Ethereal

♦ 047 ♦

The Order of The Phoenix

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Harry and Ron spent much of Sunday catching up with all their homework again, and the last burst of autumn sunshine persisted, so rather than sitting hunched over tables in the common room they took their work outside and lounged in the shade of a large beech tree on the edge of the lake. Hermione, who of course was up to date with all her work, 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. Sadie, who like Hermione, had finished all her work, laid on her back under the beech tree with her eyes shut as she laughed as butterflies kept landing on her face and arms. Knowing they were doing something to resist Umbridge and the Ministry gave Sadie a feeling of immense satisfaction.

"So how are you and Fred?" Hermione asked as the two girls sat in their dorm together. They barely got any alone time together.

"We're good," she admitted, "he makes me really happy."

"I'm so glad for you Sades," Hermione said as Sadie smiled, "you deserve to be happy."

"What about you and Ron?" Sadie asked, "I can tell there's something."

"I-I don't know," Hermione admitted, going pink, "there may be something there, but I don't know what."

"It will work out on it's own," Sadie said smiling, "if it's meant to be, it will be." Before she could say anything else, there was a loud, wailing, klaxon-like sound and the brunette sighed. "Speak of the devil, I bet you anything it's Ron."

Hermione laughed and the two girls left their dorm and they noticed the steps had melted together to make a long, smooth stone slide like a helter-skelter. Sadie grinned as she sat at the top and slid down, chuckling as she went.

"Sades and Hermione are allowed in our dormitory, how come we're not allowed. . . .?" came the voice of Ron as Sadie had slid neatly on to a rug in front of them and was now getting to her feet.

"Well, it's an old-fashioned rule," she said as Hermione joined her, "but it says in Hogwarts: A History, that the founders thought boys were less trustworthy than girls. Anyway, why were you trying to get in there?"

"To see you two, look at this!" said Ron, dragging them over to the noticeboard.

A large sign had been affixed to the Grffindor noticeboard, so large it covered everything else on it--the lists of secondhand spellbooks for sale, the regular reminders of school rules from Argus Filch, the Quidditch team training timetable, the offers to barter certain Chocolate Frog Cards for others, the Weasleys' latest 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 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