The Unknown

Chapter 17: Lonely Cub

It was the last class of the day, they had received a lot of homework from their previous teachers and many just wanted the day to be over. They entered the DADA classroom and immediately saw Professor Umbridge sat at the teacher's desk. A dreary silence passed throughout the class as they sat down, they were shocked that a Defence class was told that they didn't need their wands and to put them away. Dahlia could tell that this was going to be the worst year yet when it came to Defence Against the Dark Arts. Sure, last year it was taught by a Death Eater, but he at least taught them useful spells and enchantments.

Writing from a book whatever information Professor Umbridge wanted, no one questioned her at first, but Hermione took the first step and questioned the course aims. Professor Umbridge said, "I think the course aims are perfectly acceptable".

"Well I don't. There's nothing written about using defensive spells," Hermione said bluntly.

"Using defensive spells?" Professor Umbridge repeated with a little laugh. "I can't imagine why you would need to use such a thing. Miss Granger, are you expecting an attack to happen in my classroom?"

"We're not going to use magic?" Ron exclaimed loudly.

"Students need to raise their hands when they wish to speak in my classroom, Mr-?"

"Weasley," Ron answered.

Professor Umbridge turned her back on him as he put his hand up into the air and she began to question Hermione's qualifications, stating she didn't have the qualifications to assess what was right or wrong with the lesson aims and that they would be learning in a risk-free way.

"What use is that?" Dahlia said, finally breaking as she snapped, "if we're going to be attacked, it won't be in a risk-"

"Hand, Miss Potter," sang Professor Umbridge and everyone could tell she was getting impatient now.

Several other people began to put their hands up into the air. Professor Umbridge picked one and said, "and your name?"

"Dean Thomas. Well, it's like Dahlia said, isn't it?" Dean said, "if we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk-free".

"I do not wish to criticise the way things have been run at this school," she said with a stretched smile, "but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class – very irresponsible indeed – not to mention extremely dangerous half-breeds".

"If you mean Professor Lupin," Dean said angrily and he wasn't the only one as many of the students were now glaring at her, "he was the best we ever-"

"Hand up, Mr Thomas. You have been introduced to spells that are beyond you, inappropriate for your age. You have been frightened into believing that there are going to be dark wizards attacks every other day-"

"No, we haven't, we just-" Hermione pipped up.

"Hand, Miss Granger," Professor Umbridge said once again, even though she wouldn't go to Hermione, even if she was the only one with her hand up.

Parvati began to question the exam itself, saying that there were practical's in their O.W.L. exams that they had to do, but Professor Umbridge seemed to believe that theory would be good enough for you to pass the exams.

"And how exactly is theory supposed to help us out there?" Dahlia questioned not just for herself but for everyone else. She had a different form of magic that she could rely on but everyone else in the classroom didn't. She may not have been friends with all of them, or on good terms at the moment, but she didn't want to see any of them dead.

"Who do you expect would want to hurt children?"

"Oh, I don't know, let me think," Dahlia said mockingly, "Lord Voldemort?".