The Hagrid's son

It was official: Barnaby hated Umbridge.

Sure, interrupting Dumbledore's speech had been a bit funny, but what followed...

The Ministry of Magic deeply cares about the education of young witches and wizards?

Well, they could've built another magical school to accommodate the students who don't get into Hogwarts!

Those who don't get in for various reasons end up attending other schools without much choice.

Eliminating practices that should be banned?

Lady, just admit that the Ministry wants to meddle in the school, and deeply at that!

And with that bubblegum pink outfit, that repulsive laugh, a face only a mother could love...

It's as if someone tried to assemble a repulsive person and added too many extra pieces!

He was present at her first lesson, as he usually was with every new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, just in case help was needed, and when he heard Umbridge's words: "Why would you need to use defensive spells in my class?" Barnaby was left speechless.

The subject is called Defense Against the Dark Arts, not Theory Against the Dark Arts!

He knew the Ministry would change things their way, but to actually refuse to teach practical defensive magic to the point of denying Voldemort's return?

Were they so desperate that they would even deny students the education they desperately needed?

Practicing only theory in this class...

It was completely absurd!

It's like asking them to brew a potion by following the recipe exactly or to learn how to fly a broom after reading a pamphlet—no Hogwarts student could manage that!

Then Harry and Umbridge started arguing about whether the events were a "lie" or not, but when they got to the reason behind Cedric's death, Barnaby had to intervene.

Alright, technically Cedric hadn't stayed dead for long, but she was still badmouthing his friend!

And Barnaby was very clear about Diggory's condition!

An unfortunate accident?

Morgana's frozen breasts!!

"Professor Umbridge!" Barnaby interrupted, feeling like the word professor was being insulted by applying it to this person. "Regardless of what the Ministry insists on saying, I cannot accept your statement about Cedric's condition."

Umbridge's gaze shifted from Harry to him, with an expression of clear recognition.

"Weren't you the one who managed to 'revive' Mr. Diggory?" Umbridge asked with a mocking tone. "That proves there was no murder as Mr. Potter insists. Unless… are you saying you can bring people back who have been struck by the Killing Curse?" she posed slowly, blinking.

Barnaby's face darkened at the sound of that pink toad.

The conditions for Cedric's return had been extremely specific, and he doubted he could replicate that situation ever again in his life, but that wasn't the main point.

Admitting it would only make him seem like someone boasting about overcoming an Unforgivable Curse, which would be highly questionable. But denying it would also imply that what Harry said was a lie, reinforcing the Ministry's propaganda that Voldemort's return was a hoax.

"Cedric wasn't hit by the Killing Curse, but a dark spell was used to stop his heart," Barnaby didn't hesitate to twist the information as the "responsible witness" from that moment, causing Umbridge's eyes to widen at the unexpected counterattack. "I was able to save him because I acted quickly, but I wouldn't have been able to do anything if Voldemort had used something more sinister against him."

He probably still had a lot of inherited magic from his mother that he had never used.

"Enough!" Umbridge shuddered at the mention of that name. "You're both in detention!"

"I don't think so," Barnaby stepped closer until he was half a meter away from Umbridge and lowered his head to look down at her, forcing her to look up because of the height difference, as she was always a rather short woman. "I remind you that I am not a student, and you have no authority over the school's staff... ma'am."

Barnaby couldn't bring himself to call her professor after what he had seen. The fact that he didn't call her an old hag to her face was a result of the good manners he had been taught.

He turned and left the classroom slowly with confident steps, while the students watched Umbridge tremble and her face change colors—alternating between white, red, and purple—probably due to a mix of anger, humiliation, and indignation.

The way those colors appeared while she wore that bright pink outfit only made her look more offended.

Tsk, Barnaby clicked his tongue secretly, disappointed that the woman hadn't taken the bait and attacked him from behind—it would have been a good reason for self-defense.

And a teacher sent by the Ministry attacking someone from behind would be a great political weapon that Aunt Minerva could use to curb this leech's influence.

He'd have to think of other things that might work in his favor...

"I don't know if it'll help, but there's dark magic seeping out of her office," Sanshi pointed out as Barnaby began walking down the hallways. "It's probably something small and not too strong, maybe that's why you didn't feel it, but it's definitely dark magic."

"Oh?" Barnaby raised an eyebrow as that information piqued his curiosity.

He was fairly certain that someone like Umbridge didn't belong to the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic, so her possession of something like that was highly questionable.

It could be just the breakthrough he needed, but after what happened today, he should be cautious over the next few days and keep a lower profile, or he'd easily become the main suspect.

"Or I could sneak into her office and see what she's hiding," Sanshi suggested as a quicker alternative. "The office's defenses are even worse than when Lockhart was 'teaching' here, so it wouldn't take much effort."

"Are you sure? It could easily be a trap for the nosiest people... or to avoid being a victim of the Weasley twins."

Barnaby noticed Fred and George weren't very happy about Umbridge being at Hogwarts.

"Of course, didn't she just give Harry detention?" she reminded him. "I could simply slip into her shadow during detention and look around. Neither of them would notice, and I could leave after Harry finishes."

"Hmm..." Barnaby thought about it long and hard. "Alright, I think we could give it a try."

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And there are already a hundred chapters!

Damn the need to work, I would like to spend much more time writing...