Hazel and Hermione swiftly exited Snape's class at the end of their Potions lesson, hoping to avoid any after-class lectures or punishments. They walked back to the entrance to the hall where they, once again, met up with Harry, Ron, Fred and George, and they all seemed to be looking high up to the dusty brick walls.
Filch, who was stood high up on a wobbly and unstable ladder, was nailing a great, wooden-framed sign between the cracks of the bricks, sending a rusty, loud echo to chime throughout the walls. He banged the nail in, hung the sign, and steadily climbed his way down, meeting Mrs Norris at the bottom.
"What is it?", Hazel asked, as her and Hermione approached the others.
They tilted their heads and looked up to the sign, reading the newspaper-looking print out.
It read:
PROCLAMATION
EDUCATION DECREE
NO. 23
DOLORES JANE UMBRIDGE HAS BEEN APPOINTED TO THE POST OF HOGWARTS HIGH INSTITUTION
"This isn't good", Hermione said, folding her arms uncomfortably.
"She's reforming our education, and not in a good way", she added, turning to her friends with a slightly worried expression.
"Taking away the use of actual magic, how's that going to help us in the real world? Umbridge is a bloody loony", Ron added.
The group of students walked through the quiet hallways, discussing what to do, as they made their way to their next class with Professor Trelawney.
"This is completely mad! She's controlling us all", Hazel stated, her voice growing with impatience.
"I'd rather have Filch have total power over Hogwarts than Umbridge!", she added as everyone lightly chuckled to her outrageous, but true, idea.
"We'll think of something-", Harry reassured before seeing the pink-consumed devil just ahead.
Her posture was straight and condescending, as she walked past the students in the hallway; two students, in particular, were brushed away with the swipe of Umbridge's wand as they were pressing lips. Another group of Ravenclaw and Slytherin boys walked past with their shirts hanging out of their jumpers, and so she pointed her wand at all four of them, smartening them unwillingly.
Her pace gradually slowed down when Umbridge caught a glimpse of Hazel and Harry a little further ahead, and to greet them, she simply shared a patronising smile and walked by, swiftly using her wand to tighten Fred's loosely tied tie on her way past. Fred loosened his tie ever so slightly afterwards, for it was so tight his neck felt restrained. The six watched her exit the hallway before resuming their conversation.
"Who forget to sweeten her afternoon tea?", Hermione rhetorically asked with a face of revolt, as she lead her Hazel, Harry and Ron to Trelawney's classroom, on time, and Fred and George waved goodbye and dashed off, presumably to think of pranks to pull on the hated Umbridge.
"We'll figure something out, alright?", Harry said abruptly, as he walked ahead and into their class.
The other three felt his anger seeping from his skin, all they wanted was to comfort Harry, but they knew he'd explode again.
They walked in their class and took their seats at the round tables. Each table was cloaked with a shimmering, crushed-velvet fabric of all shades of violet, crimson and ash. And sat above the fabric was a little, dark oak stand that strongly held up a rather large, sleek crystal ball; it was misty and foggy inside, very magical and intriguing but somewhat ominous, as though the crystal ball was concealing secrets and dark mysteries.
"Good afternoon, children. Please, take your seats", Trelawney spoke softly yet swiftly, using her hand gestures to guide students to their tables.
"Today, we will be studying the real meanings of our dreams, and what they mean for our future", she continued, clasping her hands together with a sense of excitement.
Hazel also seemed rather interested, even in her old reality, she always found the philosophy of dreams absorbing.
"You! You, my dear, are you experiencing any frequent dreams?", she asked, pointing to a timid boy in a yellow and black tie.
He shuffled and cleared his throat, nodding his head.
"My dreams start off as normal, but then they always end in me walking into this empty, bright white room", he added shyly.
Trelawney exuberantly clasped her hands together again, raising them in the air as though she was praising the Hufflepuff boy. Her eyes widened and a wide smile formed.
"My dear! I see you are discovering new abilities in the near future! You have been lonely, but your spirits will guide you to renew your outlook on yourself and life", she informed happily before turning to the rest of the class again.
"Dreams-", Trelawney began to continue before being interrupted by that unsettling, distinctive giggle.
"Bloody hell, what's she doing here?", Ron whispered to Hazel, rolling his eyes.
Hazel shuffled uncomfortably, scanning and examining Umbridge's unwanted presence.
"Just one question, dear. You've been in this post how long, exactly?", Umbridge asked, condescendingly.
Trelawney trembled, as her fragile hands swept the side of her bushy hair out of her face.
"I've been at Hogwarts for sixteen years!", Trelawney expressed, stumbling a little with nervousness.
Trelawney watched Umbridge pace up and down her classroom before stopping in her tracks by the door.
"Could you please predict something for me?", Umbridge asked with a sense that she didn't expect Trelawney to do such thing.
Trelawney cleared her throat, almost choking on thin air. She softly rubbed her raspy throat and widened her eyes.
"I'm sorry?", she replied apprehensively.
"One teensy little prophecy?", she asked again, tilting her head like a lost puppy and saddening her brows, though her eyes certainly expressed no remorse.
Trelawney's mind froze; her eyes swiftly scanned around the room and her mouth subtly stuttered, matching her quivering hands and nervous body. Hazel could feel Trelawney's anxiety and she wanted to intervene, but she knew she couldn't. Umbridge looked down to her note board and crossed something off.
"Pity", she said ironically, pouting her lips.
Umbridge was about to walk out when Trelawney functioned her mind again, abruptly calling her back and extending her arms out in urgency.
"No, wait. Wait, no. I think I do see something. Yes, I do, something dark. You are in grave danger!", Trelawney warned, her eyes animated and intense.
Umbridge took a moment or two to illustrate a condescending grin.
"Lovely", she said, as she resumed her duties.
Umbridge left the room in a state of coldness and an uneasy atmosphere. Trelawney looked surprised and somewhat hopeless. She cleared her throat and continued with her lesson, though this time she was rather timid, as though Umbridge came to vacuum her excitement away.
YOU ARE READING
Shifted: Book Two
Fanfiction"You know, Hazel, we can really do this", Harry said, turning his attention back onto Hazel's hopeful smile. "Even though we've got a fight ahead of us, we've got one thing that Voldemort doesn't have". - It's Hazel's second year in her desired rea...
