Tʜᴇ Dᴀʀᴋ Lᴏʀᴅ's Aɴɢᴇʟ | Tom Riddle √

36: The Pink Professor

"Good morning, children," a gentle voice spoke behind the class, interrupting the playful antics of the Patil twins' paper bird. How rude is she?

"Keep your mouth mute, Cassie," Draco hissed, observing my displeasure at the pinky-weird-looking lady's appearance.

"I'll try to remember," I shrugged, directing my attention downward to my desk. He rolled his eyes in response.

"Ordinary-Wizarding-Level-Examinations," Umbridge, the pinkish lady, walked into the class, conjuring the words on the blackboard with her wand. "O.W.Ls...." She emphasized each letter in a high-pitched tone. "More commonly known as OWLs."

She stood before the class, wearing the smile I never liked, although the other students seemed to appreciate her initially. Am I the only one who senses something sinister lurking behind her gentle facade?

"Study hard, and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so, and the consequences may be severe," she cautioned, pointing her wand at the textbooks on her desk, making them soar onto everyone's workspace.

"Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly uneven."

"Like she was here last year, nonsense at all," I muttered, the sound of her voice grating on my eardrums. I glanced at the colourful textbook cover before leafing through its pages.

"I would like anyone who wishes to speak to raise their hand," her voice echoed in my direction. I looked up from the textbook and felt Draco jab me with his foot under the table. I never thought we'd get caught, given our position at the back corner of the class.

Her gaze bore into mine with that unsettling smile. Oh, no!

"Miss?" Her voice remained gentle.

"Black, Cassiopeia Black," I replied, meeting her gaze directly. For some reason, I wasn't afraid of her but rather disgusted.

"Miss. Black, would you mind sharing what you were talking about?" Her brows arched, though she maintained her pretense of gentleness.

"I—I was just curious about the subject. I felt you could explain things more thoroughly, yes. I was just excited about the way you talk from the beginning," I lied, forcing a polite smile. "Sorry if I disturbed you."

She nodded, turning her attention to the other students in the class. I noticed the glare that Draco shot my way from the corner of my eye but brushed it off, focusing on the pinkish lady as she continued from where she left off.

"Well, where were we?" She asked, casting a glance at the students who remained silent, their eyes now fixed on the new textbooks they had just received. "You'll be pleased to know that from now on, you will be following a carefully structured, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic."

Hermione raised her hand, and Umbridge acknowledged her with a nod. "Yes?"

"There's nothing in here about using defensive spells?" Hermione's curious voice questioned. I quickly turned the pages and discovered that she was right. What kind of game is she planning to play, really?

"Using spells?" Her high-pitched giggle echoed. "Well, I can't imagine why you would need to use spells in my classroom."

Is this woman dense? Learning spells should involve actually using magic, not just memorizing theory. What's the point otherwise?

She approached Hermione as Ron voiced another question. "We're not gonna use magic?"

"You'll be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way," Umbridge explained with a smile.

"What use is that? If we're attacked, it won't be risk-free," Harry remarked nonchalantly. Finally, someone who shares my opinion.

"Students will raise their hands when they speak," her voice stern as she walked back to the front of the class. She then turned to face us, wearing that annoyingly gentle smile. "It is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be sufficient to get you through your examinations, which, after all, is what school is all about."

"And how is theory supposed to prepare us for what's out there?" Harry questioned once again, his tone reflecting his frustration.

"There's nothing out there, my dear," she kindly remarked. "Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe Lord Voldemort," Harry responded quickly, causing whispers to ripple through the classroom. Her lips trembled, struggling not to lose her smile.

"May I ask something, Professor?" I raised my hand, deciding to join the conversation. It felt like a debate, and I wanted to voice my opinion.

"Yes, Miss. Black?" She looked at me with an impressed expression, possibly because I had followed her instruction to raise my hand.

"In my view, I agree with Harry because what is out there is genuinely terrifying. What if Lord Voldemort does try to attack us, and we aren't prepared?" I said, trying to maintain a calm tone. More whispers circulated through the classroom. Draco facepalmed and shook his head as he glanced at me.

"Now, let me make this quite plain," she said, pacing along the class. "You have been told that a certain wizard is at large once again. This is a lie."

Is she insane? He's real! Tom Riddle is out there as Voldemort, killing anyone who stands in his way. Yet the woman from the Ministry is claiming it's a lie.

"It's not a lie. I saw him. I fought him," Harry raised his voice, unable to contain his frustration any longer.

"Detention, Mr. Potter," she yelled as she returned to the front of the class.

My patience had worn thin. "Seriously? When someone speaks the truth, the Ministry's response is to give students detention?" My voice raised involuntarily as I couldn't stand her any longer. "And I think you're well aware that a Hogwarts student was murdered by Lord Voldemort."

"Who said he was murdered by him, Miss. Black? Did you see it?" She asked, rendering me momentarily speechless. A few seconds later, Harry began to speak.

"So, according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord?" Harry snapped, his voice filled with anger.

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident," she insisted, her voice still raised.

"Are you blind or deaf not to see it as a tragic accident? How dare you?" I fumed, clenching my fists. "He was murdered by Voldemort, and why are you pretending not to know?"

"Yes, it was murder. Voldemort killed him, and you know it," Harry argued flatly.

"Enough!!!" She barked, startling the entire class, including me. My heart pounded in my chest at her sudden outburst.

"Enough!!!" Her voice quickly returned to a calm tone, and she plastered on a faint smile. "See me later, Mr. Potter, and you too, Miss. Black. My office."

In the end, her nauseating giggle made it seemlike nothing had happened.

A/N

This is to thank each and everyone who's reading the story, voting and commenting on it making me encourage to continue the story!!!

Thank you for staying with the story :)

Hope you guys enjoy!!!

~ monoceros_x💕