𝒯𝒽ℯ 𝒫𝓇ℴ𝓂𝒾𝓈ℯ𝒹 𝒪𝓃ℯ | 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲 |

#4 The First Lesson

I couldn't believe that Draco actually got me to take Divination along with muggle studies. And as much as he boosted himself, that I took it only because of him, I was just too intrigued by Astrology and dream interpretation - literally my chance to get some answers, since my nightmares became darker and more brutal.

But today I had another dragon to slay. One in disguise of a pink dressed, short woman.

The classroom was busting with students, all in excitement for the new school year and especially because of a beautiful, thin, and elegant paper bird flying over our heads. I would probably be one of them, if it wasn't for the lesson I had ahead with a woman who would do anything to get me detention.

With everyones' attention on the paper bird, nobody noticed that Umbridge had entered the classroom. Up to the point where she pulled out her wand and burned the simple, but beautiful magic down to one of the desks in front row.

"Good morning, children." The professor stepped forward through the aisle with the same cold smile she had on the start of term feast, her wand still in her hand as she used it to write down on the chalk board in front of us.

"Ordinary Wizarding Level Examinations. O-W-L's, more commonly known as. Study hard and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so and the consequences may be severe.", she snickered and turned around to face us. It almost made me sick how she stood there, her hands crossing in front of her body, the gaze wandering over the expecting student rows.

The professor flicked her wand again to make a stack of books behind her given themselves out. As soon as one of them landed on my desk, I scanned the cover, frowning by the title.

'Dark Arts, Basics for Beginners.' - A book I read in the age of eleven.

"Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly uneven. But you'll be pleased to know from now on you will be following a carefully structured, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic", the professor added.

Maribel next to me frowned, but in a much more silent way than I did. I knew she wouldn't want trouble with Professor Umbridge, but once this woman stepped a foot in the classroom, I felt my temperature rise along with the effort to keep me from spitting a comment. I didn't need to take a look in this book, I knew that there weren't any applications for the magic to use. It's all on basic, theoretical knowledge.

"So, there are no descriptions for the spells we're supposed to learn?", I questioned. "Care to explain what we should learn then?"

"Miss Fox, students will rise their hands in my class", Umbridge said bitterly without even turning around as she walked back the aisle. She didn't bother to spend some fake respect to me. And I didn't bother to be surprised that she already knew who I was, even though we never met in person.

As I felt Maribels' warning elbow in my rip, I shot her an innocent smile, while she just frowned at me for not even trying to behave myself. What am I supposed to do, when this woman brought out the worst in me.

"So, we're not going to use magic?", Ron chipped in, quirking one eyebrow, while he traced his fingers through the different pages, proving if I was right.

Umbridge by now was standing in front again, her fingers around her wand tightened a bit, the only sign that we got under her skin.

"You'll be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way", the teacher said in fake enthusiasm as she let her gaze wander over the leery students in front of her.

"But what's the use in that? If we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk-free either", Harry shouted out from the desk next to me. I was aware of the slightly tension Maribel built up by the voice of the dark-haired boy. Still a trigger for her anxiety.