Verboten

Confronting the Faceful

    Wednesday couldn't have come sooner. Erwin kept feeling like he wasn't ready to tackle his rival- the fellow cat-loving one, to be precise- correctly. He kept feeling nervous, tripping over his words as he rehearsed. He could get himself in serious trouble, and that would mean having his badge taken.

But Dumbledore wouldn't take his badge... right?

    It wasn't even up to the headmaster anymore, he reminded himself as he adjusted his green-and-silver tie while he was in the Prefects' bathrooms. He was going for the cleanest, most innocent way possible so could avoid humiliating his house. But it was the way the cornering had to be done that would determine whether this would work.

    He headed out to Defence Against the Dark Arts earlier than usual so he could avoid Nile and Marie. Blood pounded in his head.

    He sat down at his desk in the classroom when he arrived. (It was looking pinker and pinker every day). He and some other Ravenclaw student was there early. Umbridge seemed to have not arrived yet, so he quickly brought out his books and set them in place. He ran a hand through his hair. Erwin had never been more anxious.

    Ten minutes later, everyone had arrived and Umbridge had her 'Course Aims' written on the blackboard:

1. Know how to tell Ministry-certified spell books apart from unaccredited ones.

2. Study the theory of counter-attack (defensive) spells.

3. Identify when to apply theory in context to real-life situations.

    "Good morning, class!" came the honeyed greeting of Professor Umbridge.

    "Good morning," some muttered tired, dark shadows under their eyes from lack of sleep.

     Umbridge trotted out in her stubby high heels over her desk's carpeted platform. "I thought passed through that point! Come again, please."

    "Good morning, Professor Umbridge."

    "Excellent!" the professor smiled, showing her small, pointy teeth. "I want to you return to where we have left off last time: open Slinkhard's NEWTs Level Defensive Theory, page twenty. Now, one of the most important things you must know about defensive spells is that some are quite harmful; created by amateurs who think they know magic. That, of course, is illegal- and anyone who is caught creating a spell of his or her own without certification from the Minister himself would be given a one-way trip to Azkaban Prison. But that doesn't stop us, the harmonious generation of wizards and witches, to take necessary precautions to avoid getting ourselves into sticky situations. Now- what is our main source of learning spells? Altogether now-"

    Different answers rang through the classrooms, ranging from 'society' to 'books' to 'personal experiences'.

    "Yes, young man?"

    "Professor Flitwick teaches us Charms, Professor," Nile answered slowly.

    "Inglebee?"

    "I like reading books on spells, Professor Umbridge."

    "You, Head Boy?"

    "Theminst," he croaked.

    A wave of collective snorts rippled through the classroom. "Er- come again, dear?"

    "The- the Ministry, Professor-"he said, clearing his throat, embarrassed that he'd stuttered from the start. "The best source to learn spells from is the Ministry of Magic. There are a bunch of Ministry-certified books and brochures. They keep track of them every year, and often get rid of them if they become outdated."