Ethereal

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The Order of The Phoenix

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But Sadie did not have to wait for Defence Against the Dark Arts to meet Professor Umbridge. She was pulling out her dream diary in a seat at the very back of the shadowy Divination room when Ron elbowed her in the ribs and, looking around, she saw Professor Umbridge emerging through the trapdoor in the floor. Sadie nudged Harry and he looked around to where Sadie was looking and his eyes went wide. The class, which had been talking cheerily, fell silent at once. The abrupt fall in the noise level made Professor Trelawney, who had been wafting about handing out copies of The Dream Oracle, look around.

"Good afternoon, Professor Trelawney," said Professor Umbridge with her wide smile. "You received my note, I trust? Giving the time and date of your inspection?"

Professor Trelawney nodded curtly and, looking very disgruntled, turned her back on Professor Umbridge and continued to give out books. Still smiling, Professor Umbridge grasped the back of the nearest armchair and pulled it to the front of the class so that it was a few inches behind Professor Trelawney's seat. She then sat down, took her clipboard from her flowery bag and looked up expectantly, waiting for the class to begin.

Professor Trelawney pulled her shawls tight about her with slightly trembling hands and surveyed the class through her hugely magnifying lenses.

"We shall be continuing our study of prophetic dreams today," she said in a brave attempt at her usual mystic tones, though her voice shook slightly. "Divide into groups of three, please, and interpret each others latest night-time visions with the aid of the Oracle."

She made as though to sweep back to her seat, saw Professor Umbridge sitting right beside it, and immediately veered left towards Tracy, Parvati and Lavender, who were already deep in discussion about Parvati's most recent dream.

Sadie opened her copy of The Dream Oracle, watching Umbridge covertly. She was already making notes on her clipboard. After a few minutes she got to her feet and began to pace the room in Trelawney's wake, listening to her conversations with students and posing questions here and there. Sadie bent her head hurriedly over her book.

"Think of a dream, quick," she told Harry and Ron, "in case the old toad comes our way."

"I did it last time," Ron protested, "it's your turn, you tell me one."

"Shit," said Sadie desperately, who could not remember dreaming anything at all over the last few days. "Let's say I dreamed I was. . . . drowning Snape in my cauldron. Yeah, that'll do. . . ."

Ron chortled as he opened his Dream Oracle.

"OK, we've got to add your age to the date you had the dream, the number of letters in the subject," he said, "would that be "drowning" or "cauldron" or "Snape"?"

"It doesn't matter, pick any of them," said Sadie, chancing a glance behind her with Harry copying. Professor Umbridge was now standing at Professor Trelawney's shoulder making notes while the Divination teacher questioned Neville about his dream diary.

"What night did you dream this again?" Ron said, immersed in calculations.

"I dunno, last night, whenever you like," Sadie told him, trying to listen to what Umbridge was saying to Professor Trelawney. They were only a table away from her, Harry and Ron now. Professor Umbridge was making another note on her clipboard and Professor Trelawney was looking extremely put out.

"Now," said Umbridge, looking up at Trelawney, "you've been in this post how long, exactly?"

Professor Trelawney scowled at her, arms crossed and shoulders hunched as though wishing to protect herself as much as possible from the indignity of the inspection. After a slight pause in which she seemed to decide that the question was not so offensive that she could reasonably ignore it, she said in a deeply resentful tone, "Nearly sixteen years."