Enchantress
Summary: "Remember kid, there's heroes and there's legends. Heroes get remembered but legends never die." – Babe Ruth, The Sandlot (1993). FemHarry.
Just a warning: FemHarry, AU, Language, Clichés, Potter!Lily, Good!Dumbledore, Loyal!Ron&Hermione, Messed Up Timeline
Just so you know (Name): The name Scheherazade means 'world-freer'. Scheherazade is a legendary Arabic queen immortalized as the narrator of all one thousand stories in the One Thousand and One Nights. Her story is even more remarkable than the tales she tells though.
I don't own Boku no Hero Academia or Harry Potter!
Chapter 2. Dolores "The Pink Toad" Umbridge
"I wonder where we'll be going to school," Hermione mused on the their last day of holidays.
Harry, who was sweeping up Hedwig's owl dropping from the top her wardrobe while scolding said snow owl, hummed.
"It definitely won't be Mahoutokoro." The green eyed witch said, thinking about the Japanese school of magic.
Aside from agreeing to send Ron and Hermione with her to Japan, mostly because everyone knew that her friends would find a way to follow her either way, Professor Dumbledore hadn't said much about the subject.
They knew nothing about where they would be going and when. But the trio trusted Dumbledore enough to not ask questions about it and wait for the old man to explain. They had long ago learned their lesson about the consequences of snooping around and making assumptions.
Not that it stopped them sometimes… But still...
"I know that," Hermione scoffed, "But there are several types of Muggle schools."
"I know that," Harry copied her tone mockingly. "I did grow up in the Muggle World, Mione."
The bushy haired girl opened her mouth to speak whenRon entered Harry's bedroom holding a couple of familiar envelopes.
"Our booklists have arrived," He said, throwing one of the envelopes up to Harry, who was standing on a chair. "About time too, I thought they had forgotten, they usually come much earlier than this..."
While he sat close to Hermione and gave one of the other two envelopes to her, Harry swept the last of the droppings into a rubbish bag and threw the bag over Ron's head and into the wastepaper basket in the corner, which swallowed it and belched loudly.
Score!, She snorted, opening her letter.
It contained two pieces of parchment. One was the usual reminder that term started on the first of September while the other informed her which books she would need for the coming year.
There were only two new books: The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5, by Miranda Goshawk and Defensive Magical Theory, by Wilbert Slinkhard."
Harry pursued her lips as she stared at the list. Slinkhard's book wasn't one she would recommend to anyone. It was far too much focused on theory and the history of certain spells.
CRACK!
Fred and George apparated right beside Harry. They had been appearing and disappearing like that ever since they got their license. By now, Harry was so used to them doing that that she barely reacted.
Mrs. Weasley was one of the only ones in the house who still jumped when they apparated beside or behind her.
That poor woman…
"So, did you see the new Defense's book?" Fred asked casually.
George continued, "It seems like Dumbledore found a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
Had those two been waiting outside the door for them to read their booklist just so they could apparate inside the room and talk about their new Defense's teacher?
Harry shook her head fondly as she jumped down from her chair.
"And what's so interesting about us having a new Defense's teacher?"
"It was about time." Fred replied.
Ron knitted hos eyebrows, looking a little confused, "What do you mean?
The twins looked pleased at the questions. They must have been itching to explain.
"Well, we overheard Mum and Dad talking on the Extendable Ears a few weeks back –" Fred started.
George continued, making a gesture with his hand, "– and from what they were saying, Dumbledore was having real trouble finding anyone to do the job this year."
Harry snorted.
"Were you surprised? Look at what happened to the other teachers," She started counting off on her fingers, "One was sacked – albeit unjustly –, one is dead, one had his memory removed, and one was locked in a trunk for nine months."
And that wasn't counting all the other Defense's teachers that had suffered somehow because of the curse upon the position. It had been what? Eighty or ninety years since that curse started?
Harry did wonder who was their new teacher and if they were the reason why Dumbledore had warned her that morning to keep her guard up while in Hogwarts.
Before anything else could be said, the door opened with a bang as Mrs. Weasley backed into the room carrying a pile of freshly laundered robes.
"Ginny said the booklists had come at last," The red haired woman said, glancing around at all the envelopes as she made her way over to the bed and started sorting the robes into two piles. "If you give them to me I'll take them over to Diagon Alley this afternoon and get your books while you're packing. Ron, I'll have to get you more pajamas, yours are at least six inches too short, I can't believe how fast you're growing..." She sniffed a little much to the boy embarrassment, "What color would you like?"
Ron sputtered as hos ears gained a shade similar to the color of his hair, "Er –"
"Ron wants pink with unicorns and rainbows." Harry replied, her face blank, "He wants to start a new trend in the Wizarding World."
Fred and George grinned widely as they spoke, "Make it move, he'll be so happy."
"I heard unicorns are very popular in the Muggle World," Hermione's shoulders shook as she tried to not laugh.
Mrs. Weasley blinked, "Are they really?"
She turned to Ron, as if asking for confirmation. The poor boy though, was in shock. He could barely understand what was going much less refuse everything that was being said.
Mrs. Weasley smiled, "Very well then. Girls, would you like anything?"
Harry and Hermione shook their heads and waved along the twins aa the woman took her basket and left the room in hurry.
Poor Ron was left gaping at the door.
Hours later, Mrs. Weasley returned from Diagon Alley with their books and carrying a small package wrapped in thick brown paper. She handed it to Ron who stared. Harry, Hermione and the twins shared a look.
It couldn't be…
"Never mind unwrapping it now, people are arriving for dinner. I want you all downstairs in five minutes," The woman said before walking out of the room.
The moment she was out of sight Ron ripped off the paper from the package and froze, his eyes wide.
Hermione giggled while Harry and the twins started to roll on the floor, crying a little as they laughed.
In his trembling hands, a red faced Ron held pink pajamas with cute little unicorns jumping around and puking rainbows.
"I HATE YOU GUYS!"
00
Harry woke up to Mrs. Weasley screaming at Fred and George.
Half-sleep, Harry jumped out of her bed and walked to the bathroom so she could start her morning routine. Later, as she combed her long wavy hair and mused on what type of hairstyle to use, Harry gathered from all the screams that Fred and George had bewitched their trunks to fly downstairs which ended with they hurtling straight into Ginny and knocking her down two flights of stairs into the hall.
The raven haired girl hoped that the younger witch was fine.
"– COULD HAVE BROKEN SOMETHING, YOU IDIOTS –"
Harry checked her reflection and nodded before moving to gather her shades as well her sneakers.
By that point, Mrs. Black had joined Mrs. Weasley and started screaming as well, "– FILTHY HALF-BREEDS AND BLOOD-TRAITORS, BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS –"
Harry rolled her eyes at horrible woman, wishing someone would just burn her portrait so they could be free of her.
The door of her room was thrown open as Hermione came hurrying inside, just as Harry was putting on her sneakers. Hedwig who had been sleeping on the green eyed witch's shoulder, flew to her cage.
Harry arched a eyebrow as Hermione blushed, hugging a squirming Crookshanks to her chest.
"Are you ready yet?"
"I'm now." Harry replied, standing up from her bed and walking to her trunk, "Is Ginny all right?"
"She is fine. Mrs. Weasley's patched her up," Hermione said.
Harry hummed, touching a few runes on her trunk and watching it shrink before shoving it inside the pocket of her coat, "What's the problem now then?" She asked, trying to understand why Mrs. Weasley was still screaming.
Hermione shuffled her feet.
"Well, Mad-Eye is complaining that we can't leave unless Sturgis Podmore is here." Harry had no idea of who that was, "Otherwise the guard will be one short and of we don't leave soon, we're going to miss the train. So –"
Harry interrupted her, "Guard, what guard? We have to go to King's Cross with a guard?"
"You have to go to King's Cross with a guard," Hermione corrected her a little uncomfortable, as if expecting Harry to throw a fit.
Instead, the younger witch pitched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. Why did she even ask? Of course the guard was for her.
"WILL YOU LOT GET DOWN HERE NOW, PLEASE!" Mrs. Weasley bellowed and Hermione jumped as though scalded and hurried out of the room.
Shaking her head, Harry closed Hedwig's cage after saying a few words to her feathery friend and set off downstairs before Mrs. Weasley decided to come for her.
Mrs. Black's portrait was howling with rage but nobody was bothering to close the curtains over her; all the noise in the hall was bound to rouse her again, anyway.
"Harry, you're coming with me and Tonks," Mrs. Weasley shouted over the repeated screeches of 'MUDBLOODS! SCUM! CREATURES OF DIRT!', "Do you have your trunk?"
Harry patted her pocket making the woman nod with relief.
"Well, leave your owl here, Alastor's going to deal with all pets and luggage..." The red head blinked before she narrowed her eyes at something, "Oh, for the love of Merlin, Sirius, Dumbledore said that you couldn't come!"
Harry turned her head a little to hid the amused tilt of her lips as a bearlike black dog appeared at her side while she gently placed Hedwig's cage over a pile of trunks at the corner of the dark hall.
The dog barked and sat down, staring at the older woman as if to say I dare you to stop me.
"Oh honestly..." Mrs. Weasley despairingly before wiggling a finger at him, "If anything happens, it'll be your fault."
Harry and Sirius the Dog share a look of amusement as the woman huffed and wrenched the front door open, stepping out into the weak September sunlight.
The duo followed her and the door slammed behind them, cutting off Mrs. Black's screeches instantly.
Thank Merlin for that. Harry's ears were starting to hurt
"So, Mrs. Weasley, where's Tonks?" Harry asked, shoving her hands in the pockets of her coat as she looked around.
"She's waiting for us just up here," Mrs. Weasley replied stiffly, averting her eyes from the lolloping black dog beside Harry.
They walked a little bit before a old woman greeted them on the corner of the street. She had tightly curled grey hair and was using a rather ugly hat.
Harry blinked and waved her hand, "Hey, Tonks."
"Wotcher, Harry," Tonks pouted, "How did you know?"
"There is a little bit of pink right here," Harry pointed to the spot on the woman hair with a smirk.
It wasn't all that noticeable but the green eyed girl had always prided herself for being able to spot those types of things.
Tonks patted her hair and took out a hand-mirror to check if the pink had disappeared. Satisfied with what she saw, the Metamorphmagus turned to Mrs. Weasley.
"Better hurry up, uh, Molly?" she said, looking at her wrist watch.
"I know, I know," Mrs. Weasley sighed as they started walking faster. "We –"
Harry stopped paying attention. She focused her attention on Sirius, laughing as the dog gave a joyful bark and gamboled around them, snapping at pigeons and chasing his own tail.
Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips in an almost Aunt Petunia-ish way but didn't say anything about it, thankfully. Harry didn't think she could have been polite if the woman said anything.
Sirius needed that moment of freedom and she wasn't going to let the red haired witch ruin his fun.
It took them twenty minutes to reach King's Cross on foot and nothing more eventful happened during that time than Sirius scaring a couple of smaller dogs and birds just for Harry's entertainment.
Once inside the station, they leaned against the entrance of the Platform 9 3/4 in turn and fell easily through, stepping on the other side in a blink of the eyes.
The Hogwarts Express stood belching sooty steam over the platform that was packed with departing students and their families.
"I hope the others make it in time," Mrs. Weasley said anxiously, staring behind her at the wrought-iron arch spanning the platform, which they had used to get there.
"Nice dog, Harry!" A familiar older boy with dreadlocks said as he approached her.
She smiled as he reached down to pat Sirius, "Thanks, Lee."
Sirius wagged his tail frantically at the attention.
"How have you been?" He asked, looking at her, "I heard about your trial." Lee frowned.
Harry shrugged a little with a sweet smile. She liked Lee; he was one of her favorite Gryffindors along the members of the Quidditch Team and a few others.
"I'm fine." She replied, "Don't worry about it."
The tall boy pursued his lips, "Well, if anyone bothers you, do tell. Big Brother Lee will take care of them for you."
Harry smiled widely, feeling touched, "Thank you, Lee."
Although she could care less about those who believed into that propaganda the Ministry had against her, Harry was happy to know that there were people outside of her small group of friends who supported and believed in her.
"So – Did you see Fred and George?" He asked, looking around the platform.
Harry looked over her shoulder to see a frowning Mrs. Weasley talking to Tonks while sending looks in direction of the entrance.
"They're a little late."
Just as she said that, the green eyed girl heard Mrs. Weasley sigh of relief.
"Oh good, here's Alastor with the luggage..." The red haired woman said to Tonks.
The old Auror came limping through the archway pushing a trolley loaded with trunks. He stopped beside the two women.
"All okay," He grumbled "Don't think we were followed…"
Seconds later, Mr. Weasley emerged on to the platform with Ron and Hermione. Her friends ran to her the moment they saw her, greeting Lee after they finally noticed his presence.
It took a while but Fred, George, and Ginny finally turned up with Remus.
"Hey, guys!"
"Lee!"
"Lee, my man, how have you been!?"
As the three friends shared a small talk, pulling the other teens in the conversation, Harry played a little with Sirius before Remus patted her head.
"Be careful, Harry." The scarred man smiled, "I'll see you again later."
She wanted to ask when that would happen but decided to keep her mouth shut. Harry knew that he wasn't going to answer.
Moody started to shake her hand, muttering something like a warning for her to be CONSTANT VIGILANT while Tonks hugged Hermione and Ginny. When the old Auror stepped away from Harry, Tonks moved to hug her.
"Stay out of trouble, Harry."
Harry snickered and gave her a look, "Easy for you to say."
It wasn't her fault that trouble followed her around like a lost puppy.
There was a warning whistle and the students still on the platform started hurrying on to the train.
"Quick, quick," Mrs. Weasley said distractedly, alternating between hugging them at random and pushing them all toward the train, "Write... Be good... If you've forgotten anything we'll send it on... Now! Onto the train, hurry!"
"Bye, Sirius." Thinking about Remus' words as she hugged the dog, Harry smiled, "I'll see you later."
He barked in response before Mrs. Weasley shoved Harry away towards the train door, hissing something to the dog who huffed.
From the train, Harry watched as the figures of Tonks, Lupin, Moody, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shrank rapidly but the black dog was bounding alongside the window, wagging its tail; blurred people on the platform were laughing to see it chasing the train, then they rounded a bend, and Sirius was gone.
The raven haired witch sighed.
"He shouldn't have come with us," Hermione muttered, worried.
"He can take care of himself." Harry said as they walked down the corridor and away from Fred, George and Lee.
The trio plus Ginny who started looking for a friends of hers struggled off down the corridor, peering through the glass-paneled doors into the compartments they passed, which were all full.
It took a while but soon, in the very last carriage, they found a compartment for themselves. Neville, who had been sitting there and maintaining a one-handed grip on his struggling toad, was standing in the middle of the compartment.
"Hi, guys," The blonde waved a little awkwardly before pushing Trevor the toad inside his cage.
"Hope you don't mind company." Harry said, sitting beside the window and letting Hedwig out of her cage. The owl flew outside with a content hoot and started making her way toward Hogwarts.
"We don't."
It wasn't Neville who answered.
Ron yelped, looking behind him and staring at Luna Lovegood with wide eyes. The silvery-blonde girl tilted her head, as he hadn't almost used her lap as cushion.
"Oh, I was looking for you Luna." Ginny smiled, sitting beside her Ravenclaw friend.
Ron pointed a shaking finger at her, "Where did you come from?!"
"She had been here from the moment we stepped into the compartment, Ronald." Hermione glared.
Harry snorted, "Can I have one, Luna?" She asked, making a gesture to the magazine at the younger girl's hand.
The blue eyed girl beamed, always happy to share her father's magazine with others. Harry smiled back. Despite what others thought, the Quibbler wasn't rubbish, it was actually filled with riddles and for those like Harry who loved Ancient Runes, it was also very entertaining.
The train rattled onwards, speeding out of a tunnel and into open country. It was an odd, unsettled sort of day; one moment the carriage was full of sunlight and the next they were passing beneath ominously grey clouds.
Harry stared out of the window with suspicion. She knew a omen when she saw one and those changes could only mean that something bad would happen to ruin their happiness and peace that year.
She tapped the side of her shades, humming in thought.
"Guess what I got for my birthday?" Neville asked excitedly.
Harry looked at him, "Nightmare Eater's seeds?"
At least that was what she had gotten for him, buying the seeds by Owl Order. Those seeds had been rather expensive since the plant was natural from South America and rather rare.
Neville blushed, "That too – Thank you by the way. It really helped."
She smiled a little.
Like the name said, the Nightmare Eater was a plant which ate your nightmares and then straightened your good dreams, making them more clear.
The raven haired witch would have gotten some of those seeds for herself if she didn't know that one of her relatives would kill the plant like they had done with her previous Herbology's assignments.
"I'm glad to know it was useful to you." Harry said to him, "What else did you get though?"
"Here look," He dug his hand into his schoolbag and after a little bit of rummaging, Neville pulled out what looked to be a small grey cactus in a pot, except that it was covered with what boils rather than spines. It was pulsating slightly, giving it a rather sinister look.
Hermione looked up from her book and leaned forward a little, "Oh, that is a Mimbulus Mimbletonia," She said.
Neville nodded proudly.
Harry had no idea of what that was. She was horrible at Herbology.
"It's really, really rare," The boy said, "I don't even know if there's one in the greenhouse at Hogwarts. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My Great Uncle Algie –" Harry grimaced. She despised that horrible man, "– got it for me from Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it."
Ron eyed the plant with suspicion, "Does it even do anything?"
Hermione frowned at the question, as if trying to remember something.
Neville smiled, "Loads of stuff, actually!" He said, "It's got an amazing defensive mechanism. I'll show you…" He dumped took a quill from his schoolbag.
Harry took out her wand, ready to throw a shield around her in case the plant decided to transform into a monster and attack them. Luna peeked over the top of her upside-down magazine, watching as Neville held the Mimbulus Mimbletonia up to his eyes, his tongue between his teeth.
Hermione's eyes widened and she stood up, her hands raised as she tried to stop the boy.
"Wait –"
It was too late. Neville gave the plant a sharp prod with the tip of his quill and – FIZZ! There was a hissing followed by a bubbling sound as dark green liquid squirted from every boil on the plant in thick, stinking and disgusting jets.
There was liquid – Ugh, what was even this? – everywhere; the ceiling, the windows, and the floor.
Luna was protected by her magazine while Harry cast a shield to protect herself. The others weren't so lucky though; Ginny, who had flung her arms up in front of her face just in time, looked as though she was wearing a slimy green hat, and Hermione and Ron were bathed from head to toes with that green thing.
Neville, whose face and torso were also drenched, shook his head to get the worst out of his eyes.
"I'm so sorry guys," He blushed, "I forgot about that."
Harry didn't answer, covering her face with the sleeve of her sweater.
Merlin, that thing smelled like a horrible combination of rancid manure mixed with Dudley's smelly old socks.
I think I'm going to be sick, the green eyed girl made a face.
"Don't worry, though, it isn't poisonous," Neville tried to reassure them.
"It doesn't need to be," Ginny mumbled. "The smell itself is poisonous enough."
As if to proved her point, there were two loudly THUD! as Hermione and Ron fainted. The smell was too much for them.
Neville recoiled in his seat as the four teens stared at their unconscious friends.
Ron groaned while Hermione twitched.
"At least they are still alive."
Harry blinked, not knowing what to do or how to react, "Yeah, Luna… Just – Yeah."
She was never again approaching Neville when he had a ugly plant with him.
What a way to start the year, Harry sighed.
00
Thankfully, by the time the train reached the station, all of them had time to get the horrible smell from Neville's plant from themselves.
It did take Ron and Hermione a while to recover though and Harry had to do her best to guide her two friends to the carriages while trying to reassure Neville that No, they weren't angry with him so please don't cry.
The carriages came to a halt near the stone steps leading up to the oak front doors of the Hogwarts Castle and Harry got out of the carriage first.
"I think my nose is working again." Hermione said as she stepped beside her.
Ron grumbled, rubbing his own nose as he agreed.
"I'm really sorry." Neville muttered from behind them, hugging his plant close.
Ginny patted his arm, "Don't worry about it. We're all fine."
Shaking her head fondly with a sigh, Harry joined the crowd hurrying up the stone step and into the castle. The Entrance Hall was ablaze with torches and echoing with footsteps as the students crossed the flagged stone floor for the double doors to the right, leading to the Great Hall and the start-of-term feast.
The four long house tables in the Great Hall were filling up under the starless black ceiling, which was just like the sky they could glimpse through the high windows. Candles floated in midair all along the tables, illuminating the silvery ghosts who were dotted about the Hall and the faces of the students talking eagerly, exchanging summer news, shouting greetings at friends from other houses, eyeing one another's new haircuts and robes.
Harry looked down at little owls and stars painted in her nails as she feigned ignorance of everyone who stared at or whispered about her. They weren't important and she wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of reacting to their ill concealed attention.
Luna waved to the group as she skipped away to the Ravenclaw table while they reached the Gryffindor table.
Ginny also moved away to sit with her fellow fourth-years and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville found seats together about halfway down the table between Nearly Headless Nick and the Gossip Queens, also known as Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown.
Although the two couldn't see her eyes from behind her shades, they coiled in their seats and bowed their heads when they felt the glare Harry aimed at them. She wasn't in the mood to have those two talking about her as if she wasn't there, especially because of the woman sitting at the middle of the staff table.
"Who's that?" Hermione asked, hissing in her ear.
Harry rested her chin in the palm of her hand and pursued her lips.
"Umbridge." She replied.
Hermione frowned, having heard the name at Harry's trial but not understanding why her friend seemed so hostile. Ron cursed from the green eyed witch's left, recognizing the name immediately. He knew that woman's reputation.
"What's she doing here?" He glared at the toad like woman.
"We'll see…" Harry muttered.
Everyone at the Great Hall started clapping; the students sharing looks of surprise and confusion. Harry had missed the Sorting Hat's song but from those reactions, it had memorable if not a little stranger than normal.
Harry would have asked Nearly Headless Nick what the Sorting Hat had sang about but Professor McGonagall, lowered her eyes to her long piece of parchment in her hands and called out the first name at her list.
"Abercrombie, Euan." A terrified-looking boy stumbled forwards and put the Hat on his head.
The Hat seemed to think for a moment, then the rip near the brim opened again and it shouted;
"Gryffindor!"
Harry clapped with the rest of Gryffindor House. She did stop paying attention after the next name was called out, thinking about Umbridge and why she could be there.
Catching Professor Dumbledore's eyes, Harry made a gesture with her hand. The old man sighed a little and nodded before waving one his hands discretely.
She closed her eyes.
I see… Harry thought, This is going to be a problem…
The raven haired girl opened her eyes to see Professor Dumbledore rise from his throne like chair.
"To our newcomers," Dumbledore said in a ringing voice, his arms stretched wide and a beaming smile on his face, "Welcome! To our old hands – welcome back! There is a time for speech-making, but this is not it. Tuck in!"
There was an appreciative laugh and an outbreak of applause as Dumbledore sat down neatly and threw his long beard over his shoulder so as to keep it out of the way of his plate as their food appeared out of nowhere.
"Excellent, I'm famished." Ron said with a groan of longing. He quickly seized the nearest plate of chops and began piling them on to his plate.
Turning her head slowly, Harry gave him a look.
Ron blinked, looking back at her with confusion, "Waf?" He asked, his mouth full.
"When you aren't famished?" She asked, arching a eyebrow.
Hermione snorted, coughing her juice as she tried to not start laughing. The red head flushed and shrugged before turning his attention back to his food.
Shaking her head, Harry scanned the table for anything that would catch her interest or make her hungry. Not seeing anything aside from a chocolate pie and others types of sweets, Harry decided that it would be better to skip directly to the dessert.
She pointedly ignored Hermione's disapproval and took a spoonful of strawberry ice-cream.
When all the students had finished eating and the noise level in the Hall was starting to creep upwards again, Dumbledore got to his feet once more.
Talking ceased immediately as everyone turned to look at the Headmaster.
"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," Dumbledore said, "First-years ought to know that the Forest in the grounds is out-of-bounds to students – and a few of our older students ought to know by now, too."
Ron whistled, Hermione averted her eyes and Harry waved with a cheeky smirk as the old Headmaster sent them a look at those words.
"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four-hundred-and-sixty-second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door." He gave the students time to process his words before continuing, "We have two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons –"
"What happened to Hagrid?" Hermione muttered, worried.
Harry hummed, "I don't know but it's better for him to stay away from the castle."
Her bushy haired friend looked scandalized at her words but Ron nodded, glaring at Umbridge. He must have heard about her from his father and knew that she would only make things difficult for their half-giant friend.
"Yeah… It's safer for him like that…" He grumbled.
Dumbledore was still speaking, "And we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."
There was a round of polite but fairly unenthusiastic applause. Harry didn't do anything, tapping the table with impatience.
"Tryouts for the house Quidditch teams will take place on the –" He stopped, looking enquiringly at Umbridge.
Ron looked surprised, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing, and Hermione gasped. Harry's face twisted, her lips pressed so firmly together that they were nothing but a thin line.
Oh, she didn't – But she did. Umbridge had purposely cleared her throat much like how she had done in Harry's trial, interrupting Professor Dumbledore's speech. The old man looked taken aback, as if he couldn't believe how rude she was.
Blinking, and more likely wanting to avoid a confrontation, Dumbledore sat down as though he wanted nothing more than to listen to the ugly toad hybrid talk.
"Thank you, Headmaster," Umbridge said with that high-pitched and girlish voice of hers, "for those kind words of welcome. It's lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. "And to see such happy little faces looking up at me!"
Harry rubbed her eyes. She was already getting a headache from her voice alone. The girl didn't think she would survive having lessons with that woman.
Raising her head and looking around, Harry noticed that no one looked happy at being addressed as though they were five years old.
The pink abomination continued, "I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"
"What the fuck?" Someone muttered at the end of the table.
Several Gryffindors nodded with displeased and outraged expressions.
Umbridge cleared her throat again, making a that Ahem, ahem sound.
"Anyone has peppermint candy? I think she is in need of one." Harry said dryly.
Several Gryffindors, as well members of the other Houses that heard her, started to laugh. It wasn't even that funny, but they all just wanted to mock Umbridge.
Their eyes snapped back to Umbridge as she continued speaking, this time in a more businesslike manner;
"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them for ever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching." Umbridge made a pause, doing a little bow to her fellow staff members, none of whom bowed back to her.
Harry raised her head as Umbridge gave another little Ahem, ahem and went on with her speech. But she wasn't trying to listen this time around, she had heard enough.
Her shades moved down a little to the tip of her nose and she blinked as her world exploded with colors and images. Her right hand twitched and she itched to rub it.
Harry closed her eyes, bowing her head and pushing her shades up. She tried to block the sound of Umbridge's voice as she tried to clean her mind.
"– because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgement. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited." Umbridge sat down, looking satisfied.
Slowly, someone, more likely Dumbledore, started clapping. Everyone followed his lead, though Harry didn't even bother to move.
Her right hand twitched, giving a little spasm.
Emerald green eyes snapped open and she turned to stare Umbridge.
"This woman has to go." She muttered, sneering. That was no way that Harry would let the pink wearing toad ruin what could be her last year at Hogwarts. Especially not because Fudge was a incompetent idiot and was afraid of Dumbledore.
Ron and Hermione sat straight, sharing a silently conversation with their eyes before nodding as they came to the same conclusion. Each placed a hand over her shoulders, giving her their support.
"Tell us what to do, and we'll do it." Hermione nodded, giving Umbridge a glare.
Ron grinned widely, "We're with you."
She smirked.
Umbridge would rue the day she decided to come to Hogwarts.
Harry would make sure of that.
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-Cissnei.