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THE FOLLOWING MORNING, having woke up unnaturally late due to staying up and fixing Cassius Warrington's prefect scheduling mistakes, Rebecca had skipped breakfast to be on time to her first Arithmancy lesson. With quick steps down from the Ravenclaw tower, billowing undid robes swooshing behind her, she hurried pass three marble staircases, and up a flight before stepping into Professor Vector's classroom. The older woman only gave her a slightly disappointed look before beginning to send out various scrolls and tomes to the roughly ten total students within the classroom.
Even while having quite the interest in the subject of Arithmancy, Rebecca could help but begin to dread the double-period she'd have to endure before having to go to Defense Against the Dark Arts after – especially when she knew she had missed the morning detention with Umbridge. Of course, not intentionally, but she wasn't about to complain too much. Though, surprisingly, she had found a familiar face that she knew would make her high-stress level course far better. Scarlett Farney burst into the room, five minutes after she had, chest heaving and cheeks flushed and robes askew. Immediately upon spotting the Ravenclaw, she grinned – once flashing an apologetic smile to Professor Vector – and hurried to the opened seat at her side.
"You didn't show up for breakfast," The Hufflepuff uttered quietly as she tugged the ancient scroll of numerics up to cover half her face, "Fred nearly had a fit – 'specially when we all remembered you had a detention with Umbitch."
"I woke up late," Rebecca informed her in a whisper, scratching down the English translations from their Latin counterparts off of the old tome, "I was nearly late myself, so I just skipped the detention."
Scarlett dug in her bag for a moment, pulling forth a folded parchment and sliding it under the textbook for her desk partner. Rebecca grasped it slowly, unfolding a small corner to peek inside before saying a quiet thanks in seeing her term schedule. The very moment their first lesson of the day ended, both girls tucked away their half-done translations into their book bags and stood up from their seats. With a reminder from Professor Vector on their work and readings due at the beginning of the next lesson, the class was dismissed and students filled the halls once more. With scattered looks and shifty gazes, they finally made it down to the DADA classroom.
The students within the classroom were far more lively than those in Arithmancy, more so when you took into account that both Weasley twins were sat atop desks and boasting of their newest products – some they've yet to even complete or figure out entirely – and were showing off a few prototypes to murmuring and giggling students that surrounded them. Scarlett immediately sent an unseen narrowed look over to the group of students, who just had to be mostly girls, and let out a slight hum.
"So, what's your plan of attack?" Rebecca whispered, leaning in a bit as she too watched both twins be coo'd and fonded over, a bored expression crossing her features.
"That's easy; attack." Scarlett uttered, a smug smile gracing her features before she sashayed up to the desk with a convincingly plain pearly smile.
The Ravenclaw stifled a small laugh, shaking her head in amusement as she watched George immediately sit straighter at the sight of his girlfriend, a sheepish grin crossing his lips. Scarlett playfully rolled her eyes, giving him a slight punch to the shoulder before simply turning and taking the empty seat where he had set his bag down on the desk in front of the one they sat on. Fred took the time to turn back too, having immediately set his eyes on his own girlfriend just a few paces away, arms crossed over her chest and head tilted with her eyebrows playfully raised in his direction. He too grinned, playfully blowing a kiss in her direction.
The moment Rebecca got to the purposely-vacant seat at his side, Professor Umbridge broke any chance of conversation with her clackity heels and quick steps into the classroom. There was a scurry of footsteps from those who still feared teachers to get to their seats, all of the others simply breaking from their chatting groups to sit and slump into their desks. The moment everyone had settled into their seats, Umbridge turned from her spot at the front of the room, smiling sickly sweet again and scanning each of their faces.
"Well, good morning." She greeted them all, clasping her hands together at her abdomen.
With scattered utters or half-assed replies that circled the room, the seventh years all glanced to one another awkwardly.
"That will simply not do," Umbridge gave a light grimace, clearing her throat perkily, "when I greet the class, I do expect an enthusiastic reply of 'good morning, Professor Umbridge,' – so let's try that again, yes?" Clearing her throat another time, she went back to grinning widely, "good morning, students!"
Still, the teens all uttered a somewhat cohesive 'g'mornin', Professor Umbridge' in return, faces pulled back in various looks of disgust and others simply not replying at all and leaving it up to the others. Rebecca being one of the few that kept her mouth clasped shut, the tip of her nose scrunching up in defiance – the pink woman was treating them all like they were still in primary school.
"We'll work on it," Umbridge let out a sharp breath from her nose, still smiling before she scanned the room again and pursed her lips tightly, "wands away, off your desks – please take out your required books, your quills and some parchment."
"Today, we'll be reading the first few chapters of our 'Defensive Magical Theories to Perfect' books, as well as beginning to try and formulate a few of our own theoretical situations for the first mentioned spell."
With a few shifted glances towards one another in grabbing their materials from their bags, the seventh years' faces all began to grow confused and twist up in various ways. Though, still, no one said a thing in protest. Professor Umbridge moved up towards her front desk as they all settled down in their movements once again.
"Lovely," She sighed wistfully, letting out a small ahem before clasping her hands again, "now then, chapters one through five – began your readings first, then do the first chapter worth of queries within the ending margins," Umbridge smiled again, "whatever you do not finish, will be due at the beginning of our next lesson."
The class was encased in almost complete silence once Umbridge was sat at her desk, quills scratching and papers shuffling and shifting around with each turn of a page. Rebecca glanced down at the pages of the book in front of herself, grimacing the more she read from it – confusion peaking at the watered-down and vague content before she was peering around the room. Various students looked to be doing the same, catching eyes and giving pursed looks or meek shrugs in return to one another. That was, until Lisa snapped her book shut abruptly, shoving it away with a extremely flustered look to her face.
"Are we not going to get into the continuation of non-verbal counter –"
The pink woman glared immediately, her features softening just as quickly as she interjected Lisa's question, "Students will raise their hands when asking or answering queries, Miss –"
"Mallory," Lisa answered shortly, a frown curling her lips, "– as I was asking, this year, aren't we supposed to continue our spell revisions and begin learning of nonverbal counterjinxes – especially those in defense of –"
Umbridge let out an airy, girlish laugh, tutting and shaking her head as another interruption, tugging her short wand from within her pink purse, "You all know how fractured your teachings in this particular subject is – the constant changing of professors, many of whom who don't or didn't believe in any Ministry-approved curriculum –"
With a mere tap of her wand to the blackboard, the words 'Defense Against the Dark Arts; The Basic Principles and Theories' appeared swiftly and in an extremely cursive font.
"What exactly is –"
"Raise a hand should you wish to be called upon and speak Mr –"
"Davies," Roger supplied easily, his own lips curling downward, "what exactly is the Ministry-approved curriculum?"
"Half-assed theories on crappy jinxes and no practical portion of lessons, no doubt." Scarlett uttered under her breath, placing her chin atop her palm.
"Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic," Umbridge told Roger Davies, the overly sweet smile returning to her toad-like face, "learning to recognize situations in which defensive magic can legally used, and placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use –" She positively beamed at her own words, despite all the students watching her in confusion, "those are the Ministry-approved course aims for the Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum."
"So literally nothing practical that can be used in a real life situation then?" Lee Jordan questioned, one of his hands raised barely above his face's height, "you said nothing of using defensive spells."
"Using defensive spells?" The woman let out another airy giggle, looking incredulously at the tall dark-skinned teen where he sat in astonishment, "Why, I can't imagine any situation in this very classroom that would require you to use any a defensive spell."
"So we won't be using magic – in our magic-focused studies in our magical school?"
"Your hand –!"
"Jenkins," A Hufflepuff girl stated firmly, her hand raised promptly before she was setting it down just as fast, "the whole point of Defense Against the Dark Arts is to learn and practice defensive spells, jinxes, and hexes to defend ourselves for all the possible encounters that could happen in our lives."
"She's right," A Slytherin boy chimed up before Umbridge could, not bothering to raise his hand which earned him another firm glare from the woman, "if we're to be attacked, it won't be –"
"I'm sorry –" Umbridge blinked a few times, smiling in an almost-eerily way, "do you expect to be attacked during any of my classes?"
"I sure hope not," Rebecca muttered to Fred at her side, stifling a small chuckle as she leaned back in her seat boredly, "it'd make for another really lousy year, don't you think?"
"Miss Black –" The pink woman called sharply, her beady blue eyes zeroing in on the Ravenclaw sat in the far corner, "no side conversations."
"A thousand apologies, Professor," The raven-haired girl flashed a sarcastic smile, "though, while I have your attention – may I ask you a question? Great –" She sat straight in her seat, her smile not dropping, even as Umbridge stood stiffly, "surely you believe that the whole point of Defense Against the Dark Arts as a core subject in our studies is to learn and place proper techniques in executing the correct spells for certain situations, yes?"
"Yes, however –"
"– Then how would you expect us, as one of your many classes – all of whom I'm sure are wondering the same – to try and properly execute said correct spells if you won't give us the opportunity to actually practice them?"
"I do not wish to criticize the way thing have been run in this school," Umbridge cleared her throat, the corners of her thin lips twisting into the beginnings of a scowl, "but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class –" She gave a firm tut, shaking her head, "a teacher had you all learn Unforgivable Curses, he used them on young students," They all began to voice their protests at the blatant lie, all of which were shut down by a slight of hand, "and you've all been forced to believe something or someone is always out to get you –"
"Because usually someone or something is out to get us –" Hufflepuff, Jared Anderson, interjected, "maybe not us all specifically but it'd still be within the school and –"
"This is the work of irresponsible, and heinously unprepared, and dangerous wizards that were not fit to teach," Umbridge stated firmly, glaring at them all, "the teachers at this school have not been properly seen to it in their interviews or the positions for their required duties – not to mention," she gave a forced, airy laugh and tried to stop her scowl, "two of them were extremely dangerous halfbreeds."
"Oh, now she's done it." George whispered beneath his breath, sparing a glance to the Ravenclaw sat by his twin who had gone completely stiff in her seat.
"If you are referring to Professor Lupin – I suggest you refer elsewhere –" Rebecca jeered, her jaw clenching upward and teeth baring much like a canine.
"Your hand –!"
The younger witch shot up a hand in the air, not bothering to hide her scowl as she pushed up to stand from her seat, "Professor Lupin was by far the best professor anybody has ever had at this school – and you do well to remember that, seeing as your approach will have us all killed the second we step outside the castle doors."
"No one is going to be killed, Miss Black –"
"Oh no?" There was a sarcastically, twisted smile that had curled the Ravenclaw's lips upward, "have you tried telling that to Lord Voldemort?" The entire class has seemed to wince, though she held firm, "You know him, right? The man who had killed Ced –"
"Fifteen points from Ravenclaw," Umbridge shrilled, immediately clicking her stout body all the way up to the far desk, her wand clutched tightly in her fat hands, "I will not have you causing an out-right panic in this classroom!" She snapped, trying to stare down the taller girl, "Mr.Diggory is alive and well! You and he both –"
Fred had moved to grab his girlfriend's hand from it's place clenching the edge of the desk, trying to silently soothe and coax the girl away from the topic that was swerving completely into a dangerous territory. Rebecca silently seethed as she stood, near trembling in anger, hearing the blasted woman go on and on about the sick prank both she and her best friend had pulled at the Triwizard Tournament.
"Detention, Miss Black! For the next week!" Umbridge announced as she lowered her voice significantly, leaning in further, "you do well to follow orders when they're given this time," She uttered threateningly, bending at her rolled waist so their faces neared, "you can start this upcoming lunch period – both you and Mr.Potter can mull over your wrongs together."
At the mere mention of Harry, Rebecca could feel the resolve immediately falter within her chest. Her eyes flickered across the woman's flushed red face, as if to catch her bluff. But the woman was practically smiling in sick triumph – like she knew the mention of the Potter boy would bring the girl down from her high-horse. And it had. Rebecca was out-right glaring at the woman as she slowly began to lower herself back into her seat, biting her tongue as she forced her gaze forward and towards the front of the room, a scowl etched deeply into her features. Her leg shook beneath the table as Umbridge happily clicked back to her desk. The tensions still high in the class amongst them and students staring or muttering to one another with wide eyes at the outbursts.
"You can't keep doing this," Fred murmured slowly, his head facing his opened book atop the desk, eyes peering to the side so he could watch as his girlfriend's sharp breaths through her nose finally begin to slow, "I know she's tempting to rile up but you're paying the price for your own words; they're hardly affecting her."
"You can't just expect me to sit back and let her spread all these lies –"
"I can, and I do," He insisted in a whisper, turning his face a bit more in her favor but keeping his head lowered, "you'll just make everything far harder and worse by running your mouth over and over again."
Rebecca only rolled her eyes, sinking deeper into her seat. She knew he was right, she had promised Mad-Eye and Remus that she'd try and stay out of trouble – she had promised Tonks too, that she'd try and keep to herself, despite what was said about Cedric. But she was only human, and she loved them deeply. And love seemed to be the death of duty.
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