bookbashuk Page 466
Page 466
A subtle smile played at the corners of his lips as he emphasized in a mysterious tone, “Yes, Professor Umbridge, it was your doing. However, it was all the result of a curse manipulating things from the shadows. Your actions were merely a small part of this vast curse.”
Umbridge's face turned deathly pale. Her eyes widened, her lips trembled, and her voice was filled with terror: "No, no, I'm not part of the curse! I am... I am..."
Levin sighed softly, said nothing more, turned and left the Defense Against the Dark Arts office, leaving Umbridge alone to face the inner turmoil and fear.
The door slammed shut, and Umbridge's fake smile finally crumbled completely.
She roared furiously, sweeping all the books, stationery, and files off her desk: "Damn it, damn curse! Damn Mudbloods!"
The students in the surrounding corridors were startled by the loud noises and curses coming from the office.
They peeked out curiously, only to find the door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts office tightly shut, from which came Umbridge's angry roars and the sound of things being smashed.
The students looked at each other, unsure of what had happened inside, but they all wisely chose to stay away from this place of trouble.
Ginny's troubles subsided for the time being, but the next day, a new wave of events was stirred up in the fifth-grade Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
Harry's anger could no longer be contained, and he decided to follow Ginny's example and challenge Umbridge.
In class, he openly questioned whether Umbridge's course was of any use in protecting himself.
“Under Minister Fudge’s leadership, the wizarding world of the Underworld is very safe!” Professor Umbridge pointed out in an eerily intimate voice. “Who do you think would attack little children like you?”
"You say the wizarding world is safe and we don't need to protect ourselves?" Harry sneered. "Then, Professor, what should we do if Voldemort returns?"
His words caused a huge uproar in the classroom.
Ron gasped, Lavender Brown let out a low scream, Neville swayed and fell off the bench, but Professor Umbridge showed no fear.
She just stared at Harry, a vicious, satisfied look on her face.
"Gryffindor, deduct ten points, Mr. Potter."
The classroom was silent. Everyone was either staring at Umbridge or at Harry.
“Alright, let me clarify a few things.” Professor Umbridge stood up, leaning forward, her short, stubby hands resting on the podium. “Someone told you that a dark wizard has risen from the dead—”
“He’s not dead,” Harry said angrily, “but yes, he’s back!”
“Mr. Potter, you’ve already lost ten points for your house. Don’t make things worse,” Professor Umbridge said in one breath, without even looking at Harry. “As I just said, some people are telling you that a dark wizard is active again. That’s nonsense.”
“This is no nonsense!” Harry declared loudly. “And it is an undeniable fact that Voldemort was nearly defeated by Professor Dumbledore and others in Little Hangleton Cemetery!”
"Solitary confinement, Mr. Potter!" Professor Umbridge said smugly. "Tomorrow evening, five o'clock, in my office. I repeat, this is nonsense. The Ministry of Magic guarantees you will not encounter any danger from dark wizards. If you still have doubts, please come to me after class. If anyone tries to scare you with stories of dark wizards rising from the dead, I'd love to hear them. I'm always ready to help you."
Umbridge was secretly delighted.
In fact, ever since becoming the vice principal, defense against the dark arts professor, and senior investigator, she had long wanted to cause some trouble to prove her authority.
Yesterday's trouble with Ginny was an opportunity, but the girl was very careful, leaving Ginny with no chance to strike. She cleverly used loopholes in the rules she herself had set to attack her, leaving Ginny with no leverage. Otherwise, even with Levin's protection, Ginny would have announced the punishment on the spot and then sought Levin's favor afterward.
The partnership between Levin and Fudge alone cannot suppress her desire to dominate Hogwarts.
Now, Harry, an even more crucial figure, had conveniently presented himself to her, which was a golden opportunity. She decided to seize this chance to make an example of him and teach the young wizards of Hogwarts a lesson.
That evening, at the long table in the Great Hall, Levin heard Hermione's detailed description of what had happened in class.
He couldn't help but sigh, feeling utterly helpless about Harry's impulsive behavior.
Harry seemed to have learned nothing from his mistakes and continued to act recklessly as always.
Ginny escaped punishment not only because she had Levin protecting her, but more importantly, because she didn't confront Umbridge at all, but instead looked for weaknesses in Umbridge's territory.
But Harry didn't realize this. He only learned the superficial aspects of Ginny's teachings, and was so naive as to single-mindedly try to get Umbridge to acknowledge Voldemort's resurrection.
Doing so would not only be futile, but would also bring you even more trouble.
Sure enough, he soon learned his lesson and was locked in solitary confinement.