002. ╱ 🦋⠀⠀ ❝ hog's head. ❞

AND JUST WHEN LAYLA THOUGHT THINGS COULDN'T GET THAT BAD AT HOGWARTS, the next morning she received The Daily Prophet. Startled by the news, she left the paper on the table for Megan and Wayne to see: there was a large photograph of Dolores Umridge, wearing a wide smile on her lips, and she was blinking slowly under the following tutorial:

MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM AND APPOINTS DOLORES
UMBRIDGE AS FIRST SUPREME INQUISITOR

In a surprise move last night the Ministry of Magic passed new legislation giving itself an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

«"The Minister for Magic has been growing uneasy about goings-on at Hogwarts for some time" said Junior Assistant to the Minister for Magic Percy Weasley. "He is now responding to concerns voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve."»

This is not the first time in recent weeks Fudge has used new laws to effect improvements at the wizarding school. As recently as 30 August, was passed, to ensure that, in the event of the current Headmaster being unable to provide a candidate for a teaching post, the Ministry should select an appropriate person.

«"That's how Dolores Umbridge came to be appointed to the teaching staff at Hogwarts," said Weasley last night. "Dumbledore couldn't find anyone, so the Minister put in Umbridge and of course, she's been an immediate success, totally revolutionising the teaching of and providing the Minister with on-the-ground feedback about what's really happening at Hogwarts."»

⠀⠀"Please tell me that by immediate success they mean she's going to get fired," her best friend muttered in annoyance.

⠀⠀"Don't read it any more! I'm sick of that pink toad, stop it," said the boy, looking askance at the paper.

⠀⠀Layla nodded, and read quickly and in her mind what it kept saying.

⠀⠀"In short, they're saying that Umbridge will be like someone below Dumbledore, and they're even discrediting him. If only they knew there was no better Headmaster than him!" Exclaimed the brunette, setting the newspaper down on the corner of the table, letting out a long sigh.

⠀⠀"Can I cast a Cruciatus at her?" Megan asked quietly, glaring hatefully at the woman sitting at the teachers' table laughing to herself as she read The Daily Prophet, too.

⠀⠀"The worst thing is that she's going to supervise the other teachers now. It's awful," Layla added, taking a bite of toast and glancing sideways at Ron, who was with Harry and Hermione, also reading the same thing.

⠀⠀The three of them, hoping that Umbridge was not yet supervising the lessons, headed off to class with Binns; to their regret, it was as dull as the previous Monday. The next period was free with his friends, followed by Arithmancy, where everything was excellent as usual. On the way out she met Megan and Wayne who had had Divination.

⠀⠀"You should have been there!" Her best friend exclaimed, dragging her into Umbridge's class with Gryffindor. The brunette looked on blankly, but proceeded to explain, in a nutshell, how the pink toad treated Professor Trewlany badly.

⠀⠀Before Layla could say anything, they reached the classroom, and saw Professor Umbridge humming and smiling: it was a disturbing sight. She smiled shyly at Ron as he watched her from the moment she entered until she sat down, making the red-haired boy blush. They proceeded to pull out the copies of Defensive Magical Theory.

⠀⠀"Put the wands away," Umbridge ordered, still smiling. The brunette thought that after the last class with her, they wouldn't do that, but apparently they didn't; the optimists who had taken them out had to put them in their bags with regret. "Last class we finished chapter one, so today I want you to open the book to page nineteen and start reading chapter two, entitled «Common defensive theories and their derivation». Quietly, please," she added, and flashing that broad, self-satisfied smile, she sat down behind her desk.

⠀⠀Layla looked at Megan and she rolled her eyes, causing the brunette to smile sideways. She then opened her book, and turned to the page she was about to start reading, but then her friend nudged her lightly, seeing how Hermione had raised her hand.

⠀⠀The teacher, as if she had devised a strategy for this, stood up and walked past the first row of desks to stand in front of her; she bent down and whispered something to her so that the others could not hear her.

⠀⠀As she watched, she saw Ron look at her again, and Layla blushed, then turned her eyes to the book and began to read. It wasn't long before she heard the professor speak loudly.

⠀⠀"Oh, yeah?!" She exclaimed, straightening up. "Well, I'm afraid it is Mister. Slinkhard's opinion, and not yours, that interests us in this class, Miss Granger."

⠀⠀"But..." She began to say.

⠀⠀"Enough," Professor Umbridge cut her off, then walked to the front of the class and stood in front of the students. "Miss Granger, I am going to deduct five points from Gryffindor House."

⠀⠀She shared glances with her best friend, and they didn't understand what Hermione had said to make her show that attitude. It set off a wave of murmurs.

⠀⠀"Why?" Asked a furious Harry.

⠀⠀"Oh, and here we go again..." Megan murmured in her ear, and the brunette couldn't deny it. After hearing about Umbridge's punishments, she knew that she would definitely not want to be scolded by her.

⠀⠀"For disrupting my class with pointless interruptions," Professor Umbridge replied blandly. "I am here to teach you how to use a Ministry-approved method that makes no provision for encouraging students to express their opinions on subjects they understand next to nothing about. Your previous teachers in this discipline may have allowed you more latitude, but given that none of them, perhaps with the exception of Professor Quirrell, who at least confined himself to age-appropriate topics, would have approved of Ministry supervision..."

⠀⠀"Yes, Quirrell was an excellent teacher," Harry said aloud. "But he had one small drawback: Lord Voldemort was peering out of his turban."

⠀⠀"I think another week's detention will do good on you, Potter," said Professor Umbridge, unperturbed.

⠀⠀At the end of the class, Layla, Megan and Wayne headed to the library to move on to their homework, because the teachers couldn't get enough of the requests. They sat at a separate table, because Megan was still running away from Kevin, who was chasing her even to go to the bathroom; it was starting to get desperate.

⠀⠀"Can someone explain to me why you kept staring at your favourite redhead in class and why he kept staring at you?" Asked the blonde, with a smirk.

⠀⠀Layla blushed but shook her head.

⠀⠀"Neither was looking the other, girl," she said apologetically, and Wayne laughed.

⠀⠀"Yeah, right," he scoffed. The brunette gave him a dirty look and went on with her essay.

⠀⠀Again she was interrupted by Megan, who clicked her tongue as if she had discovered something important, and turned to look at her with a twinkle in her eye.

⠀⠀"What if Ron knows that you write him the letters?"

⠀⠀Layla choked, and Wayne had to slap her back to make it go away. When she caught her breath, she gave her friend a dirty look.

⠀⠀"Megan, you mustn't say that out loud," she scolded her, looking around hoping no one was around. "Or have you forgotten that you wrote notes to Fred?"

⠀⠀"But he always knew it was me, it's obvious," she countered, smiling. "Anyway, you should try something... I mean, those looks are just that, Lay, looks. You should be smarter and start talking to him more, because we don't know if suddenly another girl will come with intentions of stealing him... Have you seen the way Lavander Brown looks at him? She wants to eat him, for Merlin's sake," she added with a laugh. "You," she pointed at her, "are much prettier than her, and anyone else. You can win him over."

⠀⠀"Unfortunately, and I hope I'll never be reminded that I said this," interrupted the boy with a shrug. "But I agree with Meg. Lay, you've already started talking, I can tell he thinks you're cute or something, take advantage of it! Go out with him, try something else. I know he'll fall for you, just like you have since first grade."

⠀⠀Megan just smiled self-satisfiedly when Wayne said he agreed with her, but nodded.

⠀⠀Layla knew she had to do something to get his attention more, but she wasn't like Megan, with that ease of talking to boys, or Wayne, who ignored any homophobic thoughts and just went about being happy. She wasn't them, and she had so many insecurities that made it impossible for her to be able to flirt shamelessly like many girls. She wanted to win him over quietly, by being herself, and giving him her support so he could see he could trust her and maybe something more.

⠀⠀The Hufflepuff was sure how she would move her cards.

⠀⠀"I appreciate your words, you know that," Layla smiled back, "but I know what to do, okay?"

⠀⠀"Whatever you say, babe, just keep us posted," said Megan winking at her. The brunette giggled.

⠀⠀"Lay?"

⠀⠀The girl turned her head and saw a person she definitely didn't want around, whichever way it went.

⠀⠀Her ex-boyfriend, Roger Malone, looked at her with the smile he used to persuade and convince everyone. He was a blond boy with green eyes, one of the best looking boys in the school, but he was a Slytherin. He had managed to win Layla's heart in fourth year, despite having hidden feelings for Ron; she loved him very much, and although she didn't fall in love, she did love him. Although that feeling ended when one day Roger got mad at her for chatting with a boy and yelled at her in the Great Hall «Mudblood».

⠀⠀From that day on Layla broke up with him, and never spoke to him again, despite the insistence of the snake, who began to follow her from that moment until the end of the course, asking for her forgiveness. She would never do it.

⠀⠀"She won't listen to you, Malone, stay away," Megan told him with a threatening tone. The blond gave her a dirty look.

⠀⠀"I wasn't talking to you, Jones," he replied in annoyance. "I was talking to Lay."

⠀⠀"I told you I never want to hear from you again," Layla interrupted the next discussion, annoyed. "We talked about it, go away."

⠀⠀"Is it because of that traitor?" He asked hatefully, spitting out the words. "Because of Weasley?"

⠀⠀"What's Ron got to do with this, Roger?" Countered the brunette, getting up from her seat in anger. "You have no right to say anything to me! You're an egotistical bloody egotist! I told you I don't want you anywhere near me, so you'd better leave."

⠀⠀Madame Pince approached them and watched them both closely. Layla had once told her that she didn't want the boy around, so she quickly threatened Roger.

⠀⠀"You heard the lady, young Malone, I will ask you to please stand down."

⠀⠀The blond glared at everyone in annoyance, and stormed out of the Library. Madame Pince looked sympathetically at Layla, and went to her place.

⠀⠀In first year, the Hufflepuff had spent a lot of time there, befriending the librarian, as strange as that might sound. She was much more shy, and for some reason, talking to the woman made her discover more interesting things about Hogwarts, and also made her want to go there more often.

⠀⠀"Are you okay?" Wayne asked as the brunette sat back in her chair. She sighed and pushed several hairs back from her forehead nervously, but nodded. "Come on, let's get you to the Infirmary."

⠀⠀Layla used to have some anxiety attacks when she met her ex-boyfriend, because all he did was insist in a bad way, and treat her as if she was worthless. She hated it, and had vowed never to have an episode with him again.

⠀⠀"I'm fine," she muttered. "Let's just go to the Common Room, I don't want to be here in a public place."

⠀⠀Because after the small discussion, many pairs of eyes were looking in the direction of the trio of friends, which made Layla uncomfortable. Megan quickly nodded and they quietly put their things away to leave the Library.

THE NEXT DAY, LAYLA COULDN'T SLEEP AS WELL AS SHE WOULD HAVE LIKED. She'd had nightmares again about Voldemort killing her family, and it had made her sad and unwilling to sleep any longer. She had to wander around the Common Room a couple of times, annoying —as she put it— her house prefect, Ernie Macmillan, who kept her company until she was sleepy.

⠀⠀She was grateful that the first class of the day was Transformation, so when she was at breakfast, she was in a better mood.

⠀⠀"What did you give Ron, Lay?" Wayne asked, sipping his juice. She raised an eyebrow.

⠀⠀"What are you talking about?"

⠀⠀"He's looking at you and it looks like he wants to talk to you," he teased. The brunette turned around and sure enough, she saw Ron staring at her; the boy blushed, but waved her off.

⠀⠀Megan gave her a dirty look and basically ran her off her table, but not before grabbing a piece of toast and heading in the direction of the lions' table. She could see Roger glance at her from afar, but she ignored him, going quietly with the golden trio.

⠀⠀"Hello!" Layla greeted, sitting down next to Hermione and across from Harry and Ron. "How are you?"

⠀⠀"Well, Lay, thanks for asking," the lions girl replied with a smile, and gave her friends a dirty look. "At least someone's being proper and asking about these things."

⠀⠀Ron blushed and Harry shrugged. The brunette couldn't help but laugh.

⠀⠀"They actually wanted to thank you," Hermione said again, giving them a not-so-discreet look. Layla raised an eyebrow.

⠀⠀"Oh, yes?" She asked, teasing a little. She leaned her arms on the table, clasped her hands together and smiled at them. "Why?"

⠀⠀The dark-haired boy nudged the red-haired boy, who quickly reacted and blushed even more.

⠀⠀"Harry and I got an «A» on our potions essay thanks to you," he said nervously. "So we really wanted to thank you, because we're sure that without your help we would have gotten a «T»."

⠀⠀Layla was surprised, and felt happy that they had both gotten good grades, because they were smart, just lazy.

⠀⠀She never asked for anything in return when lending her duties or help, because her most gratifying reward was undoubtedly when she saw favorable results.

⠀⠀"You don't have to thank me for anything," she replied, still smiling, "I'm happy for you, you're so smart! If you did everything with time, and slowly, you would have that grade by yourselves."

⠀⠀"It's the same thing I tell them!" Said Hermione in a reproachful tone. "But make them understand, Lay! They're stubborn... And even more so now with Quidditch, being prefects, punishments," raising her voice on the last word.

⠀⠀"I'm just telling the truth, aren't I, Lay?" Harry asked her, and she nodded in agreement.

⠀⠀"Sure, Harry, but her punishments are horrible, you should ignore her, as annoying as it is," the brunette added with a grimace. She hated those medieval methods. "It's what she wants, but don't lower yourself, you're more than that."

⠀⠀"Thanks, I guess I'll take that under advisement," he shrugged. Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up looking at the time.

⠀⠀"We have Transfiguration, let's go!"

⠀⠀Layla had forgotten that they shared that subject, so she nodded, grabbed her things and followed them, watching as behind them Megan and Wayne did the same. Not at all discreetly, Harry and Hermione moved ahead, leaving the Hufflepuff in the back with Ron. She watched as the red-haired man gave his friends a dirty look.

⠀⠀"Do you think we could do homework together more often?" Asked Ron pointedly. Layla blushed.

⠀⠀"Just tell me and I'll be happy to," she smiled at him.

⠀⠀They were surprised to see Umbridge in the classroom. Everyone went to their seats and Layla went to sit with her best friends. A couple of seconds after all the students were in their seats, Professor McGonagall entered the classroom with a martial air without even the slightest hint that she knew Professor Umbridge was there.

⠀⠀"That's enough!" She exclaimed, and the class quieted immediately. "Mister Finnigan, will you please come and fetch the papers and hand them out. Miss Brown, take this box of mice, please; don't be silly, child, they won't do anything to you, and give one to each pupil."

⠀⠀"Ahem, ahem."

⠀⠀Professor Umbridge used the same ridiculous cough that she had interrupted Dumbledore with on the first night of the term. Professor McGonagall, however, ignored her completely. Seamus Finnigan handed her essay back to Layla, who took it without looking at him and saw, happily, that she had been given an E.

⠀⠀"All right, everybody listen to me carefully. Dean Thomas, if you ever do that to your mouse again I'm going to punish you. Most of you have already made your snails disappear, and even those of you who left a little shell on them will have gotten the gist of the spell. Today we are going to..."

⠀⠀"Ahem, ahem," insisted Professor Umbridge.

⠀⠀"Yes?" Said Professor McGonagall, turning around with her eyebrows so close together that they formed a long, stern line.

⠀⠀"I was wondering, Professor, if you had received the note detailing the date and time of your supervi..."

⠀⠀"It is obvious that I have received it, otherwise I would have already asked you what you are doing in my classroom," interrupted Professor McGonagall, and with that she turned her back. Many students exchanged looks of amusement.

⠀⠀"I love her," Megan admitted with a smirk as she saw the look on Umbridge's face. Layla agreed with her friend.

⠀⠀"As I was saying, today we are going to practice the vanishing spell with mice, which is much more difficult. Well, the vanishing spell..."

⠀⠀"Ahem, ahem."

⠀⠀"I would like to know," began Professor McGonagall, holding back her anger and turning to Professor Umbridge, "how you expect to get any idea of my teaching methods if you keep interrupting me. You see, as a rule, I don't tolerate people talking when I'm talking."

⠀⠀Professor Umbridge stood as if she had just been slapped. She said nothing, but neatly placed the sheets of parchment that were clutched with the clipboard and began to write furiously.

⠀⠀"Number one fan from now on," Wayne murmured excitedly.

⠀⠀Professor McGonagall, displaying supreme indifference, spoke to the students again.

⠀⠀"As I was saying, the difficulty of the vanishing spell is proportional to the complexity of the animal we want to make disappear. The snail, which is an invertebrate, does not pose much of a challenge; the mouse, which is a mammal, poses a much greater challenge. Therefore, this is not a spell you can cast if you are thinking about dinner. Okay, you know the spell, let's see what you're capable of..."

⠀⠀Dolores Umbridge did not follow Professor McGonagall around the classroom as she had done with Professor Trelawney, Layla had been told; and perhaps she realized that Professor McGonagall would not allow it. Nevertheless, she took many notes, sitting in a corner, and when finally Professor McGonagall told her students that they could pack up, she stood up with a grim countenance.

⠀⠀"The best without a doubt: Professor McGonagall," said Wayne mockingly again, as he put his mouse in the box that Lavander Brown was passing through the corridors.

⠀⠀"I wish all classes were like this!" Megan exclaimed excitedly. "Lay, I never thought before that anyone could give her her comeuppance but Harry, and I appreciate it, thank you Merlin for giving me eyes and haters to witness this great moment!" She stretched out her arms pointing to the sky, and the brunette started laughing.

⠀⠀"You embarrass me," she teased, nudging her.

⠀⠀The three of them had already left the classroom and were still talking about what had happened, as were all their classmates.

⠀⠀"There goes that idiot Peter," said Wayne giving a dirty look to a blue-eyed Slytherin boy, who hated the Hufflepuff. "I ran into him yesterday and he insulted me again."

⠀⠀"Good thing you always give him what he deserves," Layla added, also giving the boy a dirty look, because he was Roger's good friend and they were both scumbags.

⠀⠀Peter White was Roger's best friend, both a year older, a pureblood obsessed with blood, just like her ex-boyfriend, dedicated since the previous year to bother Wayne about his sexual preferences. He was a clear example of a homophobic person, but the Hufflepuff was used to people like him, as his family were also purebloods and didn't like him because of his sexuality. Vacations were usually spent with Layla and Megan, and a couple of times with Ernie Macmillan, who you could say was a great friend of his.

⠀⠀"Look, there goes the faggot," said Peter White loud enough to be heard by more people in the hallway. Roger laughed, but when he saw Layla's annoyed look he was struck dumb.

⠀⠀"At least he has self-respect, imagine having to offend someone else just because he doesn't have the balls to admit he envies him! They must not like him at home," exclaimed Megan with a mocking tone.

⠀⠀Layla was anything but flashy in that regard, and she hated not being able to raise her voice like her best friends. She admired them greatly for that part.

⠀⠀"Let's go before we catch his disease," said the Slytherin giving the blonde a dirty look, and smiled self-satisfiedly.

⠀⠀White and Malone quickly walked away from the hallway. Layla couldn't do anything but laugh.

⠀⠀Many times she had thought about that situation, and always ended up believing that Peter was also homosexual, but by —perhaps— not being able to open up, he humiliated Wayne. Because in the end, those who harass others in that way are out of envy of their lifestyle.

⠀⠀She hated that people were afraid of the unknown, and it caused them to be so intolerant of what they didn't know. She hoped that someday, all that could change.

OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, LAYLA'S CLASSES BECAME VERY MONOTONOUS. Her days consisted of going to class, being with Megan and Wayne, doing homework, and helping Ron with his.

⠀⠀She couldn't help thinking that every time the redhead saw her essays, he thought she was the girl in the letters. She loved him, and starting to talk to him caused her to fall even more in love, sometimes making her behave in a really stupid way; in a good way.

⠀⠀What bothered her most of all was that Roger was becoming increasingly unbearable and insistent; even Kevin wasn't as stalkerish as her ex-boyfriend.

⠀⠀Several times, whenever she got to be alone in the halls, going to other classrooms —because she didn't share Divination with her friends— to classes, she ended up being cornered by him. Layla liked being alone on many occasions because it helped her think, but since the second time she was intercepted by the blond, where she had to run away in terror, she had to start clinging to Hermione whenever they finished Arithmancy class.

⠀⠀One Saturday night, after having spent all day doing homework and helping Neville with Transfiguration, she stayed in the Common Room because she wasn't sleepy. Megan had fallen asleep an hour earlier, having been out all afternoon in who knows where, with who knows who.

⠀⠀"What are you still awake for?" Asked Ernie, entering the Common Room, probably coming in from his rounds. She shrugged.

⠀⠀"I couldn't sleep," she leaned back on the sofa and looked at the fireplace. "The pink toad's got me up to my ears, I really don't know how much longer I'm going to put up with her."

⠀⠀"You're not the only one, believe me," he sat down on the single sofa next to Layla. He rested his head in his hands, and looked at the brunette curiously. "Is it true that you're dating Ron Weasley?"

⠀⠀Layla quickly sat back down on the couch, completely flushed and confused. She looked at Ernie as if he had said a big joke and couldn't do anything but laugh, but when she saw that he wasn't laughing, she stopped.

⠀⠀"You're joking, right?"

⠀⠀"Lay, I wouldn't joke about that," he said, staring at her, smiling sideways. "But that's what they say in the corridors... They've been seen you together many times and well, I've never seen him look at you before, no offence," he added quickly.

⠀⠀"I don't even know what we are, Ernie," she replied, looking back at the fireplace so he couldn't see how much she was blushing. "But of course we're friends."

⠀⠀"Of course...," he said mockingly. He got up from his sofa and sat down next to her. "Lay, don't feel sorry for Ron, he's a blind man, but I think he does like you."

⠀⠀"Did they send you as a gossip interviewer? Rita Skeeter two-point-zero?" The brunette asked with a laugh. "No offence, Ernie, but you've never been interested in my romantic situation before."

⠀⠀The boy looked offended, but could not help laughing with her, and shrugged his shoulders. At that moment Hannah Abbot entered the Common Room, and at the sight of them raised an eyebrow.

⠀⠀"Shouldn't you be asleep?" She wanted to know, approaching them both. "I don't think Ron's going to like this, Lay," she laughed.

⠀⠀The brunette blushed again. Ernie laughed too and high-fived the blonde.

⠀⠀"Does everyone believe that?" She asked a bit annoyed. "It's not funny! If they know something they should tell me, they only bring me in with clues and I'm not that clever."

⠀⠀Hannah stopped laughing and sat down next to Layla, patting her on the shoulder.

⠀⠀"I think the whole school thinks you're dating."

⠀⠀"I told you!" Exclaimed Ernie mockingly.

⠀⠀"We're not dating, Hannah," she replied in embarrassment.

⠀⠀"You should," opined the boy, throwing his arms over her shoulders, "or I'll beat him to the spot."

⠀⠀"Ernie!"

⠀⠀Layla blushed more at the closeness of her partner, who began to laugh at what he had said. Hannah rolled her eyes but laughed too.

⠀⠀"Anytime, baby, I'm here," he said again in a flirtatious tone.

⠀⠀"I think we'd better go to bed, Lay," the prefect interrupted her partner's attempt at flirting. She pulled Ernie's arm away and dragged the brunette up the stairs to her room, which they shared with Megan, Susan Bones and Sally-Anne Perks. "See you tomorrow!" She shouted to Ernie, who shouted back, waving goodbye to them.

⠀⠀"Ernie was acting very strangely," Layla commented quietly as they entered the room. Hannah nodded.

⠀⠀"I think he likes you too and he's trying to get your attention, but I don't know," he shrugged. "He's a man, I mean: complicated."

⠀⠀Layla didn't know what to say about her roommate's confession, because she was probably exaggerating. Ernie had never shown any feelings for her, and perhaps she was confused.

⠀⠀She didn't answer and they both went to sleep.

"I HOPE THE MEETING GOES WELL," said Megan as they arrived at the Hog's Head, with Layla and Wayne.

⠀⠀Hermione had told the brunette girl about their plans to form a group to practise Defence Against the Dark Arts, because Umbridge was such a lousy teacher. She gladly accepted, especially since the invitation was also for her friends, who didn't hesitate twice to say yes.

⠀⠀They were the first to arrive, as only Harry, Ron and Hermione were inside. She waved to them and they sat down at a table, waiting for the others. Then came Neville, Dean Thomas and Lavender Brown, followed closely by Parvati and Padma Patil with Cho Chang and another girl. Then Luna Lovegood came in, alone and looking clueless, as if she had wandered in by mistake. Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones appeared next; then the Ravenclaws: Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, Terry Boot, and Kevin, much to Megan's annoyance; Ginny, followed by Zacharias Smith —the boy she was dating— and, closing the march, Fred and George Weasley with their friend Lee Jordan, all three with huge paper bags full of Zonko items.

⠀⠀The waiter, who was drying a glass with a rag so dirty it looked as if it had never been washed, froze. Surely he had never seen his pub so full in his life.

⠀⠀"Hello," Fred greeted after winking at Megan, who rolled her eyes, and was the first to reach the bar, quickly counting his companions. "Can we have... twenty-eight butterbeers, please?"

⠀⠀The bartender glared at him for a moment, then reluctantly put down the rag, as if he had been interrupted while doing something very important, and began pulling dusty bottles of butterbeer from under the bar.

⠀⠀"Cheers!" Fred exclaimed as he handed them out. "Let me have some money, I haven't got enough gold to pay for all this..."

⠀⠀"Ron keeps staring at you," Wayne whispered in Layla's ear and she turned to look at him, confirming that he was staring at her, so he blushed and quickly averted his gaze.

⠀⠀The three of them grabbed their butterbeers, and pulled out coins to give to Fred. The brunette and the boy gave it to him, but when Megan was about to do so, the redhead shook his head.

⠀⠀"Yours is complimentary, pretty girl," he winked. The blonde blushed a little, but turned and folded her arms, as Fred continued to walk past the places.

⠀⠀The Hufflepuff trio already had their table, and it was right in front of the golden trio. After that, the newcomers were seated in twos and threes around the hosts. Some looked very excited, others curious; Luna Lovegood looked around with dreamy eyes. Once everyone had a seat, the chatter stopped. Everyone looked at Harry.

⠀⠀"Mmh...," Hermione began, speaking louder than usual due to nervousness. "Mmh... well... hello," most of them turned their heads towards her, though glances kept straying towards Harry from time to time. "Mmh..., well..., you know why we've come here. You see, our friend Harry came up with the idea... I mean," Harry had shot him a furious look, "I had the idea that it would be a good idea for people who wanted to study Defence Against the Dark Arts, I mean, really study, you know, and not that nonsense that Professor Umbridge makes us read," Hermione's voice suddenly became much stronger and more confident, "because you can't call that Defence Against the Dark Arts." 

⠀⠀"Yes, yes," said Anthony Goldstein, and his comment cheered Hermione. 

⠀⠀"Well, I thought it would be good for us to take matters into our own hands," she paused, glanced sideways at Harry, and continued. "And by that I mean learning to defend ourselves properly, not just in theory, but by putting spells into practice..."

⠀⠀"But I suppose you want to pass your Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL as well, don't you?" Michael Corner interrupted her.

⠀⠀"Of course. But I also want to be properly trained in defence because... because... because...," she took a deep breath and finished the sentence, "because Lord Voldemort is back."

⠀⠀The reaction from her audience was immediate and predictable. Layla couldn't help but smile at her friend, who smiled back. Cho's friend let out a scream and spilled a stream of butterbeer; Terry Boot gave a sort of involuntary gasp; Padma Patil flinched; and Neville let out a strange squeak that he managed to turn into a cough. Everyone, however, was staring, almost greedily, at Harry.

⠀⠀"Well, that's the plan," Hermione concluded. "If you want to join us, we have to decide where we're going to..."

⠀⠀"What proof do you have that You-Know-Who has returned?" Zacharias Smith asked rather aggressively. Wayne rolled his eyes. That kid was so nasty, all three of them hated him.

⠀⠀"Well, Dumbledore thinks so..." Began Hermione.

⠀⠀"You mean Dumbledore believes him," said the blond boy, nodding at Harry.

⠀⠀"What's your name?" Ron asked sharply.

⠀⠀"Zacharias Smith," he replied, "and I think we have a right to know exactly what it is that allows them to claim that You-Know-Who has returned."

⠀⠀"Shut up, Smith," Megan said loudly, obviously annoyed. The blond gave her a dirty look.

⠀⠀"See," Hermione interjected quickly, "that's not what this meeting is about..."

⠀⠀"Leave it, Hermione," said Harry. "Do you want to know what exactly it is that allows me to say that You-Know-Who has returned?" He asked, looking Zacharias in the eye. "I saw him. Last year, Dumbledore told the whole school what had happened, but if you didn't believe it, you won't believe me, and I'm not going to waste an afternoon trying to convince anyone."

⠀⠀The whole group had held their breath as Harry spoke. Zacharias then said scornfully:

⠀⠀"All Dumbledore told us last year was that You-Know-Who had killed Cedric Diggory and that you had brought the body to Hogwarts. He didn't tell us the details or how Diggory had been killed, and I think we'd all like to know..."

⠀⠀"If you've come here to hear a detailed account of how Voldemort kills, I can't help you," Harry interrupted. "I'm not going to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So if that's what you've come here for, you can leave now."

⠀⠀None of them got up from their chairs, not even Zacharias Smith, though he continued to stare at Harry. Layla glanced sideways at Ron, surprised that he was looking at her again, causing him to blush.

⠀⠀"Well," Hermione jumped up in a squeaky voice. "Well... as I was saying... if you want to learn defence, we need to decide how we're going to do it, how often we're going to meet, and where we're going to..."

⠀⠀"Is it true," interrupted Susan, "that you can make a Patronus appear?

⠀⠀A murmur of interest rippled through the group.

⠀⠀"Yes," Harry replied defensively.

⠀⠀"A corporeal Patronus?"

⠀⠀"Hey, do you know Mrs. Bones?" He asked.

⠀⠀"That's my aunt," said the girl, smiling. "My name is Susan Bones. She told me about the sight. Well, is it true or not? Do you know how to make a Patronus appear in the shape of a stag?"

⠀⠀"Yes."

⠀⠀"My goodness, Harry!" Exclaimed Lee, looking very impressed. "I didn't know that!"

⠀⠀"My mum made Ron promise not to tell," Fred interjected, smirking at Harry. "She said you were attracting enough attention."

⠀⠀"Well, she's right," Harry muttered, and a couple of people laughed.

⠀⠀"And you killed a basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?" Asked Terry Boot. "That's what one of the portraits on the wall said to me when I was there last year..."

⠀⠀"Yes, that's true," Harry admitted. Justin Finch-Fletchley let out a whistle; the Creevey brothers looked at each other in fright, and Lavender Brown exclaimed 'My goodness!' under her breath.

⠀⠀"And in the first year," said Neville, addressing the group, "he saved the Philological Stone..."

⠀⠀"Philosopher," Hermione corrected him.

⠀⠀"That... yes. From You-Know-Who," Neville concluded.

⠀⠀"Don't forget," said Layla, smiling, "how good he is at Defense, the best I would say."

⠀⠀Ron looked at her contentedly, and blushed a lot more, sure that her face was as red as the boy's hair.

⠀⠀"Not to mention," Cho Chang interjected, "the trials he had to overcome in the Triwizard Tournament last year: he faced dragons, water people, acromantulas and all sorts of things..."

⠀⠀"See," he said, and they all instantly fell silent. "No... I don't want to sin of false modesty or anything like that, but... on all those occasions I had help..."

⠀⠀"Not with the dragon," Michael Corner jumped in. "That was an exceptional flight..."

⠀⠀"Yes, well..." conceded Harry.

⠀⠀"And no one helped you get rid of Dementors this summer either," added Susan.

⠀⠀"No," Harry acknowledged. "Okay, I know I got some things without help, but what I'm trying to get you to understand is..."

⠀⠀"Are you trying to sneak away and not teach us how to do any of that?" Smith suggested.

⠀⠀"Hey, you," Ron said loudly before Harry could answer. "Why don't you shut your mouth?"

⠀⠀Ron, who was losing his patience, was looking at Zacharias as if he was looking forward to punching him. Layla couldn't help but smile, watching him defend his best friend from that idiot. The boy blushed and defended himself by saying:

⠀⠀"We came here to learn from him and now it turns out that he can't really do anything..."

⠀⠀"Do you want us to clean your ears?" Asked George, pulling a long, deadly-looking metal instrument out of Zonko's bag.

⠀⠀"Or any other part of the body. Really, we don't have any hobbies," added Fred.

⠀⠀"Yes, well..." Hermione interrupted them. "Continuing with what we were saying... What matters is: do we agree that we want Harry to teach us?"

⠀⠀There was a general murmur of approval. Zacharias folded his arms and said nothing, though perhaps that was because he was too busy keeping an eye on the instrument Fred held in his hand.

⠀⠀"Very well," said Hermione, who seemed relieved that at least they had agreed on something. "So, the next question is how often we want to meet. I think we should meet at least once a week..."

⠀⠀"Wait a minute," said Angelina, "we have to make sure this won't interfere with our Quidditch training."

⠀⠀"That," agreed Cho. "Nor with ours."

⠀⠀"Nor with ours," Smith added.

⠀⠀"I'm sure we can find a night that suits everyone," said Hermione, getting a little impatient. "But think that this is very important, we are talking about learning alone to defend ourselves from Vo-Voldemort and the Death Eaters..."

⠀⠀"That's the spirit!" Ernie bellowed. He glanced sidelong at Layla, but she quickly looked away from him in sorrow: since that night she had claimed to be nothing of Ron's, he had started to flirt with her, but she ignored him. "Personally, I think what we're trying to do is very important, certainly the most important thing we'll do this term, even more important than the OWLs," he looked around with an imposing gesture. "I can't explain how the Ministry has foisted such an inept teacher on us in this critical period. It's obvious that they don't want to accept that You-Know-Who has returned, but to give us a teacher who deliberately tries to prevent us from using defensive spells..."

⠀⠀"We think the reason Umbridge doesn't want to train us in Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hermione explained, "is that she's got it into her head that Dumbledore might use the school's students as a sort of private army. He thinks he could mobilize them to take on the Ministry."

⠀⠀That news surprised almost everyone; almost everyone except Luna Lovegood, who blurted out:

⠀⠀"Well, it makes sense. After all, Cornelius Fudge has his own private army."

⠀⠀"What?" Harry jumped up.

⠀⠀"Yes, he has an army of heliopaths," said Luna solemnly.

⠀⠀"That's not true," Hermione told her.

⠀⠀"Of course yes," Luna contradicted her.

⠀⠀"What are heliopaths?" Neville asked, puzzled.

⠀⠀"They are spirits of fire," Luna replied, and her bulging eyes widened even more, making her look crazier than ever. "Huge flaming creatures that gallop across the earth burning everything in their path..."

⠀⠀"They don't exist, Neville," Hermione assured him curtly.

⠀⠀"Of course they exist!" Luna insisted, furious.

⠀⠀"I'm sorry, but what evidence is there that they exist?" Hermione asked.

⠀⠀"There are plenty of eye-witness accounts. That you are so closed-minded that you need to have everything put in front of your nose so that..."

⠀⠀"Ahem, ahem," Ginny rasped, imitating Umbridge perfectly; several students turned their heads, startled, and then laughed. "Weren't we trying to decide how many times we were going to meet to teach defense?"

⠀⠀"Yes," Hermione hastened to confirm, "exactly. You're right, Ginny."

⠀⠀"Well, once a week doesn't sound bad to me," said Lee Jordan.

⠀⠀"Whenever..." Angelina began to say.

⠀⠀"Yes, yes, we know about Quidditch," Hermione agreed in a tense voice. "Well, the other thing that remains to be decided is where we're going to meet."

⠀⠀That was much more difficult, and the group fell silent.

⠀⠀"In the Library?" Katie Bell proposed after a long silence.

⠀⠀"I don't think Mrs. Pince would be too happy if she saw us casting spells in the Library," commented Harry.

⠀⠀"And in any unused classrooms?" Wayne suggested.

⠀⠀"Yes," said Ron, "Maybe Professor McGonagall will lend us hers. She lent it to us when Harry had to practice for the Triwizard Tournament."

⠀⠀"Well, we'll find a place," said Hermione. "When we have a place and time for the first meeting, we'll send a message to everyone," she reached into her backpack, pulled out a roll of parchment and a quill, and hesitated for a moment, as if working up the courage to say something. "I think everyone should write their name now, so that we know they've been here. But I also think," she added, taking a deep breath, "that we should all pledge not to go around telling what we're doing. So if you sign, you agree not to talk about this to Professor Umbridge or anyone else."

⠀⠀Fred picked up the parchment and, determined, signed his name on it, but Layla noticed right away that several people didn't seem very willing to put their names on the list.

⠀⠀"Mmh...," Zacharias began slowly, and didn't take the parchment George was trying to pass him. "Well..., I'm sure Ernie will tell me when the meeting is."

⠀⠀But Ernie didn't seem very determined to sign either. Hermione looked at him with arched eyebrows.

⠀⠀"It's just that... we're prefects!" said Ernie, "And if someone were to find this list... Well, I mean... you said it yourself, if Professor Umbridge finds out..."

⠀⠀"You just said that forming this group is the most important thing about this course," Harry reminded him.

⠀⠀"Yes, yeah..." Ernie replied. "Yes, and I think so, but..."

⠀⠀"Ernie, do you really think I'm going to leave this list lying around?" Hermione asked him irritably.

⠀⠀"No. No, of course not," Ernie replied a little relieved. "I..., yes, of course I'll sign."

⠀⠀After Ernie, no one objected. Layla signed happily. When the last one had signed, Zacharias, Hermione took the parchment and carefully put it away in her backpack. At that moment, the group was experiencing a strange feeling. It was as if they had just signed a contract of sorts.

⠀⠀"Well, the clock is ticking," Fred said decisively, and stood up. "George, Lee and I have some delicate items to buy. We'll see you later."

⠀⠀He tried to kiss Megan goodbye, but she pulled away and got up from her spot, grabbing Wayne by the arm, and tried to do it with Layla but she moved closer to the trio.

⠀⠀"I'm happy about this, guys," she said smiling at them. Ron blushed at the sight of her. "I'll see you tomorrow for homework, okay?" She looked at the red-haired boy. At first he didn't seem to understand but he remembered that they had agreed on that.

⠀⠀"Oh, sure! Yes, Lay, I'll pick you up in your Common Room tomorrow," he murmured so she could hear.

⠀⠀The brunette nodded, and kissed the three of them goodbye, leaving Ron very blushing, as always when they met each other's eyes.