The Enemy of my Enemy

The Classroom Inquiries'

Despite being made High Inquisitor, Umbridge was not in any of Teddie's first three lessons that morning. But, when she arrived for Defense Against the Dark Arts that afternoon, she learned from Blaise and Daphne that the old toad had been in their last lesson, Divination.

"She followed Trelawney around like a buzzard after a kill," said Blaise. "That poor woman."

Daphne nodded her agreement. "I mean, I'm not Trelawney's biggest fan, but still. Umbridge had no right to treat her the way she did."

"She all-but demanded a prediction," said Blaise, shaking his head.

Theo furrowed his brow. "But predictions don't work like that," he said.

"That's what Trelawney said," said Daphne. "But Umbridge was insistent. She marked something down on her clipboard and went to leave, so Trelawney said she'd be in great danger."

Teddie rolled her eyes. "That's not going to help matters," she said. "Everyone thinks Trelawney is a quack. The more 'dangerous' a prediction the more satisfied she is."

"I think Potter would agree with you," said Daphne. "She read out some of his dream diary today, you could tell that he faked half of it, but she reckons he's going to die while changing his socks."

Teddie and Theo snorted.

As they were in the process of unpacking their Defensive Magical Theory books, Umbridge entered the Defense classroom, smiling to herself as she approached her desk.

"Wands away," Umbridge instructed, setting her belongings down and turning to face her class. "As we finished chapter one last lesson, I would like you all to turn to chapter nineteen today and read chapter two. There will be no need to talk," she added, looking around at them all.

"No need to think is more like," Daphne muttered.

Teddie bit her lip, hard, to keep from laughing out loud. She wouldn't have put it past Umbridge to give her a detention for showing the slightest bit of happiness at this point.

Flipping to page nineteen, Teddie read the title – Common Defensive Theories and Their Derivation. The fifteen-year-old heaved a sigh, rested her elbow on the edge of the desk and perched her chin on the ball of her hand. While she did love reading, mostly mythologies, this was starting to get tedious. She had always been a more practical and visual learner, preferring to see something happening as opposed to just reading about it.

Suddenly, a folded-up piece of paper landed on Teddie's book. She blinked and glanced up, finding Daphne flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder. With a quick glance at Umbridge, Teddie unfolded the paper and furrowed her brow at the scratched words before her.

'Don't look now, but Granger's at it again.'

Teddie glanced over to the Gryffindor side of the room and, low and behold, Hermione sat with her hand in the air. Harry had always noticed, as did many other students in the class.

Umbridge, it seemed, had worked out a strategy. Instead of addressing Hermione straight out, and disrupting the class – not that it mattered, half of the students were watching Hermione anyway – she picked herself up, walked around the front desk, and leaned down to whisper to Hermione.

Despite her lips moving, no one but Harry, Ron, and Hermione could hear what Umbridge was saying.

"I've already read Chapter Two," said Hermione, in her normal voice.

Umbridge said again in a low voice.

"I've read that, too. I've read the whole book."

Teddie glanced at Daphne. The blonde smirked, and Teddie couldn't help but wonder what Umbridge would do now.