Umbridge, Ignored

Sirius was taken away by the Ministry of Magic?

When Kyle first heard the news, he thought they were joking, but he quickly realized that it was impossible for all the fifth graders to be joking.

Besides Hufflepuff, the fifth-year students in Gryffindor were also talking about it, as were Harry, Ron, Hermione, who hadn't even come to the Great Hall for dinner.

Kyle looked at the nearest fifth-grader and asked, "Susan, you just said Professor Black was taken away by the Ministry of Magic?"

"Yes," Susan Bones said, "Our last class this morning was Defence Against the Dark Arts. Near the end of class, a few people suddenly came in. The one in the lead said that someone had complained to the Ministry of Magic about Professor Black, saying that he had not fulfilled his responsibilities as a professor, resulting in several students being injured in class."

"Oh, Headmaster Dumbledore was there too."

Kyle frowned, and just as he was about to say something, the Great Hall doors suddenly opened.

Dumbledore walked in with a serious expression, accompanied by a witch wearing a pink cardigan.

Behind them, Ron and Hermione grabbed an angry Harry from either side and dragged him forcefully to the Gryffindor table.

But at this moment, not many people noticed this scene. Everyone's eyes were drawn to the two people walking in front, whispering among themselves.

Dumbledore to the front row of the classroom, turned around, and spoke in a very calm tone.

"Excuse me, please be quiet for a moment. Before you enjoy your meal, I need to take up a little of your time to announce two things."

The Great Hall fell silent instantly.

Dumbledore said, "First, there's Professor Black, who is responsible for Defense Against the Dark Arts. He needs to cooperate with the Ministry of Magic on some matters and will be unable to teach during this time."

"However..." Dumbledore gestured to the witch beside him, "In the meantime, Professor Umbridge will take his place and teach you Defense Against the Dark Arts."

After a moment of silence in the Great Hall, a sparse clapping sounded.

The sound was very soft, and it was almost entirely coming from the direction of Slytherin.

"They're talking nonsense!" Harry stood up angrily, standing out conspicuously in the crowd.

He seemed to want to say something more, but the next second he was pulled back to his seat by several people next to him.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore as if he hadn't seen anything, but Umbridge next to him turned to look at Harry and gave him a fake smile that couldn't be more fake.

"Thank you, Principal," she said, turning her head and taking two steps forward.

Dumbledore smiled and gave up the middle seat.

Umbridge cleared her throat and said in a shrill voice, "I must say, it's wonderful to be back at Hogwarts."

"Oh, her voice is really unpleasant." Cedric frowned and rubbed his arms. "Why does she always have to talk like that? And that fluffy pink cardigan really doesn't suit her."

"It's a personal preference," Kyle said. "She looked just like this when I first saw her at the Ministry of Magic."

"You've met her?" Cedric asked. "What's she like? Would she be a good professor?"

"Let me put it this way," Kyle thought for a moment and gave a rather fair answer, "Even Professor Quirrell and Professor Lockhart back then were much better than her."

"Oh..." Cedric groaned.

He simply couldn't imagine anyone worse than those two... If there really was, it would probably only be Troll whose head had been caught in a door.

Kyle sighed as well.

He had thought Sirius might not stay until the end of the school year, but he didn't expect him to leave so soon.

It's only been less than two weeks since school started.

In the classroom, Umbridge was speaking in a dry, emotionless tone:

"The Ministry of Magic has always believed that educating young wizards is a very important matter, requiring careful and meticulous nurturing, and cultivating your innate and precious talents..."

Gradually, some students lost their ability to concentrate.

"I feel like I'm taking History of Magic." Mikel covered her mouth with her hand and secretly yawned. "And when are we finally able to eat again...? Today's lunch is fried pork cutlet, what if it gets cold?"

No one answered him.

Ryan's head was nodding, as if he was about to fall asleep at any moment. Macmillan next to him stared intently at Umbridge, but his gaze was dull and lifeless, clearly thinking about something else.

Umbridge continued her long-winded speech at a leisurely pace.

The students around them had already started chatting amongst themselves; only a small number of people and professors were still listening, but their expressions were all quite intriguing.

Professor McGonagall's eyebrows furrowed tightly, and Professor Flitwick seemed to have taken a keen interest in the fork in his hand. Even Snape didn't seem particularly happy that Sirius had been taken away.

Kanna grew increasingly uneasy as she listened. She tugged at Kyle's arm and whispered, "I have a feeling the Ministry of Magic is going to interfere with Hogwarts."

"It's not just a feeling, that's exactly what they think," Kyle said. "Look at what she's saying... Some decisions are outdated, so they have to be discarded?"

"A few years ago, even last year, the Ministry of Magic wouldn't have interfered with decisions made by Hogwarts."

At that moment, Kyle suddenly noticed that Umbridge's head tilted slightly in his direction.

Although it was only for a brief moment, he still noticed the undisguised resentment in the other person's eyes.

Well, it seems that not only Dumbledore, but I myself have become his target.

This is... so interesting.

Kyle smiled, then picked up his fork and, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, popped a piece of fried pork chop into his mouth.

Cedric stared at him, mouth agape, a gesture that could be described as a complete disregard for Umbridge.

Upon noticing this, some people instinctively looked at Dumbledore.

But the headmaster's attention seemed to be entirely on Umbridge, and he didn't seem to notice what was happening below.

Now, some of the bolder people, who weren't full yet, couldn't resist either, like Fred and George.

They didn't care why Kyle was behaving so strangely; they just started eating, laughing and chatting with others, as if Umbridge didn't exist at all.

Then, more and more people joined in.

Umbridge's voice grew increasingly shrill in the classroom, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't drown out the clanging and clattering sounds the students made while eating.

She finally finished speaking her last few words and turned to look at Dumbledore.

"Please continue, Professor Umbridge. I think you are quite right," Dumbledore said solemnly. "We certainly shouldn't progress for the sake of progress. The new era needs a new order, and I completely agree with that."

"You really inspired me a lot, making me realize that I might not be such a competent principal."

But just then, he suddenly noticed the students who were eating.

"Oh, so you've already finished?" Dumbledore said in surprise. "I'm sorry, I was so engrossed in listening that I didn't even notice... Professor Umbridge, you should have reminded me."

Umbridge's face darkened, then he forced a fake smile.

"Yes, I'm done," she said in a shrill voice, then sat down.

She had originally planned to wait until everyone had quieted down before continuing, but just now, she changed her mind.

Umbridge glanced again in Hufflepuff's direction, at Kyle, who was chatting with others, a hint of resentment and ill intent flashing in her eyes.

Dumbledore began to clap, and the other professors joined in with a few claps. Professor McGonagall looked at Umbridge, then at Kyle, her brows furrowing even more deeply.

Although she didn't know why Kyle was doing that, Dumbledore didn't seem to object. So she kept quiet and let more and more students start eating while Umbridge was speaking.

However, this matter certainly won't be left like this today.

She knew Umbridge somewhat, and calling her petty would be an understatement.

The fact that she didn't react on the spot can only mean that she has a bigger conspiracy.

And coincidentally, she was also a substitute professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, making it incredibly easy for her to cause trouble for a student.

Professor McGonagall was somewhat worried and wondered if she should find an opportunity to remind Kyle.