Because of Umbridge's habit of snapping at everyone she encountered like a rabid dog, any movement she made instantly drew all eyes to her.
Sure enough, from the moment Umbridge rose from the teachers' table to the moment she began walking toward the Slytherin section, every step she took felt as though the floor beneath her had transformed into the Muggle world's famous Victoria's Secret runway.
Bathed in the gazes of everyone around her, she looked as if she were the model standing at the center of the stage.
Of course, this wasn't a fashion show, and Umbridge possessed neither a model's figure nor her looks. Yet judging by the pleased expression on her face, the High Inquisitor seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the moment, even if the looks cast her way were anything but friendly or admiring....
Faced with the pink toad who appeared to be heading straight for them, Ginny began to panic.
"How could this be? Did one of us break an Educational Decree?"
Because of Ron, the Weasley family had naturally grown close to Harry Potter. Maybe they weren't to the point of sharing absolutely everything, but they were certainly people who trusted one another.
So after Harry Potter's detention ended, Ginny and the others were among the first to learn exactly what the punishment entailed. They knew the details better than anyone, not secondhand rumors passed along by others.
Thinking back to how Harry's hands had trembled in front of her back then, the pain-averse Ginny had nearly hidden herself completely behind Draco's back....
By contrast, Draco remained perfectly calm as he refilled Luna's empty teacup with fresh Gurdyroot Infusion, acting as though he hadn't noticed Umbridge at all. Luna, for her part, accepted his kindness as naturally as breathing.
Their utterly unbothered behavior earned them an irritated eye-roll from Ginny, who had noticed everything.
Was this really the time for that?
…
Maybe it really was a Gryffindor specialty.
Just moments ago, Ginny had been flustered and even considering quietly dragging Luna away. But she quickly mustered her courage, pulled out a chair, and sat back down.
After all, dragging Luna away outright was hardly realistic, and the situation might not be as bad as she had imagined.
Luna, completely unaware of what her friend was going through, only reacted a beat later when she saw Ginny sit down and asked,
"Want a drink?"
"A drink... Listen, Luna, tell me honestly. You haven't broken any of the Educational Decrees, right?"
After giving Luna's dazed little face a pinch, Ginny leaned in and whispered the question into her ear.
The only response she got was Luna tilting her head in confusion.
Whether she truly didn't know or simply didn't care was something Ginny couldn't tell....
Although they had deliberately lowered their voices, the girls' whispered exchange still reached Draco's ears.
Compared to Luna's blank confusion and Ginny's mounting headache, Draco casually swept a glance toward The Quibbler on the table.
Looks like the Ministry already knows. It might even have been affected by it.
At that very moment, the dining hall, which had been fairly quiet until then, was suddenly filled with a voice loud enough for every wizard present to hear. The deliberately affected, high-pitched tone sent shivers crawling down the spines of the students who heard it.
And the source of that noise was, of course, Umbridge, who had just cast an Amplification Charm....
…
Umbridge stopped beside Draco's table, a small pink notebook in hand, and began muttering to herself.
"The Quibbler! Sophistry, twisted logic, rubbish, incorrect, completely unfounded. Yes, believe me, I could spend an entire day describing just how awful this magazine is."
The speech, steeped in Umbridge's unmistakable personal style, overflowed with malice and blatant bias. Normally, she only used such sharp words and that grating tone when targeting Harry Potter, Dumbledore, or a select few other wizards.
This time, however, her target was nothing more than a magazine....
After pausing to take a breath, Umbridge showed no intention of stopping.
"Lovegood... yes, dear, I know your father. The magazine your father runs has been listed by the Ministry of Magic as a priority issue, because it has affected the stability of the wizarding world."
"The Quibbler has done nothing wrong."
It was obvious that Luna would never allow anyone to belittle the magazine she loved, even if the person standing before her was Dolores Umbridge.
Yet Umbridge, despite being a Ravenclaw herself, had no intention of showing mercy to her junior.
"This is not something a fourth-year student gets to decide. And I am not asking for your opinion."
The vacant softness usually on Luna's face was gone, replaced by an expression that finally showed clear emotion. Sitting right beside her, Draco could plainly see the anxiety and worry in her eyes. It was easy to tell that, at this moment, Luna probably wanted nothing more than to send an owl home and ask how things were going.
Once Umbridge had said her piece, she turned her attention to the surrounding students.
"Taking this opportunity, I hereby announce Educational Decree Number 27!"
"Another decree?"
"Number twenty-seven already? How many more are there?"
"Who knows. If Umbridge is the one deciding them, there might be a twenty-eighth, a twenty-ninth, maybe even a hundredth."
Ignoring the murmurs around her, Umbridge reveled in the sense of control her authority gave her and announced the contents of Educational Decree Number 27.
"Any student found in possession of The Quibbler magazine... shall be expelled immediately!"
Expelled!
Among all punishments, this was surely the most severe. Students who were truly expelled from Hogwarts were so rare that there wasn't even an accurate record of how many there had been.
At the same time, this punishment made it clear just how much trouble this issue of The Quibbler had caused the Ministry of Magic....
The first to react was Ginny. Realizing something, she tensed up at once.
"E-expelled? Just because of a single copy of The Quibbler?"
Her words echoed the doubts in everyone else's mind, but Ginny wasn't speaking out on impulse. She had another, more urgent goal.
As she spoke, her hand was already inching toward the copy of The Quibbler lying on the table. She didn't know when the decree had officially come into effect, but to be safe, she wanted to hide the magazine Luna had brought.
Unfortunately, Umbridge had noticed her long ago. The smile on her face grew ever more delighted, like a spider watching prey struggle in its web.
"If I were you, I wouldn't do that, Miss Weasley."
"...."
"The Quibbler, yes. I'm afraid that as High Inquisitor, I cannot simply pretend I don't see it."
"But we didn't know befo—"
"That is not my concern. Let me see... Educational Decree Number 27 was issued an hour ago, so... very regrettably, our student Lovegood will now be leaving Hogwarts forever..."
Just as Ginny's face went deathly pale and Luna's gaze began to drift again, Umbridge, who was about to loudly announce the first student expelled under her authority, was stopped by a voice that wasn't loud, yet made her feel as though her throat had been seized.
"The Quibbler is mine."
"......"
"......"
Silence fell so completely that a pin could have been heard hitting the floor.
Every wizard present, Ginny included, stared in shock at the pale golden figure.
The one who had spoken was Draco Malfoy, who had calmly and openly picked up The Quibbler.