Dawn Rivera

Professor Umbridge

"What's the matter?" I ask, catching up with Harry, Danny and Ron halfway across the common room as we all head towards breakfast. "You look absolutely - Oh, for heaven's sake."

I am staring at the common-room noticeboard, where a large new sign has been put up.

GALLEONS OF GALLEONS!
Pocket money failing to keep pace with your outgoings?
Like to earn a little extra gold?
Contact Fred and George Weasley, Gryffindor common room,
for simple, part-time, virtually painless jobs.
(We regret that all work is undertaken at applicants own risk.)

"They are the limit," says Hermione grimly, taking down the sign, which Fred and George pinned up over a poster giving the date of the first Hogsmeade weekend, which is to be in October. "We'll have to talk to them, Ron."

Ron looks positively alarmed.

"Why?"

"Because you're prefects!" I say, as we climb out through the portrait hole. "It's up to you to stop this kind of thing!"

Ron says nothing; I can tell from his glum expression that the prospect of stopping Fred and George doing exactly what they like is not one he finds inviting.

"Anyway, what's up, Harry and Danny?" Hermione continues, as we walk down a flight of stairs lined with portraits of old witches and wizards, all of whom ignore us, being engrossed in their own conversation. "You look really angry about something."

"Seamus reckons Harry and Danny're lying about You-Know-Who," says Ron succinctly, when Harry and Danny do not respond.

Hermione and I sigh.

"Yes, Lavender thinks so, too," I say gloomily.

"Been having a nice little chat with her about whether or not we're a lying, attention-seeking prats, have you?" Danny says loudly.

"No," says Hermione calmly. "We told her to keep her big fat mouth shut about you two, actually. And it would be quite nice if you stopped jumping at our throats, Harry and Danny, because in case you haven't noticed, Ron, Dawn and I are on your side."

There is a short pause.

"Sorry," says Harry in a low voice.

"That's quite all right," I say with dignity. Then I shake my head. "Don't you remember what Dumbledore said at the end-of-term feast?"

Harry, Danny and Ron all look at Hermione and I blankly and we sigh again.

"About You-Know-Who," says Hermione. "He said his 'gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust -'"

"How do you remember stuff like that?" asks Ron, looking at her in admiration.

"We listen, Ron," I say, with a touch of asperity.

"So do I, but I still couldn't tell you exactly what -"

"The point," Hermione presses on loudly, "is that this sort of thing is exactly what Dumbledore was talking about. You-Know-Who's only been back two months and we've already started fighting among ourselves. And the Sorting Hat's warning was the same: stand together, be united -"