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Exactly on time, Umbridge got up from her seat.
"Hello!"
Only a few people answered her.
"Stop, stop, stop," she shook her head, "Well, no, my friends. That won't do. I would ask you to respond like this: "Hello, Professor Umbridge." One more time, please. Hello, students!"
"Hello, Professor Umbridge!" All answered in unison.
"That's good," the professor sang in a sickly sweet voice. "It's not difficult at all, is it? We'll put away the magic wands and take out the feathers."
The students reluctantly followed this instruction, and I, in principle, too, without much enthusiasm, sent the wand into a holster on my forearm. The professor pulled out her wand and tapped it on the blackboard. "Defense against the Dark Arts. Return to the fundamental principles" - this was the name of the course.
"To begin with, I would like to note that so far, your learning in this subject has been rather fragmentary. Isn't that right?" Professor Umbridge said, turning to face the class and carefully folding her hands on her stomach. Well, I had to agree because I had seen textbooks recommended by old teachers before they began to change like the gloves of a socialite.
"The teachers were constantly changing," Professor Umbridge continued to say. "And not all of them considered it necessary to follow any program approved by the Ministry. The result, unfortunately, was that you are much below the level that we have the right to expect from you in the year preceding the O.W.L.s. However, you will be pleased to know that we will now correct these shortcomings. This year, you will study defensive magic according to a carefully compiled, theoretically verified, approved by the Ministry program. Please write down the course goals."
The professor tapped the board again with her wand. The words that were on it were replaced by others that tell us about the goals of the course. We will have to understand the principles underlying protective magic. Be able to recognize situations in which the use of protective magic is permissible and does not contradict the law. The inclusion of protective magic in the general system of representations for practical use.
Of course, we had to rewrite the text, although I did not want to - I will remember it so that I can forget it only with the help of Obliviate.
"Does everyone have a copy of The Theory of Defensive Magic by Wilbert Slinkhard?"
Just like last time, we didn't give a decent answer, in Umbridge's understanding, and we had to say loudly: "Yes!" Next, we were given the task to read the first chapter, "Basics for beginners."
Both Hermione and I began to read without enthusiasm because we had already read the entire textbook. Well, I've read it, and I can be sure of Hermione. To be fair, I must say that the textbook is not bad. It is written in extremely clear language, although boring to read. It really covers everything from the basics to charms and spells for the fifth year. At the same time, the theory is considered in detail and tells about many nuances that were previously recognized by a completely random method in the Hogwarts library or were gathered together only after reading several different textbooks. However, the practical part was present only for a couple of spells.
Gradually, more and more students gave up in their attempts to break through the hard-to-read text and looked somewhere through space. Hermione moved a little closer to me and whispered:
"There's nothing about using magic."
"I know."
"Should I ask the professor about it?"
"Try it if you're interested."
Umbridge heard the whispers and looked at us. This was the moment Hermione chose to raise her hand. Seeing that no one was reading anymore and everyone was in a state of prostration, Umbridge smiled.
"Do you have any questions, miss …"
"Hermione Granger, professor."
"Miss Granger," Umbridge nodded.
"Yes, Professor. I studied the book and did not see any chapters on the practical application of magic there. May I ask what this is related to? This is an innovation for us."
"You see, my dear," the professor spoke again in a rather sweet voice. "The Ministry of Magic has compiled a course designed to fill in the gaps in your theoretical knowledge in the field of protective charms and systematize the existing ones. At the same time, you will learn about protective spells in a safe way, without any risk…."