Dueling Club Gathering

Making Snape eat his words in Potions certainly gave many people a secret thrill, Harry and Ron among them.

But now, seeing the growing assortment of school rules plastered across the wall by the Great Hall entrance, they were not in much of a good mood either.

"She's trying to monitor the entire castle every second of every day!" Ron grumbled. Lately, Umbridge had been wandering around Hogwarts almost constantly. She intervened if male and female students stood too close together; she intervened if someone's tie was crooked. In short, whatever Filch handled, she handled; whatever Filch did not handle, she handled even more. Punish first, report later, with the Minister's special authorization—such was Hogwarts' High Inquisitor.

All of Hogwarts seemed to have changed. Classes had become more stern and oppressive, because Umbridge could walk into a classroom at any moment and nitpick every detail.

Not long ago, she had infuriated Professor Flitwick, Ravenclaw's Head of House.

He had been rehearsing the Hogwarts Choir when Umbridge suddenly appeared, made several snide remarks, and finally took out an enchanted measuring tape to measure his height!

As a Goblin half-blood, he was very short. Normally, he seemed not to care about it, because no one ever said anything.

Only that hateful wretch Umbridge had actually claimed that his height damaged Hogwarts' image!

The other professors had their own reactions. In any case, none of them were good.

The students were full of resentment as well, especially Eli. He even felt as though he had traveled back to his previous life; this place was more absurd than the school he had attended back then.

At least no matter how strict a school was, it would not drag students away for talks every few days, threaten and tempt them into exposing their accomplices, then