Angel of spring ✩ HP

𝚈𝟻 ࿐ 𝚒 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜

ᴀɴɢᴇʟ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴘʀɪɴɢ - 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙫𝙚

Angel and Kate sit near the back of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, where no one can notice them if they don't turn around. The students around them are distracted, laughing and tossing paper balls at the enchanted bird fluttering above their heads. Angel observes with mild interest, trying to ignore the anxiety gnawing at her insides. 

"Honestly," Kate says to Angel, leaning closer "you'd think they've never seen a paper bird before." She glances at the antics of the other students, a faint smile on her lips.

Angel nods, smiling at her friend's comment. "They're just bored." She watches the bird flit above Padma Patil's head, narrowly avoiding a crumpled piece of parchment aimed at it.

Just then, the bird bursts into flames, falling charred onto Padma and Parvati Patil's desk. The room goes deathly silent, the laughter extinguished as abruptly as the bird. A chill runs down Angel's spine at the sudden change in atmosphere.

From the back of the room, a thin, high-pitched voice breaks the silence. "Good morning, children." The words are sickly sweet, dripping with false cheer. Angel turns with the rest of the class to see Dolores Umbridge standing at the entrance, a smile plastered across her face as she begins to walk slowly towards the front. Every step she takes seems to tighten the knot in Angel's stomach.

Umbridge raises her wand with a flourish, as the words she speaks appear on the blackboard in a neat, precise handwriting. "Ordinary Wizarding Level Examinations. O! W! L!" She spells out each letter as if speaking to toddlers, her tone condescending. "More commonly known as OWLs! Study hard and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so, and the consequences may be severe." She gives a delicate shrug, the smile never leaving her face. Angel can barely suppress a shudder of revulsion. That voice, that smile–

With another wave of Umbridge's wand, stacks of books fly across the room, landing with soft thuds in front of each student. One lands on Angel's desk, and she eyes it warily, already sensing that this class is going to be different from any other she's had.

"Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly uneven," Umbridge continues, her voice grating on Angel's nerves. "But you'll be pleased to know, from now on, you will be following a carefully structured Ministry-approved course on defensive magic."

As the professor drones on, Angel notices Hermione Granger in the second row of desks, her hand raised high. Umbridge acknowledges her with a saccharine smile. "Yes?"

"There's nothing in here about using defensive spells," Hermione points out, her tone polite but firm.

Umbridge's response is laced with feigned surprise. "Using spells? Well, I can't imagine why you would need to use spells in my classroom." The chuckle that follows is thin and hollow, and Angel can almost see the calculated intention behind it.

Confusion spreads through the room as students exchange bewildered looks. Ron Weasley voices what everyone else is thinking. "We're not going to use magic?"

Umbridge's smile widens, if possible. "You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way."

Kate rolls her eyes "What use is that?" She whispers, clearly frustrated but careful not to draw attention.

Suddenly, Harry Potter speaks up from his desk in the center of the class, his tone sharp and challenging. "Well, what use is that, if we're going to be attacked it won't be risk-free." His frustration mirrors the growing tension in the room.

Angel nods in agreement to the both of them, replying to the friend beside her with a voice as low as possible "The Ministry wants us defenseless. Dumber, weaker, easier to manipulate." Her words are tinged with bitterness, and she wonders if Kate hears the fear behind them.