Chapter Fourteen - An Exceptional Education

Tuesday went by with little to no fanfare. I spent History of Magic going over previous years' Defense textbooks, much to the surprise of my fellow Ravenclaws. I would do what I could for the other subjects, but Tracy passing her O.W.L.s was not my top priority. I could almost hear Hermione gasping at the notion.

Joining Hogwarts classes as a 5th year is like taking a Master's class at university without taking so much as an introductory course, not that I ever went to university. Youtube had been my teacher since high school when I realized my special school wasn't going to teach me anything I didn't already know.

I remember feeling insulted when I was handed textbooks and worksheets with 8th grade stamped on them. Needless to say, most of my higher education was through watching educational videos and reading Wiki articles.

Hogwarts did little to teach reading comprehension. When Snape belittled me for brewing the draught of peace incorrectly by questioning if I could read, I wanted to reply, "No sir, we don't learn that here."

Despite the textbooks being written in a way a grade-schooler could comprehend, the classes were about subjects I had only associative knowledge of. For example, I could tell you what some spells or potions did but not how to cast or brew them. And so I was going to need to review the past four years of the curriculum. For now I was focusing on Defense.

If this were any other year, I could rely on DADA to at least give me some practice, but Umbridge was determined to make sure each and every child here would not learn how to actually defend themselves. As much as I wished I could give her a piece of my mind, I still needed to stay inconspicuous. At least the rest of my class was also trying to make the best of it.

And so when Wednesday rolled around, I dragged myself to DADA. Following the wands away command, I opened my textbook to the required page.

"Miss Miller, I hope you don't expect to use my class to catch up on your other subjects." She gestured to my textbook. I had last year's textbook closed underneath the one I was currently reading.

"No Ma'am. It's just last year's Defense textbook. I'm reviewing, you see." I read very quickly and had planned to continue reviewing once I finished today's quota. Umbridge hummed and began walking towards me in slow strides. Just as she had been described in the books, she was a short, plump woman who wore pink and a false smile.

I moved to put the offending textbook away. I had it in my hands and was about to stow it in my bag when with a flick of her wand she summoned it the rest of the way to her. She looked at my copy of The Dark Forces with a barely hidden disdain.

"Why would you need this in my classroom, hmm?"

"This is Defense Against the Dark Arts. Reviewing will help me learn. I need to be able to defend myself." I paused, then added, "I'm not casting any of them, just reading, Ma'am." I mentally slapped myself for my choice of words.

Umbridge smiled her sickly sweet smile and answered the same as she had to Potter in the book. "I should hope not, for who would want to hurt a child such as yourself?"

I stared unblinkingly at her. I wanted to scream that she must be joking, that I must have decided Mungo's would make for a great holiday. I didn't do that. I wasn't going to give her what she wanted. I wouldn't rise to the bait.

"No, professor, I simply wish to do well on my exams. I will review it during my free time. It was a lapse in judgment to bring that book to class." I fiddled with my braid and cast my eyes downwards.

Pleased, Umbridge said, "I can see you will not make that mistake again. This book, however, is not Ministry approved. I'll be keeping this." She thrummed her fingers on the cover. "You can see me at the end of class for appropriate reading material." She turned and made her way back to her desk.

"Do not disrupt the class again." Umbridge vanished the offending book and took her seat. Looking around the room, I saw some eyes trained on me. No one spoke. If this were a Gryffindor class, I would not have been able to de-escalate the situation. Again, I wished I could tell her that technically she disrupted the class. I would have sat quietly the entire period had she not fussed over my textbook.

After class, I picked up Umbridge's approved reading list and thanked her. I mentally patted myself on the back for dealing with the whole situation in a non-combative manner.

At lunch, I sat with Luna. She and I were beginning to develop a friendship. My glee at indulging myself in this wish fulfillment almost made everything worth it. Luna has always been my favorite character. She is a girl who dances to the beat of her own drum, who isn't afraid to be herself, and who won't let bullies control her. She had been and still is my role model.

Valery and Jocelyn found me in the midst of a compelling debate on the continued existence of nargles. "Why do you keep sitting with Loony?", questioned Valery.

Jocelyn added, "People are starting to talk. After your panic attack on the Express, they say you're becoming more loony than Luna."

"We can still save your reputation.", offered Valery, making a come hither motion.

Jocelyn put his arms around me, and I swear I saw red. "You know I'll still support you. I'm happy for you and Lovegood, but I know how much you care about your reputation."

I didn't know Tracy was such a conformist. I suppose it made sense. She had begun coaching me on how to act with her friends. She cared an awful lot about her place in the school's hierarchy.

I too cared about how others saw me, but only as it pertains to my manners. I was very conscientious about how much noise I made. But that stemmed from low self-esteem. Sometimes I cared so little about myself or felt so ashamed of the disturbance my outbursts caused that I felt obligated to be the least offending thing in the room.

Despite my conscientious nature, I never sacrificed another person's feelings for my own. In other words, I would not shun Luna to appease my peers. To hell with Tracy's reputation.

I brushed Jocelyn off me gently and turned to him. "If you are happy for me and Luna, please just let it be. You are welcome to join us if you'd like."

Jocelyn took a seat next to me. Valery stomped her foot in indignation and stormed off.

Throughout the whole exchange, Luna absentmindedly played with the food on her plate, unphased as usual.

A realization hit me all at once. My special school had taught me something. Something I couldn't have gotten anywhere else. Something more valuable than Math and Science. In a school full of cruel children with an inclination for tormenting others, I learned how to deal with people. It was the most exceptional education I ever received.