Sick Little Games.

I looked down at my new sparkling timetable. My head was pounding. This was all I needed on the first day: A hangover. Defence against the dark arts first. It was my favourite lesson; it came so naturally to me. But I could tell this year was going to be different. Professor Umbridge didn’t seem to be the pleasantest person, or someone who would let anyone get away with anything easily. I walked down the busy corridors, forcing my way through the crowd. I finally came to my classroom. It was the same one I had last year. I walked over to my regular spot, waiting for people to come into the room. Melanie skipped into the room and ran over, embracing me.

“Where’d you get to last night?” She asked me. “Tried to find you, but couldn’t anywhere!” She continued.

“Oh nowhere” I smiled.

“Again!” She chuckled. “You and Blaise need to sort out whether your in a relationship or not, it’s getting boring now Soph”

I didn’t respond just nodded. More people were walking into the room, taking the usual places. Minutes later Phoenix walked in, on her own. I resisted the urge to shout her name, or run up to her. But it was hard, especially after last night. Professor Umbridge walked slowly but boldly into the small room. Potter followed after her, I smirked to myself. Late on the first day. Tut tut tut.

“Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented hasn’t it?”Professor Umbridge stated.

I thought back, every single year we had a new teacher. The only decent two we had was Professor Lupin and Professor Moody, but one had turned out to be a monstrous werewolf; when I found out, I lost all respect for him and one was a lunatic. Dumbledore was a fool to hire any of them.

“You will be pleased to know, however that these problems are now rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centred, Ministry approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following please.”

She walked over to the chalkboard and flicked her wand, the aims for the year appeared on the board. Silence filled the air. No one dared to talk, not even Malfoy and his minions.

“Has everybody got a copy of Defensive magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?” I turned to Melanie who was sat next to be confirming she had her copy.

“I think we’ll try that again, when I ask you a question, I should like you to reply ‘Yes Professor Umbridge’ or ‘No professor Umbridge’. So has everyone got a copy of defensive Magical theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?”

“Yes Professor Umbridge” I sang along with chant of the class.

“Good, I should like you to turn to page 5 and read ‘chapter one, basics for beginners’ there will be no need to talk.” She said and settled herself in the chair behind her perfectly positioned desk.

I turned to the right page and scanned over the text before looking up again. Hermione Granger lifted her hand up. She was sat there for some time until Professor Umbridge noticed
.
“Did you want to ask something about this chapter dear?” She looked up from her desk.

“Not about this chapter no” Hermione replied.

“If you have any queries we can deal with them at the end of class” She said grinding her pointy teeth.

“I’ve got a query about your course aims” Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows.

Why couldn’t Hermione just get on with what she was supposed to? She was such a little know it all.

“And your name is?” Professor Umbridge asked.

“Hermione Granger” She replied obediently. I could tell she wasn’t going to forget her in a hurry.

“Well, Miss Granger, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully.”

“Well I don’t, there’s nothing written up about using defensive spells”

I looked up to the board as did many others. There wasn’t. Something I couldn’t fault Hermione with this time.

“Using defensive spells?” She laughed. “Why, I can’t imagine any situation arising in my classroom that you would require you to use a defensive spell, Miss Granger. You surely aren’t expecting to be attacked during class”

“We’re not going to use magic!” Ron exclaimed loudly joining in with Hermione.

“Students raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Mr _?” Professor Umbridge didn’t look at all impressed.

“Weasley” he replied thrusting his hand into the air, determined not to disobey orders.

Harry and Hermione both raised their hands again. Fucking hell, they were gonna get us in so much trouble. I grabbed a spare bit of parchment and scribbled: ‘Potter and co are so pathetic’ and slid it over to Melanie. She nodded but didn’t write a response.

“Yes Miss Granger, you wanted to ask something else?” She replied.

Classic not picking Harry.

“Yes, surely the whole point of Defence Against The dark Arts is to practise defensive spells” Hermione stated.

It was true, but I could tell Hermione had taken it too far.

“Are you a ministry-trained educational expert, Miss Granger?” Professor Umbridge asked.

“No but—“She protested.

“Well then, I’m afraid you are not qualified to decide what the ‘whole point’ of any class is. Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new programme of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way” She interjected.

To be honest this made no sense to me either, but I was never going to admit I agreed with Weaslebee and Hermione.

“What use is that? If we’re going to be attacked, It won’t be in a ---“

“Hand Mr Potter!!” She interjected yet again.

Harry waved his hand in the air. Instead of asking him what was on his mind she just turned around to the other students, ignoring him.

“And your name is?” She questioned looking directly at Dean.

“Dean Thomas” His voice wavered. He was nervous I bet.

“Well Mr Thomas?” She questioned.

“Well it’s like Harry said, isn’t it? If we’re going to be attacked, it won’t be risk free” Dean said.
“I repeat, do you expect to be attacked during my classes?” She smugly smiled at Dean.

I rolled my eyes. This was getting nowhere.

“No, but---“

“I do not wish to criticise the way things have been run in this school, but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed, not to mention extremely dangerous half-breeds” She talked over dean slightly laughing.

“If you mean Professor Lupin, he was the best we ever---“Dean raised his voice, getting more confident.

The Gryffindors were big supporters of half breeds. I however wasn’t impressed.

“Hand Mr Thomas! As I was saying, you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group and potentially lethal. You have been frightened to believing that you are likely to meet the dark attacks everyday”

“No we haven’t!! We just—“Hermione screamed out.

“Your hand is not up Miss Granger!” Professor Umbridge was getting livid.

Hermione too put her hand up almost immediately. Professor Umbridge turned her back to her.

“It is my understanding that my predecessor not only performed illegal curses in front of you, he actually performed them on you”

“Well he turned out to be a maniac, didn’t he? Mind you we still learned loads” Dean said bluntly.

Melanie turned to me and rolled her eyes. I turned back to my book. He was right. Professor Moody was mental but he sure taught us a lot.

“Your hand is not up Mr Thomas!” Professor Umbridge screeched.“Now it is the view of the ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which after all is what school is all about And your name is?” She asked staring straight at Parvati.

“Pavarti Patil and there isn’t a practical bit in our Defence Against The Darkarts OWL? Aren’t we supposed to show that we can do the counter curses and things?” She asked.

She was about the only calm one that had spoken since.

“As long as you have studied the theory hard enough there is no reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under carefully controlled examination conditions.” She had an answer for everything.

As much as I hated Gryffindors, the thought of just writing and reading the whole year sounded dire.

“Without ever practising before hand? Are you telling us that the first time we’ll get to do the spells is in our exam?” Pavarti said.

“I repeat, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough---“

“And what good’s theory going to be in the real world?” Harry said loudly shoving his fist in the air.

“This is school Potter, not the real world” She said softly.

“So we’re not supposed to be prepared for what’s waiting for us out there?!” He confronted.
“There is nothing waiting out there, Mr Potter”

“Oh yeah?” I could tell his temper was bubbling up and starting to reach boiling point.
“Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?” she inquired.

“Hmmm let me think...” There was a slight pause. “Maybe Lord Voldemort?” Harry’s anger had hit boiling point.

Ron gasped, Lavender uttered a little scream, Neville fell sideways off his stool and everyone else was looking round to see if there was any more of a reaction.

“Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr Potter” She said simply.

I stared at Harry and smiled.

“Now let’s make a few things quite plain, you have been told that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead---“

“He wasn’t dead! But yeah he’s returned” Harry said fighting his battle.

“Mr-Potter-you-have-alreday-lost-your-house-ten-points-do-not-make-matters-worse-for-yourself” She said all in one breath.

“As I was saying, you have been informed that a certain dark wizard is at large once again. This is a lie”

“It is NOT a lie! I saw him, I fought him!” Harry yelled.

“Detention, Mr Potter!” She said triumphantly. “Tomorrow evening, five O clock, my office. I repeat this is a lie. The ministry of magic guarantees that you are not in any danger from any dark wizard. If you are still worried by all means come and see me outside class hours. If someone is alarming you with fibs about reborn dark wizards. I would like to hear about it. I am here to help. I am your friend. And now you will kindly continue to read page five, basics for beginners” She walked over to her desk and sat down.

She had won. Nobody had anything to say to that. I stared back at my work, relieved it was over.

“Harry no” I heard Hermione whisper only minutes later.

Fucking hell. Couldn’t he just shut up? He needs to know when to keep his big gob shut these days.

“So according to you Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord”

My heart exploded and tears pricked into my eyes. I felt like I was falling into a black hole. Every emotion I could think of hit me hard. Anger, gulit, pity, grief. Nixx peered over her shoulder, staring directly at me. It was like I could read her mind. I knew everything she was thinking. Yet I blocked it from my mind. Forcing myself to read page 5.

“Cedric Diggory’s death was a tragic accident” She said coldly.

“It was murder” Harry said shaking.

“Come here Potter dear” She calmly said.

I thought there was no doubt she was going to start screaming at him. But she kept her cool. He kicked his chair as he stood up walking towards her. She wrote something on abit of parchment.

“Take this to Professor McGonagall dear” She said even calmer.

He took the note and strided out the door and banged the door noisy behind him.

“Now will you please read page 5, basics for beginners” She sat down.

And started scribing notes down. I turned my eyes down to the book. But still only thinking about one thing: Cedric’s death. It hurt to think about, but no one really knew what had happened. I mean Potter was known for lies and causing trouble. But he wouldn’t have made this much of a scene if it wasn’t true would he?? This questioned plagued my mind for the rest of the lesson. The rest of the lesson dragged on dismally. The bell went, I sighed of relief. One lesson down. 4 to go.