Remember | June Potter and the Battle of the Ministry | Book Four |

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen; Hand in the Fire

　　Sunday was spent basking in the last burst of autumn sunshine that persisted despite the changing season. James and Maribelle had persuaded her to take a break since she had caught up. In the shade of the large oak tree, the Black cousins huddled closer to its trunk as they played Exploding Snaps while June lay sprawled in the grass, watching the passing clouds through the breaks in the branches. They chatted about their classes and complained about the steadily growing homework pile as the school year progressed into its first term, teasing each other. Thanks to the unseasonal warmth, Maribelle had earned a permanent pink to her porcelain cheeks, leading June to relentlessly tease the cousins about their shared sensitivity to the sun. Since Maribelle had fallen victim to it, she became June's main target, unintentionally being harsh in her teasing and jokes due to her current inner turmoil since their last private conversation.

    　　While their conversation didn't steer towards the parchment they had all assigned within the Hog's Head, an air of immense satisfaction hung between them. They were all a part of something bigger than them. Much bigger. They had joined a rebellion against the Ministry, especially against Umbridge; her brother was the key. As she sat cross-legged, staring blankly at the two talking, her quill twirling between her fingers, she relived Saturday's meeting; all those people had shown up for her brother and didn't think he was a lying weirdo. Acknowledging that he was someone to be admired, praising him for all his accomplishments that for too long had gone unrecognised.

    　　That high lingered so that she was still cheerful come Monday morning, despite the looming prospect of her least favourite class.

    　　Monday morning was kicked off with an owl tapping at the girls' dormitory window, delivering a cute love note from Micheal Corners leading to some relentless teasing. They were halfway across the sunlit common room when a crowd forming around the Gryffindor noticeboard caught her attention. A large sign had been fixed to the board, so large in fact that it covered everything else on it–the regular reminder of school rules, the lists of secondhand spell books for sale, the Quidditch team training timetable, the latest Weasleys' advertisement for testers, the lost and found notices, the offer to barter certain Chocolate Frog Cards for others and the dates of the Hogsmeade weekends. This new sign looked blatantly out of place so it was no surprise that it had drummed up so much notice, it was so official-looking that it clearly hadn't been made by a student, the official-looking seal and the neat, curly signature beside it at the bottom were dead giveaways. Printed in large black letters read;

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 Education Decree Number Twenty-four.

Signed: Dolores Jane Umbridge, High Inquisitor

    　　June's eyes darkened as she quickly reread the notice, all the excitement and glee that had followed her since Saturday ran cold, as though Fred had dropped a handful of ice cubes down the back of her shirt.

    　　"There's no way that this" –June gestured vigorously at the notice– "is a coincidence. She has to have found out," her eyes hardened like an emerald, her hands balling into painful fists as her nails dug into her palms.