"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. I followed promptly behind her, and smoothed out my skirt as I stood.
"When are you ever going to read Hogwarts: A History? It says the founders thought boys were less trustworthy than girls." I snickered at Ron's reddish face, "Anyway, why were you trying to get in there?"
"To see you two- look at this!" said Ron gesturing wildly to the noticeboard.
A large sign had been affixed to the Gryffindor 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 organization, 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 organization, 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 organization, 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
I felt my jaw lock in a sudden anger I didn't know could exist from something that seemed so utterly simple.
"Someone must have blabbed to her!" Ron said as angrily as I felt.
"They can't have," said Hermione in a low voice.
"You're so naïve," said Ron, "You think just because you're all honourable and trustworthy -"
"No, they can't have, because Hermione had me put a jinx on that piece of parchment we all signed," I spat. I felt bad right afterward though, I was losing my temper much too often, even with my friends, these days.
"Believe me, if anyone's run off and told Umbridge, we'll know exactly who they are and they will really regret it." Hermione added.
"What'll happen to them?" said Ron eagerly.
"Well, allow me to put it this way," I smirked, "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. The four of us had barely taken our seats when Neville, Dean, Fred, George and Ginny descended upon us with questions blindingly obvious.
"Did you see it?"
"D'you reckon she knows?"
"What are we going to do?"
YOU ARE READING
Girl Who Survived: Book Two {Harry Potter: Order of Phoenix}
Fanfiction[BOOK TWO] Acacia Ivory. What do you think of when you hear that name? For many wizards, they think of a very famous, very powerful witch, who attends Hogwarts. For one dark wizard in particular, it strikes fear into his very core. Why? Because, she...
[Chapter Seventeen: Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four]
Start from the beginning
