the order - f.weasley

- c h a p t e r - t h i r t e e n -

 "Umbridge has been reading your mail, Harry. There's no other explanation."

Gemma nodded at Hermione from her perch on top of a desk.

"You think Umbridge attacked Hedwig?" Harry hissed.

"I'm almost certain of it," Hermione said seriously. She nodded at the amphibian on the desk, "Watch your frog, it's escaping."

Harry quickly accio-ed it back, making Gemma snicker. At the same time, Scotch played with the silver locket and the charm Luna gave her for her birthday that hung around her neck.

No one suspected the locket holding pictures about her secret life, so she didn't worry about it as much, and anyways, it seemed to be Scotch's favourite toy. No matter how many times she tried to stop him from playing with it, he would find some way to get it from her.

Damn Niffler.

She sighed boredly, and then she grimaced when she remembered she had her assessment with Professor Snape after this. She had no doubt it would be extra gloomy with the rain pounding on the windows and the dankness of the dungeons.

Gemma turned back to listen to Hermione's whispered discussion about Umbridge, "I've been suspecting this ever since Filch accused you of ordering Dungbombs because it seemed such a stupid lie. I mean, once your letter had been read, it would have been quite clear you weren't ordering them, so you wouldn't have been in trouble at all — it's a bit of a feeble joke, isn't it? But then I thought, what if somebody just wanted an excuse to read your mail? Well then, it would be a perfect way for Umbridge to manage it — tip off Filch, let him do the dirty work and confiscate the letter, then either find a way of stealing it from him or else demand to see it — I don't think Filch would object, when's he ever stuck up for a student's rights? Harry, you're squashing your frog."

Gemma made a chirping noise like a cricket and grabbed the bullfrog from his hands, and Harry gave her a wide-eyed look, shocked at what he was doing.

"It was a very, very close call last night," Hermione breathed out. "I just wonder if Umbridge knows how close it was. Silencio!" She cast the spell on her own frog, which gave her a rude look as it went silent mid-croak. "If she'd caught Snuffles..."

"He'd probably be back in Azkaban this morning," Harry finished for her, his mind elsewhere as he waved his wand.

His bullfrog swelled up like a balloon and made a whistling noise making Gemma jump to help the poor animal, "Silencio..." The frog looked at her with what she could imagine were thankful eyes as she looked at Harry, "Snuffles probably shouldn't do it again. But..." She rubbed her forehead tiredly, "I'm not sure how we can tell him that when our owls are being intercepted."

"I don't reckon he'll risk it again," Ron tilted his head at her. "He's not stupid, he knows she nearly got him. Silencio!"

The raven he was trying to silence did no such thing, rather just cawed rudely.

"Silencio! SILENCIO!!!" Ron kept trying to shut the old bird up, but it did not relent.

"It's the way you're moving your wand," Hermione corrected the tall ginger boy. "You don't want to wave it, it's more a sharp jab."

"Ravens are harder than frogs," Ron snapped at her.

To save Ron from more of Hermione telling him what to do, Gemma handed him her frog and pulled the raven to her.

The bird eyed her, cawing obnoxiously, but Gemma just rolled her eyes and once more boredly said, "Silencio..."

The bird shut up immediately.