After the applause ended, Dumbledore was about to continue, but Professor Umbridge could not wait any longer and stood up.
For the briefest instant, surprise showed on Dumbledore's face. Then he sat back down, fixed his attention on Professor Umbridge, and waited to hear what she planned to say.
Although Professor Dumbledore showed no dissatisfaction at all, the other professors did not manage to hide their feelings as perfectly. Professor Sprout's brows drew tight. Professor McGonagall pressed her lips into a thin line. Even Snape looked as though a storm cloud had settled over his face.
Clearly, they were all displeased with this ill-mannered Professor Umbridge.
But Umbridge seemed not to notice the other professors' expressions. With a fake smile, she said, "Thank you, Headmaster Dumbledore. Thank you for such a warm welcome."
Her voice was high and shrill, breathy as well, like a little girl's voice, and it easily grated on people's nerves.
Hermione frowned tightly. She hated everything about this woman, whether it was that fake, affected voice or the fluffy pink cardigan she was wearing.
Umbridge coughed softly a few times to clear her throat, then continued, "Well, I must say, it is truly wonderful to be back at Hogwarts! It is wonderful to see all those happy little faces looking up at me!"
No one wanted to listen to Umbridge speak, because the way she treated the young witches and wizards made it seem as if she were addressing a group of five-year-olds. That made many of the students feel belittled.
Umbridge still wanted to say more, but Harry had no patience left. He had confirmed that his guess was right. This old woman really was stupid.
She was obsessed with authority, because authority gave her power. Without that authority, she was nothing more than a cowardly old woman.
If Fudge had not supported her, she probably never could have become Senior Undersecretary.
So Harry cut her off directly. "Sorry, Professor Umbridge, but I think you should wait until Headmaster Dumbledore has finished speaking before you say anything."
The smile on Umbridge's face froze at the corners of her mouth like chilled syrup.
Her tiny eyes narrowed sharply. Her fingers clenched the cuffs of her pink velvet sleeves so tightly that her knuckles turned white, as if they were about to dig into the fabric.
"Oh, Mr. Potter," she said, her voice sickly sweet but wrapped in shards of ice, every word like fingernails scraping glass, "it seems your previous education failed to teach you even the most basic manners.
"As the Ministry-appointed High Inquisitor, I naturally have the right to speak at any time…"
"But Headmaster Dumbledore is speaking right now," Harry interrupted calmly.
Her words cut off abruptly, like a recording that had been yanked to a stop.
Umbridge's cheeks turned beet-red at a visible speed, like a string of grapes about to burst.
She did not dare openly challenge Dumbledore's authority, but she did not think much of Harry, this rising star, even if he possessed formidable power. In this world, power had never been the first option.
Umbridge believed she could control everything with her own cleverness.
Even now that Fudge had fallen, she still believed she could hold an important position in the Ministry of Magic.
"Very well," she forced two words out through her teeth. "Mr. Potter, I will warn you one last time. Do not interrupt me when I am speaking, otherwise…"
"Otherwise what?" Harry asked, completely unconcerned. His voice grew sterner and filled with authority. "Forget it. Talking to you is a waste of my time. Sit down."
To everyone else, Harry's voice sounded no different from usual, but to Umbridge, it was like thunder exploding beside her ear.
She felt a sharp pain tear through her mind, so intense that she wanted to faint. She wanted to cry out, but she could not control her own body at all. All she could do was drop heavily back into her chair, stumbling as she sat, her eyes vacant and unable to do anything else.
Only after a long while did she finally come back to herself. That experience made her certain that Harry Potter had secretly done something to her just now.
She simply could not believe that Harry Potter had dared to attack an important Ministry official in front of everyone.
She immediately turned to look at Dumbledore. She knew that even if no one else had noticed anything, Dumbledore definitely would have sensed Harry's subtle action just now.
But what she did not expect was that Dumbledore merely gave her a gentle smile, then ignored her and turned his attention back to the young witches and wizards in front of him.
Dumbledore's gentle smile did not make Umbridge feel warm. Instead, it made her heart grow even colder.
Only at that moment did Umbridge understand that the reason she had always believed power was unimportant was simply because powerful people had been willing to play with her inside the rules.
Once things moved outside the rules, direct power became the most important thing of all.
This time, Umbridge no longer dared to show even the slightest dissatisfaction. She squeezed an extremely ugly, disgusting smile onto her face.
She was frightened now, and in that moment, she regretted more than ever coming to Hogwarts as an inquisitor.
After that, Dumbledore resumed his speech. Its content was not much different from previous years, except that this year he emphasized that everyone had to be more careful even within Hogwarts, because Voldemort had returned.
When Umbridge heard this, she immediately wanted to refute him. But after glancing down at Harry, she gave up.
And so, tonight's feast ended perfectly. Other than Umbridge being somewhat unhappy, everyone else felt that today had been a wonderful day.
When the group returned to the Gryffindor common room, Harry discovered that everyone else was already waiting there. As soon as he walked in, everyone, including Seamus, looked at him.
Neville had entered together with Harry. When he saw this, he was startled and asked Seamus, "Seamus, what's going on today? Why is everyone gathered here?"
Seamus smiled. "We're here to thank Harry."
Harry said, "???"
"What do I have to be thanked for?"
Seamus and the others began explaining all at once.
"Because Voldemort has returned. At first, my mum didn't want me to come to Hogwarts this year, but in the end she still agreed. That was all because of you, Harry."
"That's right, Harry. Because you've defeated Voldemort several times before, my parents feel completely reassured about Hogwarts' safety. They even think Hogwarts is now the safest place in the entire wizarding world, because you and Dumbledore are here."
"Yeah, exactly!"
Harry suddenly understood. So that was the reason.
He did not refuse their thanks. Instead, he admitted it directly. "Don't worry, everyone. Hogwarts is very safe. Even if Voldemort shows up again, I'll destroy him again."
Rather than deflecting, it was better to give all these young witches and wizards more peace of mind. That was the best choice.
The next day, on the way to class, Harry and the other two ran into the twins.
When George saw them, he waved and greeted them with a wicked grin. "Good luck. Hope you enjoy this year."
Fred picked up where he left off. "Don't worry, George. Harry and Hermione will both have a great year. Ron, though, probably won't have such a good time.
"Ron, remember, fifth year is hell. You have to pass your O.W.L.s. Harry and Hermione are definitely going to pass easily, but you're different. If you don't pass, Mum will absolutely not let you off."
"I know that without you two telling me," Ron replied, his expression sour.
The O.W.L.s, Ordinary Wizarding Levels, were important standardized exams taken by fifth-year Hogwarts students, roughly equivalent to the kind of high-stakes exams that could decide a student's future academic track. Their results directly affected a student's later course choices and career prospects, and could influence a wizard's entire life.
After that, Harry and the other two attended Potions and Divination.
Soon, it was time for the final class of the day, Defense Against the Dark Arts.
On the way to the classroom, Ron muttered under his breath, "Believe me, Umbridge is definitely going to make trouble. She didn't come to Hogwarts to be some excellent professor."
Hermione nodded in agreement. "Exactly. I think so too. That woman is absolutely horrible. I don't even want to come listen to her class."
Harry comforted them. "Don't worry. It'll be fine. I'm here."
During the break before class started, no one knew which student tossed out a paper airplane.
Under the effect of a Levitation Charm, the paper airplane drifted slowly around the classroom. Everyone began casting spells at it, trying to make it fly longer.
Suddenly, the paper airplane turned to ash in a burst of flame and fell onto a student's desk.
When they looked back, Umbridge was smugly lowering her wand.
She put on a kindly smile and said, "Good afternoon, children. Toys like that are not allowed in the classroom. You should devote every effort to studying properly."
Umbridge slowly walked to the front of the room and stopped behind the podium, facing the many students.
She was wearing the same fluffy pink cardigan she had worn the night before, and the same black velvet bow sat on top of her head.
The entire class remained silent. Professor Umbridge was still an unknown quantity, and no one knew how strict her classroom discipline would be.
In response to Umbridge's greeting, a few students mumbled, "Good afternoon."
Umbridge was clearly dissatisfied with that result.
"Tsk, tsk," Professor Umbridge said. "That will not do. I would like you to answer like this, Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge. Let us try that again."
"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," the young witches and wizards answered in unison.
"That's better," Professor Umbridge said in her sugary voice. "That was not too difficult. Now, please put away your wands and take out your quills."
Professor Umbridge opened her handbag, drew out an unusually short wand, and tapped the blackboard hard. Three lines of writing immediately appeared on it:
Defense Against the Dark Arts, A Return to Basic Principles and the Final O.W.L. Examination.
"Students, your instruction in this subject has been intermittent and unsystematic, has it not?"
Professor Umbridge turned to face the entire class, folding her hands neatly over her chest before continuing.
"Teachers have changed constantly, and many of them do not seem to have followed the Ministry-approved course standards. Unfortunately, this has left you far below the level you should have reached for the O.W.L. examination.
"However, you will be delighted to know that these problems are about to be corrected.
"This year, we will be studying a carefully arranged, theory-centered, Ministry-approved course in magical defense. Please copy these words down."
She tapped the blackboard again. The three lines from before disappeared and were replaced by the words Course Objectives.
Understand the basic principles of magical defense.
Learn to identify the situations in which magical defense may be legally used.
Evaluate magical defense in the context of practical application.
What Umbridge said sounded fine, but some of the young witches and wizards soon noticed that something was wrong. Hermione, as the top student, noticed it most of all.
Hermione raised her hand without hesitation and asked, "Professor Umbridge, I have a question."
It was obvious that Umbridge did not want anyone questioning her, so she asked with a displeased expression, "What is your name?"
"Hermione Granger," Hermione said.
"Well then, Miss Granger, I believe these course objectives are written very clearly, as long as you read them carefully from beginning to end," Professor Umbridge said in an unwaveringly sugary tone.
"But I don't think so," Hermione said bluntly. "There isn't a single word up there about using defensive spells."
A brief silence fell. Many students in the class turned their heads and carefully looked at the three course objectives still written on the blackboard.
"Using defensive spells?" Professor Umbridge repeated with a soft laugh. "My, I cannot imagine a situation in my classroom where you would need to use defensive spells, Miss Granger. Surely you do not believe you will be attacked during class?"
"We can't use magic?" Ron shouted loudly.
"In my class, students who wish to speak must raise their hands first. You are?"
"Weasley," Ron said, hurriedly raising his hand.
Professor Umbridge's smile became even more benevolent. "Of course. But for all of you, the most important thing is passing your O.W.L. examination. Nothing else matters."
Hermione clearly could not accept that answer. She questioned her, "But the main purpose of Defense Against the Dark Arts is obviously to practice defensive spells, isn't it?"
After being questioned by Hermione again and again, Umbridge grew somewhat angry. She sneered, "Are you an expert, Miss Granger? If not, then please follow the professor's arrangements!"
Hermione did not show the slightest fear. Umbridge had the Ministry of Magic behind her, but Hermione had Harry Potter behind her.
She continued pressing her. "If we can't practice defensive spells, then what are we supposed to do if we run into Voldemort and face danger later?"
If this had been before, Umbridge definitely would have denied the fact that Voldemort had returned. But now Fudge had fallen because of that very issue, so naturally she could not say that.
So she changed her wording. "Do not worry, Miss Granger. We will protect you."
Clearly, Umbridge was just dodging the question. Hermione was no match for this slippery old political operator and could do nothing to her.
But Umbridge had clearly forgotten one thing, Harry would stand up for the girl he loved.
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