Azkaban

High Inquisitor

With Umbridge as High Inquisitor, things at Hogwarts only added to Amarea's stress levels. Just the night before she had awarded five points to Gryffindor after the pink toad of a woman had taken them away from Hermione. It wouldn't seem like a lot, but on top of daily meetings with both Albus and Tom, Amarea was quite literally ready to rip her hair out.

She sat at the High Table for breakfast, eyes following Angelina Johnson as the girl marched over to Harry. The noise level in the Great Hall increased dramatically, and Amarea watched in amusement as Minerva got up from the table, marching her way over to the pair.

"Miss Johnson, how dare you make such a racket in the Great Hall! Five points from Gryffindor," Minerva shouted at them. Amarea rolls her eyes with a groan - there went the five points she awarded Hermione.

Looking away from them, she lets her eyes wander to another table, clad in green and full of well-dressed students. Sweeping over the crowd, she spots the boy she was looking for; to her surprise, their gazes meet quite quickly.

She turns away from him, looking down at the wound on her hand, just barely healed from when 'I must not tell lies.' was engraved into it. It was oddly irritated this morning.

---

"You do not usually teach this class, is that correct?"

Amarea laced her hands together, watching the interaction with interest. "Quite correct," Professor Grubbly-Plank replies, hands behind her back and bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I am a substitute teacher standing in for Professor Hagrid."

Whispers to her left made Amarea's head turn, and she stares at the group of Slytherins harshly, only catching their eye for a brief moment before looking back at Umbridge.

"Hmm, I wonder...the headmaster seems strangely reluctant to give me any information on the matter. Can you tell me what is causing Professor Hagrid's very extended leave of absence?"

"'Fraid I can't," the Professor says. "Don't know anything more about it than you do. Got an owl from Dumbledore, would I like a couple of weeks teaching work, accepted...that's as much as I know. Well, shall I get started then?"

"Yes, please do," Umbridge replies, scribbling something down on the ungodly amount of paper her clipboard held. The woman looks up, turning her gaze to Amarea and offering a sick smile. The black-haired girl grimaces in response and she hears a small, horribly covered-up laugh come from the group of Slytherins to her left. "What about you?"

Amarea looks Umbridge up and down, "What about me?"

"You're close with Dumbledore, aren't you? Tell me...why has Professor Hagrid been away for so long?"

"Albus tells me whatever he wants to tell me," Amarea replies. "I'm sure that someone like yourself can comprehend that, yes?" She jumps down from the rock she was sitting on, making her way to the repulsing woman. Looking down at Umbridge's notes, she jerks her head back when the woman brings the clipboard close to her chest in a jarring manner. Amarea grins, staring into the other's eyes, "Something you don't want me to see, Umbitch?" Umbridge's eyes widen and her mouth drops slightly. "Oh, my," Amarea says, "I'm terribly sorry about that. Terrifying what too much gossip does to a person." The woman turns on her heel, marching away from Amarea and moving between the students to interview them, snickers and cough-covered laughs following her.

The class didn't get any better, especially when Malfoy decided to open his mouth. She could only watch in distaste as the blonde talked about his famous encounter with a class hippogriff. And of course, Harry had managed to get himself another detention, which, yet again, Amarea was forbidden to do anything about.