( 𝔳𝔬𝔩𝔲𝔪𝔢 𝔦𝔦𝔦, 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖋𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖙𝖞-𝖘𝖎𝖝 ) — she had it coming

Evangeline had to admit that she hadn't the faintest idea why Umbridge had tasked her with assisting the OWL examiners throughout their time at Hogwarts. It wasn't much of a punishment, for majority of the witches and wizards were acquaintances with her family. The brunette supposed she wanted her out of the way for yet another scheme, only she was unsure of what it was yet.

They were just outside of the Great Hall, greeting the ancient-looking people. The pure-blood witch glanced to her side to see Umbridge looking rather nervous, which brought her immense joy.

''Oh, Evangeline Rosier, aren't you a sight for sore eyes! Your father failed to mention you worked here at Hogwarts! I always did tell him you were both beauty and brains, dear child.''

Professor Marchbanks (who had been Adonis' mentor once upon a time) was a tiny, stooped witch with a face so lined it looked as though it had been draped in cobwebs. She was also a little deaf, causing Umbridge to be forced to speak to her very deferentially, and not only because she had complimented the Charms professor.

''Journey was fine, journey was fine, we've made it plenty of times before! Now, I haven't heard from Dumbledore lately!'' She said impatiently, peering around the room as though hopeful he might suddenly emerge from a broom cupboard. ''No idea where he is, I suppose?''

''None at all,'' the toad-like woman replied, shooting a malevolent look at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were dawdling around the foot of the stairs as the Weasley boy pretended to do up his shoelace. ''But I daresay the Ministry of Magic will track him down soon enough . . . ''

''Oh, Professor Umbridge, I would not hold my breath if I were you,'' the Rosier girl chirped, a fake smile plastered on her face; she wasn't a fan of Dumbledore, but she wasn't an even bigger fan of Umbridge.

''Not if Dumbledore doesn't want to be found!'' Shouted Professor Marchbanks in agreement. ''I should know . . . examined him personally in Transfiguration and Charms when he did NEWT's . . . did things with a wand I'd never seen before . . . ''

''Yes, well . . . let me show you to the staff room . . . I daresay you'd like a cup of tea after your journey.''

It was an uncomfortable evening. It seemed as if Umbridge regretted her choices of filling up Evangeline's schedule with the examiners, so she demoted her to boiling the kettle and scooping spoonfuls of sugar.

But that was only until the exams started. Over the course of the next two weeks, she had been under strict instructions to oversee both the theory and practical examinations, excluding Charms for that was the subject she taught.

The OWL's, for the most part, went without a hitch. It wasn't the worst thing to see Draco smash his wine glass when levitating it, and it was quite funny when Ron had caused a dinner plate to mutate into a large mushroom, but all the fun was taken out of it once she had been reprimanded severely for letting a small laugh slip; Umbridge's fury was seething, and the brunette was convinced for a moment that she was about to get sacked then and there.

The war between the two women continued, taking a steep turn for the worse on Wednesday night during the Astronomy practical. The exam was registered to start at eleven o'clock; it was a perfect night for star-gazing, cloudless and still. The grounds were bathed in a silvery moonlight, and there was a slight chill in the air.

Each of the fifth years set up his or her telescope and, when Professor Marchbanks gave the word, proceeded to fill in the blank star chart he or she had been given.

Evangeline, Professor Marchbanks, and Professor Tofty strolled among them, watching as they entered the precise positions of stars and planets they were observing. It felt like the brunette had just sat her own Astronomy OWL the other day, although it had been four years ago now.

All was quiet except for the rustle of parchment, the occasional creak of a telescope as it was adjusted on its stand, and the scribbling of many quills. Half an hour passed, then an hour; the little squares of reflected gold light flickering on the ground below started to vanish as the lights in the castle windows were extinguished.

As most began to complete the constellation Orion on their charts, the front doors of the castle opened directly below the parapet where Harry stood. A couple of seconds later there was a distant knock that echoed through the deserted grounds, followed immediately by the muffled barking of a large dog. A minute later, the pure-blood witch heard a roar from Hagrid's distant cabin that echoed through the darkness right to the top of the Astronomy Tower.

Several people ducked from behind their telescopes and peered instead in the direction of the ruckus.

Professor Tofty gave a dry little cough. ''Try and concentrate, now, boys and girls,'' he said softly.

Most people returned to their telescopes, not including Hermione, who stared transfixed in the direction of Hagrid's cabin.

''Ahem — twenty minutes to go.''

The Granger girl jumped and returned at once to her star chart. Until . . .

There was a loud BANG from the grounds. Several people screeched an ''Ouch!'' as they poked themselves in the face with the ends of their telescopes, hastening to see what was going on below. Evangeline grabbed herself a spare one, squinting into the lens.

Hagrid's door had burst open and by the light flooding out of the cabin they saw the half-giant quite clearly, a massive figure roaring and brandishing his fists, surrounded by six people, all of whom, judging by the tiny threads of red light they were casting in his direction, seemed to be attempting to Stun him.

''No!'' Hermione cried.

''My dear!'' Professor Tofty exclaimed in a scandalized tone. ''This is an examination!''

But nobody was paying the slightest attention to their star charts anymore: jets of red light were still flying beside Hagrid's cabin, yet somehow they seemed to be bouncing off him. He was still upright, fighting, as cries and yells echoed across the grounds.

''Be reasonable, Hagrid!'' A man warned.

''Reasonable be damned, yeh won' take me like this, Dawlish!'' Hagrid roared.

The Rosier girl could see the tiny outline of Fang, attempting to defend Hagrid, leaping at the wizards surrounding him until a Stunning Spell caught him and he fell to the ground. Hagrid gave a howl of fury, lifted the culprit bodily from the ground, and threw him: the man flew about ten feet and didn't get up again.

''Look!'' Parvati squealed, leaning over the parapet.

She was pointing to the foot of the castle where the front doors opened again; more light had spilled out onto the dark lawn and a single long black shadow was now rippling across the lawn.

''Now, really!'' Professor Tofty reprimanded anxiously. ''Only sixteen minutes left, you know!''

Nobody paid him the slightest attention: they were watching the person now sprinting toward the battle beside Hagrid's cabin.

''How dare you! How dare you!''

''Minerva McGonagall,'' the pure-blood muttered. ''What a bloody boss.''

''Leave him alone! Alone, I say! On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, nothing to warrant such—''

Hermione, Parvati, and Lavender all screamed. No fewer than four Stunners had shot from the figures around the cabin toward McGonagall. Halfway between cabin and castle the red beams collided with her. For a moment she looked luminous, illuminated by an eerie red glow, then was lifted right off her feet, landed hard on her back, and moved no more.

''Galloping gargoyles!'' Professor Tofty shouted, seemingly have forgotten about the exam completely. ''Not so much as a warning! Outrageous behaviour!''

That was enough for Evangeline to abandon the telescope she had been using. The brunette pushed through the throng of teenagers, hurrying down the winding, steep staircase. The prongs of her heels clicked against the stone as she passed the Bloody Baron, who was groaning and clanking near the bottom of the tower.

''Cowards!'' Hagrid bellowed; several lights flickered back on in the castle. ''Ruddy cowards! Have some o' that— an' that—''

He took two massive swipes at his closest attackers; judging by their immediate collapse, they had been knocked cold. He doubled over, draping Fang's limp body over his shoulders.

''Get him, get him!'' Umbridge screamed.

Her remaining helper seemed highly reluctant to go within reach of Hagrid's fists. Indeed, he was backing away so fast that he tripped over one of his unconscious colleagues and fell over. Hagrid had turned and begun to run with Fang still hung around his neck; Umbridge sent one last Stunning Spell after him but it missed, and Hagrid, running full-pelt toward the distant gates, disappeared into the darkness.

''Professor Umbridge!'' Evangeline called. ''It was a rather stupid mistake on your part to let Professor McGonagall get harmed.''

''Collateral damage,'' the toad-like woman shrugged, a smirk overtaking her pallid face. ''Have you come to meet the same fate, Professor Rosier?''

''Is that a threat?'' The brunette asked, reaching for her wand.

Only it wasn't tucked inside of her robes. It was left high up in the Astronomy Tower, abandoned in the same hurry she had left in.

''Oh, it's a promise,'' she clipped, reading her own wand. ''Shall we settle for a Stunner? Or how about something more unforgivable?''

There was only one option left . . .

Evangeline bounded forward, rearing back her hand, folding it into a fist, and pounding it as hard as she could muster in the direction of the woman's jaw — just like Sirius had taught her in the summer.

Umbridge fell backwards with a hearty thwack, clutching at the side of her face tearfully, her wand knocked clean out of her grip. The pure-blood witch kicked the wood away, standing over her quivering form.

''That was for Minerva,'' she declared, before thrusting the sharp toe of her stiletto into Umbridge's side. ''That was for Harry . . . this is for your Anti-Werewolf Legislation—'' another two thuds. ''—And an extra one because you are a toad and I abhor you,'' she completed, slapping her palm across the woman's other cheek.

The Rosier girl may have gained a bruised hand and probably lost her job, but that night, she earned the respect of all those who had doubted her beforehand.

''You had it coming, bitch.''