Snape watched Katrina hurriedly leave. He silently growled. This was the last place he wanted to be at this moment. He had been hoping to retreat to his dungeon rooms in Hogwarts to rest some more and to sort through what had happened and what had been said earlier. He had also wanted to attempt brewing that potion so he could begin working on its reversal.
Damn this Umbridge woman! His glare could have burned a hole through the far wall. If it weren't for the woman's threats, he would up and leave this moment. As he had no desire to find himself in Azkaban, he stayed where he was.
"Professor Snape, what is your opinion of Professor Smith?"
He turned his glare onto the offending woman, "Professor Smith is certainly competent, if that is what you are asking."
"And you see no problem with a muggle teaching these students?" she asked pointedly.
"She is not a muggle," he said coldly. "She is a squib and as you know, there is a difference."
She waved a hand dismissively, "She is essentially a muggle with a vast knowledge of the wizarding world…"
To his surprise, he disliked the direction of this conversation. He told himself it was simply that if something happened to Katrina, he might lose his daughter as well. It would also mean the loss of a competent colleague and he saw no need for that. "What is it you are trying to say?"
"I am simply wondering if a non-witch is best to be teaching Hogwarts students. She is not prepared to handle an emergency outside of this house." The woman glanced around again, "This subject is considered to be highly unnecessary by the Ministry. The woman's knowledge of the wizarding world seems extensive and dangerous."
He snorted, "You consider her… dangerous? She is a squib," he said dismissively. "She is only a danger to herself." He trailed off as the woman in question entered the room.
"Here is my lesson plan for today," she said, handing a page of paper over to the older woman. "If you have any questions…" she trailed off and went to prepare the tea.
"Muggle history?" Umbridge asked, "Is that necessary?"
Katrina's eyes narrowed, "Yes, it is. It is, of course, only a brief overview. We cover all of the modern muggle wars and their effects on the wizarding world. We will also cover the recent war of your world and its effect on the muggle world."
"You will skip that portion of your lesson," Umbridge said strictly as she used her pen to scratch out that part of the lesson plan.
Katrina reached over and grabbed the paper from the other woman, "I will thank you not to tamper with my lesson plans! As this is my lesson, I will teach it as I feel it should be taught."
Umbridge stood to face Katrina, "And I am Headmaster of the school. You will do as I say or I will strip you of your professorship and the Ministry will begin an investigation into your vast knowledge of the wizarding world."
Severus stood and moved so that he was almost between the two women, "Professor Smith, perhaps it would be best if you… edited… your plans as she has suggested." He narrowed his eyes as he stared down into those hazel eyes he knew so well. He gave her a small shake of his head, willing her to back down on this.