Starlight |Neville Longbottom|

~Chapter Five~

The next morning I had woken up earlier than anybody else in the boys' dormitory and snuck out without waking anybody eup. Nobody had a problem with me being in there, but I didn't want to see any of those boys getting dressed. Gross.

My morning was very normal. I got ready for classes and headed down the Great Hall for breakfast. I sat with Stephen and he helped me cram for my Ancient Runes test right after scolding me for not doing it the night prior.

After I had finished eating my eggs and toast Stephen and I made our way to exit the Great Hall when I was stopped by Ginny.

"Hey Starla," She smiled, "Thank you for helping me study again. I can't wait for later tonight!"

"No problem Ginny," I replied, "You are going to ace that potions test."

After we had turned the corner, Stephen asked, "What are you and Ginny Weasley doing later tonight?"

"We are just going to hang out in the courtyard with some of her friends," I explained, "You can come along if you'd like."

"No, I think I'm just going to take it easy tonight. I was just curious," Stephen answered. By now, Stephen and I arrived at our Ancient Runes class. We sat down at our table and I took a few deep breaths before the test was passed out.

I did surprisingly well on the test considering I didn't study as much as I should have. I definitely didn't get a very high mark, but I didn't fail.

The rest of my classes went by quickly with no noteworthy things occurring until I got to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

It was no secret that many people, including me, did not like Professor Umbridge. I had heard the story of Professor Moody and Barry Crouch Jr. the previous year, but the reality is that the last Defense teacher I had was Professor Lupin and to put it very nicely, Umbridge was a HUGE step down from him.

During class , Harry Potter and Professor Umbridge had gotten in an argument yet again. I agreed with Harry though, learning the theory was dumb and getting us nowhere.

After Defense Against the Dark Arts had ended I quickly shoved my books into my sleek black bag that I had been carrying today and walked as quickly as I could to the courtyard where I was supposed to meet with Ginny.

A cool breeze blew my blonde hair into my face which of course was when Ginny and her friends showed up...way to make a first impression. I quickly threw my hair in a ponytail as I took in the sight of the girls walking towards me.

Once Ginny had gotten close enough I greeted her with a hug. Then she introduced me to her friends, "Starla, this is Hannah Hayes and Tracie Frank." Ginny had motioned her hand to the two girls.

The taller girl with long brown hair and thick square glasses waved and introduced herself, "Hello Starla, I'm Hannah. It's very lovely to meet you."

I was able to realize Tracie was the other girl. She was shorter than Hannah but still tall and she looked a lot like me. The only differences were that her blonde hair was cut in a cute chin-length bob and her eyes were an icy blue color... plus she had a different face and all. All she said to me was a simple, "Hi!"

I introduced myself personally, although it seemed like Ginny had already done that for me.

After we got past the awkward first introduction we actually had a great time. As we sat on the grass, we chatted about what we wanted to do during our first Hogsmeade trip, which was coming up in just a week.

"Nevermind What I'm doing," Hannah sighed, "Where are you planning on going with Micheal, Gin?"

"Wait who's Micheal?" I asked.

"Micheal Corner," Tracie answered, "He's Gin's boyfriend."

"Oh my gosh, Ginny!" I smiled, "Congratulations."

"It's not exactly a new relationship," Ginny giggled, "But that's not the point really. I am going to this meeting that I heard about from Hermione Granger. I'm not sure if Micheal is coming with me or not."

"Ooh," Hannah gasped, taking in the news of the meeting as a juicy piece of gossip, "What type of meeting."

Ginny leaned in closer to us and lowered her voice to barely above a whisper, "Be careful who you tell, but we are meeting about what to do about Umbridge."

"What do you mean!" Tracie shrieked before Hannah put her hand over her mouth.

"Let her explain Tracie, goodness," Hannah sighed.

"We are going to meet at the Hog's Head. Hermione explained it as an extra lesson in Defense. I'd suggest going to it, given everything going on." Ginny elaborated.

I felt a pit develop in my stomach. As awful as it sounds I was pretty removed from the Wizarding World since I lived in the Muggle World with very little contact for a year. As soon as I returned to school I noticed a difference in the general atmosphere. What is going on is serious and scary so I have decided to go to the meeting...and force Stephen to come too.

After Ginny, Hannah, Tracie, and I had chatted for a little while longer, we all split up and went about our days. But we all had decided that we would start hanging out together at least once a week in the courtyard, which I am excited about.

Once I got back to the common room I immediately went to find Stephen and tell him about what Ginny had told me. He agreed to come with me and then he ran off to dinner but I stayed back in the common room. I wasn't very hungry anymore.

During dinner, I took advantage of the silence and got all of my homework done and just relaxed until I found myself dozing off on the couch. I decided it was time for me to go to bed so I crept up to the girls' dorm and plopped down on my soft bed.

Once I was actually in my bed I was suddenly not tired anymore, which was so annoying but normal for me so I sat in silence and stared at the wall.

Just as I was about to bury my face under a pillow and cocoon myself in my blanket until I fell asleep I realized there was one more person I needed to tell about the meeting. . .