eleven
{Kit’s POV}
|September 9th, 1995|
My favorite year for Defense Against the Dark Arts was third year. Professor Remus Lupin is an extremely competent teacher who actually knows what he’s talking about. Professor Quirrell was alright until he died. And I was always suspicious of Gilderoy Lockhart. Professor Moody last year was decent, if you look past the ‘using illegal spells around children’ thing.
Umbridge is horrid. I would much rather have Lockhart back than take this class this year. I hate people like her. She thinks she’s better than everyone and isn’t afraid to tell you how she feels about you. DADA is merely another reason to hate Mondays.
The only bright side of the class is getting to sit next to Cece. We are having random conversations when class starts.
Umbridge stands at her lectern and clears her throat. “Ahem!” she chirps. “If you would all please settle down, I am going to take a quick attendance.” She waves her wand to unfurl a scroll of parchment. She starts calling out last names in alphabetical order. “Ollivander?”
“Here,” I say, lifting my hand from the desk. She gives me a sour look. Then her close-knit eyes widen.
“Are you perhaps related to Marina Garth?”
I stop breathing. “I-I am,” I manage to get out. “She’s my mother.”
The professor smiles. “I knew her quite well when I was at school. Same house, and we shared a dorm.” She keeps staring as if expecting me to kneel at her feet for knowing my mother. I keep my face as blank as I can. “I never did peg her as the type to marry and have children. And she managed to wed into such a prominent family as the Ollivanders! It truly shows exactly who she is as a person. It is a shame that the pureblood Ollivander line won’t be continuing.”
I have no idea what to say to those comments, and I tell her that. “I have no idea what to say about those comments.”
“Meet me after class, Ollivander.” She finishes her attendance that she really should have done on the first day last week. “Today we will be discussing-” That’s when I zone out. I can always read the book or Cece’s notes later on. I make it look like I’m taking notes, but I’m really just drawing really poorly on my parchment. I fall asleep at one point, but Cece nudges me awake after just a minute. The class is boring without being able to use actual magic.
I approach Umbridge’s desk after the bell dismisses us. “You called me, Professor?”
“Your mother was a brilliant witch. I don’t think she would approve of you lazing around in class.”
“I know for a fact that she doesn’t care what I do at school.”
She raises an eyebrow. “That is not a very kind thing to say about your mother, Kristian.”
I cringe when she says my name. “It’s Kit,” I correct. “And I don’t really care enough to say nice things about her.”
“Well, Kristian, I believe you do not respect your elders as you should. Fix it, and we’ll talk again.”
I stare. “What does that mean? I’m plenty respectful, my mother just hasn’t earned my respect-”
Umbridge interrupts me. “I said fix it,” she snaps. “Otherwise I will be forced to take drastic measures. You are excused.”
I leave the classroom as fast as possible. Draco is waiting for me outside. “Hey.”
“Oh, we’re talking now?” I say, a little more harsh than I meant.
He winces. “I’m sorry, Kit. I was a dick yesterday. That was wrong of me to take it out on you.”
My face softens. “It was just strange. You’ve never brushed me off like that before.” We start walking the halls at random. “Did something happen?”
He shakes his head. “You don’t have to worry about it. We dealt with it.” I try making a comment and get interrupted. “Seriously, K, don’t bother yourself.”
“Fine. But you can talk to me about stuff.”
“I know I can.”
We fall into silence and end up in the library. “Defense homework?” I ask, taking a seat at our corner table. He agrees and we work silently for the hour until dinner. It’s always comfortable silence with him. His presence is calming for my soul. I don’t know how, but I always feel peaceful when I’m near him. Every time, without fail.
After dinner, my brothers and I walk out to the courtyard together. We try meeting up at least once a week to catch up and just exist together.
Tonight, Kole starts the conversation. “Professor Umbridge is really mean. She said that I should act more like Mum. Apparently they knew each other. She told me I should have asked the Sorting Hat to put me in Slytherin like her.”
“She told me I look too much like an Ollivander. That I should try channeling my mum’s genes more,” Kyson says. “I reminded her that genes don’t work like that.”
I speak up, “She first said that Mother and I look the same. Then she disapproved of how I was talking about her. I told her that Mother just hasn’t earned my respect. If I keep ‘disrespecting my elders,’ Umbridge will be forced to take drastic measures. Whatever that means.”
“I’ll ask Mum if they have any specific history,” Kole offers. “Umbridge told me they were roommates, but was there anything else?”
Kyson smiles at our little brother. “Great idea, Kole.” The boy beams. “Has anything else happened this week?” Ky prompts.
“Actually yes,” Kole says timidly. We urge him to continue. “I’ve been hearing voices in the walls. Mainly in the dungeons”
My head tilts to the left. “In the walls? Are you sure it isn’t in your head?”
He scowls. “Yes! It isn’t in my head! I swear!” His voice is getting louder, and heads are starting to turn.
“Okay, okay. It’s not in your head. I believe you, sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Kole grabs each of our sleeves and pulls us closer to him. “It’s scary. The voices are asking to be freed. They’re hungry too.”
Ky puts his arm around him. “That would be scary. Are the voices really loud? Like it could be some of the ghosts?”
Kole shakes his head. “I’ve talked to all the ghosts, and it isn’t any of them. I also theorized it might be a portrait in a hidden room, but the portraits in the dungeon told me there isn’t a secret room with portraits in the area. I’m out of ideas.
“Someone might have put a hex on the area that makes specific chattering noises when certain students pass it. Try asking some of your friends and see if it’s a prank someone is pulling on you. If they are, tell them to stop,”
“What if none of them are?”
“Then we’ll figure out what’s going on,” I finish for Ky.
“Okay,” Kole finally agrees.
We sit together and talk until I have to get to Astronomy. I give my brothers quick hugs and rush to the Astronomy tower, just barely making it before Professor Sinistra closes the door. She gives me a disapproving look and starts class.
Levi is waiting at our shared telescope. He mutters, “About time, Ollivander.”
“Oh, shut up, Willows,” I whisper back.
“Is Sinistra the second professor you’ve pissed off today?” At my quizzical look, he adds, “Cece told me about Umbridge.”
“Kit! Levi! Do I need to separate you or can you pay attention to instructions?” Sinistra snaps at us.
Our eyes widen. “Sorry, Professor,” we say in unison, suspending our conversation for later. Luckily, she only had a few more minutes of explaining the assignment, so we quickly get back to talking.
As I put my eye up to the telescope, Levi asks, “So why did Umbridge want you to stay after class?”
I shrug and pull away from the device. I grab the quill from my friend and draw a messy sketch of a star cluster. “Apparently she knew my mother when they were at school. She thinks I’m too dismissive of her and should respect my elders more.”
“Gross.” Levi steps to the telescope and copies my movements. “Were they like friends or something?”
“Dunno exactly. Marina did send me a letter on the first day telling me to be nice to Umbridge. They were roommates, so I assume they were close. I just don’t care. I don’t like my mother, I don’t like Umbridge. End of story, the end.”
“Valid,” Levi responds. Our work is quickly completed and turned in to Professor Sinistra. She gives us a semi disappointed look and tells us to refrain from talking during her lessons in the future. Then she takes away a house point from each of us before she dismisses us.
“Night, Levi,” I say, immediately turning in the direction of my common room. He says something similar and we leave each other.
It doesn’t take long for me to collapse into my blankets when I finally reach my dorm. Pansy is still doing homework on her bed and is too engrossed to say anything of substance to me. I mutter a quiet goodnight that she definitely didn’t hear and fall asleep. It isn’t that today has been a particularly rough day, but Astronomy always makes me really tired and worn out. It’s so late in the evening that my brain has usually always fallen asleep well before the class even begins.