Lost Memories

xxix. bloodlines

Over a week of problems between Professor Umbridge's detentions; Draco's harassment during a practice– which Ron got Keeper for; and two interesting Daily Prophet articles, one about a break-in at the Ministry and someone reporting Sirius Black is hiding— I hadn't expected this horrible news Hermione had read from her Monday morning post. The newspaper to reveal a large photograph of Dolores Umbridge, smiling widely and blinking slowly at us from beneath the headline:

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

" 'High Inquisitor'?" said Harry darkly, his half-eaten bit of toast slipping from his fingers. "What does that mean?"

"That means she's basically a curriculum inspector and has the power to change the way Hogwarts functions," I groan, pushing my breakfast away.

"Lovely," Harry breathed.

Feeling anxious, we ran down to Snape's dungeon where we arrived for our double Potions, where Harry was handed a large, spiky black D scrawled in at the top of his paper.

"I have awarded you the grades you would have received if you presented this work in your O.W.L," said Snape with a smirk, as he swept among us, passing back our homework. "This should give you a realistic idea of what to expect in your examination."

Snape reached the front of the class and turned to face the class.

"The general standard of this homework was abysmal— only one O. I expect to see a great deal more effort for this week's essay on the various varieties of venom antidotes or I shall have to start handing out detentions to those dunces who get D's."

Looking over my essay, I looked at the shiny O next to my name. From the corner of my eye, I could see Harry's disappointing grade and Hermione's gaze, trying to see what I'd gotten. Folding my essay in half, I slid the essay into my bag and pulled out my quill to take notes.

"Well, that wasn't as bad as last week, was it?" said Hermione, as we climbed the steps out of the dungeon and made our way across the entrance hall toward lunch. "And the homework didn't go too badly either, did it?"

None of us spoke as she continued talking about Snape's grading system, "I mean all right, I didn't expect the top grade, not if he's marking to O.W.L. standards, but a pass is quite encouraging at this stage. I'd just like to know who had gotten the O in our class."

Hermione continued talking, trying to hint to us to tell her our grades, as we made our way to the Great Hall.

"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 together at the Gryffindor table.

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

"Hermione," irritability present in my voice, "if you want to know what grades we got, just ask."

"I don't — I didn't mean — well if you want to tell me —"

"I got a P," said Ron, ladling soup into his bowl. "Happy?"

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

" 'Poor,' yeah," said Lee Jordan, who had just arrived at the table with Fred and George and was sitting down on Harry's right. "Still, better than D, isn't it? 'Dreadful'?"

"So top grade's O for 'Outstanding,' " she was saying, "and then there's A —"

"No, E," George corrected her, "E for 'Exceeds Expectations.'"