I'm sure you'd expect me to say I never went into the forest again...why, after all, would I want to? But I did...although not until after I'd visited Hogwarts. I walked near the edge of it a few times, but mostly I stayed in the house. Before long, it was the day I was to see my new school, and my mother and our only house-elf, Snarron, were helping me get ready.
"Best dress, Dolores. No, not the white one. The lovely black and gold one I bought you. It was so expensive and you don't wear it! Out of my way, Snarron. Go to Victoria's room and clean up in there. How are we getting there, Alard?"
"Knight Bus to Hogsmeade," my father said. "Victoria isn't coming. She's studying."
My mother shook her head. "Must we? I can't stand riding that thing. What are you waiting for, Dolores? Get the black dress and put it on. And please comb your hair, it looks horrible." She swept from the room to make sure that Snarron was doing as he was told. I put the black-and-gold dress on and brushed my hair. Mother popped her head back into my room for a second.
"One more thing, Dolores. No saying the word 'mudblood'."
"Why not?"
"Because the teachers at the school don't like it. And you want to make a good impression, don't you?"
We waited at the gate, and my father flung out his right arm. The Knight Bus appeared. My mother shook her head and groaned. The doors opened and we climbed on. At the wheel was a loud, ugly man, with a young boy in the seat behind him.
"Blimey!" the man said. "Alard and Persephone!"
"Hello, Barney," my mother said.
"Slytherin and Hufflepuff prefects," Barney announced to the boy behind him. "Same year as me. Good to see ya again!"
"Likewise," my mother said frostily.
"This is my son, Stan," he said, gesturing to the boy. "I take it this is one of your lovely daughters?"
"Yes," my mother said. "Aren't you holding up the bus?"
"Yup. Better take a seat."
I was the only one to grab a seat in time. My mother and father both got thrown to the floor as soon as the bus started to move! They were furious, and argued with each other all the way up to Hogsmeade...
*****
When we got to Hogsmeade, we looked around for a few minutes, and then headed up to the school. Nothing of note happened in the village, except that I threw a temper tantrum when I couldn't go into the joke shop...well, like I said, I was silly back then.
We reached the castle, and were greeted by a crabby old gamekeeper called Pringle. He opened the doors for us, and we stepped inside.
"Isn't it lovely?" my mother said.
Yes, it was.
A door creaked, and an old man stepped out.
"Are you the Headmaster?" I called.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "Headmaster Dippet has been taken ill today. So..." he looked at each of us in turn. "I am to show you around the school. And speak, of course..." he looked directly at me "...to you, Miss Umbridge."
I nodded.
"I am Professor Dumbledore, Transfiguration teacher."
He shook hands with my parents, and led us to the Hall.
I suppose you would think that I considered Dumbledore, on first meeting him, to be dangerous, arrogant, unwise, and everything else the Ministry has rightly labeled him...but I didn't. He struck me as being....well, quite kind. Of course, I have revised my opinion now. No need to worry about that!
As for my first impression of the Hall...I stood there in wonder, staring up with my mouth open. I must have looked silly! But the ceiling of the Great Hall is...
...pretty. I liked it. It's a great tribute to what us witches and wizards can do. While my parents talked with Dumbledore quietly, I walked around and looked up and up...and then I saw a boy sitting at one of the tables. I looked at him instead, and he glared back at me.
"Who are you?" we both said at the same time. Neither of us smiled at that, though.
"I'm not telling you." the boy said. He was tall, with pitch-black hair. Rather good looking, also.
"Well, I won't tell you my name, either," I said.
He shrugged and turned away. I heard my parents discussing things in
the background: "Yes, Hufflepuff or Slytherin...almost definately..." "We expect that she'll go to work for the Ministry..."
"Why are you here?" I asked him. "You're not meant to be in school. You're meant to be at home. It's the summer."
"I don't have a home."
"Oh."
He was surrounded by books. I supposed it was his schoolwork. I wondered,
who on earth works in the summer?
"No home?" I asked. "Where do you live then?"
He didn't answer.
"Don't you have parents?"
"No."
Annoyed at his attitude, I glared. "My aunt says orphans shouldn't go to school."
There was a flash of deep anger in his eyes. "Then your aunt is a bitch."
How dare he say that about my family! I liked...perhaps even loved...my aunt, she always bought expensive gifts for me and paid more attention to me than Victoria. Not many people do that!
I said something I'd hear my aunt say once to my cousin. "You are a nasty, rude, powerless little boy."
He just raised an eyebrow. "Well, I won't always be. Powerless."
Then he gathered up all his books with a sweep of his hand, and left. I didn't bother looking to see where he went. I skipped over to my parents and Dumbledore.
"Have a chat with the Professor, Dolores," my mother said. "We're going to take a look around."
They left the Hall, and I was left alone with Dumbledore. He was the one staring up at the ceiling now. I cleared my throat loudly and he looked at me.
"Are you looking forward to attending this school, Miss Umbridge?"
"Yes," I said.
He nodded. "I saw you looking at the ceiling. It's beautiful, Miss Umbridge....isn't it? Made generations and generations ago by the Four Founders. Old as the school itself."
I nodded. "Is it charmed to look like the sky?"
"Indeed. Tell me, Miss Umbridge...which House would you like to be placed in? Slytherin, like your father, or Hufflepuff like your mother?"
I hadn't been expecting that. "I don't know. Slytherin doesn't like Mudbl...Muggleborns, does it? So I suppose perhaps there. But...well, which house is the best?"
He paused for thought. "Each house has it's own merits and flaws. There isn't a best one. But some houses are more...popular than others."
"Which is the most popular?" I asked enthusiastically. "I want to be in that one."
He looked hard at me and I remember being rather frightened. "Many people have chosen the house that they believe is the most popular. But...it hardly ever will make their path through the wizarding world the easiest to walk."
"Oh."
Then there was silence. He didn't say anything, and so neither did I. Well, I did eventually.
"I thought you were going to talk to me, Professor."
"I have," he said with a smile. "Have I not?"
"Not much."
"Very well then, four last words for you. Nitwit. Blubber. Oddment. Tweak."
(If the Ministry ever needs more proof that that man is a dangerous old fool...)
"What on earth does that mean? How silly!" Right after saying that I realised how rude it was, but he didn't seem offended.
"But it's silly words like that, Dolores, that you would do well to remember." he said quietly. "After all...sometimes we do need laughter more than strictness and popularity."
And I hated that all of a sudden! As if he was judging my personality after talking to me for just a few seconds!
"I didn't laugh." I said sourly, and he nodded.
"Let's rejoin your parents," he said.