Harry listened with half an ear to what Voldemort was saying when—
"Hem, hem."
No one thought anything of the pink-clad woman when she seemed to clear her throat, yet again, and the Dark Lord continued.
"… and as you probably guessed, Quidditch will be reinstated—"
Whatever Dumbledore was going to say next was drowned out by thunderous cheering when most students jumped out of their seats and cheered.
"Harry, mate,—"
"You've got to—"
"Come back as the Seeker."
Fred and George were suddenly behind him, grabbing him by the armpits.
Harry couldn't help but smile, even as he considered his position. After everything that had happened, could he really go back to playing Quidditch?
'Of course not… After all, I'm not here to either learn or play games.'
Harry was in Hogwarts for a mission, and he owed it to everyone he loved to succeed at all costs.
However, he couldn't explain that to the twins, and that's why he simply nodded to them.
The Headmaster waited with a gentle smile for the teens to calm down, his blue eyes emotionless.
After about a minute, when the noise had finally subsided to a manageable level, he raised his hands once more to continue his speech.
Alas, he was beaten to it.
"Hem, hem."
Surprising everyone in the hall, Umbridge got to her feet.
It was clear to everyone that she wanted to say something and that all this time, she wasn't really coughing but trying to get everyone's attention.
Voldemort looked taken aback for a moment, and Harry thought he glimpsed murder written all over his face, but then he sat back down slowly and looked alertly at the most recent addition to the staff.
The other Professors were not as adept at hiding their surprise.
Sprout's eyebrows had disappeared into her hair, and Professor McGonagall's mouth was as thin as the needles she had them transfigure on her first lesson.
'I don't think a teacher has ever interrupted Dumbledore before. This should be interesting, considering it's not the old man sitting up there,' Harry mused and looked hopefully at the Dark Lord sitting on his throne-like chair.
"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge simpered, "for those kind and right words of welcome."
Her voice was high-pitched, breathy, and little-girlish and again, Harry felt a powerful rush of dislike that he could not explain to himself; all he knew was that he loathed everything about her, from her stupid voice to her fluffy pink cardigan.
However, the sight of her unknowingly sitting next to the Dark Lord was so amusing that Harry had to make a conscious effort not to laugh out loud.
She gave another little throat-clearing cough, "Hem, hem," and continued.
"Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth that made Harry wonder just how human she truly was.
"And to see such happy little faces looking back at me!"
Harry spared a glance around.
None of the faces he could see looked happy; on the contrary, they all looked rather taken aback at being addressed as though they were little children.
'That's what I thought.'
Returning his gaze to the Dark Lord, Harry noted something peculiar.
'Is he holding a wand?'
Narrowing his eyes, Harry saw that it was indeed the case.
Voldemort was carefully concealing something in his right hand, barely visible beneath the long sleeve of his robe.
Voldemort's expression remained neutral, but his eyes had taken on that dangerous gleam Harry recognised all too well.
"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"
Students exchanged looks at this; some of them were barely concealing grins.
Parvati whispered something to Lavender, making both of them start giggling silently; however, Harry wasn't paying them any attention, because Voldemort had just cast a spell.
"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance," Umbridge declared.
Harry felt a subtle and nearly imperceptible spell flew toward Umbridge, connecting with her shoulder.
The woman faltered slightly mid-sentence, her eyes glazing over momentarily before she continued speaking.
Whatever spell Voldemort had just cast, it was clear that neither the toad-like professor nor anyone else noticed a thing.
Needless to say, Harry knew as clearly as day that he had just cast the Imperius Curse.
"And so, in light of recent changes in… administration…" she blinked, a small twitch in her left eye as if something inside her was struggling.
"…I am pleased to announce new policies that will ensure order, discipline, and a more… enlightened curriculum."
A confused hush fell over the Great Hall.
"First, Defence Against the Dark Arts will no longer be taught as a purely theoretical subject."
She paused, and this time a truly ghastly smile stretched across her face. "Students will be given… ample opportunity to experience what they are defending against."
Harry saw a flicker of unease ripple through the gathered students. He also noticed Snape, arms folded, watching with narrowed eyes, and McGonagall looked immediately at Dumbledore.
"Second," Umbridge started saying. However, Harry felt like he had had enough.
Harry aimed his wand directly at the disgusting woman, taking a quick second glance to ensure no one would accidentally move into the spell's path, then whispered the incantation.
"Imperio."
The woman faltered once again mid-sentence, and thankfully, no one noticed a thing.
Well, except the Dark Lord that is…
"Second," Umbridge said again, her tone subtly shifted. "You don't have to worry about the spells being cast in my class. If anyone feels uncomfortable with anything being taught, they may simply say so, and we will stop immediately."
A few heads turned and murmurs spread across the Hall.
Harry heard more than a few of his classmates sigh with relief.
"I believe," she continued with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, "our students learn best when they feel safe. And while structure is important—" her mouth twitched oddly "—we mustn't forget that children are not soldiers."
Voldemort's eyes narrowed.
Harry met his gaze across the Hall, heart pounding, but his expression remained neutral.
Umbridge went on, but he couldn't hear her anymore.
In fact, his perception changed completely.
The Great Hall faded away, and instead, Harry found himself staring directly into Voldemort's mind.
It was like looking through a crimson filter, the world tinged with the man's fury. For a moment, Harry could sense Voldemort's intentions toward Umbridge and himself—they were murderous.
The invisible mental clash between Harry and Voldemort continued, unnoticed by all, as Umbridge's speech stopped unexpectedly.
Seeing as neither could just overpower the other's mental defences, they both focused on their Imperius curses.
Harry felt a thin smile form on his lips as he pushed the Dark Lord away little by little.
'Who knew that casting an Imperius on top of another one would give you an advantage in control?' he mused with dark amusement, before focusing back on the battle of wills.
It turned out that by the time Harry finally managed to wrestle complete control of Umbridge's strings, it was pointless.
When his awareness snapped back, he saw the woman lying on the floor, frothing at the mouth.
In any other circumstances, he would have felt bad; however, during the first battle of minds with the Dark Lord, both tried to use Umbridge against each other—and she paid the price.
That's how he and Voldemort saw her horrific past.
'Not that I think he found it any bad,' Harry thought sardonically…
He watched as the students and faculty were now in an uproar, with a couple rushing to help while others merely stared in shock.
Of course, Dumbledore wasn't one of the few to stand up and help. He was sitting on his chair and looking towards Harry.
'This is definitely going to be the worst year, however long it lasts,' he thought and smiled at Voldemort.
.
.
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Chapter 131: It's Finally Over