𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝟐.𝟖 - 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠

A few weeks later, you were once again eating breakfast with Pansy in the Great Hall. Draco rarely ate with you anymore. Most days, he slept in and barely caught his first class. Other days, you would see him on the opposite side of the table sitting with Blaise or one of his other cronies.

Pansy snapped her fingers and you refocused on her. Open in front of her was a pamphlet that Umbridge had passed out in class the day before. 'All You Need To Know About OWLs' was printed on the cover. She was currently quizzing you for the upcoming exams.

"Ok, ok," she sat up and pointed her finger at one of the questions written on the inside of the pamphlet. You tried to crane your neck and catch a glimpse but she pulled it away immediately, pretending to frown at you. "No peeking," she snapped playfully before looking back at the laminated pamphlet. "What is the incantation of the spell that can expel a boggart?"

"Uh..." you mumbled under your breath. According to Hermione, you had missed out on the DADA unit that covered boggarts and other dangerous creatures. Knowing Umbridge, you were surprised that she included that question at all. "Is it Riddikulus?"

She paused to read the answer on the opposite page and frowned. "No, it was a trick question. Says that in the presence of a boggart, one should call out for a trusted adult or flee the scene if none are present."

"Figures," you grumbled, diverting your attention to your mug of pumpkin juice and taking a long sip. Pumpkin juice was another thing you missed about Hogwarts. At home you just drank coffee in the mornings but it never worked to wake you up as good.

You expected Pansy to keep reading but you were surprised when she fell silent. Looking up, you saw her glaring sternly at something behind you. You turned around on your bench and saw Harry standing a few feet away, shuffling awkwardly where he stood.

He looked dishevelled, hair out of place and one sleeve hanging off of his shoulder to expose a wrinkled white undershirt. If you had to guess, he had just woken up and had to dress quickly in order to catch breakfast. He pointed at the empty bench next to you. "Can I join you?" He asked, voice croaking timidly.

A quick glance at the Gryffindor table showed you that there were plenty of seats open over there. This meant that he had intentionally broken the silent rule that envolved other houses and the strange exclusivity of the Slytherin table. There was a reason you went to go sit with them and not the other way around. 

 You looked back at Pansy to see her shaking her head vigorously. You glared at her and faced Harry once more with a grin. "Of course you can."

He smiled gratefully and stepped forward to take his seat when suddenly, a loud yelling sounded from the corridor. Everyone looked away from their conversations to peek out of the doors. Those who sat close enough stood up from their seats and formed a crowd at the base of the grand staircase outside.

Pansy, ever the drama-finatic, grabbed your hand and stood up from the table. "I smell a good fight," she grinned wickedly. Before she could yank you too far away, you reached out and pulled Harry along with you by his sleeve. Pansy successfully maneuvered the three of you through the growing crowds and elbowed a scrawny Hufflepuff girl in order to stand directly at the edge.

You dropped Harry's hand when you saw what was actually causing the commotion. Both Professor McGonagall and Professor Umbridge were standing across from each other at the base of the grand staircase. They were shooting each other equally dirty looks. You had arrived at what appeared to be the peak of their argument.

"...that when it comes to my students, you conform to the prescribed disciplinary practices," McGonagall quipped. She stood at least one head taller than Umbridge and no one could deny the authority her voice projected when she spoke. You admired her deeply.