𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 - 𝐝.𝐦 !!𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝!!

𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙜𝙤 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮

~~~

We were allowed to remain inside over break due to the downpour outside. We found seats in a noisy and overcrowded classroom on the first floor in which peeves was floating dreamily up near the chandelier, occasionally blowing an ink pellet at the top of somebody's head. We had barely sat down when angelina came struggling towards us through the groups of gossiping students.

"I've got permission!" She said. "To re-form the quidditch team!"

"Excellent!" I said along with ron and harry.

"Yeah, I went to mcgonagall and I think she might have appealed to dumbledore. Anyway, umbridge had to give in. Ha! So I want you down at the pitch at seven o'clock tonight, all right, because we've got to make up time. You realize we're only three weeks away from our first match?"

I gasped. "Really? I haven't noticed."

She squeezed away from us, narrowly dodged an ink pellet from peeves, which hit a nearby first-year instead, and vanished from sight.

I looked outside and frowned. "Hope this clears up. What's up with you, hermione?"

She, too, was gazing at the window, but not as though she really saw it. Her eyes were unfocused and there was a frown on her face.

"Just thinking..." She said.

"About siri- snuffles?" Harry caught himself before he let himself slip.

"No...not exactly... More...wondering...I suppose we're doing the right thing...I think...aren't we?"

I looked at the boys confused.

"Well, that clears that up." Ron said. "It would've been really annoying if you hadn't explained yourself properly."

Hermione looked at him as though she had only just realized he was there. "I was just wondering whether we're doing the right thing, starting this defense against the dark arts group."

"What?" The boys said together.

"Hermione, it was literally your idea in the first place!" I reminded her.

"I know." She said. "But after talking to snuffles..."

"But he's all for it." Harry said.

"Yes." Hermione turned to stare out the window again. "Yes, that's what made me think maybe it wasn't a good idea after all..."

I scoffed. "Let's get this straight. Sirius agrees with us, so you don't think we should do it any more?"

Hermione looked tense and rather miserable. Now staring at her own hands, she said, "Do you honestly trust his judgement?"

"Well, this is the first time I met him, so." I shrugged.

"Yes, I do!" Harry said at once. "He's always given us great advice!"

"You don't think he has become...sort of...reckless...since he's been cooped up? You don't think he's...kind of...living through us?"

"What do you mean, 'living through us'?" Harry retorted.

"I mean...well, I think he'd love to be forming secret defense societies right under the nose of someone from the ministry... I think he's really frustrated at how little he can do where he is...so I think he's keen to kind of...egg us on."