Emily Potter - Book 5 - Order of the Phoenix

Chapter 28 - The New Decree

"Emily, wake up."

"Hmmm, go away."

"It's important!"

She rolled away from Daphne, further tangling herself in the sheets, "It's a bloody Sunday, let me sleep in." Emily fell off the bed from trying to get away from her, waking her up to her senses. "No reason right now not to get up, I reckon." She said, forcing herself to stand on her feet, pushing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose. "What's happened?"

Daphne grabbed her wrist and dragged them down to the common room; she appeared to Emily as a blonde whirlwind of energy trying to shake her insides. A large sign had been affixed to the Slytherin notice board, so large that it covered everything else on there — the lists of second hand spell books for sale, the regular reminders of school rules from Argus Filch, the Quidditch team training schedule, the offers to barter certain rare potion ingredients for others, a for adoption sign for new born kittens and other creatures, 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 Organizations, 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.

"I want to bloody vomit and use that order to wipe it up." Emily spat, turning her back to it, possibly startling several second years. She and Daphne lounged by the fireplace, prodding the dying flames with the pokers, "She needs to be stopped, if someone won't make a move – "

"Is that someone you?" Daphne spoke with a careful tone, "This is the Ministry of Magic, Em. You make a move, I swear to Merlin they'll move you out of Hogwarts and chuck you in Azkaban." Emily shrugged, "She's going by the way of dictatorship. She's controlling things that should be left alone. Aren't you bothered by Umbridge?"

She sighed heavily, every fiber of her being was against Umbridge just as Emily was, "Of course I am, but what can I do? What can we do about it?" Daphne reasoned, "We're teenagers. Society doesn't count us as a part of them, our voice it's... it's just a whisper in the wind to them."

"Well, you're not wrong." Emily said, her muscles tensing up as she saw the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch Team approach her in one swift move. She stood up, barely meeting to his massive height, "Yes?"

He motioned to Umbridge's decree, scoffing at it "Looks like we have to go to the old toad and ask to reform the Quidditch team. You haven't got detention with her lately, have you?" Emily shook her head, "I'll behave myself, erm- captain." He looked at her quizzically, a smirk on his face, "You have no idea what my name is, do you?"

"I haven't the foggiest."

"The name's Benjamin Thawne, Potter." He said, walking away from her, "I'll see you around." And then, he left with their other team mates. Daphne grabbed Emily's hand and dragged her back to sit down on the carpet, "That's the guy I've been telling you about." She whispered.