for Aviana's education in the future." Umbridge said, all too girlishly.
Silence hung in the office. Aviana, who had been cradling her head in her hands, despairing over the stupidity of it all, slowly looked up.
"Fuck off." She said, breathless.
"Excuse me?" Umbridge blinked, voice much higher in pitch.
"Fuck off. Seriously. Fuck right off."
"Miss Rosier! That is inappropriate language-"
"You sent my father to fucking Azkaban." Aviana said, rising from her seat. "You sent him to fucking Azkaban. You met me, in June, before his trial and offered me tea and then you sat there and voted to send him to Azkaban."
"For crimes that he did commit." Umbridge said smoothly. Snape leant back in his chair; he had decided that it did not bode well for him to interrupt at such time. "Did he not?"
"You should know, you're the one who said he was guilty!" Aviana replied.
"Fine." Umbridge said primly. "Your mother, then."
Snape let out a very audible sigh.
"I have not seen my mother since June. Since my father went to prison." Aviana hissed. "I have no fucking clue where that woman has gone, I have not heard from her for months, but if you want to have a nice little chat about her about how I hate the woman who helped in sending my father, her husband, to Azkaban, then I'm sure she would be very happy in coming out of hiding for a chat with you." The girl folded her arms. "I'm sure you can continue to abuse your power and pull some strings to locate her."
Umbridge turned, all too calmly, to Professor Snape. "I suggest she be expelled." She said.
"For what? For what? For not blindly agreeing with a woman spewing Ministry propaganda?" Aviana stared at her. "And where will you send me, hm? Because I've already been removed from my home because I'm under seventeen and apparently incapable of looking after myself properly. Fuck off. Actually fuck off."
And she stormed out of the room without a second thought.
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