PRETENDING TO LIVE~ {The Lestrange Daughter #2}

𝟑𝟐. Decree

When Umbridge had announced things at Hogwarts would change, it hadn't been an empty threat. It all started with a decree sanctioned by the Minister himself; Dolores Umbridge had been named as Hogwarts High Inquisitor. This meant that she now had the legal right to interfere with the schools standard of education as she saw right.

The Daily Prophet released article after article, praising Umbridge as a revolutionary educator and nothing made Valentine's blood boil more to see her own cousin and friends chuckling over the paper.

They enjoyed the thinly veiled insults thrown at Dumbledore and Harry. Well, most did. Leah mostly spent her free time drawing pictures of cats riding dragons in her Herbology notebook. And Liam and Draco did a poor job of trying to hide it from Valentine, they knew of her hatred for Umbridge and often tried to cheer her up by reminding her that as long as Umbridge was around at all Harry wouldn't be receiving any special treatment.

She'd just scowl and tell them that they didn't need Umbridge to help them take down the likes of Harry Potter. There was nothing that could persuade her to have a single positive thought of the woman.

Once Umbridge had a firm grip on her desired power, she started scrutinising anything that didn't fit her image of what a school should have been.

Students in the halls would be picked out among their friends for wearing loose ties or not buttoning their shirt cuffs appropriately. Boys and girls holding hands and being generally publicly affectionate would be separated immediately. The Weasley's twins ' selection of magical sweets and prank items were completely banned. And there was nothing anyone could do about it, not even the teachers, because they were next on Umbridge's agenda.

Valentine sat in Potions with her friends, not doing her work, rather focusing on Snape as Umbridge circled around him like a vulture. Valentine thought she'd never seen a man look so uncomfortable in her life.

Umbridge would ask questions in that sickeningly sweet tone and jot down things on her clipboard. She would pry and prod, eliciting whatever responses she could from her victims. Snape stood there like a man in great pain and across the room Valentine could hear Ron chuckling to himself at the sceptic.

Umbridge asked about his application to the Defence Against the Dark Arts position and Valentine was surprised no murder occurred in that instance. It was one of Snape's many sore spots and they all knew it.

Snape just grunted out an 'obviously' when Umbridge asked if he'd been unsuccessful in achieving the position.

Valentine had felt the ridiculous need to laugh and if it hadn't been for Umbridge, she probably would have. The same happened to Professor Trelawney, who, unfortunately, could not play the stoic, unruffled educator that Snape had somehow managed to pull off.

Umbridge had given the woman that condescending smile as she questioned her every move. Valentine's friends sniggered under their breaths but she didn't join them. None of them had the particular aptitude for divination. Even Valentine, the smartest of them, would have to admit that it was her worst subject, but Valentine knew that Trelawney didn't deserve Umbridge's wrath.

The already timid woman only shivered under her gaze and when Umbridge asked for her to simply produce a prophecy, she stumbled. When Umbridge shook her head pitifully and went to leave Trelawney insisted that she had seen a future which in Umbridge was in great danger. It was quite dramatic, the whole class staring.

It was clear that Umbridge thought it was all lies, which it very well might have been. Regardless, Valentine hoped Trelawney was right.

Valentine wasn't in the school's choir and had not witnessed this herself, but a third-year Hufflepuff named Joshua had quickly spread the tale like wildfire. In a school like Hogwarts, there weren't any true secrets.