Harry Potter and the Ties that Bind

Chapter 39

In the week following Headmaster Dumbledore's forced resignation, the school had lost the sense of security that had once encompassed it. Perhaps it was merely his imagination. However, to Harry, it felt like the warm and comforting presence that Hogwarts once boasted had evaporated with the headmaster's departure.

A lot had changed in the following days, and it wasn't in a good way. Students no longer loitered in the courtyards or hallways. They hurried from class to class, barely talking, barely looking at anyone else. It was like everyone had become afraid of their own shadows.

As a silver lining, the All-House Common Room had become exceedingly popular. A lot of people spent time there after class, during breaks, or whenever they had some free time. It seemed everyone had come to the conclusion that there was safety in numbers, and it couldn't be more safe than when all four houses congregated in a single place.

On the other hand, because it was so popular, the common room for all houses was often crowded. With so many people gathered there, Harry felt uncomfortable because he couldn't talk about anything serious with his friends.

Which was why they were using the Chamber of Secrets as their new de facto meeting place.

"What do you think of the new headmistress?" asked Blaize. He was sitting on a couch, in front of the coffee table, playing chess against Terry. The look of concentration that he wore, eyes staring at the board without blinking, made him look several years older than his thirteen years of life suggested.

"What do I think?" Terry parroted as he moved a pawn. "I think she's a right hag is what I think."

"Agreed. I don't like her much either." Blaize moved one of his rooks.

Their new headmistress had arrived just yesterday, and Harry already didn't like her. He couldn't place a finger on it, not really, but something about her, a vile aura that seemed to emit from her disgusting pink cardigan, repulsed him. Blaize and Terry seemed to share his opinion.

The day she had arrived at Hogwarts was one that he wished he could erase from his memory:

It was late in the evening. The Great Hall was crowded with students eating dinner. Harry and his friends sat together, along with Astoria, Luna, and Ginny, who seemed to be doing better these days. If nothing else, the redhead smiled a lot more, though she also had a horrible habit of staring blankly at nothing. He'd once caught her gazing at a wall for nearly fifteen minutes. She might have been there longer if he hadn't snapped her out of it.

Conversations were no longer loud but quiet and sparse. Harry believed it was because of the fear permeating the school. Everyone was afraid of what might happen now that Dumbledore was gone.

"Hey, who is that?" asked Astoria as she pointed to someone at the teacher's table.

Harry looked over to see all of the teachers eating with them. That was a rare occurrence. Most teachers took their meals in their rooms after the first day, except for the Heads of Houses, who always ate with the students, and Hagrid, who just loved being around people.

Sitting among the faculty was another person who Harry didn't recognize: a woman with a pudgy face that reminded him of a toad. She wore a disgustingly bright pink cardigan, and she sat with the straight postured bearing of a snooty wannabe noble woman. Combine that with her smile, which reminded him of a combination between a grotesque amphibian and a less playful Cheshire Cat, and he already felt wary of her.

Susan looked at the woman Astoria was pointing to and said, "That's Madam Umbridge. I don't know much about her, but Auntie doesn't like her very much. She likes to complain about her a lot."