The next morning, however, they had a nasty shock in the Gryffindor common room.

"What the...?"

A small crowd was standing around the notice board. They moved closer to try and see what exactly was going on.

BY ORDER OF THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS

All student clubs, teams, groups, societies are henceforth disbanded. An organisation is a group or club defined by regular meeting of three or more students. Permission to reform may be sought to the High Inquisitor.

Any student found to have formed or belonged to an organisation that has not been approved will be expelled, in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty Four.

In addition, any students wishing to join the Inquisitorial Squad, a group of students whose role will be to assist the High Inquisitor in their duties, may sign up with said High Inquisitor.

Dolores Umbridge, High Inquisitor.

"Do you think she'll let us reform the Gobstones Club?"

"They're all right, I don't see why she wouldn't," Hermione said.

"I don't think we'll be as lucky, do you?" Harry said.

"No," Megan agreed. "And we know what that stupid squad is. Spies."

"How does she come up with that now? I bet someone spilled to her!" Ron hissed.

"They can't have done." Hermione said. "I put a spell on that parchment, and anyone who signed it and goes telling Umbridge about it will be very sorry."

"Did you see?" Fred asked, coming up to them with his brother and Ginny, flanked by a few other members.

"What should we do?"

"We do it anyway, of course," Megan said firmly.

"Knew you'd say that," Fred grinned.

Megan used her coin to tell Cedric, who told her he had already found the sign.

"Megan! Ron!"

Angelina strode towards them.

"She's included Quidditch!"

"What?!"

"Ugh, the sign says teams..." Megan groaned as she remembered. "So we have to ask permission to reform the team."

"Yes! And please, please, keep your temper in check!" she pleaded.

"I will, I promise."

She knew it was going to be far easier to say than to do, but she loved Quidditch and the team too much to let them down.

"Wouldn't be surprised Umbridge was in Binns' class today," Ron said as they made their way to class a little later. "Don't think he's been inspected yet."

Megan would forever be grateful that Ron turned out to be wrong. Binns was alone when they entered his class that day. He droned on about the giant wars. Megan was trying very hard to keep the patience to follow. Harry suddenly nudged her. She shifted slightly to give him a better view of her notes. But when he nudged her again, she looked at him.

"What?" she whispered.

He nodded to the window. To Megan's surprise, Hedwig was sitting there, a letter bound to her leg. It was odd, since they had only just had breakfast, and she had been nowhere to be seen... what was more, she had never come when she was in class...! Glancing up at Binns, who was droning on, she slipped off her seat and quickly opened the window. She expected Hedwig to hold out her leg, but something in the hoot she gave Megan bothered her. She hopped inside onto her shoulder. Megan dashed back to her seat and carefully moved Hedwig to her lap. But as she meant to untie the letter, she gasped.

"What?" Harry asked.

Even Hermione had put down her quill.

"She's hurt!" Megan whispered panic-stricken. "Her wing, look!"

She was holding it at an odd angle, and the feathers were badly ruffled.

"Who did this to you...?" she whispered, pain in her voice.

She made up her mind.

"Professor!" she called. "I'm sorry, can I go and see Madam Pomfrey? I'm not feeling well..."

"Not feeling well?"

"No, really not," she said.

"Yes, yes... well... off you go." he said hazily.

Megan darted out the room, Hedwig on her arm carefully hidden by her robes. Once out of the room, she returned Hedwig to her shoulder and sped up the stairs.

She would have liked to go to Hagrid, but since he was not there, the best option was Professor Grubbly-Plank. Up the passage, down to the right and at last, she was by the staff room. She paused for breath a few seconds, then rapped on the door. The door opened and she found herself in front of McGonagall.

"You're not being given detention again, are you?" she asked, alarmed.

"No, professor," Megan panted. "I'm looking for Professor Grubbly-Plank! It's my owl, she's injured, and Hagrid's not here–"

"Injured owl?" Professor Grubbly-Plank said sharply, coming to the door as well.

"Yes... she came after Owl Post, which I found odd, and then I saw her wing..."

She carefully lifted Hedwig to her forearm. Grubbly-Plank took her gently and examined her under Megan and McGonagall's watchful eyes.

"Hm... poor thing, looks like something attacked her... Can't think what, though... Thestrals go for birds, but Hagrid's very well trained the ones we have here not to touch owls because there are so many that come and go..."

Megan felt her blood run cold. Someone had attacked Hedwig...!

"D'you know how far your owl travelled?" Grubbly-Plank ask.

Megan glanced at McGonagall.

"London, I think," she said.

McGonagall's nod told Megan that she had understood that by "London" Megan meant "Grimmauld Place". Professor Grubbly-Plank pulled out a monocle and slipped it on to look more closely at poor Hedwig's damaged wing.

"Will she be okay?" Megan asked anxiously.

"Oh, yes, I should be able to fix this if you leave her with me," Grubbly-Plank said.

"Just a moment, Potter's letter, Wilhelmina." McGonagall said.

"Oh, right..."

Megan quickly untied her letter, stroked Hedwig encouragingly, getting a faint hoot in thanks as Grubbly-Plank went back into the staff room. Megan watched her, hating to leave her beloved owl, but she knew she had no choice. She sighed, and meant to go, but McGonagall said:

"Potter, one moment."

She lowered her voice.

"Means of communication in and out of this school are being watched, you understand?"

Megan nodded.

"Yes, professor."

McGonagall gave a nod and retreated to the staff room as the bell rang. She quickly slit the letter open before any students came bursting out, and read:

Today. Same time, same place.

"Is Hedwig okay?" Hermione asked anxiously when Megan joined them in the Entrance Hall. "Poor thing, that wing must have hurt terribly..."

"She should be okay," Megan said, still shaken. "But listen..."

She told what she'd seen and heard.

"I'm not surprised...." Hermione said sadly. "I was just telling Harry and Ron that maybe someone had intercepted Hedwig... She's never been hurt on a flight before."

"Who was the letter from?"

"Padfoot," Megan said quietly, handing it to them.

"Same time same place... common room fire?" Harry asked in a low voice.

"Where else?" Hermione asked. "I just hope no one else read this..."

"It was sealed, when I took it," Megan said.

"Yes, but interceptions are more frequent now, and I doubt it would be very difficult to reseal it magically... if anyone's watching the Floo Network... but how can we warn him without that being intercepted, too...?"

They made their way to the dungeons for Potions, where more unpleasant news reached their ears.

"Yes, Umbridge gave us the green light straight away, of course. It'd be interesting to see if she lets Gryffindor play again..."

Malfoy wasn't troubling to keep his voice down.

"Ignore him, he wants you to get angry..." Megan said to the boys, but even her own fists were clenched.

"I mean, if it's a question of influence at the Ministry, I don't think they have much of a chance." Malfoy said loudly. "Father says they've been looking for an excuse to sack Weasley for years... and as for Potter, Father reckons it's just a matter of time before she's sent off to St Mungo's. I hear they have a ward for magically addled brains..."

Megan heard furious strides and looked round to see Neville charging towards Malfoy. She jumped forwards and grabbed his arm.

"Neville, don't!"

He struggled, trying to break free, but Harry and Ron caught hold of his other arm and pulled him back.

"Neville! Stop!" Megan said, looking up at him. "He's just provoking you to get you into trouble, don't give him the satisfaction."

He looked down at her. For a moment, she thought of letting him know she knew why he had flared up like that, but thought better of it.

"Inside, now, all of you." Snape's curt voice said.

"I had to, Neville." Megan said. "They would have torn you to pieces."

He said nothing but went in, looking upset. Megan glanced at him sadly.

"What the bloody hell was that all about?"

"... I don't know..." Hermione said, frowning anxiously.

Megan said nothing and followed them in.

"As you can see, we have a guest, today." Snape said coldly.

Megan recognised Umbridge, who stood out even more than before with her pink robes in the sea of black.

Great...

"We shall be continuing our Strengthening Solution." Snape said. "The instructions are on the board."

Megan was more interested in hearing Umbridge question Snape, and was less careful with her potion.

"Watch it, Megan!" Hermione said, catching her wrist to prevent her putting the wrong ingredient. "It's Salamander blood, not pomegranate juice!"

She nodded and switched bottles.

"Well, the class seems pretty advanced for their level," Umbridge said to Snape. "However, I would question teaching them a Strengthening Solution... I wouldn't be surprised if the Ministry wishes it to be removed from the syllabus... And you have been teaching here...?"

"Fourteen years." Snape replied, still beside Parvati's cauldron.

"I've been told you applied for Defence Against the Dark Arts, professor, is that correct?" Umbridge asked.

"Yes," Snape said coldly.

"But you were unsuccessful?" she asked, trying to sound sympathetic.

"Clearly," Snape said testily.

"You applied several times, I believe... why d'you think Dumbledore refused time and again?"

"I suggest you ask him yourself." Snape said.

"Oh, that will be done." Umbridge answered.

Megan was so caught up she accidentally knocked over her flask of nettle wine, which if too strong in this potion, made it useless. She tried to stop it falling but it toppled over and some of it fell into the potion. It hissed, and turned orange.

Snape strode over.

"No marks again," he said, wiping her cauldron clean with his wand. "You will write me an essay on the correct composition of the potion, what went wrong and why. For next lesson."

"Yes, sir," she said shortly.

By Thursday, many Slytherins were seen parading the corridors with large Silver IS badges on their robes. Malfoy among them, of course.

"They're just looking for excuses to bully people without getting into trouble..." Ron scowled at them.

"I know. But what can we do?" Hermione sighed. "They'll jump at any occasion to make life miserable for everyone else, especially Gryffindor. D'you know they can take points off and that they took twenty off Ginny for kissing Michael Corner?"

"They're going out, there's nothing illegal about that!"

"I know they are," Hermione agreed. "But it's... what was it... "inappropriate in a scholar environment", Ginny told me."

Megan glared up at Umbridge. She had always loved being here. Despite the Slytherins, and the dramatic situations she always seemed to run into, the friendships she had formed and love Cedric had given her had always made it feel like home. Now, with no magic allowed in Defence Against the Dark Arts, Hagrid not being there, and not even being able to kiss Cedric if she wanted to, Hogwarts was starting to feel less homelike than even Privet Drive.