A.J RYAN IN THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

Chapter 12 - Breakup

ses in the air.

A.J walked off again. Fred glanced back to watch her go.

The Weasley twins marched beside her on their way to Herbology when the bell for first period rang.

"Did you break it off with him?" George questioned quietly.

"Is that why you were a little off last night?" Fred continued.

"Yeah I guess, a little." She said to Fred on her right. "He broke up with me." She turned to George on her left.

"What?" They both stopped still.

"He broke it off-" Fred started.

"Like, he could do any better." George said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, you were completely out of his league to begin with." Fred nodded smugly.

She turned her head from one to the other in puzzlement, before something registered.

"For the last time, I'm not telling you anything. By talking, writing, gesturing, Legilimency, or by blinking my eyes a certain number of times." A.J glared.

"We were just expressing our concern for you." George said in mock hurt.

She rolled her eyes and continued towards the Greenhouses.

It took a while for Terry to look at her when they were lined up outside, but when he did, A.J smiled. He looked visibly relieved at her reaction and returned her smile warmly.

Professor McGonagall turned up after break to the seventh-years Herbology class.

She knocked. "Excuse me, Professor Sprout. May I please take Miss Ryan for the rest of the lesson?"

Professor Sprout smiled at her, and waved her hand in A.J's direction, granting her permission to leave. Simon looked eagerly at Professor McGonagall, the dragon dung compost reaching past the end of his gloves to his exposed skin. "Not you, Mr Ashton." She said sternly.

His face dropped.

A.J followed Professor McGonagall out to the vegetable patch with her bag.

"Potter has just brought his owl to the staff room for Wilhelmina to look over. The owl turned up during his History of Magic lesson, likely with a broken wing."

"Missed morning post, you think Hedwig was intercepted?" A.J asked.

She nodded. "Potter said he thinks the owl came from London." Her eyebrows formed one line.

Indicating Grimmauld Place. Sirius.

"I told him to bear in mind that channels of communication in and out of Hogwarts may be being watched."

A.J groaned. Harry was in Potions now.

She headed back into the castle, where Umbridge called her as she reached the Entrance Hall.

"Here, is an up-to-date list of all approved groups so far. I'll give you an updated list on a regular basis, as more are approved. Could you please pass one on to the Head Boy?" She said in her sugary sweet voice, before crushing her clipboard to her chest, and marching away.

"Great, thanks Professor." A.J called.

A.J scanned it as she continued walking towards the Dungeons. The Slytherin Quidditch team was already on it. She ducked in a bathroom and exited moments later invisible.

She arrived at the Potions classroom, and the Dungeon door was already shut. She needed a distraction. She conjured up a bunch of cauldrons and dropped them from mid-air further down the corridor. The banging and clashing brought Professor Snape out of his classroom and he marched towards the cauldrons spread across the floor, A.J held back a gasp when Umbridge followed after him. She had made it here ahead of her.