Chapter 76
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"History of Magic, double Potions, Divination, Ancient Runes, and double Defense Against the Dark Arts? Fun." Rebekah let the paper drop onto the table. "I forgot how gruelling taking so many subjects was."
"Why don't you drop them then?" Logan asked, quickly getting surprised looks and snorts. "What?"
"Rebekah? Dropping something?" Blaise said with an amused gasp.
"Never!" The rest of the group added.
Theo finished his mouthful of breakfast before jabbing his chin to gesture to Rebekah who just continued to eat her small piece of toast. "You can't find her without at least a book or two on her bracelet."
"Bracelet?" Astoria asked, at the far end of the bench, nearest her own year and Rebekah and Draco sat nearest the elder year.
"Undetectable shrinking charm," Rebekah showed how her wand would appear with a flick and would shrink if she placed the tip under the bracelet. "One of my best investments, very handy. Logan, what do you have? What classes did you take?"
"Potions, Divination, Charms, Herbology, Care of Creatures, Transfiguration, Runes," Logan read off his whole class list. "I've been given a lot of frees because I need to catch up on some stuff to get to Hogwarts' level of study. Durmstrang focused on practical and less on theory."
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"Before we begin today's lesson," Snape began his lesson just before lunch, "I think it appropriate to remind you that next June you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions. Moronic though some of this class undoubtedly are, I expect you to scrape an 'Acceptable' in your OWL, or suffer my… displeasure."
He looked at a few students he feared would fail his class, making Neville gulp.
"After this year, of course, many of you will cease studying with me," Snape went on. "I take only the very best into my NEWT Potions class, which means that some of us will certainly be saying good-bye. But we have another year to go before that happy moment of farewell. So whether you are intending to attempt NEWT or not, I advise all of you to concentrate your efforts upon maintaining the high-pass level I have come to expect from my OWL students.
"Today we will be mixing a potion that often comes up at Ordinary Wizarding Level: the Draught of Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Be warned: If you are too heavy-handed with the ingredients you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep, so you will need to pay close attention to what you are doing. The ingredients and method," He flicked his wrist twice towards the board and then to the side. "Are on the blackboard and you will find everything you need in the store cupboard. You have an hour and a half… Start."
If Rebekah truly felt like not doing any work, she would have poured the already made potion she had in her clutch, but she knew that he would take the contents and make her do it again in her own time just to make her do it a few more times. She could outsmart most teachers but Snape was a hard don't even try it!
The rest of the day was boring, that was until it was time for Umbridge's class.
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"Well, good afternoon!" Professor Umbridge said with a large amount of fake cheer. She bristled when hardly anyone replied. "Tut, tut. That won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge.' One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!"
They chanted it back. "Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge."
"There, now. That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please." Umbridge cleared her throat at Rebekah, sitting to one corner at the front. "I thought I said quills, Miss Potter, not Muggle pens."
"Our previous teachers didn't care what we used as long as we got the work done," Rebekah said, already knowing she was going to hate this woman. "But if you prefer quills, I won't argue."
"Good," Umbridge smiled, her lips curling as Rebekah reached into her extended clutch, not realising that Rebekah transfigured her pen to look like a quill within the seconds it took to pretend to get a proper quill.
Umbridge tapped the board sharply and made the words appear.
Defense Against the Dark Arts,
A Return to Basic Principles.
"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" She turned to face the class, hands clasped neatly together. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your O.W.L. year.
"You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centered, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please."
A new message appeared on the board.
Course aims:
the principles underlying defensive magic.
to recognize situations in which defensive magic can legally be used.
the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use.
It didn't take long for the class to write it down and begin the prescribed chapter of the book. Rebekah paused, waiting for someone to complain. She faked reading, having already memorised the chapter. This was a class of Slytherins and Gryffidors, someone would complain eventually.
"Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?" Umbridge suddenly asked, a sour tone in her voice.
"Not about the chapter, no."
Of course it had to be Hermione Granger.
"Well, we're reading just now," Umbridge gestured to the books and then everyone else. "If you have other queries we can deal with them at the end of class."
"I've got a query about your course aims,"
Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows. "And your name is?"
"Hermione Granger,"
"Well, Miss Granger, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully," She said in sweetness that even put Rebekah to shame.
"Well, I don't," Hermione bluntly said. "There's nothing written up there about using defensive spells."
"Using defensive spells?" Professor Umbridge repeated with a little, high pitched laugh. "Why, I can't imagine any situation arising in my classroom that would require you to use a defensive spell, Miss Granger. You surely aren't expecting to be attacked during class?"
"We're not going to use magic?" Ron interrupted loudly.
"Students raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Mr?"
"Weasley,"
Umbridge held Rebekah's gaze, surprised that the young Witch didn't speak. She turned to Hermione again. "Yes, Miss Granger? You wanted to ask something else?"
"Surely the whole point of Defense Against the Dark Arts is to practice defensive spells?"
"Are you a Ministry-trained educational expert, Miss Granger?"
"No, but—"
"Well then," Umbridge turned away with a grim little grin. "I'm afraid you are not qualified to decide what the 'whole point' of any class is. Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new program of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way—"
"If we're gonna be attacked—"
"Hand, Mr Weasley!" Umbridge almost screamed, turning away with a short step. She watched several other students put their hands up. "And your name is?"
"Dean Thomas."
"Well, Mr Thomas?"
"Well, it's like Ron said, isn't it?" Dean tilted his head in question. "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk-free —"
"Do you expect to be attacked during my classes?"
"No, but —"
Professor Umbridge talked over him.
"I do not wish to criticize the way things have been run in this school," she said, an unconvincing smile stretching her wide mouth, "but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed. Not to mention, extremely dangerous HalfBreeds."
"Take a breath," Daphne said, clasping a hand on Rebekah's. "Don't start a scene."
Rebekah exhaled a slow breath. "I know."
"If you mean Professor Lupin," Dean Thomas spat. "He was the best we ever —"
"Hand, Mr. Thomas! As I was saying — you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group, and potentially lethal. You have been frightened into believing that you are likely to meet Dark attacks every other day —"
"No we haven't," Hermione said, "We just —"
"Your hand is not up, Miss Granger!"
Hermione put up her hand; Professor Umbridge turned away from her.
"It is my understanding that my predecessor not only performed illegal curses in front of you, he actually performed them on you —"
"Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which, after all, is what school is all about. And your name is?"
"Parvati Patil, and isn't there a practical bit in our Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.? Aren't we supposed to show that we can actually do the countercurses and things?"
"As long as you have studied the theory hard enough, there is no reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under carefully controlled examination conditions," Umbridge said dismissively.
"Without ever practicing them before?" said Parvati incredulously. "Are you telling us that the first time we'll get to do the spells will be during our exam?"
"I repeat, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough, you'll do fine." Umbridge hummed as she saw Rebekah's firm hand in the air. "Yes, Miss Potter?"
"If we were choosing to become Aurors or the like," Rebekah said, leaning forward onto her arms. "Wouldn't it be best that we actually know, by practise that would increase our muscle memory of said spells, the spells and the correct ways to do it by your instruction? You are the teacher here, surely you would be able to take a few students at a time and allow the practise before we do our exams?"
"A good question with a sad answer, Miss Potter," Umbridge mused with the shake of the head. "I, being the only teacher of defense here at Hogwarts, cannot take on the duty of four teachers. While the Ministry wants everyone to be prepared, we do not want to put the strain on students when they should be learning. I hope it answers your question."
"Thank you, Professor Umbridge," Rebekah smiled before it dropped as soon as the woman looked away. "It really didn't. Only solidifies the fact that the Ministry is trying to keep us compliant and powerless."
The rest of the class continued to argue with Umbridge, telling her theory wouldn't be enough. Charms and Transfiguration were practical classes, so should Defense be! Rebekah remained quiet, as did her group because they knew that it was not wise to interrupt.
Until—
"Potter went against You-Know-Who! I doubt she used only theory to do that!"
"Mr Weasley, detention!" Umbridge was red in the face, her lips pursed as her eyes reached Rebekah and her hand up. "What is it, Miss Potter?"
"May I answer his question?"
"Fine."
Rebekah turned around a little, addressing the class as a whole. "I did go against Voldemort—" she had to stop herself from smiling as most people flinched. "But before that, I was in the Tournament against three students with more experience than me. I studied like hell after I found out what each task was, and since I didn't have practise with any spells, I could only used theories for certain spells. Though spells like the Patronus charm should be practised, other spells don't need it."
"Are you actually saying that we don't need to practise any of these spells before the exams?" Hermione almost gasped.
"Counter-jinxes, Counter-curses, Boggart-Banishing Spell we did last year, Hex-Breaker, Hex Zapper, Limbo Mist anticharm," Rebekah flicked through a journal of hers. "All of these can be learnt through theory, so yes it is what I'm saying. Through my experience of using defensive spells, which is very much limited to only a few instances of actual danger, theory can be just as good as practical and since we won't actually be in danger, there isn't the impitant need for knowing how to actually use the spells. There may be an increased chance of remembering the spells if you have used them but there is still a good enough probability with just theory."
The lesson continued with fuming silence from most of the class.
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"You were a great help in there, Potter," Ron sneered as they left the class, jabbing his shoulder into her as they walked. "You should have— Let me go!"
"Watch it, Weasley," Blaise smiled, the tip of his glowing wand under Ron's chin. He knew they were already out of sight of the classroom but he shoved Ron down a small, unused corridor when Rebekah gestured to the side.
Rebekah got into Ron's face, making the boy step back but she just got closer to glare. "I did what was needed. You don't argue with the Ministry unless you can back it up, and being fifteen and a student won't help. That woman is corresponding with the Ministry, who doesn't like me already because I told them Voldemort is back. I don't have time for stupid little boys and their insistanctence to get all of the attention and when you don't, you blame others. I understand that you're a middle child, having to act out to get attention but I have bigger things to worry about than your inability to comprehend what is happening."
He gritted his teeth, bringing up his Gryffindor courage. "But you should've—"
"Shut it. I have a plan and that includes having you closing your mouth and telling everyone else to not worry about the practicals," Rebekah said, looking to Daphne who rolled her hand in a motion that told her to hurry up. "We'll get the practise, just give me time to coordinate everything."
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