in the end ~ d. malfoy

Chapter Twenty-Eight

BY ORDER OF THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS

All student organisations, societies, teams, groups and clubs are henceforth disbanded. An organisation, 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 High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge). No student organisation, society, team, group or club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor. Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an organisation, 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.

"Do you think she knows?" Diana tucks a piece of her ash-blonde hair behind her ear, emerald eyes wide with fear. It's longer now, falling in silky wisps to her shoulders. She looks quite pretty like this, Maya thinks to herself, despite the tense feeling in her stomach, face alight with a certain glow that she didn't have last year.

Matter of fact, something is different about Diana. She keeps disappearing to the "library" ( Maya can never seem to find her at the aforementioned place ), for hours at a time, coming back with a flush in her cheeks and a sparkle in her eyes. One that isn't borne from reading.

Maya has an inkling it's to do with the "old friend" that keeps popping up in her excuses.

"We'll figure it out, " she replies, somewhat gravely. Her tone changes to playful as she twirls a strand of short hair around her finger, cocking her head to the side, "Besides, we're technically not going against any rules . . . . yet "

"There were people listening in that pub, " Harry mutters, darkly , "And let's face it, we don't know how many of the people who turned up we can trust... any of them could have run off and told Umbridge..."

"Zacharias Smith!" says 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 says, looking round at the door to the girls' dormitories.

"Let's go and tell her," says Ron. He bounds forwards, pulls open the door and sets off up the spiral staircase.

Diana shares a rueful look with Maya, "Should we tell them that they're going to get thrown out?"

"Nope" Maya replies, popping the 'p', smirking, "It'll be more fun to watch"

Twenty minutes later, a disheveled Harry and Ron re-emerge, looking as though they've been thrown down a few stairs, along with Hermione, whose bushy hair is secured in a bun on top of her head. She takes one look at the poster and frowns for a few moments.

"They can't have done," says Hermione in a low voice.

"You're so naive," says Ron, "you think just because you're all honorable and trustworthy -"

"No, they can't have done, because I put a jinx on that piece of parchment we all signed," says Hermione grimly. "Believe me, if anyone's run off and told Umbridge, we'll know exactly who they are and they will really regret it."

"What'll happen to them?" questions Diana.

"Well, put it this way" says Hermione, a ghost of a smirk on her face, "it'll make Eloise Midgeon's acne look like a couple of cute freckles. Come on, let's get down to breakfast and see what the others think... I wonder whether this has been put up in all the houses?"

It's immediately apparent on entering the Great Hall that Umbridge's sign has not only appeared in Gryffindor Tower. There's a peculiar intensity about the chatter and an extra measure of movement in the Hall as people scurry up and down their tables, conferring on what they have read. The five of them barely take their seats when Neville, Dean, Fred, George and Ginny descend upon them.