A Second Chance (Harry Potter)

Chapter 20

When it was time for defense against the dark arts, Valerie huffed. Not because she hated the subject, but because she hated the teacher.

They were sharing a class with the Gryffindors, and Valerie was sure some type of drama was to definitely occur, and Valerie had to make sure she had an alternative back up just in case Umbridge needed some threatening.

When they entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom they found Professor Umbridge already seated at the teacher's desk, wearing the fluffy pink cardigan of the night before and the black velvet bow on top of her head.

Valerie grimaced as she took her seat, naturally, near Draco.

"Well, well, well," she drawled, her dark eyes glittering maliciously. "It looks like Dolores here has only one cardigan."

The Gryffindors sniggered, specifically Ron Weasley. Valerie found him quite amusing, to say the least.

Dolores Umbridge shot the Queen a glare, seething, especially after humiliating her in front of the whole Great Hall.

Valerie smirked.

The class was quiet; nobody knowing how to behave with the overgrown toad. Swallowing, Professor Umbridge gave a sickly smile and turned to the class.

"Well, Good afternoon," she chirped, in fake enthusiasm.

A few people mumbled "Good afternoon," in reply.

"Tut, tut," said Professor Umbridge. "That won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge.' One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!"

You have got to be kidding me.

"We're not five year olds, Dolores, in case you don't know how to count," Valerie interjected. "We're fifteen. Stop treating us like we're toddlers."

Umbridge ignored her comment as the class chanted "Good Afternoon, Professor Umbridge," back at her.

Shooting another glare at Valerie, Professor Umbridge threw a sickly smile to the class.

"There, now," said Professor Umbridge sweetly. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."

Many of the class exchanged gloomy looks; the order "wands away" had never yet been followed by a lesson they had found interesting. Valerie made no move to keep her wand away. Instead, she did quite the opposite; placing it in the center of the table, leaving her quill and parchment in her bag.

Professor Umbridge opened her handbag, extracted her own wand, which was an unusually short one, and tapped the blackboard sharply with it; words appeared on the board at once:

Defense Against the Dark Arts
A Return to Basic Principles.

"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" stated Professor Umbridge, turning to face the class with her hands clasped neatly in front of her. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your O.W.L. year.

"You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory centered, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please." She rapped the blackboard again; the first message vanished and was replaced by:

Course aims:

1.Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic.

2.Learning to recognize situations in which defensive magic can legally be used.