Into The Light (Golden Trio Era) {2}

Umbridge's Inspections

Mikayla took her seat next to Neville and pulled out their copies of Defensive Magical Theory. Hermione looked like she was going to ask Ron and Harry more questions, but before she could speak, Professor Umbridge called them to order an silence fell. "Wands away," she instructed the class with a smile, and those people who had been hopeful enough to take them out sadly returned them to their bags. "As we finished chapter one last lesson, I would like you all to turn to page nineteen today and commence chapter two, 'Common Defensive Theories and Their Derivation.' There will be no need to talk." Still smiling her wide, self-satisfied smile, she sat down at her desk. The class gave an audible sigh as it turned, as one, to page nineteen. As Mikayla read through the first page of the chapter, she wondered briefly if there was enough chapters to keep them reading through all of this year's lessons. She was about to check the table of contents when she glanced at Hermione who had her hand in the air again. Professor Umbridge had noticed too, and what was more, she seemed to have worked out a strategy for just such an eventuality. Instead of trying to pretend she had not noticed Hermione, she got to her feet and walked around the front row of desks until they were face-to-face, then she bent down and whispered, so that the rest of the class could not hear, "What is it this time, Miss Granger?" "I've already read chapter two," Hermione told her. "Well then, proceed to chapter three." "I've read that too. I've read the whole book." Professor Umbridge blinked but recovered her poise almost instantly. "Well, then, you should be able to tell me what Slinkhard says about counter-jinxes in chapter fifteen." "He says that counter-jinxes are improperly named," Hermione said promptly. "He says 'counter-jinx' is just a name people give their jinxes when they want to make them sound more acceptable." Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows. Mikayla smiled, knowing that she was impressed against her will. "But I disagree," Hermione continued. Professor Umbridge's eyebrows rose a little higher and her gaze became distinctly colder. "You disagree?" "Yes, I do," Hermione, who, unlike Umbridge, was not whispering, but speaking in a clear, carrying voice that had by now attracted the rest of the class's attention, said. "Mr. Slinkhard doesn't like jinxes, does he? But I think they can be very useful when they're used defensively." "Oh, you do, do you?" Professor Umbridge said, forgetting to whisper and straightening up. "Well, I'm afraid it is Mr. Slinkhard's opinion, and not yours, that matters within this classroom, Miss Granger." "But-" Hermione began. "That is enough," Professor Umbridge snapped.

She walked back to the front of the class and stood before them, all the jauntiness she had shown at the beginning of the lesson gone. "Miss Granger, I am going to take five points from Gryffindor House." There was an outbreak of muttering at this. "What for?" Harry spoke up angrily. Hermione leaned over to him and whispered something that Mikayla couldn't hear. "For disrupting my class with pointless interruptions," Professor Umbridge answered smoothly. "I am here to teach you using a Ministry-approved method that does not include inviting students to give their opinions on matters about which they understand very little. Your previous teachers in this subject may have allowed you more license, but as none of them- with the possible exception of Professor Quirrell, who did at least appear to have restricted himself to age-appropriate subjects- would have passed a Ministry inspection-" "Yeah, Quirrell was a great teacher," Harry said loudly, "there was just that minor drawback of him having Lord Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head." This pronouncement was followed by one of the loudest silences Mikayla had ever heard. Then- "I think another week's detentions would do you some good, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said sleekly.

--

They sat down at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall for breakfast and had not even started eating when Alicia approached them to yell at Harry about getting detention with Umbridge. She had shouted so loudly that Professor McGonagall came over to them to scold her. "Miss Spinnet, how dare you make such a racket in the Great Hall! Five points from Gryffindor!" "But Professor- he's gone and landed himself in detention again-" "What's this, Potter?" Professor McGonagall said sharply, rounding on Harry. "Detention? From whom?" "From Professor Umbridge," Harry muttered not meeting Professor McGonagall's beady, square-framed eyes. "Are you telling me," she said, lowering her voice so that the group of curious Ravenclaws behind them could not hear, "that after the warning I gave you last Monday you lost your temper in Professor Umbridge's class again?" "Yes," Harry muttered, looking to the floor. "Potter, you must get a grip on yourself! You are heading for serious trouble! Another five points from Gryffindor!" "But—what? Professor, no!" Harry objected furiously. "I'm already being punished by her, why do you have to take points as well?" "Because detentions do not appear to have any effect on you whatsoever!" Professor McGonagall replied tartly. "No, not another word of complaint, Potter! And as for you, Miss Spinnet, you will confine your shouting matches to the Quidditch pitch in future or risk losing the team Captaincy!" She strode back toward the staff table. Alicia gave Harry a look of deepest disgust and stalked away. Harry huffed as he turned back around to face the table, fuming. "She's taken points off Gryffindor because I'm having my hand sliced open every night!" He seethed. "How is that fair, how?" "It isn't." "It's stupid." Ron agreed, tipping bacon onto Harry's plate, "she's bang out of order." Hermione, however, merely rustled the pages of her Daily Prophet and said nothing. "You think McGonagall was right, do you?" Harry spat angrily to the picture of Cornelius Fudge obscuring Hermione's face. "I wish she hadn't taken points from you, but I think she's right to warn you not to lose your temper with Umbridge," Hermione said as she hid behind the Daily Prophet.

Harry didn't speak to Hermione all through Charms class. However, as soon as they entered Transfiguration Harry forgot his anger with her; Professor Umbridge and her clipboard were sitting in a corner. "Excellent," Ron whispered as they sat down in their usual seats. "Let's see Umbridge get what she deserves." Professor McGonagall marched into the room without giving the slightest indication that she knew Professor Umbridge was there. "That will do," she said and silence fell immediately. "Mr. Finnigan, kindly come here and hand back the homework, Miss Brown, please take this box of mice, don't be silly, girl, they won't hurt you, and hand one to each student—" "Hem, hem," Professor Umbridge said, employing the same silly little cough she had used to interrupt Dumbledore on the first night of term. Professor McGonagall ignored her. Seamus handed back Mikayla's essay, and to her delight, she saw that she had gotten an O. "Right then, everyone, listen closely, Dean Thomas, if you do that to the mouse again I shall put you in detention, most of you have now successfully vanished your snails and even those who were left with a certain amount of shell have the gist of the spell. Today we shall be-" "Hem, hem," Professor Umbridge cleared her throat again. "Yes?" Professor McGonagall said, turning around, her eyebrows so close together they seemed to form one long, severe line. "I was just wondering, Professor, whether you received my note telling you of the date and time of your inspec—" "Obviously I received it, or I would have asked you what you are doing in my classroom," Professor McGonagall sneered, turning her back firmly on Professor Umbridge. Many of the students exchanged looks of glee.

"As I was saying, today we shall be practicing the altogether more difficult vanishment of mice. Now, the Vanishing Spell-" "Hem, hem." "I wonder," Professor McGonagall said in cold fury, turning on Professor Umbridge, "how you expect to gain an idea of my usual teaching methods if you continue to interrupt me? You see, I do not generally permit people to talk when I am talking."