The Princess of Light

Chapter 5.19 (Educational Decree number twenty-four)

"I wonder if Hermione's seen it 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.

"Er - I don't think we're allowed in the girls' dormitories." Said Harry, pulling Ron to his feet and trying not to laugh.

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 dishevelled. "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. "Hermoine and Aurora are allowed in our dormitory, how come we're not allowed-"

"Well, it's an old-fashioned rule." Said Aurora. She'd approached them from behind, Victoria and Elizabeth laughing loudly behind her. "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 Hermione -" Said Ron.

"Why did you need to see me?" Hermione had just slid neatly on to a rug in front of them and was now getting to her feet.

"Look at this!" Said Ron, dragging her over to the noticeboard. "Someone must've blabbed to her!" He 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, they can't have done because 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?" Said Ron eagerly.

"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 the 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.

Aurora, Harry, Ron and Hermione had barely taken their seats when Neville, Dean, Fred, George, Jace and Ginny descended upon them. "Did you see it?"

"D'you reckon she knows?"

"What are we going to do?"

They were all looking at Harry. He glanced around to make sure there were no teachers near them.

"We're going to do it anyway, of course." He said quietly.

"Knew you'd say that." Said George, beaming and thumping Harry on the arm.

"The prefects as well?" Said Fred, looking quizzically at Ron and Hermione.

"Of course," said Hermione coolly.

"Here come Ernie and Hannah Abbott." Said Ron, looking over his shoulder. "And those Ravenclaw blokes and Smith...and no on looks very spotty."