The plump short woman walked beside me, her heels clicking through the hallway in an annoying rhythm. It made me want to tap her on the head with a book, a very big book, as if to say act right.

Charity Umbridge was acting as right as she normally did. She smiled beside me, nodding a greeting at everyone we passed, and dressed in her usual horridly pastel pinks. She was just like a rose, something everyone liked to look at, but thriving in pure manure.

I left the door to my office open, taking a seat before she could say anything. It was unnerving enough Dumbledore had agreed to let her make her inquiries, but the fact she had chosen to investigate me first said a lot in my opinion. She had insisted during the last monthly meeting that Professors had no business in a Council seat, having too close interactions with residents and students. She claimed it made us less impartial and felt other residents deserved a chance for more say in how 'our' island was run.

I leaned back with my arms over my chest as she took a seat in the metal chair across from me. I didn't know what irritated me worse: her voice, the brightly colored outfit, or the smirk upon her chubby face. She crossed her legs, pulling a notebook from her large tote.

"Professor Snape?" I cocked a brow as if I needed to answer that, she knew me better than over half the island. She knew me from Council as well as Voldemort's own ranks; this had to be another scheme.

She cleared her throat, "Alright then. I'd like to start by asking how you feel about your classes?"

"The same as I've felt about my classes since I took the job." She waited for me to say something else, but I doubted she had the patience I did.

Indeed I was right as she asked, "And how exactly is that?"

"I walk into the class with ignorant men and women; I walk out after doing my job and they've learned something." What did she expect me to say? I was biting my tongue not calling them ingrates as I usually did and she knew as well as I the exceedingly high test scores after passing my classes. You passed knowing something or you failed as idiotic as you started out. There was no in between.

"Okay…" She trailed off scribbling on her pad. "What of other Council members? Do you find you get along better with some rather than others?" The cheery expectant look on her face had me imagining leaning over the desk to slap it off.

We sat in silence and she cocked a brow finally reaching her limits. "No." I stared at her with the same blank look as we started with. This woman was nothing more than a pest put only on this planet to irritate me, of that I was convinced.

"Well!" She snorted indignantly. Did she really expect anything less from me? Had I avoided her enough that she didn't even know my feelings for being questioned? If so, I plan to avoid her much more in the future. She stood, sitting her notebook on my desk amidst my papers.

I didn't move, but my eyes followed her as she walked behind me to look out the window.

"What of the librarian?" I could hear the knowing smile without seeing her face. She thought she would get to me through Hermione. Idiot.

"From what I've seen and heard she runs the library with ease." I kept my voice monotone, so that she'd have no clue as to the thoughts of strangling her that were really racing around my head.

She walked back around, sitting again in her chair. Her bright brown eyes met mine and the smirk upon her face was almost the exact replica of that in her beast's form.

She leaned back, watching me closely. Not good Ms. Umbridge, you never let your enemy know you think you've got something.

"I've heard rumors that you're very close with Miss Ganger," she deliberately mispronounced the name as if that bore any relevance. We both knew whom she referred too.

"Indeed."

She tapped her pen against her pad, "Well, are these rumors true?"

"They are called rumors for a reason." I bit out, she looked ready to say something, but I leaned forward. After having her sit through my morning classes interrupting for the stupidest questions and now having her try to pry into my life, I was beyond finished. "It would better serve Hogwart's Island if you either went to the library to witness how it was run or talk to the students who frequent there the most often to find out how well it is run. I'm afraid I haven't much need to irritate the librarian while she's on duty." The implications and abruptness seemed to pierce Umbridge's thick hide. She stood, her lips pressed tightly together, and walked to the door.

"Perhaps I will. It seems someone with a clear head might need to." I listened as her heels clicked down the hallway, annoyed at the whole arrangement. It didn't do to attack as beasts, it seemed now we were attacking positions and reputations. Well, if there was a fight ahead, so be it. I had one thing Voldemort and his minions didn't have, I had something worth fighting for. With that I left my office to find Professor McGonagall.