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Part One / Chapter Twenty-Two
Any other sound that emitted from the common room was quickly softened by Hermione's whines. With her parchments of Ancient Runes, Potions and Herbology tucked under her shoulder, she asked Venus once again.
"How could she have known?"
"I don't know," said Venus, rubbing her temple with one hand and holding Snowflake in the other.
Ron had asked her nearly 28377927273 times before Hermione came up to her. She worried how Constance would react when she found out. If it were possible, she'd trigger the apocalypse. The moment came when Constance burst through the portrait hole and straight toward Venus, Ron and Hermione.
"I'm going to burn her alive," she bellowed. She ran her pink fingernails through her raven-black hair letting out an exasperated sign. "What did she say to you?"
Venus repeated the words Umbridge chirped in her ear earlier that afternoon. Constance's cheeks, already crimsoned, reddened deeper. She spewed out every curse word known to man, some that she swore were American. As soon as her fit was over, she dropped to the ground next to Venus and Ron.
"Hi Constance," Ron naturally gawked. His eyes twinkling with infatuation, Hermione's dimmed immediately.
"Hello Rudolph," she replied staring intently at her nail buds. "I thought I fixed this—Eurgh! I'm headed up to the dorm Vee, I'm going to plan out Umbridge's burial sight."
As it neared midnight, other Gryffindor's departed to their separate dormitories. Where there was incredible amounts of noise turned into cricketing silence. Only Ron, Hermione, Harry and Venus remained in the common room. With the company of Snowflake and Crookshanks, the white and orange kittens curled up, twisted next to one another.
"Ron, have you even checked up on the first-years in the boys dormitory?" asked Venus shuffling through piles of ink-stained parchment.
"They've got brains, don't they?" he said groggily dozing lightly in an armchair. Then he gave a muffled grunt, awoke, looked blearily into the fire and said, "Sirius!"
Venus whipped around; Sirius's untidy dark head was sitting in the fire again.
"Hi," he said, grinning.
"Hi," chorused Venus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, all four kneeling down upon the hearthrug. Snowflake purred loudly and approached the fire, trying, despite the heat, to put her face close to Sirius's.
"How're things?" said Sirius.
"Not that good," said Harry, as Venus pulled Snowflake back to stop her singeing her whiskers. "The Ministry's forced through another decree, which means we're not allowed to have Quidditch teams —"
