THE PROPHECY || H. POTTER AU || PAUSED

twelve | cyclops' and charmspeak

"Miss Pandora, a word please?"

Pandora internally groaned.

Umbridge had pulled Pandora aside after every Defense class to ask her the same question, just to receive the same answer. Pandora began to think about altering the Mist around herself so Umbridge wouldn't see her after the bell rang.

"Sure, Professor."

"How about in my office, yes?"

Pandora nodded grudgingly and followed her toward her office. Once inside Pandora was overwhelmed with the color pink... and kittens. Pandora liked the color pink and kittens, but this... this was too much. She knew Umbridge was mad, but this was another level of madness.

"Take a seat."

Pandora sat in front of her desk and plopped her bag down lazily, which startled Umbridge. She suppressed a laugh as Umbridge got herself together.

"Now Pandora, I know we've spoken and disagreed about this in the past, but I find it in your best interest to join the Inquisitorial Squad."

Pandora restrained from rolling her eyes. She sat up straighter in her seat instead.

"I appreciate the offer Professor, but I don't want to join."

"I would like an answer as to why."

"I just don't want to," Pandora tried to explain it as simply as she possibly could. It wasn't that hard to understand, after all. "Why is it that you keep asking me to join when you know my answer?"

Umbridge flashed her a wicked smile.

"Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, had asked me about you several times this year already. He, ah, hopes that you will side with the Ministry when the time comes. I figured the best way to get you involved would be to join the Inquisitorial Squad as a step in the right direction."

Pandora reached down to grab her bag and then stood up.

"No thanks, Professor. I'll make my own decision, when the times comes," Pandora said, doing her best impersonation of Umbridge near the end.

She left a bewildered Umbridge behind after that and headed toward the Great Hall for a quick dinner. Her first thought after the gods awful meeting was to find Hermione and tell her what had happened.

Hermione was certainly not Pandora's best friend, but Pandora trusted Hermione, especially when it came to important information about the Ministry and Hogwarts. She seemed to know everything. Pandora still had so much to learn about this world, and Hermione was her one way ticket into knowing.

One glance around the Great Hall was all Pandora needed to find Hermione. She sat with only Harry today. Fred and George were sat across from them - Pandora wondered where Ron was. She never really saw the three of them separated from each other.

"Granger," Pandora greeted as she plopped down at the Gryffindor table. "I've got a question."

Hermione groaned, "You're going to get us in trouble one day if you keep sitting here!"

Pandora waved a hand dismissively. "I've told you a million times, if I don't want to be seen by the professors, I won't be. It's a little trick I learned from Hecate, controlling the Mist."

Fred and George then grew interested in the conversation.

"Hecate? The goddess of Magic?" Hermione asked.

"The Mist?" Fred questioned.

"Yes, that one Hermione. And yeah, the Mist. It's what keeps mortals from seeing things they shouldn't. Like the chimera attack earlier this year - you guys didn't see a chimera. You saw a, what was it, big bear?"