Struggling to survive at Hogwarts

Chapter 234 Umbridge Becomes Headmaster

"Thea, you did a great job this time!"

Umbridge's obese body sank deep into the slightly cramped old chair in the Defense Against the Dark Arts office, but she paid no heed to the discomfort, proud of her "keen eye for talent."

"I knew Potter was an idiot! Dumbledore was too!"

"A baby in swaddling clothes could be a savior?!"

A deep mockery appeared on Umbridge's face.

She scoffed, "Sure enough, the old bee's brain is completely clouded by sugar!"

In front of Thea, her "capable assistant," Umbridge vented all the anger she had felt since entering Hogwarts on Dumbledore and Harry through pointless verbal attacks.

Umbridge, overwhelmed by the sudden victory, began to speak recklessly.

"...I was clearly the biggest contributor..."

“...The Daily Prophet..."

Hearing these indistinct words, Thea's eyes flickered. If she remembered correctly, the Daily Prophet's recent headlines seemed to be praising Fudge's "miracle work," commending him for "saving the future of British wizarding..."

Hey.

Lust for power.

These two points will sound the death knell for Umbridge.

The afternoon sun shone warmly through the window. Thea's eyelids were slightly lowered, and she still looked like a well-behaved student. No one could guess whose death she was calculating in her heart.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Since Umbridge came to power, the Investigative Task Force, a newly emerging force, has also gained prominence due to the "execution of Porter" and has rapidly expanded its scale by taking advantage of this momentum.

In just one week, the core team of a dozen or so people has grown to seventy or eighty people, which is quite fast.

"Daphne, you did a good job this time."

Thea's sincere praise finally put Daphne's mind at ease. As for her father's letter, Daphne had already decided to pay lip service to it.

Anyway, he can't come to Hogwarts in person!

Daphne thought confidently.

Thea could easily see through Daphne's thoughts. A slight smile appeared on her lips. Clearly, Daphne's approach was correct.

She proved her allegiance through her actions.

Thea had no reason not to accept her loyalty.

"...Have all the secret passages at Hogwarts been checked?"

“…We’ve checked almost everything,” Daphne said with a troubled expression. “We’ve discovered a secret passage. Based on the distance and direction, the passage should lead to… the Pig’s Head Bar.”

Pig Head Bar?

Thea realized that this must be one of the backup plans that Dumbledore had laid out.

"Perhaps some little wizard is trying to sneak out for a drink!"

Thea's nonchalance made Daphne a little anxious, and she subconsciously wanted to remind Thea to pay more attention to the secret passage.

But just as she was about to speak, Zabini's warning suddenly came to mind: "Do you think you're more capable than Thea?"

The mockery in Zabini's eyes poured over Daphne like a tidal wave, causing Daphne to clench her fists... but in the end, she slowly nodded.

"...She is much stronger than me."

They were all once considered "the chosen ones of heaven," but Thea had the ability to make them look like ordinary people, with mud beneath their feet.

Seeing his childhood friend, who was unusually subdued, Zabini couldn't bear to continue his sarcasm. He straightened his posture and solemnly said, "Don't refute anything Thea says, and don't question anything Thea does!"

Seeing that Zabini's words were sincere, Daphne tried hard to suppress her occasional resentment and carefully kept his words in mind.

I initially thought it was just a reminder, but at this moment, these words suddenly came to mind…

Looking up and meeting Thea's smiling eyes, Daphne suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. She then remembered Pansy's experience, which made her immediately lower her head and refuse to say another word.

Watching Daphne's actions, Thea curled her lip in boredom. Was she really that scary?

Daphne: "…………"

Zabini: "…………"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Hey! Did you hear? Umbridge wanted to get into Dumbledore's office, but she couldn't get past that monster!" Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff exclaimed excitedly.

“Of course I’ve heard,” Hermione chimed in. “I think he’s trying to bully all the teachers, that stupid megalomaniac—”

"Cough cough!"

Hermione's rant was interrupted by a sudden cough. The next second, Draco appeared from around some corner, his excessively pale face making his dark circles even more noticeable.

"It seems Miss Granger still hasn't learned the meaning of 'be careful with your words'!"

The initial surprise at Draco's appearance instantly turned into anger.

"Shut up, Malfoy!"

Draco completely ignored Ron's attempts to stop him and continued, "Because Granger disrespected his teachers, Gryffindor will lose five points!"

Before Ron could question Draco's authority, the disappearance of the gems in the hall had already said it all.

“Hello,” Draco said, a standard smile playing on his lips. “Let me introduce myself. I am Draco Malfoy, a member of the Special Investigations Unit.”

"I'm sorry to have disappointed you."

"Now I can even deduct points from the prefect."

"you………"

Ron wanted to rush up and punch Draco, but Hermione held her back.

She gripped Ron's sleeves tightly with both hands, but her eyes were fixed on a small "I" under Draco's robes and the rank insignia.

"Special Investigation Team..."

"Umbridge's lackey?"

Upon hearing this, Draco instantly bristled, "Granger! Watch your words!"

"Is this what they call a cornered dog jumping over a wall?"

Hermione's sharp taunt instantly ignited Draco's rage. "I'm warning you one last time..."

"What?" Hermione's gaze fell on Draco's wand. "Do you want to use your wand?"

Upon hearing this, both Ron and Harry drew their wands in unison and stepped forward.

In an instant, war was about to break out.

Thea, who happened to be passing by the entrance of the hall, witnessed this scene. Seeing the glances that kept drifting around, Thea glanced around calmly, and immediately withdrew her restless gaze.

Thea then stepped forward, "Draco."

The calm voice instantly brought Draco back to his senses. He instinctively put away his wand and immediately lowered his head.

When he looked up again, there was no trace of his previous rage on his face.

"Thea, what brings you here?"

"I was just about to go to the library," Thea said, gesturing with the books in her arms.

"So, what's going on?"

"Draco, can you give me an explanation?"

Just moments ago, they were exchanging pleasantries, but in an instant, it turned into a thunderous attack, leaving Harry, his two friends, and others stunned.

Draco couldn't reveal the reason for his conflict with Granger, so he remained silent.

Let's not even talk about Harry and his two friends.

Seeing that everyone was pretending to be stupid, Thea had no intention of continuing the conversation and immediately said, "Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger from Gryffindor have all violated school rules by pulling out their wands without cause. Each of them will have 10 points deducted!"

Before the three could raise any objections, Thea had already turned her gaze to Draco. "Draco Malfoy, the fifth-year Slytherin leader, knowingly committed the offense. Double the punishment, deduct 20 points!"

After all that, even Hermione couldn't find a point to refute.

It's a fact that the three of them pulled out their wands, and it's right that they were penalized with points, not to mention that Draco was penalized with double the points...