Grindelwald's Burden (Books 1-7)

80. Educational Decree Number Twenty-four

It was Monday morning, Y/n had spent the rest of the weekend sitting in the Gryffindor common room looking over Lupin's old papers and dotting down notes as he tried to come up with lesson ideas while Hermione sat with him knitting new socks and hats for the house elves. Ron and Harry who were still far behind on their homework had to spend it at a table trying to finish it.

Y/n, Harry and Ron headed downstairs from their dormitory, discussing Angelina's idea that they were to work on a new move called the Sloth Grip Roll during that night's Quidditch practice, and not until they were halfway across the sunlit common room did they notice the addition to the room that had already attracted the attention of a small group of people.

A large sign had been affixed to the Gryffindor 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'

Y/n, Harry and Ron read the notice over the heads of some anxious-looking second-years.

"Does this mean they're going to shut down the Gobstones Club?" one of them asked his friend.

"I reckon you'll be ok with Gobstones." Ron said darkly, making the second-year jump. "I don't think we're going to be as lucky, though, do you?" he asked Y/n and Harry as the second-years hurried away.

Harry was reading the notice through again. The happiness that had filled him since Saturday was gone. His insides were pulsing with rage. "This isn't a coincidence." he said, his hands forming fists. "She knows."

"She can't." said Ron at once.

"There were people listening in that pub Ron. The witch and the bandaged man it is not impossible one of them is aquatinted with Umbridge in some way." Y/n pointed out. 

"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..." Harry said.

"Zacharias Smith!" said Ron at once, punching a fist into his hand. "Or...I thought that Michael Corner had a really shifty look, too..."

"You simply do not like them because they are dating Ginny." Y/n said.

"I wonder if Hermione's seen this yet?" Harry said, looking round at the door to the girls dormitories.

"Let's go and tell her." said Ron. He bounded forwards, pulled open the door and set off up the spiral staircase.

"Ron wait you cannot..."  Y/n tried to warn him but Ron was on the sixth stair when there was a loud, wailing, klaxon-like sound and the steps melted together to make a long, smooth stone slide like a helter-skelter. There was a brief moment when Ron tried to keep running, arms working madly like windmills, then he toppled over backwards and shot down the newly created slide, coming to rest on his back at Y/n and Harry's feet.