Order of the Phoenix - Chapter 14 (Patreon)

McGonagall turned to the correct

Percy and Padfoot

Percy and Sirius sat up wondering what it was about,

Harry was first to wake up in his dormitory next morning. He lay for a moment watching dust swirl in the ray of sunlight coming through the gap in his four-poster's hangings, and savoured the thought that it was Saturday. The first week of term seemed to have dragged on for ever, like one gigantic History of Magic lesson.

"Yuck," said Colin

Judging by the sleepy silence and the freshly minted look of that beam of sunlight, it was just after daybreak.

"He really needs to sleep more," sighed Poppy

He pulled open the curtains around his bed, got up and started to dress.

"He is usually up early, but this year has been something else," said Ron,

The only sound apart from the distant twittering of birds was the slow, deep breathing of his fellow Gryffindors. He opened his schoolbag carefully, pulled out parchment and quill and headed out of the dormitory for the common room.

Hermione raised an eyebrow,

Making straight for his favourite squashy old armchair beside the now-extinct fire, Harry settled himself down comfortably and unrolled his parchment while looking around the room. The detritus of crumpled-up bits of parchment, old Gobstones, empty ingredient jars and sweet wrappers that usually covered the common room at the end of each day was gone, as were all Hermione's elf hats.

Wondering vaguely how many elves had now been set free whether they wanted to be or not,

None, thought Dumbledore to himself

Harry uncorked his ink bottle, dipped his quill into it, then held it suspended an inch above the smooth yellowish surface of his parchment, thinking hard . . . but after a minute or so he found himself staring into the empty grate, at a complete loss for what to say.
He could now appreciate how hard it had been for Ron and Hermione to write him letters over the summer.

Instead of agreeing with Harry, the two teenagers glared at Dumbledore, which had been totally his fault,

How was he supposed to tell Sirius everything that had happened over the past week and pose all the questions he was burning to ask without giving potential letter-thieves a lot of information he did not want them to have?

Moody nodded approvingly,

He sat quite motionless for a while, gazing into the fireplace, then, finally coming to a decision, he dipped his quill into the ink bottle once more and set it resolutely on the parchment.
Dear Snuffles,

"Good," barked Moody, "Always use code,"

Molly rolled her eyes,

Hope you're OK, the first week back here's been terrible, I'm really glad it's the weekend.
We've got a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Umbridge. She's nearly as nice as your mum.

"They are on a level," snarled the animagus startling two first years

I'm writing because that thing I wrote to you about last summer happened again last night when I was doing a detention with Umbridge.

"He nearly apparated up to Hogwarts when he got that letter," grimaced Remus

"I was worried," said Sirius,

We're all missing our biggest friend, we hope he'll be back soon.
Please write back quickly.
Best,
Harry

"Good, excellent letter," said Moody approvingly,

Harry reread the letter several times, trying to see it from the point of view of an outsider.

"Yes, always do that," barked the ex-auror,

"Alastair," sighed Molly

He could not see how they would know what he was talking about - or who he was talking to - just from reading this letter. He did hope Sirius would pick up the hint about Hagrid and tell them when he might be back.

"I did," sighed Sirius,

Harry did not want to ask directly in case it drew too much attention to what Hagrid might be up to while he was not at Hogwarts.
Considering it was a very short letter, it had taken a long time to write; sunlight had crept halfway across the room while he had been working on it and he could now hear distant sounds of movement from the dormitories above.

"I knew it," sighed Hermione,

Sealing the parchment carefully, he climbed through the portrait hole and headed off for the Owlery.
'I would not go that way if I were you,' said Nearly Headless Nick, drifting disconcertingly through a wall just ahead of Harry as he walked down the passage.

"Peeves," guessed Fred

'Peeves is planning an amusing. joke on the next person to pass the bust of Paracelsus halfway down the corridor.'

Everyone sighed

'Does it involve Paracelsus falling on top of the persons head?' asked Harry.

"Probably," said George

'Funnily enough, it does,' said Nearly Headless Nick in a bored voice. 'Subtlety has never been Peeves's strong point.

Peeves floated by and blew raspberries at the ghost

I'm off to try and find the Bloody Baron . . . he might be able to put a stop to it . . . see you, Harry . . .'

He didn't repeat his actions with the Bloody Baron,

'Yeah, bye,' said Harry and instead of turning right, he turned left, taking a longer but safer route up to the Owlery. His spirits rose as he walked past window after window showing brilliantly blue sky; he had training later, he would be back on the Quidditch pitch at last.

Oliver nodded, "That will do him good,"

Something brushed his ankles. He looked down and saw the caretaker's skeletal grey cat, Mrs Norris, slinking past him. She turned lamplike yellow eyes on him for a moment before disappearing behind a statue of Wilfred the Wistful.

Everyone even the Slytherins scowled at the mention of that damn cat,

'I'm not doing anything wrong,' Harry called after her. She had the unmistakeable air of a cat that was off to report to her boss,

Sirius scowled, he hated that cat as well,

yet Harry could not see why; he was perfectly entitled to walk up to the Owlery on a Saturday morning.

"That is true," said Neville

Filch scowled,

The sun was high in the sky now and when Harry entered the Owlery the glassless windows dazzled his eyes; thick silvery beams of sunlight crisscrossed the circular room in which hundreds of owls nestled on rafters, a little restless in the early-morning light, some clearly just returned from hunting.

"I love the Owlery," said Luna a little dreamily,

The straw-covered floor crunched a little as he stepped across tiny animal bones, craning his neck for a sight of Hedwig.
There you are,' he said, spotting her somewhere near the very top of the vaulted ceiling. 'Get down here, I've got a letter for you.'
With a low hoot she stretched her great white wings and soared down on to his shoulder.

"She really is beautiful," sighed Parvati,

'Right, I know this says Snuffles on the outside,' he told her, giving her the letter to clasp in her beak and, without knowing exactly why, whispering, 'but it's for Sirius, OK?'

"You can never be too cautious," said Moody

She blinked her amber eyes once and he took that to mean that she understood.

"She is so intelligent," said Lavender,

'Safe flight, then,' said Harry

"Aw," said several girls

and he carried her to one of the windows; with a moments pressure on his arm, Hedwig took off into the blindingly bright sky. He watched her until she became a tiny black speck and vanished, then switched his gaze to Hagrid's hut, clearly visible from this window, and just as clearly uninhabited, the chimney smokeless, the curtains drawn.

Hagrid grimaced, he was still on his mission for Dumbledore,

The treetops of the Forbidden Forest swayed in a light breeze. Harry watched them, savouring the fresh air on his face, thinking about Quidditch later . . . then he saw it. A great, reptilian winged horse, just like the ones pulling the Hogwarts carriages, with leahery black wings spread wide like a pterodactyl's,

"Theastrals," said Charlie

rose up out of the trees like a grotesque, giant bird. It soared in a great circle, then plunged back into the trees. The whole thing had happened so quickly, Harry could hardly believe what he had seen, except that his heart was hammering madly.

Everyone grimaced, they never wanted to be able to see Theastrals,

The Owlery door opened behind him. He leapt in shock and, turning quickly, saw Daphne Greengrass holding a letter and a parcel in her hands.
'Hi,' said Harry automatically.

Astoria looked up,

'Oh . . . hi,' she said breathlessly. 'I didn't think anyone would be up here this early . . . I only remembered five minutes ago, it's my mum's birthday'
She held up the parcel.

"She had panicked the day before, that she hadn't remembered," explained the young Slytherin

Right,' said Harry. His brain seemed to have jammed. He wanted to say something funny and interesting, but the memory of that terrible winged horse was fresh in his mind.

Hermione sighed,

Cho scowled, she had also been on her way to the Owlery, if only she had been slightly quicker. She could have got Harry to open up and comforted him if necessary, then he would see she was the one for him,

Nice day,' he said, gesturing to the windows. His insides seemed to shrivel with embarrassment. The weather. He was talking about the weather . . .
'Yeah,' said Daphne, looking around for a suitable owl. 'Good Quidditch conditions. "Have you been out practising yet?'

'No,' said Harry.
Daphne had selected one of the school barn owls. She coaxed it down onto her arm where it held out an obliging leg so that she could attach the parcel.
'Hey has Gryffindor got a new Keeper yet?' she asked.

Harry suddenly felt slightly suspicious as to why the Slytherine was asking, but something caused him to push that suspicion aside,

'Yeah,' said Harry. 'It's my friend Ron Weasley, d'you know him?'

'Weasley' said Daphne somewhat surprised. 'Is he any good?'

'Yeah,' said Harry, 'I think so. I didn't see his tryout, though, I was in detention.'

Daphne looked up, the parcel only half-attached to the owls legs.
That Umbridge woman's foul,' she said in a low voice.

Harry started looking surprised,

"What," asked Daphne noticing, "I assure you not all of us Slytherins are mini-death eaters

'Putting you in detention just because you told the truth about how - how - how he died. Everyone heard about it, it was all over the school. You were really brave standing up to her like that.'
Harry's insides re-inflated so rapidly he felt as though he might actually float a few inches off the dropping-strewn floor. Another person believed him, he couldn't quite believe it was a Slytherin

"And more just one or two," said Theo Nott,

Who cared about a stupid flying horse; Daphne apparently thought he had been really brave. For a moment, he considered accidentally-on-purpose showing her his cut hand

"She would have gone to our parents in an instant," said Astoria

Fudge paled, the Greengrasses were one of the most respected families in the world

as he helped her tie her parcel onto her owl . . . but the very instant this thrilling thought occurred, the Owlery door opened again.
Filch the caretaker came wheezing into the room.

"Uh Oh," said Lee

There were purple patches on his sunken, veined cheeks, his jowls were aquiver and his thin grey hair dishevelled; he had obviously run here.

Seeing his reaction, George had an idea...

Mrs Norris came trotting at his heels, gazing up at the owls overhead and mewing hungrily. There was a restless shifting of wings from above and a large brown owl snapped his beak in a menacing fashion.

"Pity it didn't eat her," muttered Neville

'Aha!' said Filch, taking a flat-footed step towards Harry, his pouchy cheeks trembling with anger. Tve had a tip-off that you are intending to place a massive order for Dungbombs!'
Harry folded his arms and stared at the caretaker.
'Who told you I was ordering Dungbombs?'

"Good," said Moody, "Excellent, don't back down,"

Daphne was looking from Harry to Filch, also frowning; the barn owl on her arm, tired of standing on one leg, gave an admonitory hoot but she ignored it.
'I have my sources.' said Filch in a self-satisfied hiss. 'Now hand over whatever it is you're sending.'
Feeling immensely thankful that he had not dawdled in posting off the letter, Harry said, 'I can't, it's gone.'

"It really is good, he was quick about it," said Remus

Umbridge scowled,

'Gone?' said Filch, his face contorting with rage.
'Gone,' said Harry calmly.
Filch opened his mouth furiously, mouthed for a few seconds, then raked Harry's robes with his eyes.
'How do I know you haven't got it in your pocket?'
'Because - '
'I saw him send it,' said Daphne angrily.

Astoria smiled, neither she nor her sister liked Filch themselves,

Filch rounded on her.
'You saw him - ?'
That's right, I saw him,' she said fiercely.

Astoria smirked, she wished Harry had been ordering dungbombs

There was a moment's pause in which Filch glared at Daphne and Daphne glared right back, then the caretaker turned on his heel and shuffled back towards the door. He stopped with his hand on the handle and looked back at Harry.
'If I get so much as a whiff of a Dungbomb . . .'

Astoria turned to the Weasley twins, "I believe that is your area of expertise,"

They both started at her before standing up and bowing, "Yes Ma'am" they said,

He stumped off down the stairs. Mrs Norris cast a last longing look at the owls and followed him.
Harry and Daphne looked at each other.
Thanks,' Harry said.

Cho glared angrily at the book, why did that stupid Slytherin think she was so special,

No problem,' said Daphne, finally fixing the parcel to the barn owl's other leg, her face slightly pink. 'You weren't ordering Dungbombs, were you?'
'No,' said Harry.

"We do," said Fred breezily, "In fact we have a monthly subscription,"

McGonagall just sighed,

'I wonder why he thought you were, then?' she said as she carried the owl to the window.

Remus grimaced, 'he was probably looking for an excuse to read his letter,' looking up Umbridge he suspected he knew on whose orders,

Harry shrugged. He was quite as mystified by that as she was, though oddly it was not bothering him very much at the moment.
They left the Owlery together. At the entrance of a corridor that led towards the west wing of the castle, Daphne said, 'I'm going this way. Well, I'll . . . I'll see you around, Potter.'

Astoria smiled, her sister and Harry were clearly always destined for each other

Ginny and Cho scowled deeply,

'Yeah . . . see you.'
She smiled at him and departed. Harry walked on, feeling quietly elated. He had managed to have an entire conversation with her and not embarrassed himself once . . . you were really brave standing up to her like that . . . Daphne, a slytherin no less had called him brave . . . she did not hate him for being alive . . .

"It would be foolish to hate Harry for being the one to survive," said Astoria lips pursed, "I think people need to remember is, that he got lucky,"

His mind then wandered to Cho,

The Ravenclaw instantly looked up

Would she still feel the same, of course, she had preferred Cedric, he knew that . . . though if he'd only asked her to the Ball before Cedric had, things might have turned out differently . . . she had seemed sincerely sorry that she'd had to refuse when Harry asked her . . ., would she feel like he was brave as well

"Of course," said Cho smugly, "I never once blamed him,"

Astoria eyed her suspiciously,

'Morning,' Harry said brightly to Ron and Hermione as he joined them at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.
'What are you looking so pleased about?' said Ron, eyeing Harry in surprise.

Ron shook his head,

'Erm . . . Quidditch later,' said Harry happily, pulling a large platter of bacon and eggs towards him.
'Oh . . . yeah . . .' said Ron. He put down the piece of toast he was eating and took a large swig of pumpkin juice. Then he said, 'Listen . . . you don't fancy going out a bit earlier with me, do you?

Molly smiled, she would get to hear about her youngest son's quidditch matches,

Just to - er - give me some practice before training? So I can, you know, get my eye in a bit.'

'Yeah, OK,' said Harry.

"Good idea," grinned Oliver, "Not such thing as to much practice,"

The Gryffindor chases grimaced,

'Look, I don't think you should,' said Hermione seriously. 'You're both really behind on homework as it - '

"So," asked Oliver

Hermione scowled in response,

But she broke off; the morning post was arriving and, as usual, the Daily Prophet was soaring towards her in the beak of a screech owl, which landed perilously close to the sugar bowl and held out a leg. Hermione pushed a Knut into its leather pouch, took the newspaper, and scanned the front page critically as the owl took off.

"That must have been a boring read," said Charlie

"It was," confirmed Hermione,

'Anything interesting?' said Ron. Harry grinned, knowing Ron was keen to keep her off the subject of homework.

Ron blushed as his mother scowled,

'No,' she sighed, 'just some guff about the bass player in the Weird Sisters getting married.'
Hermione opened the paper and disappeared behind it. Harry devoted himself to another helping of eggs and bacon. Ron was staring up at the high windows, looking slightly preoccupied.
'Wait a moment,' said Hermione suddenly. 'Oh no . . . Sirius!'

"Oh no," said Lavender

'What's happened?' said Harry, snatching at the paper so violently it ripped down the middle, with him and Hermione each holding one half.

"So that's was what that was about," realised Dean

' "The Ministry of Magic has received a tip-off from a reliable source that Sirius Black, notorious mass murderer . . . blah blah blah . . .is currently hiding in London!" ' Hermione read from her half in an anguished whisper.
'Lucius Malfoy, I'll bet anything,' said Harry in a low, furious voice. 'He did recognise Sirius on the platform . . .'

Draco grimaced,

What?' said Ron, looking alarmed. 'You didn't say - '
'Shh!' said the other two.
'. . . "Ministry warns wizarding community that Black is very dangerous . . . killed thirteen people . . . broke out of Azkaban . . ." the usual rubbish,'

Sirius just rolled his eyes,

Hermione concluded, laying down her half of the paper and looking fearfully at Harry and Ron. 'Well, he just won't be able to leave the house again, that's all,' she whispered. 'Dumbledore did warn him not to.'

"I don't regret it," said Sirus crossly,

Remus just rolled her eyes,

Harry looked down glumly at the bit of the Prophet he had torn off. Most of the page was devoted to an advertisement for Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, which was apparently having a sale.

"It's always useful when they have a sale," said Parvati "You can get nice robes at a discount,"

'Hey!' he said, flattening it down so Hermione and Ron could see it. 'Look at this!'
'I've got all the robes I want,' said Ron 'No,' said Harry. 'Look . . . this little piece here . . ." Ron and Hermione bent closer to read it; the item was barely an inch long and placed right at the bottom of a column. It was headlined:
TRESPASS AT MINISTRY

At once the entire sat up,

"I missed that," muttered a sixth-year

Sturgis Podmore, 38, of number two, Laburnum Gardens, Clapham, has appeared in front of the Wizcngamot charged with trespass and attempted robbery at the Ministry of Magic on 31" August.

"He's the one didn't return Moody's cloak," realised Michael,

Podmore was arrested by Ministry of Magic watch wizard Eric Munch, who found him attempting to force his way through a top-security door at one o'clock in the morning. Podmore, who refused to speak, in his own defence, was convicted on both charges and sentenced to six months in Azkaban.
'Sturgis Podmore?' said Ron slowly. 'He's that bloke who looks like his head's been thatched, isn't he? He's one of the Ord-
'Ron, shhl' said Hermione, casting a terrified look around them.

Ron blushed deeply,

'Six months in Azkaban!' whispered Harry, shocked. 'Just for trying to get through a door!'
'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?' breathed Hermione.

"Good question," frowned Susan

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

"Maybe," said Hannah,

'Wait a moment . . .' said Harry slowly. 'Sturgis was supposed to come and see us off, remember?'
The other two looked at him.

"Oh yeah," said Ernie

'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 he couldn't have been on a job for them, could he?'

"He wasn't," confirmed Sirius,

Fudge paled,

'Well, maybe they didn't expect him to get caught,' said Hermione.
'It could be a frame-up!' Ron exclaimed excitedly. 'No - listen!' he went on, dropping his voice dramatically at the threatening look on Hermione's face. The Ministry suspects he's one of Dumbledore's lot

Fudge grimaced,

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!'
There was a pause while Harry and Hermione considered this.

Fudge's expression said it all,

Dumbledore sighed,

Harry thought it seemed far-fetched. Hermione, on the other hand, looked rather impressed.
'Do you know, I wouldn't be at all surprised if that were true.'

"Really," said Cho

Umbridge scowled at the little know-it-all,

She folded up her half of the newspaper thoughtfully. As Harry laid down his knife and fork, she seemed to come out of a reverie.
'Right, well, I think we should tackle that essay for Sprout on self-fertilising shrubs first and if we're lucky we'll be able to start McGonagall's Inanimatus Conjurus Spell before lunch . . .'

Ron sighed, he had tried,

Harry felt a small twinge of guilt at the thought of the pile of homework awaiting him upstairs, but the sky was a clear, exhilarating blue, and he had not been on his Firebolt for a week . . .
'I mean, we can do it tonight,' said Ron, as he and Harry walked down the sloping lawns towards the Quidditch pitch, their broomsticks over their shoulders, and with Hermione's dire warnings that they would fail all their OWLs still ringing in their ears.

"Is that common," asked Astoria

"Very," said Hermione

'And we've got tomorrow. She gets too worked up about work, that's her trouble . . .' There was a pause and he added, in a slightly more anxious tone, 'D'you think she meant it when she said we weren't copying from her?'

"Yes," said Hermione firmly

'Yeah, I do,' said Harry. 'Still, this is important, too, we've got to practise if we want to stay on the Quidditch team . . .'
'Yeah, that's right,' said Ron, in a heartened tone. 'And we have got plenty of time to do it all . . .'

"No you haven't" warned a sixth-year,

As they approached the Quidditch pitch, Harry glanced over to his right to where the trees of the Forbidden Forest were swaying darkly. Nothing flew out of them; the sky was empty but for a few distant owls fluttering around the Owlery tower. He had enough to worry about; the flying horse wasn't doing him any harm; he pushed it out of his mind.

"Theastrals are largely harmless," said Charlie "It's what they represent that's the problem,"

They collected balls from the cupboard in the changing room and set to work, Ron guarding the three tall goalposts, Harry playing Chaser and trying to get the Quaffle past Ron. Harry thought Ron was pretty good;

Ron grinned

he blocked three-quarters of the goals Harry attempted to put past him and played better the longer they practised.

"Practice makes perfect," nodded Oliver

After a couple of hours they returned to the castle for lunch - during which Hermione made it quite clear she thought they were irresponsible - then returned to the Quidditch pitch for the real training session.

Ron blushed,

All their teammates but Angelina were already in the changing room when they entered.
All right, Ron?' said George, winking at him.
Yeah,' said Ron, who had become quieter and quieter all the way down to the pitch.
'Ready to show us all up, Ickle Prefect?' said Fred, emerging tousle-haired from the neck of his Quidditch robes,

"Fred," scowled Molly,

a slightly malicious grin on his face.
'Shut up,' said Ron, stony-faced, pulling on his own team robes for the first time. They fitted him well considering they had been Oliver Wood's, who was rather broader in the shoulder.

"Be nice," snapped Molly

The twins sighed,

'OK, everyone,' said Angelina, entering from the Captain's office, already changed. 'Let's gel to it; Alicia and Fred, if you can jus: bring out the ball crate for us. Oh, and there are a couple of people out there watching but I want you to just ignore them, all right?'
Something in her would-be casual voice made Harry think he might know who the uninvited spectators

Astoria glared at her fellow Slytherins

were, and sure enough, when they left the changing room for the bright sunlight of the pitch it was to a storm of catcalls and jeers from the Slytherin Quidditch team and assorted hangers-on, who were grouped halfway up the empty stands and whose voices echoed loudly around the stadium.
'What's that Weasley's riding?' Malfoy called in his sneering drawl. 'Why would anyone put a flying charm on a mouldy old log like that?'

"You. Are. A. Joke," said Astoria to Draco

Draco didn't say anything, he just avoided looking at his mother,

Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy Parkinson guffawed and shrieked with laughter. Ron mounted his broom and kicked off from the ground and Harry followed him, watching his ears turn red from behind.

"They are not worth get upset over," said Astoria

Ron nodded,

'Ignore them,' he said, accelerating to catch up with Ron, 'we'll see who's laughing after we play them . . .'
'Exactly the attitude I want, Harry' said Angelina approvingly soaring around them with the Quaffle under her arm and slowing to hover on the spot in front of her airborne team. 'OK, everyone, we're going to start with some passes just to warm up, the whole team please - '

"Good plan," nodded Oliver

'Hey, Johnson, what's with that hairstyle, anyway?' shrieked Pansy Parkinson from below.

Astoria just snorted at the older Slytherin,

'Why would anyone want to look like they've got worms coming out of their head?'

"Is that it," asked Astoria stonily,

Pansy just glared at her,

Angelina swept her long braided hair out of her face and continued calmly, 'Spread out, then, and let's see what we can do . . .'
Harry reversed away from the others to the far side of the pitch. Ron fell back towards the opposite goal. Angelina raised the Quaffle with one hand and threw it hard to Fred, who passed to George, who passed to Harry, who passed to Ron, who dropped it.

"Did you do something," snarled Molly

"No," said Fred quickly and Molly stared at him,

George sighed, "We knew he would get nervous," he admitted,

"Did you invite the Slytherins," demanded Hermione,

"No," insisted George, "No,"

Hermione eyed him suspiciously,

The Slytherins, led by Malfoy, roared and screamed with laughter. Ron, who had pelted towards the ground to catch the Quaffle before it landed, pulled out of the dive untidily, so that he slipped sideways on his broom, and returned to playing height, blushing.

Harry saw Fred and George exchange looks, but uncharacteristically neither of them said anything, for which he was grateful.

"We were not trying to embarrass him," insisted Fred,

'Pass it on, Ron,' called Angelina, as though nothing had happened.
Ron threw the Quaffle to Alicia, who passed back to Harry, who passed to George . . .
'Hey, Potter, how's your scar feeling?' called Malfoy. 'Sure you don't need a lie down? It must be, what, a whole week since you were in the hospital wing, that's a record for you, isn't it?'

"What did your father tell you," demanded Ginny

Malfoy didn't answer,

George passed to Angelina; she reverse-passed to Harry, who had not been expecting it, but caught it in the very tips of his fingers and passed it quickly to Ron, who lunged for it and missed by inches.
'Come on now, Ron,' said Angelina crossly, as he dived for the ground again, chasing the Quaffle. 'Pay attention.'

"You make mistakes when under pressure," guessed Wood,

"Yes," admitted Ron,

"Don't worry, just treat it like a match between you and Harry," explained Wood

Ron nodded,

It would have been hard to say whether Ron's face or the Quaffle was a deeper scarlet when he again returned to playing height. Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherin team were howling with laughter.

"You don't deserve to be called Slytherins," spat Astoria,

On his third attempt, Ron caught the Quaffle; perhaps out of relief he passed it on so enthusiastically that it soared straight though Katie's outstretched hands and hit her hard in the face.
'Sorry!' Ron groaned, zooming forwards to see whether he had done any damage.
'Get back in position, she's fine!' barked Angelina. 'But as you're passing to a teammate, do try not to knock her off her broom, won't you? We've got Bludgers for that!'

Ron blushed, "Sorry,"

"Don't worry, the Bludgers hit harder," said Katie

Katie's nose was bleeding. Down below, the Slytherins were stamping their feet and jeering. Fred and George converged on Katie.

"Why didn't you come and see me," asked Poppy eyeing the Gryffindor

'Here, take this,' Fred told her, handing her something small and purple from out of his pocket, 'it'll clear it up in no time.'

"Snackbox," asked Neville

"Snackbox," confirmed George,

'All right,' called Angelina, 'Fred, George, go and get your bats and a Bludger. Ron, get up to the goalposts. Harry, release the Snitch when I say so. We're going to aim for Ron's goal, obviously.'
Harry zoomed off after the twins to fetch the Snitch.
'Ron's making a right pig's ear of things, isn't he?' muttered George, as the three of them landed at the crate containing the balls and opened it to extract one of the Bludgers and the Snitch .

Ron blushed,

'He's just nervous,' said Harry, 'he was fine when I was practising with him this morning.'
'Yeah, well, I hope he hasn't peaked too soon,' said Fred gloomily.

Ron scowled,

They returned to the air. When Angelina blew her whistle, Harry released the Snitch and Fred and George let fly the Bludger. From that moment on, Harry was barely aware of what the others were doing. It was his job to recapture the tiny fluttering golden ball that was worth a hundred and fifty points to the Seeker's team

"Best seeker ever," yelled Wood

"I concur," said Krum,

To which Wood looked amazed,

and doing so required enormous speed and skill. He accelerated, rolling and swerving in and out of the Chasers, the warm autumn air whipping his face, and the distant yells of the Slytherins so much meaningless roaring in his ears . . . but too soon, the whistle brought him to a halt again.

Ron grimaced

'Stop - stop - STOP!' screamed Angelina. 'Ron - you're not covering your middle post!'
Harry looked round at Ron, who was hovering in front of the left-hand hoop, leaving the other two completely unprotected.
'Oh . . . sorry . . .'

"Don't worry," said Krum, "It takes practice to get it right, no one ever got it right the first time,"

"Thanks," muttered Ron,

'You keep shifting around while you're watching the Chasers!' said Angelina. 'Either stay in centre position until you have to move to defend a hoop, or else circle the hoops, but don't drift vaguely off to one side, that's how you let in the last three goals!'
'Sorry . . .' Ron repeated, his red face shining like a beacon against the bright blue sky.
'And Katie, can't you do something about that nosebleed?'

Poppy looked disapprovingly at her,

'It's just getting worse!' said Katie thickly, attempting to stem the flow with her sleeve.
Harry glanced round at Fred, who was looking anxious and checking his pockets. He saw Fred pull out something purple, examine it for a second and then look round at Katie, evidently horror-struck.
'Well, let's try again,' said Angelina. She was ignoring the Slytherins, who had now set up a chant of 'Gryffindor are losers, Gryffindor are losers,' but there was a certain rigidity about her seat on the broom nevertheless.

"Just ignore them," advised Astoria

"Yeah, a reaction just fuels them," said Theo,

This time they had been flying for barely three minutes when Angelinas whistle sounded. Harry, who had just sighted the Snitch circling the opposite goalpost, pulled up feeling distinctly aggrieved.
'What now?' he said impatiently to Alicia, who was nearest.
'Katie,' she said shortly.

Poppy grimaced,

Harry turned and saw Angelina, Fred and George all flying as fast as they could towards Katie. Harry and Alicia sped towards her, too. It was plain that Angelina had stopped training just in time; Katie was now chalk white and covered in blood.
'She needs the hospital wing,' said Angelina.
'We'll take her,' said Fred. 'She - er - might have swallowed a Blood Blisterpod by mistake - '

"That is why they are dangerous," said Hermione

"It was a mistake," said George,

"I was fine," said Katie

'Well, there's no point continuing with no Beaters and a Chaser gone,' said Angelina glumly as Fred and George zoomed off towards the castle supporting Katie between them. 'Come on, let's go and get changed.'
The Slytherins continued to chant as they trailed back into the changing rooms.
'How was practice?' asked Hermione rather coolly half an hour later, as Harry and Ron climbed through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor common room.

"I was annoyed," sighed Hermione

'It was - ' Harry began.
'Completely lousy,' said Ron in a hollow voice, sinking into a chair beside Hermione. She looked up at Ron and her frost mess seemed to melt.
'Well, it was only your first one,' she said consolingly, 'it's bound to take time to - '
'Who said it was me who made it lousy?' snapped Ron.

"Sorry," said Ron

"It's fine," said Hermione

'No one,' said Hermione, looking taken aback, 'I thought - '
'You thought I was bound to be rubbish?'
'No, of course I didn't! Look, you said it was lousy so I just - '
'I'm going to get started on some homework,' said Ron angrily and stomped off to the staircase to the boys' dormitories and vanished from sight. Hermione turned to Harry.
'Was he lousy?'
No,' said Harry loyally.

Ron smiled

Hermione raised her eyebrows.
'Well, I suppose he could've played better,' Harry muttered, 'but it was only the first training session, like you said . . .'
Neither Harry nor Ron seemed to make much headway with their homework that night. Harry knew Ron was too preoccupied with how badly he had performed at Quidditch practice and he himself was having difficulty in getting the 'Gryffindor are losers' chant out of his head.

"They are not worth getting upset over," said Blaise,

They spent the whole of Sunday in the common room, buried in! their books while the room around them filled up, then emptied. It was another clear, fine day and most of their fellow Gryffindors spent the day out in the grounds, enjoying what might well be some of the last sunshine that year.

By the evening, Harry felt as though somebody had been beating his brain against the inside of his skull.
'You know, we probably should try and get more homework done during the week, Harry muttered to Ron, as they finally laid aside Professor McGonagall's long essay on the Inanimatus Conjurus Spell and turned miserably to Professor Sinistra's equally long and difficult essay about Jupiter's many moons.

"It's too much," muttered Lavender,

'Yeah,' said Ron, rubbing slightly bloodshot eyes and throwing his fifth spoiled bit of parchment into the fire beside them. 'Listen . . . shall we just ask Hermione if we can have a look at what she's done?'
Harry glanced over at her; she was sitting with Crookshanks on her lap and chatting merrily to Ginny as a pair of knitting needles flashed in midair in front of her, now knitting a pair of shapeless elf socks.
'No,' he said heavily, 'you know she won't let us.'

"I probably would have," admitted Hermione "Eventually,"

And so they worked on while the sky outside the windows became steadily darker. Slowly, the crowd in the common room began to thin again. At half past eleven, Hermione wandered over to them, yawning.
'Nearly done?'
'No,' said Ron shortly.
'Jupiter's biggest moon is Ganymede, not Callisto,' she said, pointing over Ron's shoulder at a line in his Astronomy essay, 'and it's lo that's got the volcanoes.'
Thanks,' snarled Ron, scratching out the offending sentences.

"Be polite," said Molly

Ron blushed again,

'Sorry, I only - '
'Yeah, well, if you've just come over here to criticise - '
'Ron - '
'I haven't got time to listen to a sermon, all right, Hermione, I'm up to my neck in it here - '
'No - look!'
Hermione was pointing to the nearest window. Harry and Ron both looked over. A handsome screech owl was standing on the windowsill, gazing into the room at Ron.
'Isn't that Hermes?' said Hermione, sounding amazed.

Percy looked up, he remembered that day, he was curious to know about Ron's reaction,

'Blimey, it is!' said Ron quietly, throwing down his quill and getting to his feet. 'What's Percy writing to me for?'
He crossed to the window and opened it; Hermes flew inside, landed on Ron's essay and held out a leg to which a letter was attached. Ron took the letter off it and the owl departed at once, leaving inky footprints across Ron's drawing of the moon Io.

Percy grimaced,

That's definitely Percy's handwriting,' said Ron, sinking back into his chair and staring at the words on the outside of the scroll: Ronald Weasley, Gryffindor House, Hogwarts. He looked up at the other two. 'What d'you reckon?'
'Open it!' said Hermione eagerly, and Harry nodded.

Percy winced, he should have known Ron would open with the other two,

Ron unrolled the scroll and began to read. The further clown the parchment his eyes travelled, the more pronounced became his scowl. When he had finished reading, he looked disgusted. He thrust the letter at Harry and Hermione, who leaned towards each other to read it together:
Dear Ron,
I have only just heard (from no less a person than the Minister for Magic himself, who has it from your new teacher, Professor Umbridge) that you have become a Hogwarts prefect.

Ron scowled, "Not one like you," he muttered quietly,

I was most pleasantly surprised when f heard this news and must firstly offer my congratulations. I must admit that I have always been afraid that you would take what we might call the 'Fred and George' route, rather than following in my footsteps,

"What's wrong with that," muttered Fred crossly,

so you can imagine my feelings on hearing you have stopped flouting authority and have decided to shoulder some real responsibility.
But I want to give you more than congratulations, Ron, I want to give you some advice, which is why I am sending this at night rather than by the usual morning post.

Ron scowled

Hopefully, you will be able 'o read this away from prying eyes and avoid awkward questions.
From something the Minister let slip when telling me you are now a prefect, I gather that you are still seeing a lot of Harry Potter. I must tell you, Ron, that nothing could put you in danger of losing your badge more than continued fraternisation with that boy.

Sirius now scowled,

Yes, I am sure you are surprised to hear this - no doubt you will say that Potter has always been Dumbledore's favourite - but I feel bound to tell you that Dumbledore may not be in charge at Hogwarts much longer and the people who count have a very different - and probably more accurate - view of Potter's behaviour.

"No they wouldn't" snapped Ron

Percy blushed,

I shall say no more here, but if you look at the Daily Prophet tomorrow you will get a good idea of the way the wind is blowing - and see if you can spot yours truly!
Seriously, Ron, you do not want to be tarred with the same brush as Potter, it could be very damaging to your future prospects, and I am talking here about life after school, too.

"Not that important at the moment," snarled Ron,

As you must be aware, given that our father escorted him to court, Potter had a disciplinary hearing this summer in front of the whole Wizengamot and he did not come out of it looking too good. He got off on a mere technicality, if you ask me, and many of the people I've spoken to remain convinced of his guilt.

Percy winced,

It may be that you are afraid to sever ties with Potter - I know that he can be unbalanced and, for all I know, violent - but if you have any worries about this, or have spotted anything else in Potter's behaviour that is troubling you,

Percy turned to Fudge, "I should never have listened to you"

I urge you to speak to Dolores Umbridge, a truly delightful woman who I know will be only too happy to advise you.

1/2 the school looked disgusted

the other 1/2 looked revolted,

This leads me to my other bit of advice. As I have hinted above, Dumbledore's regime at Hogwarts may soon be over. Your loyalty, Ron, should be not to him, but to the school and the Ministry. I am very sorry to hear that, so far, Professor Umbridge is encountering very little co-operation from staff as she strives to make those necessary changes within Hogwarts that the Ministry so ardently desires

"Desires to control the school you mean," snapped Sirius

Fudge blushed,

(although she should find this easier from next week - again, see the Daily Prophet tomorrow!). I shall say only this - a student who shows himself willing to help Professor Umbridge now may be very well-placed for Head Boy ship in a couple of years!
I am sorry that I was unable to see more of you over the summer. It pains me to criticise our parents, but I am afraid I can no longer live under their roof while they remain mixed up with the dangerous crowd around Dumbledore. (If you are writing to Mother at any point, you might tell her that a certain Sturgis Podmore, who is a great friend of Dumbledore's, has recently been sent to Azkaban for trespass at the Ministry.

Percy's blush was getting deeper and deeper, reading it like this made him realise how ridiculous that letter had sounded,

Perhaps that will open their eyes to the kind of petty criminals with whom they are currently rubbing shoulders.) I count myself very lucky to have escaped the stigma of association with such people - the Minister really could not be more gracious to me - and I do hope, Ron, that you will not allow family ties to blind you to the misguided nature of our parents' beliefs and actions, either.

"Maybe you should have been more focused on family rather than career," snapped Ginny

Percy had no answer for her,

I sincerely hope that, in time, they will realise how mistaken they were and I shall, of course, be ready to accept a full apology when that day comes.
Please think over what I have said most carefully, particularly the bit about Harry Potter, and congratulations again on becoming prefect.
Your brother,
Percy
Harry looked up at Ron.
'Well,' he said, trying to sound as though he found the whole thing a joke, 'if you want to - er - what is it?' - he checked Percy's letter - 'Oh yeah - "sever ties" with me, I swear I won't get violent.'

"He didn't see the funny side," said Hermione

'Give it back,' said Ron, holding out his hand. 'He is - ' Ron said jerkily, tearing Percy's letter in half 'the world's - ' he tore it into quarters 'biggest - ' he tore it into eighths 'git.' He threw the pieces into the fire.
'Come on, we've got to get this finished sometime before dawn,' he said briskly to Harry, pulling Professor Sinistra's essay back towards him.
Hermione was looking at Ron with an odd expression on her face.
'Oh, give them here,' she said abruptly.
'What?' said Ron.

"You didn't," said Astoria,

"I did," admitted Hermione

'Give them to me, I'll look through them and correct them,' she said.
'Are you serious? Ah, Hermione, you're a life-saver,' said Ron, 'what can I - ?'
'What you can say is, "We promise we'll never leave our homework this late again," ' she said, holding out both hands for their essays, but she looked slightly amused all the same.

"I won't hold them to it though,"

'Thanks a million, Hermione,' said Harry weakly, passing over his essay and sinking back into his armchair, rubbing his eyes.
It was now past midnight and the common room was deserted but for the three of them and Crookshanks. The only sound was that of Hermione's quill scratching out sentences here and there on their essays and the ruffle of pages as she checked various facts in the reference books strewn across the table. Harry was exhausted. He also felt an odd, sick, empty feeling in his stomach that had nothing to do with tiredness and everything to do with the letter now curling blackly in the heart of the fire.

Percy sighed,

He knew that half the people inside Hogwarts thought him strange, even mad; he knew that the Daily Prophet had been making snide allusions to him for months, but there was something about seeing it written down like that in Percy's writing, about knowing that Percy was advising Ron to drop him and even to tell tales about him to Umbridge,

"That I would never do," swore Ron,

that made his situation real to him as nothing else had. He had known Percy for four years, had stayed in his house during the summer holidays, shared a tent with him during the Quidditch World Cup, had even been awarded full marks by him in the second task of the Triwizard Tournament last year, yet now, Percy thought him unbalanced and possibly violent.

Percy grimaced,

And with a surge of sympathy for his godfather, Harry thought Sirius was probably the only person he knew who could really understand how he felt at the moment, because Sirius was in the same situation. Nearly everyone in the wizarding world thought Sirius a dangerous murderer and a great Voldemort supporter and he had had to live with that knowledge for fourteen years . . .
Harry blinked. He had just seen something in the fire that could not have been there. It had flashed into sight and vanished immediately. No . . . it could not have been . . . he had imagined it because he had been thinking about Sirius . . .

Remus glared knowing what his friend had down,

'OK, write that down,' Hermione said to Ron, pushing his essay and a sheet covered in her own writing back to Ron, 'then add this conclusion I've written for you.'
'Hermione, you are honestly the most wonderful person I've ever met,' said Ron weakly, 'and if I'm ever rude to you again - '
- I'll know you're back to normal,' said Hermione. 'Harry, yours is OK except for this bit at the end, I think you must have misheard Professor Sinistra, Europa's covered in ice, not mice - 'Harry?'

"Mice," snorted Ernie,

Harry had slid off his chair on to his knees and was now crouching on the singed and threadbare hearthrug, gazing into the flames.
'Er - Harry?' said Ron uncertainly. 'Why are you down there?'
'Because I've just seen Sirius's head in the fire,' said Harry.

"I was not expecting that,"

He spoke quite calmly; after all, he had seen Sirius's head in this very fire the previous year and talked to it, too; nevertheless, he could not be sure that he had really seen it this time . . . it had vanished so quickly . . .
'Sirius's head?' Hermione repeated. 'You mean like when he wanted to talk to you during the Triwizard Tournament? But he wouldn't do that now, it would be too - Sirius!'

"Dangerous," finished Hermione,

She gasped, gazing at the fire; Ron dropped his quill. There in the middle of the dancing flames sat Sirius's head, long dark hair failing around his grinning face.
'I was starting to think you'd go to bed before everyone else had disappeared,' he said. 'I've been checking every hour.'
'You've been popping into the fire every hour?' Harry said, half-laughing.
'Just for a few seconds to check if the coast was clear.'

"That was so dangerous," said Remus coolly

Sirius shrugged,

'But what if you'd been seen?' said Hermione anxiously.
'Well, I think a girl - first-year, by the look of her - might've get a glimpse of me earlier, but don't worry,' Sirius said hastily, as Hermione clapped a hand to her mouth, '] was gone the moment she looked back at me and I'll bet she just thought I was an oddly-shaped log or something.'
'But, Sirius, this is taking an awful risk - ' Hermione began.

"It really is," said Lavender

'You sound like Molly,' said Sirius. This was the only way I could come up with of answering Harry's letter without resorting to a code - and codes are breakable.'
At the mention of Harry's letter, Hermione and Ron both turned to stare at him.
'You didn't say you'd written to Sirius! said Hermione accusingly.

"That was annoying," said Ron,

'I forgot,' said Harry, which was perfectly true; his meeting with Daphne in the Owlery had driven everything before it out of his mind. 'Don't look at me like that, Hermione, there was no way anyone would have got secret information out of it, was there, Sirius?'
'No, it was very good,' said Sirius, smiling. 'Anyway, we'd better be quick, just in case we're disturbed - your scar.'

"It was excellent," admitted Remus,

'What about - ?' Ron began, but Hermione interrupted him.
'We'll tell you afterwards. Go on, Sirius.'
'Well, I know it can't be fun when it hurts, but we don't think it's anything to really worry about. It kept aching all last year, didn't it?'
'Yeah, and Dumbledore said it happened whenever Voldemort was feeling a powerful emotion,' said Harry, ignoring, as usual, Ron and Hermione's winces. 'So maybe he was just, I dunno, really angry or something the night I had that detention.'

Dumbledore wished it was that simple,

'Well, now he's back it's bound to hurt more often,' said Sirius.
'So you don't think it had anything to do with Umbridge touching me when I was in detention with her?' Harry asked.
'I doubt it,' said Sirius. 'I know her by reputation and I'm sure she's no Death Eater - '
'She's foul enough to be one,' said Harry darkly, and Ron and Hermione nodded vigorously in agreement.

Umbridge scowled,

'Yes, but the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters,' said Sirius with a wry smile. 'I know she's a nasty piece of work, though - you should hear Remus talk about her.'
'Does Lupin know her?' asked Harry quickly, remembering Umbridge's comments about dangerous half-breeds during her first lesson.
'No,' said Sirius, 'but she drafted a bit of anti-werewolf legislation two years ago that makes it almost impossible for him to get a job.'

The entire school glared at the pink witch,

Harry remembered how much shabbier Lupin looked these days and his dislike of Umbridge deepened even further.
'What's she got against werewolves?' said Hermione angrily.
'Scared of them, I expect,' said Sirius, smiling at her indignation. 'Apparently, she loathes part-humans; she campaigned to have merpeople rounded up and tagged last year, too.

"Not anymore you won't," said Hermione smugly

Umbridge glared at her,

Imagine wasting your time and energy persecuting merpeople when there are little toerags like Kreacher on the loose.'
Ron laughed but Hermione looked upset.
'Sirius!' she said reproachfully. 'Honestly, if you made a bit of an effort with Kreacher, I'm sure he'd respond. After all, you are the only member of his family he's got left, and Professor Dumbledore said - '

Sirius scowled,

'So, what are Umbridge's lessons like?' Sirius interrupted. 'Is she training you all to kill half-breeds?'
'No,' said Harry, ignoring Hermione's affronted look at being cut off in her defence of Kreacher. 'She's not letting us use magic at all!'
'All we do is read the stupid textbook,' said Ron.

Umbridge felt the restraints tighten,

'Ah, well, that figures,' said Sirius. 'Our information from inside the Ministry is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat.'
'Trained in combat!' repeated Harry incredulously. 'What does he think we're doing here, forming some sort of wizard army?'

"Maybe who knows," said Hermione cryptically,

the DA laughed,

That's exactly what he thinks you're doing,' said Sirius, 'or, rather, that's exactly what he's afraid Dumbledore's doing - forming his own private army, with which he will be able to take on the Ministry of Magic.'

A lightbulb clicked in the DA's collective head,

There was a pause at this, then Ron said, That's the most stupid thing I've ever heard, including all the stuff that Luna Lovegood comes out with.'
'So we're being prevented from learning Defence Against the Dark Arts because Fudge is scared we'll use spells against the Ministry?' said Hermione, looking furious.
'Yep,' said Sirius. 'Fudge thinks Dumbledore will stop at nothing to seize power. He's getting more paranoid about Dumbledore by the day. It's a matter of time before he has Dumbledore arrested on some trumped-up charge.'

"I'd pay to watch you try that," said Sirius

Fudge didn't respond,

This reminded Harry of Percy's letter.
'D'you know if there's going to be anything about Dumbledore in the Daily Prophet tomorrow? Ron's brother Percy reckons there will be - '
'I don't know,' said Sirius, 'I haven't seer, anyone from the Order all weekend, they're all busy. It's just been Kreacher and me here
There was a definite note of bitterness in Sirius's voice.
'So you haven't had any news about Hagrid, either?'

Hagrid grimaced,

'Ah . . .' said Sirius, 'well, he was supposed to be back by now, no one's sure what's happened to him.' Then, seeing their stricken faces, he added quickly, 'But Dumbledore's not worried, so don't you three get yourselves in a state; I'm sure Hagrid's fine.'
'But if he was supposed to be back by now . . .' said Hermione in a small, anxious voice.
'Madame Maxime was with him, we've been in touch with her and she says they got separated on the journey home - but there's nothing to suggest he's hurt or - well, nothing to suggest he's not perfectly OK.'

"That wasn't reassuring," said Ron,

Unconvinced, Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged worried looks.
'Listen, don't go asking too many questions about Hagrid,' said Sirius hastily, 'it'll just draw even more attention to the fact that he's not back and I know Dumbledore doesn't want that. Hagrid's tough, he'll be OK.'

"Good advice," said Moody,

And when they did not appear cheered by this, Sirius added, 'When's your next Hogsmeade weekend, anyway? I was thinking, we got away with the dog disguise at the station, didn't we? I thought I could - '
'NO!' said Harry and Hermione together, very loudly.
'Sirius, didn't you see the Daily Prophet?' said Hermione anxiously.

"Don't do it," said Parvarti looking horrified,

'Oh, that,' said Sirius, grinning, 'they're always guessing where I am, they haven't really got a clue - '
'Yeah, but we think this time they have,' said Harry. 'Something Malfoy said on the train made us think he knew it was you, and his father was on the platform, Sirius - you know, Lucius Malfoy - so don't come up here, whatever you do. If Malfoy recognises you again - '
'All right, all right, I've got the point,' said Sirius. He looked most displeased. 'Just an idea, thought you might like to get together.'
'I would, I just don't want you chucked back in Azkaban!' said Harry.
There was a pause in which Sirius looked out of the fire at Harry, a crease between his sunken eyes.
'You're less like your father than I thought,' he said finally, a definite coolness in his voice. 'The risk would've been what made it fun for James.'
'Look - '
'Well, I'd better get going, I can hear Kreacher coming down the stairs,' said Sirius, but Harry was sure he was lying. 'I'll write to tell you a time I can make it back into the fire, then, shall I? If you can stand to risk it?'
There was a tiny pop, and the place where Sirius's head had been was flickering flame once more.

"Good thing you got away with that," said Molly as McGonagall closed the book,

"I'll read next," sighed Sprout taking the book,