F I F T Y - S E V E N

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Based on what happened at the Welcoming Feast, everyone was anticipating to not have a fun time in Defense Against the Dark Arts that year. However, not a single person could have expected how truly terrible the new Professor was.

After greeting the class, Professor Umbridge shocked them all by instructing them to put their wands away in their bags and pull out their textbooks. "I would like you all to turn to page 5 and read 'Chapter One: Basics for Beginners'. There will be no need to talk."

As Estelle and Adeline shared an annoyed look over such a useless class assignment, Melanie's hand immediately shot into the air. "Professor Umbridge," She began, not caring whether she had been granted permission to speak or not. "I don't think these are the right books for us. We're N.E.W.T. students."

The short woman blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

Melanie continued nonetheless, despite the look in Cedric's face next to her that look uneasy at challenging the teacher. "These are books that my parents would use to teach my brother about magic before he came to Hogwarts because they don't require wands and don't teach any actual defensive spells. Are we not allowed to use magic this year?"

Still with a sickly smile on her face, Professor Umbridge responded, "There's no need to be learning any defensive spells in my classroom. You'll be learning about magic in a safe and secure environment."

"But we're seventh years!" Angelina protested. "We have N.E.W.T.s this year!"

"Students must not speak out of turn!"

"But how is this going to help us prepare in any sort of way for the exams?" Adeline spoke up. "A major part of the N.E.W.T.s is the practical examination, which is incredibly complex and difficult. How do we even have a chance of passing that if you won't even let us use our wands in class?"

"How dare you question the Ministry's curriculum–" Professor Umbridge whipped her head around to see who was speaking, and an look of intense displeasure crossed her face as she snarled, "Ms. Reyes."

"Not only are we not going to pass our exams," Adeline continued, despite the fact she could see Professor Umbridge's face reddening with fury. "But we're not going to be able to actually defend ourselves against the dark arts! Isn't that the whole point of this class?"

"That's absolutely ridiculous," Professor Umbridge said with a strained laugh. "Who do you imagine is out there that would want to attack children?"

"Well, take a good look at me," Adeline shrugged, sarcasm seeping through her voice. "Do you think my eye just fell out of my head on it's own accord?"

Despite the tense situation, Fred couldn't help but let out a small snort of laughter. Everyone in the class could see that Professor Umbridge was just barely keeping her composure together, but Adeline couldn't help but notice a small twitch in her eye. "What happened to you was a tragic accident within the maze, nothing more!"

"How are you telling me how I lost my eye? I was the one who was there! Not you!"

"Ms. Reyes!" She snapped. Professor Umbridge then had to take a few seconds to calm herself down again. With a small laugh as to suggest Adeline was being completely ridiculous, Professor Umbridge said, "You don't even know what you're saying."

"I'm not crazy!" Adeline replied furiously, her voice beginning to rise with anger. "I know what I saw, and what I saw was You-Know-Who coming back."

"That is a lie!"

"It's what I saw! It's the truth!"

"You must learn to hold your tongue, Ms. Reyes!" She snapped, her voice echoing throughout the classroom. "How you became Head Girl is absolutely ridiculous. Someone of your...background should've never been put in such a position of power in the first place, even with all you've been saying these past few months."

Fred had to place a hand on a infuriated George's shoulder to keep him from standing up. Even though George stayed seated, he was still fuming and glaring daggers at the professor in front of the room.

Staring furiously at Professor Umbridge, Adeline bluntly pointed out, "You mean me being muggle-born."

Adeline so clearly exposing the implications behind Professor Umbridge's words finally caused the woman to snap. "Detention, Ms. Reyes!" She screeched before turning around to grab a stack of bright pink slips that were sitting on her desk. "Tomorrow afternoon, five o'clock. My office. Take this slip and go see your Head of House immediately."

Several students mouths hung open at those words. Adeline hadn't ever gotten a single detention from any teacher – even Snape, who was notorious for giving them out for the smallest of reasons – and had garnered a reputation among her classmates for it. For her to be so quickly given a detention by Professor Umbridge was frankly shocking.

Despite the fact that she had just gotten a detention and would now have to spend extra time with the terrible professor, Adeline breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that. All she wanted was to get out of that horrible classroom and away from that terrible teacher who was staring at her with a smug look on her face as if she had won that argument. Adeline quickly packed her bag and snatched the pink slip out of Professor Umbridge's hand before stepping out of the classroom, letting the heavy door slam behind her.

Professor Flitwick's office wasn't too far from the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. He wasn't teaching a class, so when Adeline opened the door to his office, she found him balancing carefully on top of a large stack of books as he looked through a high shelf on his office walls. "Professor Flitwick?"

The professor turned so quickly that he nearly fell off the large stack of books. "Ms. Reyes!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed as he got down off the stack and sat down on the large chair on top of his desk. "What are you doing here?"

Adeline wordlessly handed him the bright pink slip. Professor Flitwick read over the slip and looked up at her in surprise. "I don't think you've gotten one before in your seven years at Hogwarts."

"Blame the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," Adeline mumbled as she sat down on the seat in front of his desk. "We got into an argument because I questioned the fact we're not doing any actual magic in a N.E.W.T.s class when I know the exam is going to focus a lot on it, and then that led to an argument about the night of the Third Triwizard Task."

Professor Flitwick's face fell. He then pulled out his wand and shut the large door behind her, signifying to Adeline that he didn't want her to repeat what he was about to tell her.

"I'm very worried about what's going to happen to Hogwarts," He said in a quiet voice as if he was afraid that someone was listening in, despite his office doors being completely shut. "I don't like this Umbridge woman. Back when I was applying for the Charms professor position many years ago, she tried to stop Professor Dumbledore from hiring me because of my Goblin ancestry. And with everything that the Ministry has been saying this summer...I'm honestly scared about what will happen this year."

"So...do you think I did the right thing? By calling her out like that?"

For the first time in the many years she had known him, it seemed as Professor Flitwick didn't know the answer. "What you said wasn't wrong," He eventually told her. "But confronting her in that way...I'm not sure I was the right thing to do in that situation. You know the power she has, especially with the Ministry infiltrating Hogwarts the way they have been. You have to be careful, Ms. Reyes."

Adeline fiddled with her hands in her lap. "I understand," She said quietly, even though she hated that she had to do so.

Professor Flitwick clapped his hands together and smiled in an attempt to lift the mood in the room. "Wonderful," He stated in a bright voice. "Since you're here, I figured I'd ask you if you'd still like to tutor some students this year like you have been the past two years. I also want you helping me direct the choir as well."

"I'd love to," Adeline responded excitedly. "I mean, I should probably be shadowing you even more this year, considering that I'm going to start teaching here this time next year."

Adeline couldn't help but notice the way his face fell after she said that. Professor Flitwick sighed. He had been dreading telling her this since the summer holidays, and now he couldn't avoid the conversation any longer.

"I was planning on having you come start teaching here right alongside me after your graduation, but I don't think I want you at Hogwarts for a couple years. With the...possibility of You-Know-Who being back, it'll be incredibly dangerous for you being here because you're Muggle-born."

Adeline felt her stomach twisting in on itself. "Why...why would that be a problem? It's never really been a problem before."

"Back in the First Wizarding War, I had a few colleagues who were Muggle-born professors," Professor Flitwick said in a solemn voice, a dark look crossing his face. "Every single one of them turned dead. I refuse to put you in that same position."

Adeline knew that Professor Flitwick just wanted to protect her. It wasn't as if he was outright denying her the position. Professor Flitwick had said that he wanted her teaching there in the future. She also understood his reasoning – Adeline didn't want to be put in danger anymore than she had been this past year.

But that didn't stop Adeline's heart from sinking to the floor.

Unlike most of her friends, Adeline had no home to go back to when her seventh year was over. She had been counting on Hogwarts for a job and a place to live. Even with the impending war on hand, Adeline had thought that she'd at least have some place to call home. Hogwarts had become her salvation after years of loneliness at her family's home, and now it seemed as if she was being turned away by the one place she had felt had been an actual home to her.

Any sort of stability Adeline had hoped for in those first few years after she left Hogwarts had been snatched away from her.

"I understand," She repeated in a small voice, and Professor Flitwick felt even guiltier about the situation Adeline had been put in. "Is there anything else you need from me?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. You can head back to the common room and study there for the rest of the class period instead of going back to Professor Umbridge's class," Professor Flitwick told her, making her breath a small sigh of relief. "Off you go, Ms. Reyes!" He said with a small smile to try and uplift her mood once more. "Make sure to take a Sugar Mice on your way out!"

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a/n:

hi guys!! i'm so so sorry about the slow update. i've been on a road trip w my family for the past week so it's been hard to find the time to write/update.

i know this chapter didn't have a lot of george and adeline, but i really loved writing the umbridge and adeline fight scene hee hee !!

i hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and i hope you all have a lovely day. i'll see you at the next update!!

- g ♡