Rosabella Black |Daughter Of Sirius Black| (Book 5)

Professor Umbridge

Rosabella's Point of View:

I was still seething after the argument about Harry with Lavender last night. Hermione and I got ready quickly the next morning and waited in the common room for the boys. Seamus rushed out his dormitory and left the common room without a word to anyone. I was debating whether to go after him when Harry and Ron came down from their dormitory. Harry looked angry and Ron looked a bit annoyed.
     
"What's the matter?" I asked, concerned.
     
"You look absolutely—Oh for heavens sake.' Hermione said but suddenly stopped talking.

She was staring at the common-room noticeboard, where a large new sign had been put up.

GALLONS OF GALLEONS!
Pocket money failing to keep pace with your outgoings? Like to earn a little extra gold? Contact Fred and George Weasley, Gryffindor common room, for simple, part-time, virtually painless jobs. (We regret that all work is undertaken at applicant's own risk.)

     

"They are at the limit." Hermione said grimly, taking down the sign.

Fred and George had pinned up over a poster giving the date of the first Hogsmeade weekend, which was in October.
    
"We'll have to talk to them, Ron." Hermione said.

Ron looked positively alarmed.
    
"Why?" Ron said.
    
"Because we're prefects!" Hermione said, as we climbed out through the portrait hole.
       
"It's up to us to stop this kind of thing." Hermione said determinedly.
       
"Good luck with that Hermione." I said in a sing song voice and then chuckled.

Ron said nothing. I could tell from his glum expression that the prospect of stopping Fred and George doing exactly what they liked was not one he found inviting.
      
"Anyway, what's up, Harry?" Hermione continued, as we made our way to the Great Hall.
     
"You look really angry about something." I said, concerned again.
     
"Seamus reckons Harry's lying about You-Know-Who." Ron said succinctly, when Harry didn't respond.

I immediately became angry. I wasn't really surprised that Lavender believed the Daily Prophet, but I assumed that Seamus would follow Fiona's lead and believe Harry.
     
"Yes, Lavender thinks so too." Hermione said gloomily.
     
"Been having a nice little chat with her about whether or not I'm a lying, attention - seeking prat, have you?" Harry said loudly, surprising me with his harsh tone.
  
"No." Hermione said calmly.
  
"We told her to keep her big fat mouth shut about you, actually." I said with a reproachful look at Harry.
     
"And it would be quite nice if you stopped jumping down our throats, Harry. In case you haven't noticed, Ron, Ro and I are on your side." Hermione said, still calm.

There was a short pause.
    
"Sorry." Harry said in a low voice.
    
"That's quite all right," Hermione said with dignity.
     
"Don't you remember what Dumbledore said at the last end-of-term feast?" I said earnestly to Harry.

Harry and Ron both looked at me blankly and Hermione sighed.
     
"About Voldemort. He said his 'gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust—'" I said.
     
"How do you remember stuff like that?" Ron asked, looking at me in admiration.
    
"We listen, Ron." Hermione said, with a touch of asperity.
    
"So do I, but I still couldn't tell you exactly what—" Ron said indignantly.
    
"The point," Hermione pressed on loudly, "is that this sort of thing is exactly what Dumbledore was talking about. You-Know-Who's only been back two months and we've already started fighting among ourselves. And the Sorting Hat's warning was the same." Hermione said.
  
"'Stand together, be united—'" I quoted.
   
"And Harry got it right last night. If that means we're supposed to get matey with the Slytherins—fat chance." Ron retorted.
    
"Well, I think it's a pity we're not trying for a bit of inter-house unity." Hermione said crossly.