Magic? || Years 1-5

Percy's Letter: Year 5

"Ron, shh!" Hermione hit him on the shoulder sharply, gazing around in horror.

"Six months in Azkaban! Just for trying to get through a door!" Harry exclaimed quietly.

"Don't be silly, it wasn't just for trying to get through a door -- what on earth was he doing at the Ministry of Magic at one o'clock in the morning?" Hermione's eyes were wide.

"D'you reckon he was doing something for the Order?" Ron murmured.

"It's gotta be, doesn't it?" Amisty replied. "He's not just going to break into the Ministry on his own accord."

"Wait a moment..." Harry blinked. "Sturgis was supposed to come and see us off, remember?"

They looked at him in surprise.

"Yeah, he was supposed to be part of our guard going to King's Cross, remember? And Moody was all annoyed because he didn't turn up, so that doesn't seem like he was supposed to be on a job for them, does it?"

"Well, maybe they didn't expect him to get caught," Hermione rubbed her temple.

"It could be a frame-up!" Ron cried.

Hermione threw him a glare so frigid that it could turn moving water into ice.

"No -- listen! The Ministry suspects he's one of Dumbledore's lot so -- I dunno -- they lured him to the Ministry, and he wasn't trying to get through a door at all! Maybe they've just made something up to get him!"

Amisty sat back in her chair, thinking about it.

"Do you know, I wouldn't be at all surprised if that were true," Hermione nodded, thoughtful. It took a moment until she spoke again, the daze in her eyes disappearing, "Right, well, I think we should tackle that essay for Sprout on Self-Fertilizing Shrubs first, and if we're lucky we'll be able to start McGonagall's Inanimatus Conjurus before lunch..."

-=+=-

The boys crawled in through the portrait hall, hair rumbled and cheeks pink with wind.

"How was practice?" Hermione asked, a bit too dryly to be casual.

Harry shrugged, "It was -- "

"Completely lousy," Ron mumbled, sinking down low in the chair next to her, his head in his hands.

"Well," Hermione frowned faintly, watching him, "it was only your first one, it's bound to take to -- "

"Who said it was me who made it lousy?" Ron growled, head snapping up and eyes flashing.

"No one, I thought -- " Hermione began, shocked.

"You thought I was bound to be rubbish?" Ron cut her off furiously.

"No, of course I didn't!" Hermione protested, staring at him. "Look, you said it was lousy so I just -- "

"I'm going to get started on some homework," Ron stomped up the boys' staircase.

Hermione blinked, then turned to Harry, "Was he lousy?"

"No."

Hermione gave him a look.

"Well, I suppose he could've played better, but it was only the first training session, like you said," Harry mumbled.

Amisty stretched in her seat, rubbing her eyes. It was quite a lazy Sunday, for her at least. Harry and Ron were bent over five textbooks each and several rolls of parchment. They worked all the way up to eleven thirty, rubbing their eyes more and more.