Chapter 1042: No Peace
Chapter 1042: No Peace
Overnight, Umbridge, who had suddenly turned into a toad, almost went crazy and became more irritable. Madam Pomfrey had to give her a large amount of sedatives to prevent her from breaking down completely due to her appearance.
However, what troubled Madam Pomfrey even more was that she not only had to take the time to comfort the annoying toad, but also had to deal with the curious students.
After the news of Umbridge's transformation spread, groups of students used the Skiving Snackboxes provided by the Weasley twins to send themselves to the hospital wing so that they could catch a glimpse of the toad.
Madam Pomfrey had to hang curtains around Umbridge's bed to prevent others from seeing her form and causing her to be overwhelmed with shame and lose control of her emotions. However, it didn't work very well, as the curtains couldn't block out the sounds or the more adventurous students.
Madam Pomfrey suggested more than once that Umbridge go to St. Mungo's for more formal treatment, but this proposal was rejected by Umbridge, who didn't want others to know about her condition.
Umbridge was well aware that if she appeared at St. Mungo's looking like this, she would be on the front page of the newspaper the next day.
She would never allow such a thing to happen.
However, Umbridge didn't know that a unscrupulous individual had already taken a picture of her as a toad and was planning to publish it in a magazine.
On the third day of Umbridge's transformation, Minister Fudge came to Hogwarts to visit her and had a big argument with Dumbledore about the matter, fully displaying his blustering behavior.
Dumbledore expressed his powerlessness and indicated that it was most likely a curse from the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. As everyone knew, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts was always unlucky, and Dumbledore had even explicitly mentioned this to Umbridge before she took the job.
However, Fudge didn't agree and thought that Umbridge's transformation was entirely Dumbledore's doing, a plot he had devised.
In the face of such unreasonable accusations, Dumbledore didn't get angry but gently assured him that Madam Pomfrey would do her best to treat Umbridge, or she could be transferred to St. Mungo's for better treatment.
In the end, after consulting with Umbridge, Fudge decided to let her stay at Hogwarts for treatment.
For Umbridge, staying at the school was not the best choice.
The consequences of this decision soon became apparent.
From then on, Umbridge often received gifts from strangers, including Chocolate Frogs, very lifelike cockroach clusters, singing greeting cards, and statuettes.
These annoying gifts, like uninvited guests, occupied the table next to Umbridge's bed.
At first, Umbridge didn't realize anything was amiss until she bit into a Chocolate Frog that someone had laced with Aliott leaf extract, and she truly experienced the malice of others.
The cockroach clusters were a type of very lifelike gummy candy that looked exactly like cockroaches and had been enchanted to crawl into people's mouths. It was said that eating them was particularly disgusting.
The greeting cards sang "The Toad Song" to the tune of a lullaby, and even if you tried to burn them, the sound would linger for a long time until the whole song was finished. The statuettes were modeled after Umbridge as a toad, hopping around, and those who didn't know better might think they were human-shaped toads.
Umbridge was furious and asked Madam Pomfrey to throw all the gifts away. However, the next day, they would reappear on the table next to her bed, and the cockroaches would even crawl toward Umbridge's mouth, leaving her with unforgettable memories.
After a few incidents, Umbridge didn't dare to let Madam Pomfrey throw the gifts away anymore, for fear of waking up with half a cockroach in her mouth.
She could only settle for covering them with a white cloth to keep them out of sight.
This still didn't solve the problem.
If she did that, she would be crawled all over by cockroaches the next day.
She had completely compromised.
Although Madam Pomfrey thought that if Umbridge had been willing to go to St. Mungo's for treatment, this wouldn't have happened, it still didn't change the toad's decision to stay at Hogwarts.
However, Umbridge didn't know that her insistence was completely meaningless.
"I bet the toad would be so excited to see this issue of the 'Defense Bulletin' that she'd pass out," Fred said with a laugh as he held up a copy of the newspaper he'd gotten from Albert. "We should send a copy to the toad."
"I've already asked a house-elf to deliver it," George said. "I'm sure she'll be very excited when she receives it."
"Excited enough to jump out of bed," Fred added.
"I think we should share it with everyone," George said, echoing Albert's thoughts. "After all, the toad is currently hospitalized, and no one will come looking for trouble. Now is the perfect time, and I think this magazine will definitely leave an impression."
"Also, we should get the radio show back on," said Lee Jordan, who loved the Wizarding Wireless Network.
"We can arrange a segment for well-wishes for Umbridge," Albert suggested, somewhat satisfied. "Then we can bring a radio to Umbridge's bedside and let the toad listen to everyone's blessings."
The four exchanged looks, their faces filled with malicious glee.
That day, Hogwarts Castle was filled with free copies of the "Defense Bulletin," and it soon became known to the curious students.
Umbridge's toad form appeared on the cover of the magazine, the only regret being that the cover image didn't include her head.
According to some involved parties, the toad's face looked very much like a toad's.
Everyone blamed her misfortune on the curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and many said that the toad would soon be kicked out of Hogwarts.
What was even more outrageous was that the Anti-Toad Coalition claimed responsibility for the incident and publicly stated that the coalition had achieved initial success in their anti-toad efforts, earning unanimous praise.
For a time, the number of students claiming to be members of the Anti-Toad Coalition skyrocketed.
The "Defense Bulletin" became required reading for the coalition.
As for the Educational Decree?
Umbridge was still lying in the hospital wing and didn't have time to cause trouble for anyone.
The Wizarding Wireless Network was also very popular, and students often gathered to listen to the broadcasts and discuss the content.
However, people's joys and sorrows were not the same.
When Umbridge discovered the latest issue of the "Defense Bulletin," she was so angry that she jumped out of bed and tore the magazine to pieces, and Madam Pomfrey had to use the Stunning Spell to make her fall asleep to avoid her becoming too agitated.
There on the cover of the magazine was none other than Umbridge in her toad form. Although her head wasn't visible, it was easy to recognize her from her clothing and appearance.
...
A piercing scream tore through the night.
The door to the adjoining room next to the hospital wing flew open, and a wand-wielding Madam Pomfrey cautiously stepped into the hospital wing, almost stunning Umbridge who was frantically running towards her.
"What's going on?"
Madam Pomfrey raised her wand and scanned the beds in the hospital wing, her anger mounting as she glared at Umbridge, who was cowering behind her.
"There... there's a giant... a giant..."
"Nonsense! There are no giants here!" Madam Pomfrey interrupted impatiently. "You must have had a nightmare. I told you to take a sleeping draught."
"I'm telling you, I saw a giant!" Umbridge shouted in rebuttal.
"You were dreaming," Madam Pomfrey asserted, her wand still raised as she scanned the room. "Look around, there's no one here but you."
It was no wonder Madam Pomfrey was in a foul mood, having been woken up in the middle of the night.
Umbridge fell silent, unable to argue further. She had indeed seen a giant, but now it had disappeared. Yet, she was certain of what she had witnessed.
How could it have vanished?
"What's going on? I heard a scream."
Professor McGonagall, clad in her pajamas and holding a wand, appeared at the entrance of the hospital wing, her expression turning peculiar as she looked at the two women inside.
"Umbridge had a nightmare," Madam Pomfrey explained helplessly.
"It must have been Peeves up to his tricks again," Filch interjected, eager to blame the poltergeist. Ever since Peeves had been unable to continue tormenting Umbridge, he had redirected his mischief towards Filch and the other students of Hogwarts.
Not long ago, Peeves had even opened a can of sardines in Filch's office and spilled the contents all over the floor, leaving an unbearable stench that drove Filch's Mrs. Norris away.
"Pomfrey, you should give her some more sleeping draught," Professor McGonagall suggested, her face grimacing at the sight of Umridge's toad-like appearance. "We can't have her screaming and waking everyone up repeatedly."
"I'll go prepare some now. Off you go, back to bed. It's going to be a long night," Madam Pomfrey said to Umbridge, her tone conveying her annoyance.
"No, I won't drink that stuff," Umbridge refused outright.
After her previous experience, where she had woken up with a mouthful of cockroaches, she was adamant about not drinking the sleeping draught again, fearing what else might be stuffed into her mouth while she slept.
"I still advise you to go to St. Mungo's for proper treatment," Professor McGonagall said, shaking her head as she turned to leave, no longer paying heed to Umbridge.
The sight of Umbridge's toad-like face was nauseating.
"Professor, about the Room of Requirement..." Filch hurried after her, reminding her of the matter at hand.
"The Room of Requirement?" Professor McGonagall looked at Filch, puzzled. If not for him bringing it up, she wouldn't have even known about the situation in the first place.
"Yes, I heard voices coming from there, and I suspect someone might be inside," Filch asserted.
Professor McGonagall followed Filch towards the Room of Requirement. Shortly after she knocked on the door, it opened from within.
"Yes?"
Filius Flitwick's voice echoed from inside.
"Professor Flitwick, have you seen any other students...?" Professor McGonagall's eyes widened as she spotted the other person in the room. "Mr. Anderson, what are you doing here at this hour?"
"Professor, I was just discussing astrology with Professor Flitwick," Albert replied, raising an eyebrow slightly, surprised to be interrupted. Upon noticing Filch standing behind Professor McGonagall, he surmised the reason for their visit.
Astrology, as practiced by the centaurs, had its limitations. However, if one could master their methods, it could prove to be a valuable addition to his repertoire.
After all, divination had already proven to be quite useful to him.
"Discussing astrology?" Professor McGonagall found the notion rather absurd.
"Both astronomy and astrology are best studied at night," Albert explained amicably. "If possible, I would prefer to meet during the day as well. By the way, what was that scream about earlier? I thought I heard someone scream."
"Anderson has a gift for astrology," Professor Flitwick chimed in, pleased to have Albert's company. He didn't have many friends at the school, Hagrid being one of the few.
Life at Hogwarts hadn't been easy for him, and he had very few friends.
Professor McGonagall was at a loss for words. Eventually, she nodded at Professor Flitwick and apologized for the interruption before turning to leave with Filch in tow.
She had also engaged in academic discussions with Albert and knew that bringing up school rules at this point would be inappropriate, especially after the Umbridge incident. She simply didn't have the energy to deal with it.
"Professor, I..." Filch didn't know what else to say. He hadn't expected Professor McGonagall to let the matter slide.
"Don't worry, Professor Flitwick will keep an eye on him, and Anderson isn't the type to cause trouble," Professor McGonagall said calmly. "It's not right to interrupt others' academic discussions."
Filch's mouth hung open, his eyes widening in bewilderment. He chose to turn a blind eye and pretend he hadn't seen anything, deciding not to pursue the matter further.
In truth, Filch didn't have a terrible impression of Albert.
Although he often associated with those troublesome Weasley twins, he rarely caused trouble for Filch himself, and he was, after all, the Head Boy.
Moreover, Professor McGonagall clearly didn't want to involve herself in the matter.
"Academic discussion?" Filch shook his head as he walked away. "This is preposterous."
"They're gone," Professor Flitwick said.
"Yes, it's still early. Let's continue," Albert said, checking his pocket watch.
"It's getting late. We should call it a night and continue another day," Professor Flitwick suggested.
"Alright then, good night," Albert bid farewell to Professor Flitwick and made his way back to the common room.
"Good night, it was a pleasure discussing with you," Professor Flitwick replied.
He had shared with Albert many of the centaurs' discoveries in astrology, and he was surprised to find that Albert's understanding of astrology was not far behind that of the centaurs. At times, Albert even offered unique insights that gave Professor Flitwick a new perspective.
(End of Chapter)
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