Chapter 998: A Warning Shot
Chapter 998: A Warning Shot
"So, Harry, what did Professor McGonagall say?" Hermione asked anxiously.
"Professor McGonagall said she couldn't convince Umbridge to change her mind." Harry calmly ate his food, unbothered by the situation.
"Now what?" Ron asked, uneasy.
"What can we do? Looks like I'm headed for detention with Umbridge."
Harry turned to look at the people whispering among themselves and then returned to his meal. He had never expected that the malice of others would be so blatant.
Those who whispered and exchanged glances with him did not care if he overheard their discussions. On the contrary, they seemed to want him to hear and become angry, hoping to catch a glimpse of his angry outburst.
"Umbridge's plan is quite successful!"
Harry took out a calming potion from a vial and popped it into his mouth, saying indifferently, "She just wants me to admit that Voldemort hasn't returned so that the Ministry of Magic can spread the word. Whether I speak the truth or not, I'll be isolated by the entire school."
Hermione and Ron exchanged worried glances, their eyes reflecting each other's concerns.
"People are afraid to face the cruel truth," Harry mocked himself. "The line of wizards who think I'm lying could stretch from the entrance hall to the other end of the Great Hall."
"What did you just take, Harry?" Ron asked in a low voice.
"This?"
Harry expressionlessly pulled out a vial from his robe pocket and introduced it to Hermione and Ron. "It's a calming potion. Sirius gave it to me before I came to Hogwarts. The dosage is small, but it helps me stay calm for a short period."
"You've been taking this all along?" Hermione grew more anxious.
"Yes, ever since the last trial, I've realized the importance of keeping a clear head," Harry said, tucking the vial back into his pocket. "Anderson was right. Blind rage doesn't solve problems, so when I feel my emotions spiraling out of control, I take one of these to calm down."
"Does it really work?" Ron was skeptical.
"Of course," Harry continued, knowing their concerns. "Umbridge isn't one to sit idly. She'll try to change things at Hogwarts, and she'll surely stir up a hornet's nest. Not to mention, her teaching skills are genuinely terrible—a cruel fact that cannot be changed."
Ignoring the whispers around him, Harry finished the last of his food, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and maintained an air of nonchalance.
"What about the Quidditch tryouts?" Ron suddenly asked.
"I doubt I'll make it. Umbridge probably won't let me play Quidditch in peace." Harry turned to Ron. "You tell Angelina to find a substitute. I might not be able to make it to the game. Actually, I'll go talk to her myself. I remember Albert is quite a talented Seeker."
Harry didn't plan on telling Ron and Hermione about his conversation with Albert in Professor McGonagall's office, especially not in a place where privacy was hard to come by.
He was well aware that the plan sounded feasible and had a chance of success, but whether it would be useful or not was another matter.
Ultimately, it depended on luck and when Umbridge would invite him for a drink.
After dinner, Harry found Angelina at the Gryffindor table and explained his situation.
"So, you got yourself into detention with Umbridge," Angelina scolded Harry.
"Umbridge targeted me on the first day she arrived at Hogwarts. There's nothing I can do about it," Harry said calmly. "I suggest you ask Anderson to be a substitute, or have him take my place as Seeker."
Angelina was stunned by Harry's suggestion, remembering what Albert had said at the welcoming feast. She never expected it to come true so soon.
"He said he's not available," Angelina huffed and left. She soon found Albert studying in the library and informed him about Harry's predicament.
"To be honest, your chances of winning the Quidditch Cup this year are slim," Albert said kindly after hearing Angelina out. "Umbridge will undoubtedly favor Slytherin. She'll always need to curry favor with one house, and when the time comes, she'll find an excuse to ban Potter from the game. If you don't have a suitable Seeker, you can try Ginny Weasley. She's a decent player."
"Banned from the game?" Angelina repeated, wide-eyed.
"Are you surprised?" Albert put down his book and looked at Angelina, slumped helplessly in her chair. "Potter stood trial in front of the Wizengamot during the summer holidays. He almost had his wizard status taken away by the Ministry."
"Just because of the mystery man's business?" Angelina asked, her eyes widening further.
"He's the Boy Who Lived, Dumbledore's favorite student," Albert nodded. "And the Ministry has been targeting Dumbledore lately, with Potter getting caught in the crossfire."
After Angelina left, looking dejected, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan appeared out of thin air.
"What did she want?" Fred asked curiously.
"She told me about Potter being in detention," Angelina replied.
"Harry's really having a tough time," George sighed.
"It's only natural, being the savior and all," Albert said calmly. "I think he might have a premonition about it himself."
Indeed, Harry had matured a lot, and when he remained calm, his combat power soared.
"The Defense Against the Dark Arts class is truly awful," Lee Jordan brought the topic back on track. "We've spread the word, and I think most people know what's going on with that class."
"Do you think everyone will join forces to resist Umbridge?" George thought the probability of that happening was low.
"It depends on the situation. It's usually difficult, but..." Albert said meaningfully, "there are always special circumstances."
"What special circumstances?"
...
"Good morning, class!"
On Wednesday morning, Umbridge greeted the students with a fake smile after they had entered the classroom.
However, no one responded.
An eerie silence filled the room.
"This won't do," Professor Umbridge said. "I expect you to reply: 'Good morning, Professor Umbridge.' Let's try again. Good morning, class!"
The classroom remained silent as students studied the words on the blackboard and began to whisper among themselves.
"So, it's true."
"She really can't teach Defense Against the Dark Arts!"
"What about our N.E.W.T.s then?"
"I wonder if Anderson will give us extra lessons!"
"I heard he's busy this year and won't be tutoring."
"Now what..."
The classroom buzzed with whispers, and no one bothered to give Umbridge any respect. Even the heads of the boys' and girls' dormitories blatantly ignored her.
What could they do when they had heard that Umbridge's teaching was as boring as Professor Binns' lectures and that she wouldn't teach them anything useful?
Theories were useless; N.E.W.T.s didn't test that stuff anyway.
This is ridiculous! They don't want us to do well on our N.E.W.T.s!
What is the Ministry playing at?
The smile on Umbridge's face froze, and she never expected the seventh-year students to be so blatantly disrespectful. She turned to the Heads of the Boy's and Girl's dormitories, cleared her throat, and said, "Mr. Anderson? Miss McDougall?"
"Professor Umbridge," Albert drawled, "you're aware that we're facing our N.E.W.T.s this year. We only want to achieve excellent results in the upcoming exams so that we can secure good job prospects after graduation. Could you please provide us with a list of Dark Arts Defense spells we need to master and the key topics that may be covered in the exam for us to review after class?"
As soon as Albert finished speaking, the classroom erupted in applause.
Umbridge's expression darkened, and she took a deep breath before responding, "Well, of course, helping students pass their exams is the school's primary goal. The Ministry believes that theoretical knowledge will be more beneficial to you, given that you haven't had a qualified teacher until now..."
"Professor, we've already covered the theoretical knowledge," Diggory interrupted.
"Professor, what we need is to excel in our N.E.W.T.s," Katrina added bluntly.
"Professor, we don't need this rubbish."
"Professor, does the Ministry intend for us all to fail our N.E.W.T.s?"
"Professor, if you can't do the job, then let your assistant teach the class!"
"Professor..."
"Professor..."
"Professor..."
There were many students in this Advanced Dark Arts class, thanks to Albert. After Lupin and Barty's lessons, everyone now took their N.E.W.T.s seriously, especially with the rumors of Voldemort's return circulating.
Whether it was true or not, learning useful Dark Arts Defense spells was a priority.
As for theoretical knowledge, they weren't going to be fooled by that nonsense.
Of course, if no one took the lead in challenging Umbridge, no one would dare to confront her directly.
But now, their Head Boy had taken the initiative.
Well, even if he hadn't intended to, it was clear that Albert was dissatisfied with Umbridge's useless curriculum.
This was undoubtedly an opportunity, as no one wanted to endure such pointless lessons, especially when it concerned their all-important N.E.W.T.s. Even the Slytherins didn't want to settle for a passing grade or worse in their Dark Arts Defense N.E.W.T.s.
So, they wouldn't let Umbridge mess up their Dark Arts Defense class. If she refused to cooperate, they would push her aside and have Albert teach them instead.
Albert was busy most of the time, but he certainly had time during class hours.
After all, he was the Duelling Champion.
He was a formidable opponent who didn't flinch from facing dark wizards.
No one doubted Albert's teaching abilities.
"Ahem, we certainly believe that you are an excellent teacher," Albert coughed lightly, signaling for the class to quiet down.
"Given the circumstances of this class, we have no choice but to prepare ourselves in advance," he said, not intending to push Umbridge further. He decided to change the subject, not wanting to make things too difficult to resolve. "We're just concerned that Professor Dumbledore might not have informed you of the true nature of this course."
Someone in the classroom piped up, eliciting snickers and whispers from the students.
"The true nature of this course?"
Umbridge felt the weight of their strange gazes.
"Professor, you don't know?" Lee Jordan feigned shock.
"This position is said to be cursed," Fred said, his voice shaking, either from fear or suppressed laughter.
"Not a single professor has been able to teach for a full year since we started Hogwarts. Two professors have died, one has gone missing and is presumed dead, another almost had his soul sucked out by a Dementor, and one is permanently injured and resides in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. The best outcome was with Professor Quirrell in our first year; he found out about the curse and fled halfway through the year."
The students looked at Umbridge with pity, as if her fate was already sealed.
Umbridge's face turned ashen.
"I bet Professor Dumbledore didn't tell her about this," someone muttered.
"Maybe she doesn't believe in the curse and thinks it's all a hoax," another student added.
"I remember Lockhart didn't believe it either, and look what happened to him... That was brutal!"
"Yes, it was terrible. I heard he never recovered."
Umbridge was well aware of the rumors about the curse, having attended Hogwarts herself. However, she hadn't taken them seriously, but now... Could the curse be real?
Umbridge's expression darkened as she realized that the Heads of the Boy's and Girl's dormitories had instigated this rebellion right from the first class.
Even though the situation might not have been entirely of their doing, Umbridge was convinced that they were somehow involved.
What frustrated her the most was that Albert Anderson was not someone to be trifled with! Yes, he was a force to be reckoned with.
Because, without doing much, he had merely raised a concern that everyone shared, and now she was facing their discontent.
The students would only blame her for her inadequate teaching and stirring up their dissatisfaction.
Umbridge didn't dare to confront the students directly. Instead, she assigned them self-study from a specific section of the textbook and asked Albert to supervise the class while she abruptly left the classroom. She wanted to avoid making the situation worse and losing her chance to regain control. She knew that if she stayed, things might escalate to a point where she would have no choice but to step down.
As Umbridge's departing figure disappeared from view, all eyes turned to Anderson, who was seated at the teacher's desk.
"Why don't you teach us instead?" someone suggested.
"No, thanks. I don't want to test the power of the curse myself," Albert declined, having no intention of becoming their regular teacher.
"Then what about our Dark Arts Defense exams?"
"I can provide you with the key topics for the N.E.W.T.s and give you some pointers," Albert offered. He took out his wand, tapped the blackboard behind him, and said to the students below, "If you want to copy the notes, go ahead. If you'd rather sleep, feel free, but please don't disturb others with loud conversations."
The students exchanged glances, then pulled out their parchment and quills. The classroom fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the scratch of quills on parchment as they copied down the exam topics. They all sensed that they wouldn't gain any useful knowledge from Umbridge's lessons.
"Let's get rid of her!" someone whispered.
In the past, the students might not have entertained such thoughts, but now, with Albert on their side, things were different.
(End of Chapter)
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