HP Chapter 121: Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four

As Anne stepped out of the bar, sunlight struck her eyes, making her squint. The contrast between the bright outdoors and the dim interior was stark. Autumn sunlight poured generously over the cobbled path, and for a moment, even the Hog's Head sign looked a little less intimidating.

Anne suddenly felt her mood lift. Still, the priority now was to return to the castle without drawing attention. She pulled her hood tighter around her face and followed the narrow path, turning a corner into an alley that led back to the main road.

But then she stopped short.

In the middle of the alley stood Hermione, alone, wearing a knowing smile, as if she’d been expecting Anne all along.

Anne instinctively took a step back. Just as she was about to turn and walk away, she realized how suspicious that would look.

While Anne hesitated, Hermione swiftly closed the distance between them, practically skipping over.

“Anne!” she called out happily.

Anne froze, completely caught off guard. She managed a weak attempt at escape, “Uh, you must have mistaken me for someone else.”

“I would never mistake you for someone else,” Hermione beamed, and before Anne could react, she reached out and removed Anne’s black-rimmed glasses.

Hermione’s amber eyes sparkled with delight as she looked at Anne’s face, her own filled with joy and warmth. Despite the slightly messy hair, Hermione’s radiant smile made Anne’s heart skip a beat. So… she really is happy to see me, Anne thought.

“Wow~” Hermione said, glancing between Anne’s eyes and the glasses in her hand. “These have a Discoloration Charm on them, don’t they?”

“Um… yeah, probably,” Anne muttered.

Next, Hermione reached up and gently pulled off Anne’s black mask. Anne’s ears instantly turned red. Hermione, oblivious, inspected the mask with curiosity. “Is this enchanted too?”

“Uh, I don’t think so,” Anne replied, a bit flustered.

Then Hermione chuckled. “So, Anne, you ordered a glass of Firewhisky at the Hog’s Head and didn’t even take a sip, did you?”

“Yeah. What’s so funny about that?” Anne asked, confused.

Hermione shook her head, still smiling. “Nothing. Just… you’re kind of adorable like this.”

Anne squinted at her.

“This must be the first time you’ve ever gone into a shop that sells food or drinks,” Hermione said knowingly, “and walked out without eating or drinking anything, even after paying.”

Anne blinked. Now that Hermione pointed it out, it really was true.

Feeling a bit exposed, Anne quickly changed the subject. “So, um… where are Harry and Ron?”

“I told them I was going to check out the Scribbulus feather quill shop and suggested they head to Honeydukes. They happily obliged,” Hermione said, like it had been the easiest thing in the world.

“Right...” Anne switched gears again. “You spoke really well back at the Hog’s Head. Very persuasive.”

This time, Hermione looked more bashful. She hesitated before admitting, “Honestly, I practiced a lot. But I was still super nervous. Most people only came because of Harry, not me. I just, ”

“I didn’t come because of him,” Anne blurted out, and instantly regretted it. “I mean… what I mean is, if you hadn’t organized this whole thing, it wouldn’t have happened. Harry wouldn’t have taken the initiative, and after this, we’ll need someone to arrange meetings and everything. You’ve done so much, and you spoke brilliantly at the bar.”

Hermione looked much happier at that, but then her face fell again. “But… where are we going to find a place for 28 people to practice Defense spells?”

“There’s always the Room of Requirement,” Anne mumbled. She was sure Harry knew about it.

“The what?” Hermione leaned in, intrigued.

“It’s, um, a magical room on the eighth floor of Hogwarts, opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy getting clubbed by trolls. The house-elves call it the ‘Come-and-Go Room.’ You can only enter it when you really need it. It appears and disappears at will, but when it does appear, it changes to suit the seeker’s needs.”

Hermione’s eyes lit up. “Do many people know about this?”

“Probably not. You only find it when you need it. And after that, you might never find it again, it’s based on necessity. If you don’t need it, you can’t locate it,” Anne explained.

“That’s perfect!” Hermione exclaimed. “Then we might be able to hold our first meeting as soon as tomorrow night!”

Anne frowned. “Hermione…”

“Hmm?” Hermione looked at her.

“You do realize Umbridge won’t just ignore what you’re doing, right?”

“She won’t be happy, no,” Hermione admitted with a smile, “but I’ve checked the rules three times, we’re not violating any of them.”

“I’m not talking about the school rules,” Anne said. “She’s the Ministry’s High Inquisitor now. Meeting at the Hog’s Head was smart, but there’s still a chance she’ll find out. Especially if someone rats you out, ”

“We’ll know if they do!” Hermione cut in confidently. “I added a jinx to the sign-up parchment. If anyone betrays us… they’ll regret it.”

Anne raised an eyebrow. “Wow, Hermione. That’s… some real progress.”

Hermione blushed.

Just then, the clock tower in Hogsmeade square struck eleven.

“I’ve got to get back to the castle,” Anne glanced at her watch, then looked pointedly at the glasses and mask still in Hermione’s hands.

Hermione returned them with a grin. “You didn’t come through Filch’s checkpoint this morning, did you? I didn’t see you.”

“Uh… yeah,” Anne said awkwardly, suddenly remembering that Fanny was still in the dark about her detour. A pang of guilt hit her.

“Thanks, Anne.” Hermione leaned in and gave Anne a quick kiss on the cheek before waving and dashing out of the alley.

Anne stood frozen for a moment, unsure what had just happened. But her flushed cheeks said it all. A few beats later, she put her glasses and mask back on and slipped quietly into the back entrance of Honeydukes.

It took nearly an hour to return, but Anne felt a surprising warmth in her chest. By the time she was standing in the empty hallway on the fourth floor, a faint smile still lingered on her face.

Maybe a little curiosity wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Hermione really did understand her well, and she hadn’t once mentioned Anne sneaking in. That unspoken understanding felt… nice. Yet at the same time, it left Anne feeling oddly guilty.

Fanny had always supported her being brave, but ever since Anne had confided in her last time, Fanny had stopped giving opinions about her and Hermione altogether. Still, her actions spoke differently from her words. In modern terms, it was exactly like “saying no with your mouth, but yes with your body.”

It made Anne feel a mix of secret joy and intense anxiety. If her relationship with Hermione deepened, there’d be no escaping the inevitable war. And Anne still carried a secret so big, even in the magical world few would believe it, least of all someone like Hermione, who trusted logic and facts. The more Anne understood Hermione, the more afraid she became.

With all these emotions crashing around inside, Anne’s brief happiness faded.

“Didn’t sleep well?” Fanny asked as she sat down.

“No, just…” Anne poked at a plate of golden pan-seared pork chops. “Just thinking about things I probably shouldn’t be thinking about.”

Fanny shrugged. “Then don’t think, follow your heart.”

The rest of the weekend, Anne buried herself in the library and the greenhouses, plowing through assignments. Momo also delivered a hefty batch of homework from Diana.

It was all complex and time-consuming, so much so that Anne didn’t even notice the new decree until Monday after breakfast.

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Hogwarts High Inquisitor's Order

 By Order of Educational Decree No. 24:

All student organizations, societies, teams, and clubs are hereby disbanded. Such groups are defined as any regular gathering of three or more students.
Reformation of any group must be approved by the High Inquisitor (Professor Dolores Jane Umbridge).
Any student found to have formed or joined such a group without approval will be immediately expelled.
This decree is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four.

 Signed:
High Inquisitor Dolores Jane Umbridge

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When Fanny pointed the notice out to Anne, she raised an eyebrow. So there was someone from the Ministry at the Hog’s Head.

The morning brought Potions class, but the atmosphere was unusually tense, Umbridge was sitting quietly in the corner.

“As you can see,” Snape said in his usual low, sarcastic tone, “we have a guest today.”

“We’re continuing our Strengthening Solutions,” he added with a wave of his wand. “You’ll find your mixtures from the last lesson. If prepared correctly, they should have matured over the weekend. Instructions are on the board. Begin.”

For the first thirty minutes, Umbridge sat silently taking notes.

Then she stood up and walked between the desks toward Snape, who was checking Dean Thomas’s cauldron.

“My, this class seems rather advanced,” she chirped at his back. “I do wonder, though, if teaching them to brew Strengthening Solutions is really appropriate. The Ministry might want this removed from the curriculum.”

Snape slowly straightened and turned toward her, his expression sour.

“How long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?” she asked, quill ready on her clipboard.

“Fourteen years,” Snape replied, unreadable.

“And you applied for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position first, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” he said flatly.

“But you weren’t chosen?”

Snape’s mouth twitched.

“Evidently.”

Umbridge’s quill scratched quickly across her clipboard.

“You’ve applied multiple times, haven’t you?”

“Yes.” His lips barely moved, but his anger was evident.

“Do you know why Dumbledore has refused to appoint you?”

“I suggest you ask him,” Snape replied curtly.

“Oh, I will,” Umbridge said sweetly.

“Does it matter?” Snape asked, his black eyes narrowing.

“Yes,” Umbridge smiled. “The Ministry is very interested in teacher… backgrounds.”

She moved on to question Pansy about her progress.

When class ended, Anne handed in her perfectly brewed potion and pulled a stack of parchment from her bag as she walked. It was the Roland family’s first-quarter Far East trade record. She needed to read through them and write a report this week.

She only put them away during lunch, and even then, she ate quickly before pulling them out again.

That afternoon’s Defense Against the Dark Arts class was yet another silent reading session. Anne opened Magical Defensive Theory, but her mind was on the trade report.

Time flew by. As soon as class ended, Umbridge kept behind a Slytherin student. Anne ignored it completely, already absorbed in her report again as she walked down the corridor.