Chapter 1012: The Song of Toad
Chapter 1012: The Song of Toad
As the trio recounted the entire process of the formation of the "DA", Albert wasn't too surprised. Harry and Hermione had matured far beyond their years in the original story, thanks to his influence. Coupled with Umbridge and the Ministry of Magic successfully stirring up resentment, the "DA" was bound to play a more significant role and produce more students skilled in Dark Magic defense.
The only thing that surprised Albert was Hermione's attachment to the "Self-Defense Guide".
To be honest, the "Self-Defense Guide" was one of Albert's earliest drafts. Later, after he had made further progress in Dark Magic defense, he revised the manuscript.
Isobel was still helping to organize it, and the "Self-Defense Guide" was actually revised based on her suggestion from those discarded drafts. In Isobel's own words, "This is something people will actually read."
"Are we putting the Wizard Card Club on hold?"
Upon hearing Albert's words, Lee Jordan's face twisted in conflict. Although he had expected this day would come, he never imagined it would arrive so soon, barely a month into the new school year! "Anyway, the tournament has already concluded successfully."
Albert was indifferent to the pause in the Wizard Card Club. After all, it was all Toad's fault, and if anyone wanted to complain, they should take it up with Umbridge.
Yes, it was all Umbridge's fault.
Albert was slowly building up resentment towards Umbridge, and he was curious to see how long the students of Hogwarts would endure her oppressive presence before they erupted in silence.
"I thought you'd modify Toad's memory," Fred and George chimed in, knowing that Albert wouldn't mind getting his hands dirty with Umbridge.
"Do you really think Toad will back down easily?"
"You mean..."
"Umbridge is a typical bully," Albert sneered. "As someone standing at the top of the law, whatever she says goes. If she wants to make your life difficult, she can easily find a bunch of excuses. So, when dealing with people like her, don't bother reasoning with them. Instead, play to your strengths."
"And what are our strengths?" The trio asked, eyes wide with anticipation.
"Our fists are harder than Umbridge's," Albert replied, turning the pages of his book calmly. "So, when she refuses to listen to reason, we can use our fists to make her follow our logic."
The trio exchanged glances, finding this idea novel. Undoubtedly, Umbridge was not one for rational discourse, but they weren't pushovers either.
"Memory modification can't be too excessive, or it might leave loopholes," Albert added, continuing to flip through the book in his hand.
The task of "Reading Maniac" was almost complete.
To be frank, he wasn't expecting much from the task reward anymore.
The number of books he had read over the years far exceeded the reward for the "Reading Maniac" title, but he had still spent seven years on it. Not claiming the task reward would feel like a huge loss.
"What do you think we should do?" George mumbled.
"Toad only has time and energy to cause trouble for everyone because she's too idle," Albert remarked, watching as Tom sauntered over and plopped himself onto the open book, his fat cat bottom covering most of it. Albert reached out to scratch Tom's chin affectionately before continuing, "You can give her something to do to keep her busy."
The mischievous trio looked at each other, unsure of how to proceed.
With Dumbledore still at the school, they had to be careful not to go too far.
"Right, what about the DA's base?"
George recalled the issue they had discussed during the gathering. He thought the Room of Requirement would be an ideal spot for their meetings, but he needed to consult Albert first, as it was their shared secret base.
"Then, we'll find an opportunity to let Potter know about the Room of Requirement."
"Really?"
The trio was taken aback, surprised by Albert's agreement.
"We're graduating soon anyway," Albert said nonchalantly, eyeing Tom as he yawned and stretched. "I doubt we'll have much chance to use the Room of Requirement after that."
"I thought you'd find them another place," Fred said, knowing that Albert still utilized the Room of Requirement.
"I can't find a more suitable place temporarily."
Albert lifted Tom off the book and placed him back in his cat bed, then reached out to ruffle his cheeks affectionately before resuming his seat and continuing to read.
If they didn't open the Room of Requirement to the DA members, the trio didn't know what else to suggest.
As October arrived, the temperature around Hogwarts dropped rapidly, forcing most wizards to don thick cloaks.
However, no one knew what was hidden beneath those cloaks.
Ever since Fred and George started causing trouble for Umbridge, her temper had become more volatile, and her methods more vicious. She desperately wanted to suppress any unrest in the school, but the pranks directed at her only increased.
Umbridge's mood was as gloomy as the sky, and the fake smile she plastered on her face could no longer hide her true feelings.
There was nothing she could do. Someone kept tampering with the door to the Dark Magic Defense classroom, and on one occasion, a stink bomb was thrown into the room, causing chaos among the students.
She had angrily declared that she would expel the troublemakers, but up until now, Umbridge had been unable to identify the culprits.
Just as Umbridge was about to instruct the students to read from their textbooks, she received another unpleasant surprise. The blackboard behind her suddenly started screaming, repeatedly shouting, "Umbridge, go eat poop!"
Such crude language sent the entire Dark Magic Defense classroom into fits of laughter.
What infuriated Umbridge the most was her inability to stop the voice, making her look like a fool in front of the entire class.
The Dark Magic Defense class had now become the most despised subject at Hogwarts. Rumors about the Dark Magic Defense professor and the Ministry of Magic spread quietly among the students.
Now, everyone knew that the reason the Ministry of Magic, in the form of Umbridge, was trying so hard to prevent them from learning defense spells was that Minister Fudge believed Dumbledore was using students to organize a secret army to oppose the Ministry.
Was there really such an army in the school?
It was laughable! Of course, some students also believed that Umbridge was preventing them from learning defense spells because she herself didn't know anything. Naturally, she had nothing to teach them, hence the boring textbook readings during class.
They even presented compelling evidence. Several students had questioned Umbridge about knowledge points from "The Theory of Magic Defense," and she had proven time and again that she knew nothing.
As a result, the saying, "Umbridge has never been a professor; she's a waste of space," spread like wildfire throughout the school. Someone even openly challenged Umbridge by hanging her magically altered photo in the Great Hall, with the caption, "I, Umbridge, the pink toad, am a waste of space," repeating endlessly.
This incident infuriated Umbridge, but she couldn't find the culprit, and none of the professors were willing to help her.
Similar pranks kept popping up. The wooden doors of the Dark Magic Defense office and classroom were vandalized with hard-to-remove paint, declaring, "I, Umbridge, the pink toad, am a waste of space."
Peeves even turned this into a song, humming it throughout the school. Now, whenever Umbridge's photo appeared, it was accompanied by the humming of the song, and everyone could hum along:
... is a waste of space.
(End of Chapter)
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