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TWENTY-FIVE FEELINGS
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THE DEFENCE AGAINST THE Dark Arts classroom looks a lot different to what it did the year before, Holly thinks as she walks into the classroom after an hour of messing about in the back of the Divination classroom with Pansy. She and Pansy sit down at one of the desks, Pansy still smiling at Holly from the lesson before, in which Pansy — so bored out of her mind that she had resorted to whispering and giggling things to Holly — started to lovingly tease Holly and whatever she feels for Harry. Which was all well and good, until Pansy said Potter too loudly and he turned around, and then, Trelawney asked what they had predicted from their dreams, and out of panic, Holly made something up about volcanoes erupting.
"Well, good afternoon!" says Umbridge, as the other students sit down. Holly glances to the other side of the room, where most of the Gryffindors are sitting, far away from the Slytherins. She mumbles a good afternoon, and Umbridge makes that awful noise, that terrible, tut, tut. "That won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge.' One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!"
"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge."
Holly feels a shiver slither down her spine. She doesn't like this, not in the slightest.
"There, now," says Umbridge. Holly and Pansy exchange a look. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."
Holly tries her best to keep her emotions hidden, as she places her wand in her bag, and takes out her quill, ink, and parchment, like the rest of the class. She looks up, finding the blackboard covered in neat handwriting.
Defence Against the Dark Arts
A Return to Basic Principles
For a minute, Holly expects the worst, before she remembers that her basic principles are far different to those taught here. Holly's version of basic principles include the Unforgiveable Curses, perfectly legal in Durmstrang and therefore perfectly acceptable to practice and perfect.
"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" says Umbridge. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your O.W.L. year." She locks eyes with Holly, who freezes. "Of course, Miss Lippincott, I have been made aware of your educational past, and of course, if you need further support, it will be there."
