"I'll see you guys around, then," I told Will and Nico as Jason and I entered into the portrait hole.
"Oh, thank the gods you're here!" Alex exclaimed, pulling Jason with her.
"What happened?" Jason asked as he walked with Alex, frowning.
She pointed.
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
Harry and Ron were standing, reading 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 me as the second-years hurried away.
"This isn't a coincidence," Harry said, his hands forming fists. "She knows."
"She can't," said Ron at once.
"There were people listening in that pub. 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..."
"Zacharias Smith!" said Ron at once, punching a fist into his hand. "Or--I thought that Michael Corner had a really shifty look, too--"
"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.
He 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 Harry's feet.
Jason and I laughed.
"Er--I don't think we're allowed in the girls' dormitories," said Harry, pulling Ron to his feet and trying not to laugh.
YOU ARE READING
The Forgotten Olympian |BOOK 1| PJO X HP | Alexandra Marine
Fanfiction#2 IN HARRY POTTER CHANGED THE COVER AGAIN Water, water, everywhere, as I open my eyes and the moonlight, so striking, so beautiful, shines brightly over the lake, as I rise, feeling dazed and tired. "My daughter. Alexandra Marine. Thank you." That'...
