Green Eyed Monster | Draco Malfoy

46. You're Wrong

Chapter 46 - You're Wrong

I wasn't woken up nicely on Monday morning; Tracey had decided that she needed to smack me with a pillow as I wasn't moving fast enough for her tastes. Considering I was late, it was understandable...but still completely unfair. So with a promise for revenge, I had gotten ready for the day in a rush.

Who knew that I would feel something close to gratefulness towards Greengrass thanks to the brush she'd given me to straighten my hair the year before. The charm never stuck for the twelve hours it guaranteed, but at least it would tide me over until the end of classes when I would have time to shower properly.

I still had plenty of time for making it to my first class, but if I had tried to make it to breakfast as well, it would have been a stretch. It didn't help that I felt languid. I blamed that on both my late patrol with Malfoy and the unavoidable feeling gnawing in the pit of my stomach that made me not want to get out of bed. Of course, as this particular Monday had not signed itself up to be an interesting day, I forced myself to get up anyway.

The lack of excitement did not last long.

I should have known by now that there was no simple day in the life of a Potter, but I still could have been coloured surprised when Professor Umbridge came bustling up to Lillian, Tracey and I before our first class. She looked devastatingly affright. Her hair was mussed and her eyes bulging from her pudgy cheeks - I started just at the sight of her.

"Er - is everything alright, Professor?"

"Everything is not!" She sounded like she was ready to keel over, or more likely have some form of nervous breakdown. Her hand moved to claw at the locket around her neck for comfort. I watched her pull on the chain harshly and watched it fall heavily against her chest as she released it again. Just looking at the gold made me feel ill again...

"What's wrong, Professor Umbridge?" Lillian broke me out of my reverie using a more polite voice than when she regularly spoke of Umbridge. Umbridge tucked her necklace back underneath her robes, straightening herself out as if she just realized how she may look. When the spell was broken and I could look away from the locket, I could have sworn that the professor looked worse than when I'd been entranced. Lillian looked at me with a mischievous glint to her eye. "Has someone clogged the first floor toilets again?"

Someone being me, of course. I had done it, again, just yesterday. Having this much authority was bad for me.

Well, technically it was bad for everyone else. I was having the time of my life.

"No," her face was nearly purple as she spat the word. Her eyes turned to me, her right had a pulsating twitch that must have been annoying. "Your brother did an interview for The Quibbler - haven't you heard?"

"No," I snorted, rolling my eyes towards Tracey. "I didn't know he'd done it - I don't know why he would, either. No one takes that magazine seriously..." But when I saw her face I realized just how important Umbridge thought this was. "Er - he didn't happen to be giving his opinion on Crumple-Horned Snorkacks or Lightwooded Bowtruckles, did he?"

"No," that seemed to be her word of today. "He spouted more lies about He Who Must Not Be Named! I can't have people reading this, Miss Potter. As members of the Inquisitorial Squad-"

"We aren't members of the Inquisitorial Squad," Tracey frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. It had been a sore spot for her for the past week and a bit since the Tickled Pink Party. "We haven't been invited."

"Then here," Umbridge took out her short wand and waved it, making silver 'I' badges appear on their robes. "Miss Rivers, Miss Davis, consider yourselves newly appointed. Now, as members of the Inquisitorial Squad, if you see anyone with the newest edition of The Quibbler, I want you to bring them straight to me for expulsion."