Umbridge's fury was plain to see in how swiftly detentions were handed out, and in the increasingly twisted grin on Filch's face.
Beyond the sudden spike in victims and the harsher punishments, the verdict on Harry Potter was soon followed by an Educational Decree personally posted by Umbridge on the wall of the Great Hall.
This time, it was different.
Not only was it displayed in the most conspicuous spot in the school, where the greatest number of witches and wizards passed by, but the lettering on the parchment had been noticeably enlarged as well. The intent was obvious: to emphasize its importance.
And it contained only a single sentence…
[Educational Decree No. 26: Instructors are hereby prohibited from providing students with any information unrelated to their assigned subjects.]
...
Early that morning, as Draco and his companions headed to the Great Hall for breakfast, they naturally spotted the decree posted beside a long list of detention notices.
They were far from the only ones. Students from every house had already gathered there, their faces reflecting a mix of shock, confusion, and speculation.
After stepping closer to read it, Pansy and Hermione each voiced their thoughts and guesses. Astoria, meanwhile, learned the full sequence of events from yesterday's Defense Against the Dark Arts class through other students.
More precisely, when it came to the exchange between Harry Potter and Umbridge, there were hardly any students left who didn't know about it.
"It's painfully obvious."
"Yeah. One look and you know exactly who this is aimed at."
"…Does this mean even the Headmaster of Hogwarts has to follow the Ministry's rules?"
The so-called "irrelevant information" clearly referred to Voldemort's resurrection.
Because of the decree's wording, Hermione was reminded of what had happened back then, and she finally voiced the question she hadn't had time to ask.
"Draco, about what Dumbledore mentioned before. What exactly is Legilimens?"
"Actually, Dumbledore wasn't talking nonsense. Umbridge really did use magic she shouldn't have on Potter at the time, even if Potter himself didn't realize it."
"But it doesn't seem quite the same as how Legilimency is described in books. What I saw felt different."
Hermione wasn't wrong. Draco had noticed the discrepancy as well.
That hadn't been the Legilimency he remembered. At the very least, it didn't force the target to actively spill the secrets buried in their heart.
Legilimency was supposed to involve directly invading another person's mind, forcibly searching for the information you wanted, sensing their current emotions, and even digging up memories hidden deep within.
Truth be told, Draco had been deeply puzzled by this point even back then.
"I'm curious about her method too. Maybe that's her trump card."
There was a trace of hesitation in Draco's voice. Such uncertainty was rare enough that the girls beside him couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
They probably hadn't expected that even Draco could encounter something he didn't understand, or a question he couldn't answer.
They had always assumed he knew everything.
As Pansy and the others stared at him with strange expressions, Hermione murmured hesitantly, "They call it magic, but it feels more like some kind of… hypnotic technique from what I remember."
"Hyp… what? Is that some Muggle thing?" Pansy tilted her head in curiosity.
"Hypnosis! Yes. I only know a little, but it feels similar to something I once saw on TV."
"TV? What's that?"
"..."
Hermione rolled her eyes at Pansy, clearly having no patience to explain what television was.
After all, even an entire day probably wouldn't be enough to explain it properly.
Hermione's words, however, struck a chord with Draco.
"If that's the case, it's not impossible. Umbridge's mother happens to be a Muggle. Maybe she picked it up from her."
"So then…"
"Yes. It's impressive, in its own way. You could say Umbridge created a form of magic unique to herself. In the wizarding world, only a handful of witches and wizards are capable of that."
"Like Sectumsempra?"
Even if it was only a form of Legilimency, judging by Umbridge's series of arrangements, the preparatory work alone was clearly complicated and time-consuming. It might even require extremely strict conditions.
Still, it had to be said: this wasn't something an ordinary wizard could pull off. Wizards capable of creating their own spells inevitably made a name for themselves in the wizarding world.
Without both exceptional talent and a fair measure of luck, there would be no chance of deciphering a spell passed down for ages, let alone altering it or creating something entirely new.
What no one had expected was that the pink toad the young wizards liked to joke about actually possessed such formidable magical ability.
After a few seconds of thought, Draco finally looked up at Hermione, who was still frowning in concentration.
"Hmm. I'm quite curious about this hypno… tism you mentioned, Hermione. I'd like you to explain it in a bit more detail."
"That won't be a problem. I can have some books on the subject sent from home later," Hermione replied. "Or we could go to Manchester over Christmas. I remember there's a master hypnotist living there."
Pansy wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she had the distinct impression that Granger sounded a little guilty when she said that.
As if… it were simply an excuse to go to Manchester with Draco.
...
Although what Harry Potter said in Defence Against the Dark Arts class had indeed dealt a considerable shock to Hogwarts and the young wizards, things didn't stay unsettled for long.
With Umbridge's punishments growing ever harsher, Voldemort feeling far too distant from their daily lives, and the unspoken belief that if the sky fell, someone taller would hold it up, there was no real need for them to worry about such matters themselves.
As a result, under a mix of influences and deliberate suppression, the students gradually lost interest in whether Voldemort was alive or dead, something most wizards had no way of intervening in anyway.
The fun-loving ones were focused on the upcoming Quidditch Interhouse League, while the diligent students who cared about their future felt nothing but frustration over the endless stream of Educational Decrees.
In fact, ever since the day Dumbledore personally went to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, interrupted Umbridge's lesson, and took Harry Potter away, things had only grown worse.
Umbridge seemed bent on retaliation, using her authority as High Inquisitor to insert herself into every professor's class.
More importantly, whether it was intentional or not, as long as Harry Potter was present in a lesson, Umbridge was guaranteed to appear in that classroom as well.
For the other professors, this was hardly good news.
And for students who genuinely wanted to learn and improve, it was nothing short of disastrous.