Courage

-67-

Book: Courage
Chapter 67
Word Count: 5920

During the remainder of the weekend, Layla mainly kept to herself. She would sit with Ginny during mealtimes, but her food intake was becoming increasingly less and less, but still, nobody noticed. Layla was beginning to even wonder why she couldn't bring herself to eat, but the sight of food had started to make her feel physically sick. She was eating so little that it became a challenge to even stand up without feeling as if she was about to faint. She knew that she was growing weaker, dizzier, more drained... Layla tried to push herself to eat, but her appetite was just non-existent.

When she wasn't with Ginny, she stayed in her dorm, avoiding the outside world as she tried to busy herself with revision for her OWLs, avoiding Umbridge, and writing letters to Remus and Sirius. She just finished writing Sirius' letter before handing it, along with Remus' letter, to Apollo, watching the owl soar out of the window.

The last burst of autumn sunshine persisted, and when Monday morning came around, Layla had immense trouble getting out of bed. Partly because if she did, she knew that it was an eighty percent chance that she would grow light-headed from how weak she appeared, and partly because it meant that she would see Umbridge.

Layla headed downstairs from her dormitory, but not until she was halfway across the sunlit common room did she 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 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

Layla read the notice over the heads of some anxious-looking second-years before her eyes narrowed angrily. She was done with Umbridge. The marks on her hand wouldn't stop Layla from tearing into the 'professor' the next time she saw Umbridge.

Her insides were pulsing with rage as she stormed out of the common room to see if Ginny or anyone else had seen the notice.

But it was immediately apparent on entering the Great Hall that Umbridge's sign had not only appeared in Gryffindor Tower. There was a peculiar intensity about the chatter and an extra measure of movement in the Hall as people scurried up and down their tables conferring on what they had read.

Layla looked around for any sign of Ginny and saw her stood around Harry, Ron, and Hermione along with Neville, Dean, Fred, and George. They were all firing question after question at the three. Layla approached them, finally being able to hear what they were saying.

"Did you see it?"

"D'you reckon she knows?"

"What's going on?" asked Layla, and the sight of her actually approaching their seats almost made Harry spit out his pumpkin juice.