Professor Dolores Umbridge's show of authority proved undeniably effective.
As Ginny Weasley left, both groups of students fell into silence. The new Care of Magical Creatures teacher seemed quite satisfied with that result.
She waved her wand, and several scroll-like paintings appeared on the door of Hagrid's hut.
Jon glanced over them carefully. The first showed a werewolf tearing into a wizard. The second depicted a group of centaurs trampling a child beneath their hooves. The third showed a troll rampaging through a village.
All of them were disturbingly gruesome.
"There's no doubt that cruel half-giant filled your heads with all sorts of misguided notions!" Umbridge chirped again in her high-pitched, girlish tone. "Therefore, it's my duty to correct these mistakes and free you from his brainwashing!"
"For centuries, the definition of a 'dangerous magical creature' has been the subject of endless debate…" Her voice quickly shifted back to her usual matronly tone. "But one thing is certain: some wicked half-human beasts must be our primary concern!"
"Take werewolves, for instance. Though they spend most of their time appearing human—be they wizard or Muggle—once a month, they turn into savage, four-legged monsters, filled with bloodlust and stripped of all humanity…"
"Then there are centaurs—barbaric beings who refuse to wear clothes and prefer to live far from both wizards and Muggles. Their intelligence is low, and they often display aggression toward both races…"
"And trolls—a kind of half-breed giant. They walk upright, look somewhat human, and can even speak a few crude words. But their intelligence is lower than that of pigs. Apart from brute strength and a love for destruction, they are capable of nothing else…"
"These vile half-breeds are undoubtedly among the most evil magical creatures imaginable. It's unthinkable that such abominations still exist in our world, living among us…"
"The blood of wizards is pure and supreme… Yet when it mixes with the filthy blood of wolves, horses, or giants, it gives birth to beings of sin—creatures we must remain ever watchful of…"
Umbridge looked thoroughly pleased as she preached this doctrine of half-breeds as original sin to the Slytherin and Gryffindor students.
Her logic bore a disturbing resemblance to Voldemort's—though while Voldemort despised Muggles, Umbridge seemed to hate every being outside the wizarding race.
Perhaps it stemmed from the discrimination she had suffered in her youth. And with the Ministry's current atmosphere, she couldn't openly target Muggles, so she focused her hatred on half-breeds instead.
It was no surprise that, when Voldemort rose to power, Umbridge was among the first Ministry officials to pledge her allegiance, becoming one of his most loyal followers.
The Gryffindor and Slytherin students whispered among themselves, most of them clearly unconvinced by Umbridge's rhetoric. Yet, after Ginny Weasley's earlier outburst, none dared to speak against her openly.
Umbridge nodded in satisfaction and continued, her matronly tone sharp and harsh. "Therefore, I believe all werewolves should be hunted down and exterminated. Such sinful creatures have no right to exist in this world!"
"And as for centaurs—or those grotesque merfolk—they should be herded together, their living areas strictly limited, and each one marked with identification tags…"
"Hmm? Is there something?" Umbridge's voice suddenly stopped. She turned toward the crowd, eyes narrowing on a raised hand.
...
"No, you're wrong!" A firm voice rang out from among the Slytherins.
"Oh, wait!" Umbridge's tone shifted again to that nauseatingly sweet, girlish pitch. "Did I mishear you, my dear? Are you suggesting… that you're accusing me of something?"
"No, you didn't mishear," the girl said firmly. "What you just said is full of flaws!"
"Are you a Ministry-certified education specialist, young lady?" Umbridge asked in that same sugary, mocking tone.
The girl ignored the sarcasm entirely. "Werewolves are victims, to begin with. Thanks to Wolfsbane Potion, most can retain their sanity during transformation. We even had a werewolf as our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor—and he was the best one I've ever had!"
Umbridge's expression twisted with fury.
"Centaurs aren't stupid either. Their talent for Divination far surpasses that of wizards. And they prefer living far away from both wizards and Muggles—they pose no threat to anyone."
"As for trolls," she added, a faint smirk curving her lips, "they aren't related to giants at all."
"Enough!" Umbridge roared, her face contorted with rage. "Hmph. And what is your name, young lady?"
"Greengrass!" the girl replied without hesitation. "Astoria Greengrass!"
"Diana Greengrass from the Ministry's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures—is she related to you?" Umbridge asked, momentarily taken aback.
"She's my mother."
"Excellent… very excellent indeed!" Umbridge trembled with anger, stepping back as she hissed, "Miss Greengrass, I shall be sure to inform Diana of this little incident."
"Do as you please," Astoria replied coolly, completely unfazed.
...
For the rest of the lesson, Umbridge continued teaching the class how to "eliminate" so-called dangerous half-breeds such as werewolves, centaurs, and merfolk.
Astoria said nothing more. Yet Umbridge remained visibly furious, her voice trembling with agitation as she lectured.
Finally, the deep, resonant bell from the castle rang out across the damp grounds—signaling the end of class.
The students hurried away from Hagrid's hut.
"Astoria!" Tiffany Selwyn called, catching up to her. "You shouldn't have talked back to that woman, Umbridge, like that!"
"That's none of your business!" Astoria snapped, shaking off her hand. "I won't sit there and listen to her lies!"
Without another word, she turned and strode toward the castle.