Harry Potter - Fanfiction

Year 5 - Dumbledore's Army

Umbridge enters the classroom Tuesday morning wearing her usual black velvet bow and an expression of great smugness, already setting the mood for the day.

"Good afternoon, class."

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," we chant drearily.

"Wands away, please..."

There is no answering flurry movement as by this time we all know not to bother taking out our wands.

"Please turn to page thirty-four of Defensive Magical Theory and read the third chapter, entitled 'The Case for Non-Offensive Responses to Magical Attack'. There will be no need to talk."

By lunchtime the weather outside matches the mood that Umbridge has put over us; the heavy downpour of rain clattering and pounding against the windows of the castle as we all remain inside within empty classrooms.

The weather doesn't improve as the day wears on and by dinner time the rain is pelting even harder against the castle.

Tracey and I are walking back to the common room when Hermione stops us.

"Nyx, can I speak to you quickly?" she asks also heading out towards the entrance hall.

"I'll see you in the common room," Tracey says as she walks away.

"Can we go talk in the library maybe?" Hermione asks, cautiously looking around.

"If you want a private place, I know somewhere else we can go. It'll be wet and chilly up there though with the rain, if you don't mind getting a little wet, but we won't be heard."

"That's fine, I don't mind," she answers.

We begin walking up the great marble staircase. "Where's Harry and Ron?"

"Professor Umbridge finally gave the Gryffindor team permission, so they have practice tonight," she responds, following next to me.

"In this rain?" I ask with raised eyebrows.

"Angelina wants to make up for lost time as they only have three weeks to go until the first match."

The rest of the walk to the Astronomy Tower is silent, the rain being the only thing filling the silent void.

As soon as we open the door at the top of the tower the wind whips us back a little, the raindrops splashing off the columns and roof and wetting us in turn.

"You weren't joking about the cold," she says as we walk toward the middle of the tower, where the rain can't get us.

"Nope, but it's a great place to be for peace and quiet and the rain will dampen our conversation." I pull the sleeves on my jersey down, wishing I brought my cloak with.

"Do you always come up here?" she asks, looking around.

"Yeah, all the time. I come up here a lot to sketch or study. Now don't go giving my spot away." I smile.

"No, of course not," she answers back with a troubled smile.

"What's bugging you? We haven't really decently hung out since the holidays before Harry came," I ask, concerned.

"Sorry about that, it just gets so busy with those two around." She shakes her head slightly.

"Don't worry the twins have been keeping me busy as well with their business," I chuckle.

"Oh, don't even get me started on that with those two." She scowls.

"Sorry, I forgot that's a sensitive subject." I nudge her softly with my shoulder and taking a seat on one of the boxes.