Alice is just 11 years old when she finds out she's a witch and has to attend a magic school. Her life's been pretty ordinary; although she has never known her true family, she's found one in her foster parents. However, everything will change when...
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"You applied first for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post, is that correct?" She began her questionnaire, a bit too strong in Alice's opinion, since everyone knew hers was Snape's dream position. Both professors stood next to the table where Alice and her group of classmates were brewing their potion tasks.
"Yes." Snape answered, slowly and not giving away any facial expression.
"But you were unsuccessful?" She continued, raising an eyebrow.
"Obviously."
Alice, sitting in between Ron and Daphne, heard how the redhead boy laughed at the situation. Luckily for him, Snape was being examined at the time so he only got a black look from him.
"And as I understand, this one is your niece?" Alice raised her head immediately, looking at Snape, whose eyes were already set on her. Why on earth would she bring her into this?
"First cousin once-removed, yes." He corrected Umbridge.
The toad-faced woman approached Alice with one of her now distinctive forced smiles. "How are your potion grades going, dear?"
Alice didn't know what to answer. If she would have broken eye contact with the professor, she would have noticed the whole class expecting her answer. "Erm... Good, I'd say."
"I wouldn't say good, exactly." Umbridge looked through her notes. "Actually, you're the best of the class." She continued reading and made a surprised face. "Interesting..." She did not say anything else, which just felt horrible for Alice. She obviously wanted to know what she was thinking.
"I hope you're not suggesting that Miss Prince gets her high marks as a product of preferential treatment, Professor Umbridge." Snape urged to say in a deep, firm voice. "My niece has proven to achieve successful grades in all of her subjects. I'm sure you can scrutinise that."
Alice's mouth dropped. That was the first time Snape called her his niece. Let alone, he just defended her in front of Umbridge, probably losing points in whatever system she'd made up.
"Well, I'll have to look into her relationships with the rest of the teaching staff." She said, putting away her quill and turning to leave the classroom. Alice came back to reality when Ron beside her snorted a laugh. Now that Umbridge wasn't present, he received a smack on the back of his head from Snape and an extra one on the arm from Alice.
That same afternoon, all 5th year prefects had to meet in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom for their own Umbridge inspection. They hadn't been all together in the same room yet, and Alice could now actually see that Harry hadn't been made prefect, but it was Ron instead.
As soon as Umbridge came into the room, the eight students stood straight next to the other, forming a line, Alice being on one of the edges.
"Could you please state your names?" Umbridge asked and started from the opposite end of the line, so Alice would be last. The first to be asked were Ron and Hermione, and with each presentation Umbridge gave away one of her 'lovely' remarks. After the Gryffindors came the Ravenclaws, Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil, of whom the woman had nothing bad to say, but didn't say anything good either. Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott had to suffer through a pretty nasty comment from the professor addressing Hannah's half-blood status. Eventually, it was the Slytherins turn.
