Rise of the Death Eaters [3]

Chapter 20: A Secret No Longer

It was Sunday, the day following the meeting at the Hogs Head, and my friends and I had found ourselves situated in the library on the pretext of studying.

Which meant that we were doing everything but study.

"Not that it matters but do you see Umbridge punishing us for this club?" Ella asked in too casual a tone for it to be natural. Her eyes raced up to the first person who moved at the table, Sam, before resting there for an answer.

Sam who had only nudged in her seat to grab another chocolate frog from her bag looked back defiantly at Ella before shrugging in answer.

"Scared or something?" Ginny questioned through a vail or red hair shielding her face as she pretended to study a portion out of her Transfiguration textbook. We'd been sitting for an hour and she had yet to turn the page.

Ella dropped her quill and in a rash voice exclaimed back in the negative. A sure sign that she was in fact a little stressed on the topic.

"It's just... I've heard rumors about her detentions. How they're a bit... unorthodox."

"Last I checked none of us were religiously hell bent on staying on the dotted line, Ella. I'm sure whatever Umbridge has under her sleeve for detention is nothing to get worked up about," Sam stated before beheading said chocolate frog in a bite.

"Famous last words," I muttered as I extended my arms above and behind me in a most welcomed stretch. The library, while a wonderful space to hide and gossip, was not known for their comfortable chairs.

Sitting back up and stifling a yawn, I caught Ginny watching me with a pensive smile.

"What?" I quipped back innocently.

"Nothing," she said back. "You just seem to be in a good mood is all."

"Oh so you see it too," Ella said, turning to Ginny. "I was about to say, I've noticed it recently myself. 'Thought perhaps it was just another layer of getting to know Ava."

"It is," I said back with a masked smile to the two schemers. Sam gratefully remained silent throughout this, working on that remaining chocolate frog.

"Though I will say this new club is the cause of it, of course," I added quickly.

"Of course," Sam added with a line of humor that remained undetected by the two across the table. I cleared my throat and continued.

"Anything to take my mind off Umbridge and her meetings. I just can't wait for it to start."

"Well don't hold your breath," Ginny said. "Hermione has to plan around all four Quidditch team practices which doesn't leave much time to go on."

"Especially if we don't want to be caught by teachers," Ella went on with a growing frown.

"So unless we do it on weekends when everyone is busy studying as it is," I said slowly, "we won't have much of a club to go off of."

Ginny nodded while Ella grimaced before turning back to her drawing on the parchment she was supposed to write a charm's essay on. Sam seemed the only one unfazed by this news. She was reaching for another frog in her bag when the sound of a curse followed by fast paced heels marching on wood came towards us. Pince appeared behind a line of books with a second year trailing behind her. At the sight of Sam holding an unwrapped chocolate frog, Pince made a fuss, and promptly kicked the lot of us out of the library.

"Thanks for that," Ginny said, barely hiding a grin as Sam joined us outside the library.

"And I was just getting into the essay writing mood," Ella added with a sigh. "I was going to finish that essay in time for dinner. Now look!"