𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞 | 𝐇.𝐏.

𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝟓 - 𝟑

We were sitting in our first class with Umbridge, and Parvati Patil's paper bird was flitting around the room. One girl blew it higher as Finnigan tried to knock it down. Crabbe even managed to hit it with a slingshot before it burnt to a crisp in midair, twirling back down to the Patil twin's desk.

Professor Umbridge walked forwards through the lines of desks until she got to the front of the room and gave a small, mean smile. "Good morning, children." She then pointed to the blackboard off the the side, and with every flick and new word appeared.

"Ordinary... Wizarding... Level... Examinations," she emphasized the end of each word with a chalk flourish. "O-W-L-S. More commonly known as..." when no one replied she answered herself. "OWLS!" I groaned internally.

"Study hard, and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so, and the consequences may be... severe." The students all looked at each other with raised eyebrows. She gave a little chuckle and waved her wand at two tall stacks of books sitting on her desk.

"Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly uneven," she continued as the books slapped themselves down in front of us. "But you'll be pleased to know that from now on you will be following a carefully constructed, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic."

I studied the cover of my book as she spoke. It read, "Defending the Dark Arts For Beginners," and there was an image of two young wizards with over-the-top hats smiling up at us, looking as though all they could possibly want in the world was this tiny little book. Next to me, Hermione raised her hand. I noticed that, of course, she had already begun to flip through the pages.

Umbridge nodded at her. "There's nothing in here about using defensive spells?" Hermione asked. I quickly skimmed my own pages. She was right. 

"Using spells?" Umbridge laughed so high pitched it poked a hole in my eardrum. "Well I can't imagine why you would need to use spells in my classroom."

"We're not going to use magic?" Weasley asked.

"So the first time we'll be performing the spells is during the OWLS?" I added in disbelief.

"You'll be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way," Umbridge assured, although her toad face was gaining color quickly.

"Well, what use is that?" Potter said. "If we're going to be attacked it won't be risk-free."

Umbridge turned around and walked briskly back to the front. "Students will raise their hand when they speak in my class, Mr. Potter," she said sharply. Then she faced us again with another sickly smile. "It is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge would be sufficient to get you through your examinations which, after all, is what school is all about."

"And how is theory supposed to prepare us for what's out there?" Potter challenged her again. He really needed to be quiet.

Umbridge clasped her hands together. "There is nothing out there, dear. Who do you imagine would want to attack children, like yourself?"

"Oh, I don't know," Potter replied in mock thought. "Maybe... Lord Voldemort?" A deadly silence descended upon the class. Umbridge's face dropped, but she attempted another, much more menacing face.

"Now, let me make this quite plain," she began, walking slowly up to Potter and Weasley's shared desk. "You have been told that a certain dark wizard is at large once again. This is a lie."

Potter slammed his hand down on the wood. "It is not a lie! I saw him, I fought him!"

"Detention, Mr. Potter!" Umbridge declared shrilly.