Astra

XCVI - The Newest Educational Decree

"She can't," said Ron at once.

"Oh, but she can," said Astra grimly, making both of them jump in surprise. "There were people in the pub- I knew we didn't have enough secrecy. Either way, we don't know any of them, and there's a high probability they read the Daily Prophet and work for the Ministry..."

"Zacharias Smith!" said Ron immediately, punching a fist into his hand. 

"No," Astra shook her head, "it was one of the adults."

"We don't know that -"

"I wonder if Hermione's seen this yet?" Harry questioned, looking around at the door to the girls' dormitories.

"Let's go and tell her," Ron bounded forwards, pulled open the door, and set off up the spiral staircase before Astra could call out to stop him.

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.

Astra chuckled as Harry pulled Ron to his feet, "You're not allowed in the girls' dormitories- I thought you knew that!"

Ron sputtered just as two fourth-year girls came zooming gleefully down the stone slide.

"Oooh. who tried to get upstairs?" they giggled happily, leaping to their feet and ogling Harry and Ron.

"Me," said Ron, who was still rather disheveled. "I didn't realise that would happen. It's not fair!" he added to Harry, as the girls headed off for the portrait hole, still giggling madly. "Hermione's allowed in our dormitory, how come we're not allowed --?"

"Well, it's an old-fashioned rule," said Hermione, who had just slid neatly on to a rug in front of them and was now getting to her feet, "but it says in Hogwarts: A History, that the founders thought boys were less trustworthy than girls. Anyway, why were you trying to get in there?"

"To see you--look at this!" said Ron, dragging her over to the noticeboard.

Hermione's eyes slid rapidly down the notice. Her expression became stony.

"Someone must have blabbed to her!" Ron said angrily.

"They can't have done," said Hermione in a low voice.

"You're so naive," said Ron, "you think just because you're all honourable and trustworthy --"

"No, Ron," said Astra sharply, "I've told you- it must have been one of the adults that work for Fudge -"

"I put a jinx on that piece of parchment we all signed," said Hermione grimly. "Believe me, if anyone's run off and told Umbridge, we'll know exactly who they are and they will really regret it."

"What'll happen to them?"

"Well, put it this way," said Hermione, "it'll make Eloise Midgeon's acne look like a couple of cute freckles. Come on, let's get down to breakfast and see what the others think . . . I wonder whether this has been put up in all the houses?"

It was immediately apparent on entering the Great Hall that Umbridge's sign had not only appeared in Gryffindor Tower. There was a peculiar intensity about the chatter and an extra measure of movement in the Hall as people scurried up and down their tables conferring on what they had read. Harry, Ron, Astra, and Hermione had barely taken their seats when Neville, Dean, Fred, George, and Ginny descended upon them.

"Did you see it?"

"D'you reckon she knows?"

"What are we going to do?"