Harry Potter and Percy Jackson half-blood heroes (Book 5)

Chapter 9

Percy noticed that Harry felt happier for the rest of the weekend than he had done all term. Percy was just hanging down, occasionally correcting their homework or IMing Annabeth. They also teamed up in making two dozen fake galleons and charming them with a protean charm. Hermione brought more wool outside with her and bewitched her knitting needles so that they flashed and clicked in midair beside her, producing more hats and scarves while Percy played in the black lake.

He, Harry, and Ron headed downstairs from their dormitory together, discussing Angelina's idea that they were to work on a new move called the Sloth Grip Roll during that night's Quidditch practice, and not until they were halfway across the sunlit common room did they notice the addition to the room that had already attracted the attention of a small group of people

A large sign had been affixed to the Gryffindor notice board, so large that it covered everything else on there — the lists of secondhand spellbooks for sale, the regular reminders of school rules fromArgus Filch, the Quidditch team training schedule, the offers to barter certain Chocolate Frog cards for others, the Weasleys' new advertisement for testers, the dates of the Hogsmeade weekends, and the lost-and-found notices. The new sign was printed in large black letters and there was a highly official-looking seal at the bottom beside a neat and curly signature.

— by order of —

The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. All Student Organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded.An Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students.Permission to re-form may be sought from the HighInquisitor (Professor Umbridge).No Student Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the HighInquisitor.

Any student found to have formed or to belong to, an Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled.

The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-four.

Signed: Dolores Jane Umbridge

High Inquisitor

The trio read the notice over the heads of some anxious-looking second years.

"Does this mean they're going to shut down the Gobstones Club?" one of them asked his friend.

"I reckon you'll be okay with Gobstones," Ron said darkly, making the second-year jump. "I don't think we're going to be as lucky, though, do you?" he asked Harry as the second years hurried away.

"Nada," said Percy

"This isn't a coincidence," he said, his hands forming fists.

"She knows." She can't," said Ron at once."People were listening in that pub. And let's face it, we don'tknow how many of the people who turned up we can trust. . . . Any of them could have run off and told Umbridge. . . ."

"Zacharias Smith!" said Ron at once, punching a fist into his hand."Or — I thought that Michael Corner had a really shifty look too —"

"I wonder if Hermione's seen this yet?" Harry said, looking around at the door to the girls' dormitories.

"Let's go and tell her," said Ron. He bounded forward, pulled open the door, and set off up the spiral staircase.

He was on the sixth stair when it happened. There was a loud, wailing, klaxon-like sound, and the steps melted together to make a long, smooth stone slide. There was a brief moment when Ron tried to keep running, arms working madly like windmills, then he toppled over backward and shot down the newly created slide, coming to rest on his back at Harry's feet.