freya mckinnon may share the same face as her aunt marlene, but she was more than just the niece of a war heroine, though no one seemed to see that. no one but george weasley, her rival on the quidditch pitch who quickly became so much more.
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CHAPTER EIGHT: THE RISING STAR
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IT TOOK LESS THAN a day for Freya's suspicions to grow. Not even twenty-four hours after their meeting in Hogsmeade, Umbridge had released a new educational decree, the timing far too eerie to be a coincidence. The next morning, everyone in the newly appointed resistance group was on edge, keeping to themselves as friends and foes whispered the new law like it was the next hot gossip.
Any student found to have formed, or belong to, an organisation, society, team, group or club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled.
Freya wanted to know how she figured it out. Most of the people at that meeting were people she trusted (save for Zacharias and his little group of followers but Freya didn’t have high expectations for them in the first place) people who wouldn’t go telling on them to Umbridge for no valid reason. Hermione had even admitted that she’d jinxed the paper they all signed to punish whoever spilled their secret, and yet no one was shamefully walking the corridors with SNEAK imprinted on their forehead in bright red acne spots. If anything, it had to be someone that was present in the Hog’s Head but wasn’t invited to their meeting. But from what Freya had seen, no one else but the barman was there and he seemed all too happy to mind his own business.
Perhaps it was just excellent timing, but you could never be too careful when it came to Dolores Umbridge.
“Does this mean we have to ask permission to play Quidditch now?” Fred groaned, his nose scrunched up in distaste.
He, George and Freya were huddled together at the end of the Gryffindor table, their voices low in fear that someone would overhear them. The moment Freya had seen Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four pinned to the notice board in the Hufflepuff Common Room, a group of whining second years standing beneath the blasted piece of parchment, she’d rushed off to find the trio or anyone else who might have answers for her. First she came across Hermione, who was cautious but not too worried, and then she found the twins. George was quiet, contemplative as he finished his breakfast, whereas Fred was far too focused on glaring at every member of the resistance who seemed even remotely skittish to finish his food.
If she was being honest, Freya hadn’t even thought about Quidditch until Fred brought it up. But it made sense, as annoying as it was. Quidditch teams were everything that Umbridge had mentioned in her decree. And seeing as she was the captain for Hufflepuff, it would be Freya’s job to speak to the wicked woman about it, no matter how dreadful that idea sounded. And as much as her team despised Umbridge and would complain about it too, they wouldn’t be happy if she didn’t at least try to sort something out for them.
Great, she thought with an anxious sigh as the three reluctantly got up to head to Defence Against the Dark Arts. That’s just what I wanted to do this morning.
