My Father's Only Rule {DRACO MALFOY X SNAPE'S DAUGHTER}

Chapter Four: Umbitch

September 1995 - Hogwarts

Reading Harry was impossible. Normally I would have made the move myself, but the more I thought about the differences between Harry, Draco, and Cedric, the more scared I got.

Draco and I were obsessed with each other from the second our eyes met. There was always something there. It was obvious, even if it took us a little while to get together. Our friendship developed with our romantic feelings. Cedric was almost the same way. He immediately made it obvious that he was interested and our friendship didn't really develop until after we broke up. Harry is the only one who was genuinely my friend first. He was the only one who didn't know I was obsessed with him. It was the first time I was driven crazy waiting for someone to make a move.

And I was totally smitten. He distracted me during quidditch practice. I let my grades slip (just a teeny bit) because I'd rather spend my class time thinking about him. Jane was the only one who knew, and she teased me about it constantly. I was dropping so many hints, but Harry just wasn't catching on.

On September 28th, 1995, I turned 16. But not a lot of people knew about it. Harry, Ron, and Hermione never bothered to ask when my birthday is. The only people who really knew were Jane, Blaise, and Draco. And the only person who even still cared was Jane. And because I wasn't a Slytherin anymore, there was no rager in the common room for me. Instead, my day started out with a bad beginning to my favorite class.

Hermione and I sat next to each other in defense against the dark arts and in the row across from us sat Harry and Ron. Everyone was fooling around with a paper bird or something like that until Professor Umbridge set fire to it, and we all turned around to look at her.

"Good morning children," she said pleasantly. She walked down the aisle between desks and used her wand to write on the board at the front.

"Ordinary Wizarding Level Exams. O.W. Ls. More commonly known as OWLS. Study hard, and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so, and the consequences may be severe." Everything about her was uncanny. She talked to us as if she wanted us to fail. With a wave of her wand, the stack of textbooks on her desk passed themselves out to each of us.

"Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly...uneven. But you'll be pleased to know, from now on, you'll be following a carefully structured, ministry-approved course of defense of magic."

Hermione flipped vigorously through her book, then raised her hand.

"There's nothing in here about using defensive spells," she pointed out.

"Using spells?" Umbridge scoffed. "I can't imagine why you would need to use spells in my class.

"We're not going to use magic?" Ron asked.

"You'll be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way."

"Well, what use is that?" Harry said. "If we're gonna be attacked it won't be risk-free."

"Students will raise their hands when they speak in my class," Umbridge snapped. Harry and I exchanged side eyes. "It is the view of the ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be sufficient to get you through your examinations, which after all, is what school is all about."

"How is theory supposed to prepare us for what's out there?" I asked.

"There is nothing out there, dear," Umbridge said. "Who do you imagine would want to attack children like yourselves?"

"Oh, I don't know," I said sarcastically. "Maybe lord Voldemort." An eerie silence filled the room as Hermione looked at me like I was crazy for saying his name.

"Now let me make this quite plain," Umbridge said, walking towards us. "You have been told that a certain dark wizard is at large once again. This is a lie."

"It's not a lie," Harry announced. "I saw him. I fought him!"

"Detention, Mr. Potter!"

"So according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord?" I asked her.

"Detention for you as well, Miss Snape. Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident."

"It was murder!" I shouted.

"Voldemort killed him!" Harry said. "You must know that!"

"Enough!" Umbridge shrieked. Then she calmed down as Harry and I exchanged worried looks. "See me later Mr. Potter. And Miss Snape. My office."

And now I had detention on my birthday. I had detention on my birthday...with Harry Potter.