magic • j. hale [✓]

Chapter 37

"Afraid I'm going to have to dock a few -" Malfoy cut himself off from seeing Ariella there, dressed in black and gold teacher's robes. He paled slightly but didn't stop. "I'm going to have to dock a few points for that."

Ariella sat quietly, wanting to see exactly how many points he would deduct from both houses. Malfoy continued on, pointedly ignoring Ariella's existence. "Prefects can't dock points, but members of the Inquisitorial Squad -"

"The what?" Hermione said sharply.

"The Inquisitorial Squad, Granger," Malfoy drawled, pointing towards a tiny silver 'I' on his robes just beneath his Prefect's badge. 'A select group of students who are supportive of the Ministry of Magic, hand-picked by Professor Umbridge. Anyway, members of the Inquisitorial Squad do have the power to dock points . . . so, Granger, I'll have five from you for being rude about our new Headmistress. Macmillan, five for contradicting me. Five because I don't like you, Potter. Weasley, you're shirt's untucked so I'll have another five for that. Oh, yeah, I forgot you were a mudblood, Granger, so ten off for that."

Ariella grinned, her bell-like laughter resonating through the walls. Students came to stare at the new teaching assistant. A mischievous glint was in Ariella's eyes. "I see. Well, Mr Malfoy, is it?"

"Yes." Malfoy said haughtily. "And who are you?"

"My name is Ariella Swan. I'll be the teaching assistant of Professor McGonagall in Transfigurations." the hint of a smile was gone from Ariella's face now. She was deadly serious. Malfoy and his goons looked slightly afraid of the woman in front of them. "Let's see, you took . . . twenty-five points from Gryffindor and five from Hufflepuff, yes? I'll regive five points to Hufflepuff, that reason for taking points was rather vexatious. Another five to Gryffindor because of what you took from Mr Potter. And another ten to Gryffindor again because of your reason to Miss Granger. And from Slytherin. Let's see . . . ten points off for being rude to fellow students. Twenty points off for the usage of the term 'mudblood', and five off for boasting of position. That will be all."

Malfoy stared at her, dumbstruck. "You can't do that!"

"I'm a teaching assistant. I have the same authority as a teacher. Now get to you own tables or I'll be deducting more points." She eyes the trio and Macmillan closely. "All of you."

Ariella glared at anyone who stared at her and walked back to the teacher's table. McGonagall stared at her with a proud look on her face, and Umbridge looked absolutely livid. 'Too bad she can't do anything about it. I'm approved by the Minister of Magic himself.'

*****

Ariella launched herself out of the classroom when she heard the loud explosions of fireworks go off. She paused when she saw the kaleidoscope of fireworks in front of her face, and fly off to another place.

Shaking her head in amusement, Ariella got the faintest idea of who might have set the fireworks. She returned to the classroom, muttering to herself, "Those two just might have surpassed the Marauders."