𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚗 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎. fred weasley

𝚡𝚕𝚒. 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚛 '𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚌𝚎𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚎

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     On Monday, Umbridge disbands every club in Hogwarts. On her walk to the Hufflepuff table for breakfast, she sees Harry speaking with a group of people that were at the meeting in the Hog's Head. She doesn't know what they're discussing, but the information seems urgent. She wonders if they're going to hold meetings, still. Wonders if the thing is over before it can even begin.

     She isn't expecting Hamlin to sit with her. His time at the Gryffindor table has made him something of an anomaly at the Hufflepuff table.

     His eyes seem extra bright today, and he tells her in a very low voice that he thinks is subtle that Harry is still going to continue with the meetings. Cress nods and that's the end of the conversation. Her eyes follow him while he walks to the Gryffindor table, clinging to the smile on Lee's face as he greets his friend.

     Something turns sour in her throat, and she doesn't finish her breakfast, pushing it away along with the light feeling that she had woken up with today. Foolish of her to think that she would have a good day, really. She goes to her first lesson and doesn't speak for the rest of the day.

     At night, Jonah and her meet in the Slytherin common room again. Marigold is helping her sister with some homework; she parts from them when Cress comes in, blowing them both a kiss on her way out.

     Tonight, they're working with the Levitation Charm again. Cress is supposed to levitate the entire couch. She works at it for over two hours before she has to quit, her mind and body exhausted from exerting herself. The couch itself only lifted into the air for a moment or two, but Cress counted it as a victory -- what little ones she could have. Jonah smiles at her and tells her she did a good job, they'll work on it again tomorrow, and Cress returns to the common room and sleeps.

     The next day is much like the one before, mundane, a routine that she has gotten accustomed to. When lessons are over for the day, she heads outside and sits in the courtyard to try and finish an essay for McGonagall's lessons (she might not have her magic, but she'll be damned if she doesn't do that written part of the Transfiguration lessons).

     Autumn winds nip at her cheeks, leaves billowing around her like a tornado. She clutches her scarf closer to her as someone sits down beside her.

     "Potter," she greets. "What brings you here?"

     "Dunno." Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Harry shrug. "Just decided to come before Quidditch practice."

     "Oh. So, she approved the team, then?"

     Harry nods. Relief swells in Cress; anything to make this year almost normal is a blessing and Quidditch is the only club that makes Hogwarts seem better, almost. Hufflepuff, thankfully, got their approval yesterday.

     "That's good. How do you plan to balance that with all the other extracurricular activities you plan on doing?"

     "Guess how I've been getting by now," Harry replies. "It isn't like I've had to manage my time wisely before. Prior years can attest to that."