Ethereal

♦ 042 ♦

The Order of The Phoenix

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"Sorry I'm so late," Sadie said to Harry, Ron and Hermione as she joined them at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall the next morning.

"Why are you late?" Ron asked as Sadie chuckled nervously. Seconds later, Fred walked into the Great Hall, his hair messy and sorting out his tie.

"That's why," she said as Ron's face turned into disgust.

"Sades!" he said as the blue eyed girl smiled innocently. 

"What?" she asked chuckling, "you asked, anyway, what's going on?"

"Read this," Harry said, handing her a page devoted to an advertisement for Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, which was apparently having a sale.

"I don't want any robes," she said.

"No, this little piece here."

Sadie bent closer to read it; the item was barely an inch long and placed right at the bottom of a column. It was headlined:

TRESPASS AT MINISTRY

Sturgis Podmore, 38, of number two, Laburnum Gardens, Clapham, has appeared in front of the Wizcngamot charged with trespass and attempted robbery at the Ministry of Magic on 31st August. Podmore was arrested by Ministry of Magic watchwizard Eric Munch, who found him attempting to force his way through a top-security door at one o'clock in the morning. Podmore, who refused to speak, in his own defence, was convicted on both charges and sentenced to six months in Azkaban.

"Shit," Sadie said.

"Right," Hermione said, "well, I think we should tackle that essay for Sprout on self-fertilising shrubs first and if we're lucky we'll be able to start McGonagall's Inanimatus Conjurus Spell before lunch. . . ."

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"I mean, we can do it tonight," said Ron, as he, Sadie and Harry walked down the sloping lawns towards the Quidditch pitch, their broomsticks over their shoulders, and with Hermione's dire warnings that they would fail all their OWLs still ringing in their ears. "And we've got tomorrow. She gets too worked up about work, that's her trouble."

"This is important, too," Sadie said, "we've got to practise if we want to stay on the Quidditch team."

"Yeah, that's right," said Ron, in a heartened tone. "And we have got plenty of time to do it all."

They collected balls from the cupboard in the changing room and set to work, Ron guarding the three tall goalposts, Sadie and Harry playing Chasers and trying to get the Quaffle past Ron. Sadie thought Ron was pretty good. He blocked three-quarters of the goals she and Harry attempted to put past him and played better the longer they practised. 

After a couple of hours they returned to the castle for lunch, during which Hermione made it quite clear she thought they were irresponsible, then returned to the Quidditch pitch for the real training session. All their teammates but Angelina were already in the changing room when they entered.

"All right, Ron?" said George, winking at him.

"Yeah," said Ron, who had become quieter and quieter all the way down to the pitch.

"Ready to show us all up, Ickle Prefect?" said Fred, emerging tousle-haired from the neck of his Quidditch robes, a slightly malicious grin on his face.

"Oh be quiet," Sadie said with a smile as Ron, stony-faced, pulled on his own team robes for the first time. They fitted him well considering they had been Oliver Wood's, who was rather broader in the shoulder.