A/N- There are so many amazing celebrations happening at this time of year and it has been such a crazy year! So whether you celebrate or not I hope you have a brilliant end to what has been a very confusing year. xx
Chapter Twenty Three
Harry was more pleased than he wanted to admit as he took his seat in the Potions classroom towards the end of the day. He took his seat at the back of the class, at the same desk as Draco, Daphne and Pansy and pulled out his copy of 'One thousand magical herbs and fungi'.
Professor Snape stood up from behind his desk and moved around the room, handing out their strengthening potions.
"You will notice," Severus said, pointing to the corner of the room, "That we have a guest with us here today."
Harry looked over and felt his heart drop as Professor Umbridge made her irritating hem hem sound, smiling broadly at the class.
"We are continuing our Strengthening Solution today. You should find your mixtures have matured well over the weekend. Instructions," he tapped the board with his wand, "on the board. Carry on."
Harry couldn't help but keep looking over to where Umbridge was sat in the corner, not saying anything just scribbling notes on her clipboard.
"Harry will you please focus." Daphne hissed, swapping out the sage he had in his hand for mugswart.
Harry shook his head, "Sorry, I can't help it."
"Just ignore her." Draco told him.
Harry forced himself not to roll his eyes, he would ignore he if it was that easy. Umbridge stood up and started walking around, peering into the cauldrons, having to stand on her tip toes to do so.
She marked a few more things on her clipboard. She made the mistake of asking Hermione a few questions to try and catch her out, which of course Hermione had no problem with answering.
"Well, this class seems adequately advanced for their level." Professor Umbridge conceded, she seemed a little disappointed by this fact, "Although I'm not sure how wise it is to teach them a potion like Strengthening Solution, I think the Ministry would much rather it was removed from the syllabus."
Professor Snape straightened up, "I see. And the reasoning behind that would be?"
"Well, I would have thought it was quite clear that Strengthening Solution could be very dangerous in the wrong hands." Umbridge said, in her sickly sweet voice.
"My job, as Potions teacher is to teach them a wide range of techniques. Strengthening Solution, like all my potions, have been carefully selected in order to teach the techniques they will need." Severus said carefully, "Further more all of the potions are disposed of carefully, without the students having any access to them."
Professor Umbridge gave him a tight smile and scribbled a few more notes, "Now you've been teaching her for how long?"
"Fourteen years, although I have taken a year off in all, six months when my wife was ill and another six months after my daughter was born." Professor Snape said.
"You applied first for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post, I believe?" Umbridge asked, watching a nearby potion turn from turquoise to orange.
"That is correct." Severus told her, "Zabini you need to stir in the other direction."
"But you were unsuccessful?" Umbridge asked, sticking her bottom lip out patronisingly.
Professor Snape's lips curled into a tight smile, "Obviously."
"And you have applied regularly for the post since you first joined the school?" Umbridge asked, writing away.
"Yes." Severus said, "We seem to have an uncanny knack for loosing our Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers, it's such a pity."
Harry snorted a laugh which he quickly managed to turn into a cough as Umbridge and Severus turned to look at him.
"Do you have any idea why Dumbledore has so consistently refused to appoint you?" Umbridge asked, with fake sympathy.
"I suggest you ask him, I wouldn't wish to put words in our headmaster's mouth." Severus said coolly.
"Oh, I will." Umbridge smiled.
"Is this really relevant?" Severus asked, after a few moments of her writing and not saying a word.
"Oh yes." Umbridge said smiling, "The Ministry wishes to have a thorough understanding of teachers… backgrounds."
Umbridge turned away and started to question Ron on his lessons and why his potion was now congealing horribly.
"Do you think she's going to blame Dad for Ron's awful potion making skills?" Harry whispered.
Pansy took the bottle he was about to pour into his potion and replaced it with another, "I don't know, but I think she will use everything she can to get her own way. Worst type of Slytherin, no morals at all."
Harry couldn't disagree there and focused again on his potion, making sure he followed every step. He placed his completed potion on Professor Snape's desk and smiled. Umbridge quickly walked over and picked it up, holding up to the light.
"Well I must say, I've seen better." she said, making another note on her annoying clipboard.
Harry dug his nails into his palms and forced a smile.
"You must have been very good at Potions, Professor Umbridge." Draco smiled.
"Yes Professor, what grade did you get for Potions?" Daphne asked.
Professor Umbridge gave them a tight smile, "Hem hem, I think you four best be running along to your next class."
Harry smirked and left the classroom, walking as slowly as he could to Divination until Pansy got annoyed and pulled him along so they weren't late.
Harry sat down, next to Ron and grimaced at the long list of dreams Ron had already laid out on the table.
Professor Trelawney stomped over and slammed 'The Dream Oracle' down on the desks.
"Is everything all right Professor?" Harry asked slowly, gingerly picking up his book like it was going to explode.
Professor Trelawney stomped back into her chair and threw herself into it, angry tears filling her eyes, "Get on with your work!" she snapped, "You know what to do, or am I such a sub-standard teacher you all don't know how to open a book?!"
Parvati Patil shuffled awkwardly in her seat, "Is there something wrong Professor?"
"Wrong?!" cried Professor Trelawney, "Certainly not! I have been insulted, certainly… insinuations have been made against me… unfounded accusations levelled… but no, there is nothing wrong, certainly not!" she took huge breaths, her body shaking with anger, looking away from Parvati and wiping her eyes with the corner of her shawl, "I say nothing, after sixteen years of devoted service… it has passed, apparently, unnoticed… but I shall not be insulted, no, I shall not!"
Harry tried to focus on his book. He guessed, correctly, that Professor Trelawney had gotten the report back from Professor Umbridge, her reaction left him little hope for Severus's own report.
Lavender and Parvati, however seemed not to put the pieces together.
"Who could be insulting you Professor?" Lavender asked, her eyes wide in shock.
Professor Trelawney took a deep dramatic breath, "The Establishment!" she cried, "Yes, those with eyes too clouded by the mundane to See as I see, to Know as I know… of course, we Seers have always been feared, always persecuted… it is, alas, our fate."
Parvati nodded, catching on, "Professor," she said slowly, "do you mean… is it something Professor Umbridge..."
Professor Trelawney looked deeply insulted, "Do NOT speak to me about that woman!" she cried, "Now, kindly continue with your work!"
Harry did his best to ignore Professor Trelawney's snippy comments about his likely hood of dying before the year was out, worsening his already awful mood. Choosing to quickly leave the room as soon as the bell rang.
He regretted it however, when he reached the Defence Against the Dark Arts class so quickly he was one of the first ones in. Umbridge smiled at him, her beady eyes following him to his seat and continuing to stare until the rest of the class had arrived.
"Good afternoon class." Umbridge said, straightening her black velvet bow.
"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge..." the class chanted back, wearily.
"Wands away, please." Umbridge said, shaking her head patronisingly.
There was no flurry of movement this time though; they had all learned that they wouldn't be using wands in this class while she was here.
Umbridge smiled so smugly Harry wanted to smack her, "Please turn to page thirty four of 'Defensive Magical Theory' and read the third chapter, entitled 'The Case for Non-Offensive Responses to Magical Attack". There will be no need to talk."
Harry tried to read through the never ending drawling of Wilbert Slinkhard, who had clearly never been in a fight in his life.
He strongly believed that any spell cast at another human being (the rules were more 'complex and varied' for non-humans as they were unpredictable) was completely unnecessary. Any violent situation could be resolved without the need for magic.
"I thought we would try something new today." Professor Umbridge said, half way through the lesson.
Half of the class sat up eagerly, one or two excited Gryffindors even reached for their wands.
"There will be no need for wands." Umbridge snapped, before plastering on her fake, broad smile again, "No, I thought we would see how much you learnt from chapters one and two in a little test!"
Harry groaned inwardly, only Umbridge could get this excited over a test. Umbridge pulled a large stack of papers from the top draw of her desk.
"Miss Parkinson, would you please be kind enough to hand these out? There are two pages to the test, with questions on both sides. There will be no need to talk."
Pansy stood up without a word and walked to the front of the class, her heeled court shoes echoed strangely throughout the classroom.
Umbridge raised an eyebrow, "Miss Parkinson, do you really think those shoes are appropriate for school?"
Pansy looked down, "I don't see why not Professor Umbridge." she smiled.
Umbridge walked forward, her own heel clicking away, "Miss Parkinson, you are a child."
Pansy gritted her teeth, "I'm fifteen, Professor Umbridge. Hardly a child."
"You are a child, and therefore it is not appropriate for you to dress like an adult, and that includes wearing high heeled shoes." Umbridge said sternly.
Pansy didn't say anything, not breaking eye contact with Umbridge.
"Well?" Umbridge said, the impatience breaking through her sickly sweet voice.
"I don't have any other shoes with me, Professor Umbridge. My parents thought that these were suitable." Pansy said.
"I can modify them so they are flat, practical, sensible school shoes." Umbridge said, holding out her hand of them.
Pansy gave her a look of distaste, "Professor Umbridge, with all due respect, these are two hundred and forty galleon shoes. I don't think my parents, who are on the board of governors, would be very happy if you 'modified' them."
"Well I suggest you take them off, and send for new ones as soon as possible." Umbridge whispered at her.
Pansy reached down and undid the buckle on her shoes, placing them neatly on her desk and handing out the tests.
Harry could feel his blood boil, gripping his book to stop him from yelling out and getting himself into more trouble.
The test was deadly dull, and Harry was fairly sure he had failed most of the questions, they mostly concerned exact quotes from the book, which he didn't remember in such detail.
"I can't believe she picked on your shoes!" Harry said, once they had left the class and were a safe distance away.
"Evil cow." Pansy hissed, "Typical, I'm finally allowed to wear heels and some bat-shit crazy teacher comes along and takes them away. Oh for the days of teachers who simply wanted to kill Harry." she laughed.
Harry smirked and rolled his eyes, "Yeah things were so much simpler back then. I mean, Quirrell might have had Voldemort stuck in the back of his head, but he never stole people's shoes!"
"I better write home for some new ones as well." Daphne said, "Can't imagine I'll be allowed them any more than you will."
Pansy nodded, "Yes, and you're taller than me, I'm surprised she didn't pick on you today."
"It's the clicking noise as well." Daphne sighed, "It makes you feel so important. And of course the wonderful, amazing, Professor Umbridge can be the only important person in the class."
"And she makes the most ridiculous clicking, scraping noise as she can hardly walk in such thin heels." Pansy grumbled, "I tell you what, I should send away for flats that are enchanted to make the clicking noise…"
"What a wonderful idea!" Daphne grinned.
"Girls are weird." Draco smirked.
Harry nodded, he couldn't argue there.