Getting back to classes felt good and normal. I sat beside Hermione in our D.A.D.A class, while the boys sat at the table across the way on Hermione's left. The class was buzzing with excitement, a charmed paper swallow bird was flying about, many kids trying to mess with it as it flew. The noise of the room died down once the swallow was burned to stop, landing on the Patil twins desk. I look around to see in the back of the room, Umbridge stood in all her pink glory, lowering her wand.
"Good morning children." she greets us, causing the whole room to look towards her. She uses her wand to write on the chalkboard, "Ordinary. Wizarding. Level. Examinations. O.. W.. L's" she says, as she writes on the board as she goes to the front of the room.
She turns to the class, "--more commonly known as OWLS. Study hard and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so, and the consequences may be... severe." she says ominously. With a wave of her wand, books began to be passed out table by table to us.
As we receive our books the title reads, 'Dark arts defense: Basic for beginners', Hermione and I share a confused glance, "Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly uneven. But you will be pleased to know that from now on you will be following a carefully structured, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic." she explains.
Hermione was quick to raise her hand as she flips through the book. "Yes." Umbridge says to her.
"There's nothing in here about actually using defensive spells." Hermione brings up, causing me to begin to flip through the book as well, seeing that she was right.
"Using spells? I can't imagine why you would need to use spells in my classroom." Umbridge replies with a high pitch laugh.
"We're not going to use magic?" Ron questions confused with her methods, as was I.
"You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way..." Umbridge says to the class as a whole.
"What use is that? If we're going to be attacked it won't be "risk free--"" Harry tries to question, but is cut off before he can finish.
"Students will raise their hands when they speak in my class." she snaps, telling the whole class, before giving the class her unnerving fake nice smile. "It is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be sufficient to get you through your examinations--which, after all, is what school is all about." she explain.
"And how's theory's supposed to prepare us for what's out there?" Harry questions, not raising his hand, almost fed up with her already.
"There is nothing out there, dear. Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourself?" she replies, her nice facade slowly falling.
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe Lord Voldemort?" Harry sasses, causing me to sigh. Really Harry, on the first day? The room fell in a silence, as Umbridge seemed almost taken back, she tries to give the class a reassuring smile.
"Now let me make this quite plain. You have been told that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again. This is a lie." she tells everyone calmly as she walks between the rows of desks.
"It's not a lie. I saw him, I fought him--" Harry was quick to tell her, causing her to stop walking as she was next to his desk.
"Detention, Mr. Potter." she tells him, walking back to the front.
"So according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord? Or-or that my sister was attacked by no one." Harry snaps at her.
My eyes widen and turn to look at Harry as if he was crazy. "Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident-" Umbridge tries to tell him, but Harry stops her before she can continue.
"It was murder. Voldemort killed him and you know it--!" Harry explains rather loudly, but is stopped.
"ENOUGH!" she shouts at him. I flinch at her shout. "Enough." she says more calmly. "See me later, Mr. Potter. My office." she tells him, before actually starting our lesson.
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I sit at the Gryffindor table one morning eating breakfast. I sit next to Hermione across from Ginny. Ron sits across from Hermione, stuffing his face while reading a little pamphlet titles 'How to soar on your OWLs'.
"Don't you ever stop eating?" Hermione questions him, looking at him disgusted.
"Wha'? Ah'm 'ungry..." Ron responds with his mouth full, causing Ginny, Hermione, and I to cringe a bit.
Ron looks to Hermione's right, causing us to look and see Harry standing there, "Harry." Hermione greets.
"All right if I join you?" Harry asks us, seeming timid. But before anyone could respond a loud argument coming from outside the hall grabs everyone's attention.
"...and once brought to my attention I felt it my duty to speak out." We hear McGonagalls voice ring through the open doors.
"Speak out? I'm afraid I don't understand..." Umbridge's voice responds.
We all leave the great hall along with other studies to see what was happening because we knew if anyone could get through the to Umbridge it would be McGonagall.
"Come now, you must admit such behavior is irregular to say the least. Furthermore--" McGonagall begins to lecture, but is cut off.
"Pardon me Professor, but what exactly are you insinuating...?" Umbridge questions.
"I am "insinuating" nothing..." McGonagall clarifies as they stop on the steps. "...I am merely requesting that when it comes to my students, you conform to prescribed disciplinary practices..." She continues to explain.
"So silly of me, but it sounds as though you're questioning my authority in my own classroom..." Umbridge starts before taking a step up to make her short self tall, "...Minerva." she says her.
"Not at all..." McGonagall starts, taking a step up as well to be on the same level as her on the stairs, "Dolores. Merely your medieval methods." she tells her.
"I am sorry dear...but to question my practices is to question the Ministry--and, by extension, the Minister himself. I am a tolerant woman, but the one thing I can't stand for is disloyalty." Umbridge tells McGonagall rather harshly.
This causes McGonagall to falter and she takes a step down, "Disloyalty?" she questions seeming offended at the accusation.
Umbridge takes another step forward now facing all of us who was watching, "Things at Hogwarts are far worse than I feared. Cornelius will want to take immediate action..." she says to us, looking smug.
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"What happened?" I question making sure I heard him right.
"She was sitting in on our divinations lesson. Asking things on predictions, and was taking notes on a clipboard on Trelawney for the ministry." Harry tried to explain about what had happened as we walk through the halls.
"Well that's not suspicious." I say rather sarcastically, as we enter the potions classroom.
Our class goes on, awkwardly in my case as Snape wouldn't acknowledge my existence, then Umbridge arrives. Harry and I share a look as she carries the clipboard Harry mentioned before. The class pauses its lesson as she questions Snape on things.
"...you applied first for the Defense Against the Dark Arts Post, is that correct?" Umbridge asks him as she paces.
Snape doesn't even look her way, looking rather annoyed to being questioned, "Yes." he tells her.
I look at him concerned, why was she questioning him? And then he looks my way, causing my eyes to widen. I try and give him a reassuring smile, but he just looks away. "But you were unsuccessful?" she questions him.
"Obviously." he replies, causing Ron to snicker.
Once Umbridge leaves the room, Snape smacks the back of Ron's head with a leather book. I lean on my hand to keep myself from laughing as our class continues its lesson. Sometime Ron has it coming, and it makes me laugh every time.
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Fred, George, and I were in the courtyard, showing off tricks we can go with a firework sparkler ball, which was one of the latest inventions that I had helped the twins make. A small crowd was around us as we passed the ball between the three of us. The crowd would cheer whenever one of us did a trick.
I had kicked it to Fred, who jumps off his arm and then behind his back to George, who throws it up in the air to do his trick. But the sparkler goes away from all of us before disappearing into Umbridge's wand. The exciting mood of the crowd was gone, and she turns around and walks away.
I glare at her walking figure. What was her problem, it was a game, not actual magic to harm anyone. A small building of anger fills me, giving me a slight headache as I watch her.
Fred and George walk to my side as we watch her walk away. "What do we do now?" George asks us, crossing his arms.
I smirk, "Wait till she leaves the courtyard then continue to show off the product." I tell them, crossing my arms as well.
"I like how your brain works." Fred tells me, also crossing his arms as we wait for her to leave view of the courtyard.
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Rose rushes into the abandoned girls bathroom, rushing up to the sink, before dinner. Turning on the water and splashing her face a bit hoping to rid of the headache that formed earlier, now pounding all through her head.
"That won't help you know." a eerily familiar voice fills her ears.
She gasps looking up; behind her reflection was Tom Riddle, the boy from the book. Her eyes widen, turning around to see nothing behind her. She looks back at her reflection to see him still there.
"How are you..?" She shakingly tries to question confused on what was happening, the headache not helping her thought process.
"We're connected you know, much more then anyone has told you. You can say we share a magical connection. Since the first time we talked in your second year, I knew just how important you were." his voice swirls her head like a whisper.
Rose clutches her head in her hands as the headache continues to pound her skull. "You're not real, you just... in my head." She whimpers shutting her eyes.
"Oh but I'm very real Rose, and all I want to do is help you, much like how you help me." He says to her.
She slowly raises her eyes to meet his in the mirror. "What do you mean, 'help'?" She asks hesitantly.
"You've been having random bursts of magic you can't explain, haven't you? See things you haven't before? Yes, you're a witch Rose, but you don't understand the magnitude of power you possess." Riddle explains slowly slinking closer to her reflection.
"You'll help me control it? Make.. make this pain go away?" She questions in a whisper, just wanting the pain in her head to go away.
He send her a smirk as he stands right beside her reflection now. "I'll be but a simple guide in your head. No more pain. Just. Control." He says in a whisper, tempting her. "Would you accept my help, Rose?"
"Yes." She says so softly to anyone else it would of seemed like a breath.
He places his hand on her shoulder, she felt him as if he were really beside her, and almost instantly the pain in her head is gone, cause her to close her eyes in relief. And when she opened them again, Tom was gone.
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1946 words
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Lots of luv~ snowflake