𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐒 | draco malfoy ✔️

43. i must not talk back

TRAINING WHEELS—
I MUST NOT TALK BACK.

043

Amora walked in behind the group of Slytherins to avoid any suspicion, but was frozen in her tracks when she realised the seating plan was exactly the same as last year. Harry and Ron sat together, Hermione was next to Leon, and right in front of Crabbe and Goyle was an empty seat next to Draco. She caught Harry sending her a sympathetic glance as she walked by, taking the same seat from the school year before.

"Oh, great," Draco muttered sourly, intending for the people around to hear. "Yet another gruelling year of having to work with Buckley."

Amusement blossomed inside Amora's chest at his words and she found herself having to bite back a smile. It was like their own inside joke, one that barely anybody else in the room could understand. The people that had been listening, which weren't that many, craned their ears to hear what Amora had to say in return.

She scoffed. "Do you mind shutting up? Your voice goes straight through me."

Draco shot his eyebrows up at her, a sneering glare on his aristocratic features. However, Amora could see the glint flash in his eyes. He was just as amused as she was.

The focus on the pair of 'enemies' seemed to dwindle away and become fixated upon a charmed paper bird flying around the room, courtesy of Padma.

It swooped past the heads of the teenagers, Seamus jumping up to try and swat it down whilst people laughed. Amora watched it dive into the air towards the high ceiling when Crabbe grabbed a slingshot from his robe and shot it. It drifted lower and lower until a magical spark spat out and destroyed it, the burnt remains crumbling onto the Patil twins' table.

"Good morning, children."

The sickly sweet voice had come from behind them. Amora craned her neck just like everybody else as the room went silent. Professor Umbridge stood there, her wand in her hand and an elegant smile on her face.

Amora's eyes drifted over to Professor Umbridge, their new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. She held her wand in her hands and had an elegant smile on her face as she began to approach the front of the classroom, using her wand to write on the chalkboard.

"Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations," she chirped, "O W Ls, more commonly known as O.W.L.s. Study hard and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so, and the consequences may be severe."

Textbooks were then magically handed around the room whilst everybody stared unsurely, wondering if they were about to get the same lecture that they had been getting from every teacher in every class so far today. Amora was already stressed enough about the exams as it was-- she didn't need every teacher trying to drill it into her as soon as she stepped into the room.

"Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly uneven," Professor Umbridge continued, "But you will be pleased to know that from now on, you will be following a carefully structured Ministry-approved course of defensive magic."

Amora picked up her brand new text book 'Dark Arts Defence: Basic for Beginners', frowning at the cover. Very quickly, Hermione had her hand up in the air.

"There's nothing in here about using defensive spells?" Hermione frowned curiously.

"Using spells?" Umbridge replied in shock, a giggle following. "Well, I can't imagine why you would need to use spells in my classroom."

Amora's face scrunched up.

"We're not going to be using magic?" Ron butted in.

Umbridge was quick to reply. "You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way."