With Love, || N.B.

𝑺𝒊𝒙𝒕𝒚-𝒐𝒏𝒆

A newspaper was in almost students' hand at breakfast.

"What the bloody hell is a 'High Inquisitor'?"

"She's the Devil himself."

"Maybe worse."

"I can't tell the difference between either of them."

Every teacher had become rigid. Now that there was an 'inquisitor' at the school, any one of them could be sacked, and Eleonora had already been sacked once.

"I bet I'll be the first to go," Eleonora mumbled while grading assignments with Professor Sprout. "It's not even a real class. I believe Dumbledore called it, 'Complex Theory to Defense Against the Dark Arts' when we discussed it before school started." She paused grading and started laughing, "I mean it's obvious to everyone that he made it up. I've had to create a whole new curriculum! There are no textbooks titled, 'Complex Theory to Defense Against the Dark Arts: Turning Theory into Practice'. And it definitely wasn't approved by the ministry."

Pomona chuckled, "Umbridge must seethe every time she sees you."

"Fudge fired me from my position as Auror, and now I'm training our eldest students," Eleonora began giggling again, "in, what he calls, 'combat'."

"He actually called it combat?" Pomona snickered.

Eleonora sighed, "He did. If you think Umbridge is seething, Fudge is horn-mad."

The following morning there was a letter at Eleonora's breakfast spot. She picked up and opened it, reading:

Professor Murphy,

Your classroom inquiry will take place today at 10 o'clock sharp.

Please be prepared for any questioning that might take place.

Delores Jane Umbridge

Hogwarts High Inquisitor

Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic

Eleonora looked up from the words, and just a few seats down sat professor Umbridge, sitting in her chair and eyeing Eleonora over the rim of her tea cup.

"Good morning, class," Eleonora greeted brightly as the sixth years took their seats. She stood at the front of the class with reading glasses perched on her nose as she called out names for attendance.

"Right," she began, "now that that's over with, I believe last class we had finished disc-"

"Hem, hem."

Off to the side of the room, Professor Umbridge stood with her pink clipboard and her wide, cheery smile.

"I presume that you received my note about my inquiry this morning?" Umbridge chirped.

Eleonora stared blankly at her, "Ye-Yes, you watched me read it." After answering Umbridge's question, she turned her focus back to her students. "As I was saying, last class we finished our lecture on dementors."

Across the room, as Umbridge began moving about, she grew increasingly rigid, trying to keep her composure.

"Now, the second dark creature we'll be learning about this year are inferi-or the inferius. These creatures aren't really creatures at all, however. They were once regular wizards and witches like you and-I'm sorry." Eleonora stopped mid-sentence as she watched Umbridge begin a discussion with a student. "Professor Umbridge, how do you expect my students to learn a thing if you're speaking to them during my lecture?"

"I was simply asking her a question," Umbridge said, and though it was with a smile, it was clear that she was peeved.

"You can ask her a question after my lecture is over," Eleonora responded coolly. "But as of right now, you're in my classroom, during my time, and more importantly, my students' time. Therefore, you will let me teach, and you will let my students learn. Or is that not what school is all about?"

The rest of the class went by smoothly, and when the students filed out for their next classes, Eleonora returned to her desk to file away pieces of parchment from the last couple of classes.

"So, how long have you been teaching, Professor Murphy?" Umbridge asked, strolling up to the desk.

Eleonora sighed, "Less than two, but I was stationed here in 1993 when Sirius Black escaped Azkaban, and then Professor Dumbledore asked me to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts the following year."

"I see," Umbridge mumbled, jotting something down on her clipboard. "And at the same time this was going on, did you or did you not coerce a member of the Sacred Eight into having an affair?"

Eleonora blanked. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Coerce? I didn't coerce anyone. I'm sorry, how on Earth does that have anything to do with my teaching?"

"Well," Umbridge mused, "I can't say a good teacher creates scandals out of their name. I'm sure your students-and even some staff-lost a reasonable amount of respect towards you."

Every word that came out of this woman's mouth made her anger boil more and more. "Do you think I'd be back here teaching if my students and colleagues-specifically Headmaster Dumbledore-had lost respect and faith in my skills as a teacher?"

"Well, my dear," Umbridge chuckled, "I think we can both agree that the Headmaster is not in his right mind."

A/N: Okay pretty short chapter, but I think it's a good buffer, also sorry if you got angry mb bbg just look forward to the next chapter with cissa. it should be coming soon. I start my new job at a children's hospital on monday so i'm trying to get out as much as possible before I have absolutely no free time anymore:)