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The Ministry of Magic arrived earlier than Hermione had expected.
The next day, she was in Defense Against the Dark Arts when Snape walked in.
He entered without expression, ignored Lupin entirely, and walked straight to Hermione.
"Granger. Step out."
"The Ministry's here to see you," he added, clipped.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. Fudge moved fast.
She shot Lupin an apologetic look and followed Snape out of the classroom.
The three Ministry officials had already been waiting in the reception room for some time.
When Hermione stepped inside and swept her gaze around the room, the corner of her mouth tugged upward.
All familiar faces.
Lockhart sat to one side in a refined coat, looking impeccably put-together. He spotted Hermione and his eyes lit up instantly.
"Hermione! It's been ages!"
He rose to greet her with genuine warmth.
Hermione smiled back. "It really has, Professor Lockhart."
Only then did Lockhart notice Snape standing nearby. He reined his smile in at once. "Professor Snape."
Snape gave a cold snort. That was as close to a reply as he was going to get.
Lockhart, unbothered, turned to introduce the two people behind him. "This is Hermione Granger — the finest student I had during my time as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts."
He gestured toward a short, stout woman in a pink suit who looked uncannily like a toad.
"And this is—"
"Dolores Umbridge. Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic."
Umbridge cut him off, stepping forward with a hint of smugness in her tone. She puffed herself up, visibly working to project authority.
She didn't need the introduction. Hermione had recognized her immediately.
Honestly, how could anyone forget this particular variety of pink-clad auntie? In her past life, she couldn't remember half the plot of The Order of the Phoenix , but she'd never once forgotten the pink toad.
Umbridge extended her hand.
Hermione didn't take it. Didn't even glance at it.
Umbridge's outstretched hand froze mid-air. The smile on her face set like plaster.
Fury coiled in her chest.
This little girl , the nerve of her!
She was the highest-ranking person in this room. She was Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, Fudge's most trusted confidante. Lockhart was merely a Deputy Head in the Auror Office under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Umbridge gave a cold snort. "The manners of Hogwarts students are really going downhill. One has to wonder how Dumbledore manages as Headmaster. It seems the education of students here still leaves quite a bit to be desired."
Hermione let out a light laugh, perfectly composed. "Undersecretary Umbridge, I'm not sure that's quite right. Etiquette has always been one of Hogwarts' finest traditions. If you have concerns about our education, I'd encourage you to go directly to the Headmaster's office and raise them with Headmaster Dumbledore in person. I'm quite certain he'd be more than happy to address your questions himself."
Umbridge's face went stiff.
Politely rebuffed, and nothing to say for it.
She certainly wasn't about to actually "discuss things in person" with Dumbledore. Fudge and Dumbledore hadn't fallen out openly yet. On the surface they were still playing the cordial colleagues game, and without Fudge's backing, she wouldn't dare act out in front of Dumbledore even if she had ten times the nerve.
Then Umbridge noticed something. Hermione had addressed her simply as "Minister"...
The words didn't soften her opinion of the girl one bit , but a warm swell of gratification rose in her chest all the same, as if she'd already quietly shed the "Senior" from her title.
Idiot.
Lockhart, Snape, and Hermione all had the exact same thought at the exact same moment.
"Ha, Headmaster Dumbledore is so terribly busy. I'm sure he has far more important matters on his hands. I wouldn't want to trouble him."
Umbridge laughed dryly and tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.
Hermione didn't let her. "Oh, it's no trouble — I'm quite close with the old man. One word from me and he'll make time, I'm sure of it."
She said it with a warm, perfectly sincere smile.
The vein at Umbridge's temple gave a visible throb.
Was this girl genuinely oblivious, or deliberately playing dumb?
She drew a slow breath, and her tone sharpened. "Miss Granger, you are a third-year student of Muggle-born background. There's no need to exaggerate your connections to Headmaster Dumbledore simply to save face. Why on earth would a man like him go out of his way for you? You're still very young. There are certain things about how the world works that you simply don't yet understand..."
She adopted the posture of a patient elder correcting a naive child, pressing down with blood status and rank.
Before Hermione could answer, Snape spoke.
His voice was quiet, almost silky , and every word landed like a stone.
"Lady Umbridge." A pause. "Though I personally have no shortage of grievances with Miss Granger's conduct..." He said it as though the next part physically pained him. "In this instance, I must acknowledge that she is not exaggerating. If anything, she is understating."
"Given the degree of importance Headmaster Dumbledore places on her, it would not be an overstatement to say that if Miss Granger wished it, he would set aside whatever he was doing to attend to her needs."
He let that settle. Then his gaze drifted to Umbridge, something faintly contemptuous at the edge of his expression. "As much as it pains me to admit , at Hogwarts, Miss Granger's standing is likely considerably greater than yours, Lady Umbridge."
The room went quiet.
Umbridge looked as though she'd swallowed something unpleasant and still very much alive.
She hadn't expected this. A Muggle-born girl , a third-year, no less , wielding that kind of influence at Hogwarts. Enough that even Snape was speaking up for her.
She'd heard things about Snape. That he despised Gryffindor students as a matter of principle.
If even he would go to bat for this girl, then Hermione Granger's position at Hogwarts was something else entirely.
But , why?
Just because she was pretty?
Umbridge's hand drifted unconsciously to her own toad-like face.
Her mood soured considerably.
Hermione shifted her attention from Umbridge to the last person in the room.
A young man. Handsome, tall, with an open and upright sort of energy that practically glowed off him. Noticing her gaze, he broke into a bright, easy smile and stepped forward.
"Hello, Miss Granger. I'm Ethan Hunt , an Auror under Director Lockhart. I joined the Ministry not too long ago."
Lockhart smiled and gently cut in. "Ethan, I'm Deputy Director. Do watch the title , these things matter."
He let his gaze drift meaningfully toward Umbridge as he said it.
His tone was perfectly modest. His meaning was anything but.
A neat little stab, slipped in without a scratch.
Hermione laughed inwardly. Lockhart had completely mastered the art of office politics.
Then the young man's name registered properly, and she had to work to keep the eye-roll internal.
Ethan Hunt. Really. This guy and his Mission: Impossible fixation.
Tom Cruise.
➤ Next: Lockhart's Transformation — Face to Face
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