Discovery

47.

My hand finally seemed to be healing, but just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, they did.

MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM
DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED FIRST-EVER "HIGH INQUISITOR"

"'High Inquisitor'?" said Harry darkly. "What does that mean?"

Hermione began to read the article aloud.

"'This is an exciting new phase in the Minister's plan to get grips with what some are calling the "falling standards" at Hogwarts,' said Weasley. 'The Inquisitor will have powers to inspect her fellow educators and make sure that they are coming up to scratch. Professor Umbridge has been offered this position in addition to her own teaching post, and we are delighted to say she has accepted.'"

"I can't believe this." Hermione breathed. "It's outrageous..."

"I know it is," said Harry.

I looked at Ron, who was grinning slightly.

"What?" I said, staring at him.

"Oh, I can't wait to see McGonagall inspected," said Ron happily. "Umbridge won't know what's hit her."

"Well, come on," said Hermione, jumping up, "we'd better get going, if she's inspecting Binn's class we don't want to be late..."

Luckily, Umbridge wasn't inspecting our History of Magic lesson, nor was she in the dungeon when we arrived for double Potions, where Snape began class by passing back our moonstone essays.

"I have awarded you the grades you would have received if you presented this work in your O.W.L.," he said with a smirk. "This should give you a realistic idea of what to expect in your examination."

When I got my paper back, I saw a large P scrawled in the corner.

"What did you get?" Ron whispered in my ear.

I pushed my essay toward him. He did the same, and I saw the same P written on the parchment.

By the end of the lesson, I was rather proud of my Strengthening Solution, which was almost the same shade of turquoise that Hermione's was.

I handed in a flask of my solution to Snape's desk and headed out of the dungeons with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Well, that wasn't as bad as last week, was it?" said Hermione, as we climbed the stairs and approached the entrance hall.

No one replied, so Hermione pressed on. "Of course, a lot can happen between now and the exam, we've got plenty of time to improve, but the grades we're getting now are a sort of baseline, aren't they? Something we can build on..."

We sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"Obviously, I'd have been thrilled if I'd gotten an O—"

"Hermione," said Ron sharply, "if you want to know what grades we got, ask."

"I don't— I didn't mean—"

"I got a P," said Ron. "Happy?"

"Well, that's nothing to be ashamed of," said Fred, squeezing in beside me. George and Lee sat down on Harry's right. "Nothing wrong with a good healthy P."

"But," said Hermione, "doesn't P stand for..."

"'Poor', yeah," said Lee. "Still, better than D, isn't it? 'Dreadful'?"

"What'd you get?" Fred elbowed me as I spooned some soup into my mouth.

"Same as your brother," I said.