The Sins of a Father

Chapter 13

          I thought that I would get an opportunity to teach but so far all I had been doing was practicing my lessons that I would one day get to teach. Honestly, there was a side of me that was a little relieved that I didn't have to teach only because of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Dolores Umbridge. She was going into teacher's classrooms and evaluating their teaching skills and I've heard students in the hallways talking horribly of her, I hadn't properly met her but just hearing what people said about her, made me nervous about ever meeting her or teaching in front of her.

During meals I would sit up with the teachers and it was the most awkward feeling in the world to have my previous peers eating below me staring at me while I ate. I would always watch Harry, Hermione and Ron, just to check in on them but then my sights would move over to my other two best friends, Fred and George, who were always laughing. I missed sitting with them and being a student but life wasn't about sitting still but moving forward.

"You will be teaching my classes tomorrow, Professor Umbridge wants to evaluate you, to test your skills, do you think you are ready for that?" Snape told me, during dinner one night. I nearly choked on my food, I couldn't believe that I was finally going to be able to actually teach! At the same time there was the horror that I was actually going to be teaching - with Umbridge watching me.

"Is she coming during the first class or am I going to be able to practice first?" I asked him, urgently.

"She will be evaluating during your second class," Snape responded. With a little sigh of relief I nodded and got back to eating. Once the nerves sat in I found that I couldn't eat. So I simply stared at my plate.

"Is something wrong?" Snape asked, his voice slightly antagonized.

"No, can I please leave?" I asked him, quietly.

"Yes you may go and just for future reference, you don't need to ask me to leave, you are an independent woman, you come and go as you please," Snape pointed out to me. With a small smiled I stood and walked out of the Great Hall my mind crowded with anxious noise. What am I going to do tomorrow? What if she fails me? What if she says I'm the most horrible teacher she's ever seen? These were the questions running through my head as I started back to the teacher's quarters. My body was shaking so bad that I had to grip the rail for dear life. Oh Raven, you're being stupid, it isn't like she can fire you because first off, it isn't her place to hire or fire people and if I fail her examination then I'll just have to study harder. I thought to myself, the thought brought a little comfort to me.

I was about to enter the teacher's quarters when I changed my mind about going to bed, instead I changed my direction and headed for the Astronomy Tower. I wanted to breathe a little fresh air before I went to bed. I reached my destination I looked outward towards the sky and looked for all of the constellations my grandparents had taught me when I was a small girl. I groped inside of my pocket and took out the picture I had made last year, I looked how happy my mother and father looked, and I dreamed that they were happy because I was in the picture, but the picture lied, my father and mother were only seventeen, they were still only friends but believe it or not, I was happy with this lie.

"Hey Raven, what are you doing in here?" Ron's voice called out from the entrance way. I jumped and nearly hit my head on the ceiling

"Ron! You startled me and besides, we're at school, you have to call me Professor, even though I'm not really a teacher yet but it shows that you respect me," I explained to him.

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, professor, anyway, George told me you looked like you were about to have a seizure when you left the Great Hall and I was asked to stalk you to see if you were alright." Why didn't George just stalk me himself?