The fourth-year Gryffindor students had already gathered in a small cluster about ten meters from Hagrid's hut.
But Jon didn't see the pink toad anywhere.
"Are we still having Care of Magical Creatures here?" someone asked. "Hagrid's not the teacher anymore, right?"
"I don't know... But if the location changed, the prefects would have told us, wouldn't they?"
"Yeah, that makes sense. Guess we wait, then."
They all murmured among themselves.
Because of the long-standing tension between Slytherin and Gryffindor, the students stood clearly divided into two groups on either side of Hagrid's hut.
"That Rubeus Hagrid is absolutely terrible! The only reason he became a teacher is because Dumbledore gave him the job," Sean Avery muttered to Jon. "I doubt this new Umbridge could be worse than him."
Jon nodded outwardly, though inwardly he was deep in thought.
What would Umbridge have them do? Instead of handling magical creatures, would she make them memorize Newt Scamander's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them from start to finish?
As he pondered that, a pink figure emerged from the direction of the castle.
...
A few minutes later, Dolores Umbridge reached them.
She was wearing the same fluffy pink cardigan from the night before, complete with the black velvet bow perched on her head. Once again, Jon couldn't help but think she looked like a giant fly resting on a toad.
The noisy groups before Hagrid's hut immediately fell silent.
After all, none of them knew whether this new teacher would be easy to deal with.
"Good afternoon, students!" Umbridge trilled in her high, sugary tone after the class had lined up in two rows.
A few students mumbled a reluctant "Good afternoon" in reply.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk!" She shook her head. "That won't do at all... I expect you to say, 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge.' Let's try that again, shall we?"
"Good afternoon, students!" she repeated cheerily.
"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," they echoed in unison.
"Still not loud enough... You didn't skip breakfast this morning, did you? Hee-hee-hee!" she tittered!" Umbridge gave her barbell-like giggle, pursing her lips as she shook her head again.
"Good afternoon, students!" she said for a third time.
"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge!" they shouted at the top of their lungs.
"That's better... Not too hard, was it?" she said with satisfaction. "I do hope you'll all greet me with the same spirit and energy every time we meet!"
Several Slytherin students and a few Gryffindors exchanged uneasy looks—clearly realizing this teacher would be trouble.
...
Professor Umbridge opened her handbag and pulled out a wand so short it looked almost ridiculous. Then she stepped forward.
Her eyes swept disdainfully over Hagrid's hut before she took out a bottle of perfume and sprayed herself liberally.
Everyone stared at her in disbelief.
"Ahem!" Umbridge cleared her throat and turned back to the class. "Care of Magical Creatures. I must say, I am very dissatisfied with your progress in this subject."
"...It's simply unbelievable that this course was previously taught by a highly dangerous half-giant. As Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore has shown a shocking lack of responsibility!"
"You're wrong! Hagrid's a good teacher!" shouted a red-haired girl from the Gryffindor group.
The Slytherins burst into snickers. Several girls—led by Selwyn—covered their mouths to stifle their laughter, though Astoria did not join in.
"I believe..." Umbridge said, checking the roll call in her hand while eyeing the red-haired girl carefully, "you must be Miss Ginny Weasley, correct?"
"That's right!" Ginny said firmly, standing tall.
"Then what relation are you to Arthur Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office?" Umbridge asked, her tone deceptively polite.
"He's my father," Ginny said with a puzzled frown.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Umbridge clicked her tongue again and pulled out a small notebook, scribbling something down with a faint hiss.
"What was that you said just now, Miss Weasley?" she asked sweetly.
"Hagrid is a good teacher!" Ginny repeated, pronouncing each word clearly.
"Miss Weasley," Umbridge's tone shifted abruptly, the sweetness vanishing. Her voice turned cold and authoritative, the same matronly tone she'd used during her speech the night before. "I believe there are two errors in your statement."
"First, the Hagrid you speak of is no longer at Hogwarts. He is no longer a teacher here. The Professor of Care of Magical Creatures is me."
"Second, if you've read Miss Rita Skeeter's article in last year's Daily Prophet, you would know that Rubeus Hagrid is a highly dangerous half-breed. A creature like that—one that could harm you at any moment—shouldn't be naïvely called 'good' simply because of his appearance."
Her voice grew so sharp and severe that it was almost frightening, and every word dripped with contempt for Hagrid.
Ginny Weasley was trembling with anger. Staring straight at Umbridge, she shouted, "Hagrid isn't a monster!"
"Are you shouting at me?" Professor Umbridge's face remained expressionless, though for a moment Jon thought she was about to explode.
Ginny faltered slightly, caught off guard.
Then Umbridge spoke again, her voice suddenly switching back to a sickly sweet tone. "Very well, Miss Weasley, dear..."
Ginny blinked, confused.
Umbridge reached out and gently patted her bright red hair. "Please inform Minerva that you'll be serving detention in my office on Saturday evening."
With that, she gave Ginny a slight push.
Ginny's face went pale. She stumbled back a few steps before turning and running toward the castle.
...
Dolores Umbridge turned her gaze back to the class. "Now then," she said briskly, "let's begin today's lesson."
With a wave of her wand, several scrolls appeared on the door of Hagrid's hut.