'Tell Me Pretty Lies,' by moongirlel

Chapter 73: Putrid Pink Toad

[you should see me in the crown - Billie Eilish]

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Fri. 1st September 1995 - 7:52pm...

Rounding the corner to the Great Hall, I brushed down my school uniform, straightening up the snake badge on my tie. Another small gift from Draco. "Now our uniforms are neat, and matching." He had stated whilst giving it to me.

"Miss. Potter."

Upon hearing Professor Snape's voice, I look up. "Professor?"

"I do hope your Animagus transform is complete, and was successful." He retracted both of his arms behind his back.

I nod, "Yes, it was."

"And?" His eyebrow lifts. "Your form?"

"Oh, um... a red fox." I respond quietly.

His head tilts down in acknowledgement, "Very well. Do enjoy your dinner this evening."

And with that, he left.

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The door of the hall swung open automatically, and I entered.

Immediately, students turned and whispered once they seen me. Some pointed, gesturing to the left side of their faces: some simply glared.

Over the summer, Sirius and Remus consoled me, reassuring me that although the injury was permanent, the emotional turmoil wasn't.

As true as this was, I just wish it didn't hurt as much.

Now it was just another part of my appearance. No matter how much I wish I didn't have it as a scar, it was still there.

A harsh reminder of last year, and the reality I lived in.

Taking my usual place at the Slytherin table, other students entered. Soon, we all settled down, in time for Professor Dumbledore to stand.

Dinner appeared before us, and Dumbledore took his position behind his owl podium.

"Welcome to yet another year at Hogwarts! I start this year's welcoming speech with terrible news," He held onto the podium, tapping his fingers against them for a minute.

"Professor Lupin has unfortunately decided to leave us again, however I am pleased to announce his departure was of his own choosing and he wishes you all the best in your studies this year."

I pick up my cup, sipping on my pumpkin juice. The only words I was interested in which came out of Dumbledore's mouth was Remus' leaving explanation.

After all, him and Sirius have practically become uncles to me and Harry, and we all live under the same roof now too. Like a proper family.

Clapping his hands, I was snapped out of my thoughts. "This year, the role of the Defence Against The Dark Arts Professor shall be upheld by none other than the Minister's most loyal Senior Undersecretary, Ms. Dolores Jane Umbridge. Now, I do wish our fifth years—"

"Ahem." In the far corner of the teacher's table, next to Snape, a very short woman hopped off her chair. She cleared her throat, interrupting the headmaster. Even Snape seemed confused by her rude and sudden reaction.

Her neck and chin lost in the puffy, unkempt nature of her rather obscure pink coat. Her giggle almost made me throw up. She walked forward, standing next to Dumbledore.

"Good evening, children." She smiled — If you can even call it that — Glancing around at us. "It is an honour to be standing before you all this evening. As your new Professor, I am pleased to announce my gratitude for your dearly beloved headmaster, who agreed on this arrangement with the Ministry. It is for the good nature of your school. And, I will do my very best, to ensure the safety and security of your learning environment is performed properly."

Why is this pink toad speaking?

Dumbledore stared at her, trying to finish his previous sentence off. "Yes, thank you. As I was saying, I wish our—"

"And look at you all!" She lifts both of her hands, folding them neatly in front of her stomach. "Such wonderful, happy faces... smiling up at me."

Is this woman for real?

What the hell is she on?

"I want what she's having," Theodore muttered, covering his face to prevent the Professors from spotting him laughing.

Beside me, Draco chuckles, placing his hand over his mouth. "Delusional tendencies. I've seen cases like these in women who try to wear far too much salmon pink."

I, too, let out a tiny giggle, hiding my face in my cup.

Waiting for her strange speech to finish, Dumbledore weakly clapped his hands. "Thank you... Professor, for that inspiring message."

Umbridge returned to her seat.

"As I was saying, I wish all of our fifth years, sixth years and seventh years good luck on revising for their O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts this year. The exam timetable shall be given to you all after the fourth week of classes, so fret not, you have plenty of time. Your mock exams are optional, but please do try your utmost efforts and complete them, as they can support your final grades as well. That's all from me."

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7:45pm...

Retreating to our common room after dinner, we took our time walking the hallways.

"I mean, who does she think she is?" Pansy sighed dramatically, admiring her face in her small pocket mirror.

"Uh... The new Professor?" Theodore joked, to which Daphne elbowed his stomach. "Ow. And the abuse continues."

"No, seriously— And who wears that much pink?" Pansy proceeds to wave her arms around, "I have a decent rage of colour theory knowledge, but that woman breaks all of the rules. And not in a good way. There's art, then there's a whole bloody disaster. And she's managed to create her own category."

"It's not that serious." Draco muttered, "She'll probably leave at the end of the year like every other Professor for that class."

"True, and think of it this way... if she is part of the Ministry, perhaps we will learn more additional lessons?" Daphne grins widely.

"I wouldn't exactly worry about getting our hopes up. The Ministry isn't known for being kind to us." I comment, lacing my fingers with Draco's. "If anything, she's most likely going to work against our studies, then lie about the potential outcomes in the Daily Prophet."

"And how she managed to come up with those results in the first place," Blaise adds. "If she's a Senior Undersecretary, she's sneaky. And she knows how to play games to make herself look like the victim; to get what she wants."

"She's barely been in the building for two hours and we're already creating a conspiracy theory about her." Draco groaned, "But we should be smart about this. If she offers any sort of extra credit, or anything similar, we should take it. Perhaps we'd end up with less of a chance of her talking shit about us to the Minister if we do."

And, we all agreed.

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