His Wife | Severus Snape x OC

seventy-one

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‹ MiraaChe ‹ has posted a new chapter!- ͙۪۪̥˚

┊❛ welcome to chapter seventy-one❜┊˚ ͙۪۪̥◌

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McGonagall's sharp gaze followed Umbridge as they stood on the marble staircase, their conversation drawing unwanted attention from the surrounding students. McGonagall's discomfort was clear, though she maintained her composure.

"Come now, Dolores," McGonagall began, her voice steady but firm, "you must admit such behavior is irregular, to say the least. Furthermore—"

Umbridge interrupted with a saccharine smile, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Pardon me, Professor, but what exactly are you insinuating?"

McGonagall's expression didn't falter. "I am insinuating nothing," she replied coolly. "I am merely requesting that when it comes to my students, you conform to the prescribed disciplinary practices."

As the crowd of students began to gather, Harry, watching from the sidelines, noticed Neville standing among them. Neville met Harry's gaze with a look of guilty defiance, his shoulders stiff. Harry's surprise softened into gratitude, and Neville, looking sheepish, offered a small shrug.

Umbridge deliberately stepped up the marble staircase, her eyes gleaming with false sweetness. "So silly of me, but it sounds as though you're questioning my authority in my own classroom... Minerva," she said, her voice dripping with condescension as she emphasized McGonagall's first name.

Not one to be intimidated, McGonagall stepped up as well, her chin held high. "Not at all, Dolores. Merely your medieval methods."

Umbridge's face took on an exaggerated expression of pity and sadness, but the look in her eyes was cold. "I am sorry, dear... but to question my practices is to question the Ministry—and, by extension, the Minister himself. I am a tolerant woman, but the one thing I cannot stand for is disloyalty."

"Disloyalty?" McGonagall's voice sharpened, the word hanging in the air like a challenge.

The students around them went quiet, their eyes wide as they watched the exchange unfold. Even Harry felt a tension building, a battle of wills playing out in front of them all. Umbridge, basking in the attention, gave a slight, smug smile as she looked out at the students.

"Things at Hogwarts are far worse than I feared," she said, her voice filled with mock concern. "Cornelius will want to take immediate action."

McGonagall's eyes narrowed, and without breaking her gaze, she calmly spoke, "Immediate action? You mean, like the time Professor Rosabelle threatened you over her students?"

The name Rosabelle seemed to strike a nerve in Umbridge, and she flinched, though she quickly masked it with her usual, fake smile. McGonagall's eyes glinted, knowing she had touched a sensitive subject.

"Rosabelle always keeps me well-informed of your... methods," McGonagall continued, her voice low but sharp. "You may not have realized, Dolores, but gossip among women travels quickly, and there are a great many of us who will not stand by and watch you treat our students like subjects in one of your cruel games."

Umbridge's face paled, and she pressed her lips into a tight line. The crowd of students, though silent, seemed to buzz with the tension of the moment.

McGonagall stepped down the staircase slowly, never taking her eyes off Umbridge. "So if you plan to bring 'immediate action' here," she said, her voice dangerously calm, "I suggest you tread carefully. You'll find you're not as untouchable as you believe."