Reaping What She Sowed

When Umbridge returned to the professors' table in satisfaction, the scattered applause faded, and the Great Hall seemed as though someone had pressed a mute button.

Anyone with eyes could tell that this thing was definitely not a good person.

Snape, seated beside Umbridge, discreetly shifted a little farther away, as though something disgusting beside her made him unwilling to get close.

"What was that? An inauguration speech?" Ron Weasley was irritated the moment he saw that pink little thing at the Gryffindor table.

"This means the Ministry of Magic has begun interfering with Hogwarts," Hermione Granger said gravely. The look on her face made it clear that this was absolutely not a good thing.

Although the Ministry of Magic governed the entire Wizarding World of Britain, Hogwarts' long history and special status meant that ever since the Ministry was founded in 1707, it had never possessed the authority to interfere with Hogwarts.

Perhaps Fudge truly had nowhere left to turn. He had actually begun trying to extend his hand into Hogwarts, wanting its professors and students to obey him like subordinates.

He probably had not considered that there was a reason the Ministry of Magic had never meddled in Hogwarts before.

After the feast ended, groups of students began whispering together. Naturally, the center of discussion was that pink object that had suddenly appeared.

The Slytherin side was comparatively quiet. The little snakes could more or less hear bits of news from their elders, and those rumors would then spread wildly through their small circles.

To them, avoiding offending those who held power was already a required lesson. It was rare to hear of Slytherin students having any conflict with professors.

Among the Slytherin crowd, everyone stood shoulder to shoulder, yet there was a small space people deliberately avoided.