I'm back! It feels like a long time since I've updated but finally here is another chapter. Please review! Constructive criticism is especially appreciated:)

Stories at Hogsmeade

-o0o-

EDUCATIONAL DECREE NUMBER TWENTY-FOUR

The High Inquisitor will henceforth have supreme authority over all punishments, sanctions and removal of privileges pertaining to the students of Hogwarts, and the power to alter punishments, sanctions and removals of privileges as may have been ordered by other staff members.

Signed: Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic

-o0o-

It was the morning before the first Hogsmeade trip that educational decree number twenty-four was plastered over the Gryffindor notice board in a shade of garish purple that would have suited Umbridge if she didn't have her obsession of pink. Harry, Ron and Ed were not the first to come down from their dorms and a group of students had already gathered around the notice, their whispers mingling into an ominous hum.

Harry pushed passed Fred and George, to read the massive notice that obscured everything underneath it and his mood immediately dropped to his stomach.

"Do you think she found out about the Skiving Snackbox trials, George?" Fred said from next to Harry.

"Nah, I think old Filch tipped her off about some of his ideas, Fred."

However, Harry realised with a sinking feeling in his stomach exactly why the decree had been passed. He still recalled he and Ed's meeting with Dumbledore after Umbridge's detention very clearly, how Dumbledore had promised to talk to the toad about her methods of punishment.

"Well that was quick," Ed said commented as he read the curly silver text.

"I think Dumbledore should have made it more public. Blood quills are illegal," Hermione said. Although her voice was low enough to not be heard, there was an angry tremor underneath it.

"Do you think anyone would have believed him?" Harry asked quietly. Hermione's eyes widened. Looking deflated she sighed.

"You're right. But this is…" she struggled for an appropriate word. "Sick."

She looked at the three boys standing around her as though she expected more of a reaction from them but they just stared at her. They were used to how sick Umbridge was by now and had seen the decree coming from a mile off.

"Well, she can't punish you if you don't do anything," Hermione said with a sigh.

If only that was true, Harry thought darkly. He was pretty sure that Umbridge could come up with an excuse soon enough to punish him.

"Well at least it's Hogsmeade trip today," Ron said. "I don't think I could stand being in the same building as Umbridge for another second."

Ron's words didn't make the gnawing worry in Harry's brain dissipate. In fact, the reminder of the Hogsmeade trip only amplified his worries, the conversation he had had with Hermione two weeks previously echoing in his mind; he doubted Umbridge would be pleased to find out they were teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts themselves and, although it wasn't against the rules, that would hardly contain her wrath.

"Harry, Ron, Ed!"

Turning, Harry saw Hermione waving at them from the Common Room entrance. Once the three had detached themselves from the crowd and made their way too her, she lowered her voice to a whisper.

"Are you ready?"

Harry nodded.

It had been Hermione's idea to meet up with any students interested in learning defence at Hogsmeade, where they were less likely to run into Umbridge. At first, the Hog's Head had been suggested but, reminded by Ed that visiting a rundown pub with a bunch of students was hardly free of suspicion, they had changed their plan. They would meet at Honeydukes and direct anyone interested to the Tomes and Scrolls. The Hogsmeade bookstore was not a popular destination for students but not entirely off the map either.

"We should have someone at the Tomes and Scrolls to welcome people," Ed said. Harry opened his mouth to volunteer but Ed interjected first.

"Everyone's going to be waiting for you at Honeydukes, Harry."

He was right. Harry was the supposed figurehead of their new plan and the first person people would approach.

"Oh, I'll go to Tomes and Scrolls," Hermione said. She pulled out a piece of parchment from her robes and waved it in front of them. "I'm ready to take down names."

Hermione was always the most prepared since First Year. Harry admired her apparently limitless skill at organisation.

"I'll go with you," Ed said and Hermione gave an enthusiastic smile.

Harry could have sworn a shadow passed over Ron's face.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly. Ron looked up, apparently surprised, and frowned.

"What?" he replied bluntly and Harry dismissed what he had seen. He was sure that Ron, just like himself, had a lot of things on his mind lately.

Outside, the sky was clear and cold. Every breath brought a puff of white clouds into the air in front of them like a small Norwegian Ridgeback (thank Merlin they hadn't had to deal with another one) and shivering, Harry hugged himself tighter. They walked down the street, all four of them in a line, towards Honeydukes, black Hogwarts robes wrapped tight around them. Ed's white gloves were back again and Harry found himself envying him as he rubbed his own numb hands together in a futile attempt to warm them up.

At the looming sight of the bookstore, the group split up; Ed and Hermione made their way inside while Harry and Ron continued to the sweet shop.

"See you soon," Hermione said.

"Yeah," Harry replied.

As expected, Honeydukes was crowded full of students buying an assortment of colourful sweets glinting in glass jars. Smiling, Harry recalled the moment he had appeared here, wearing his invisibility cloak on their third year when he had first got the Marauders map and found the secret passageway. It had been another one of those times when he truly acknowledged the depth of Hogwart's secrets.

At first, nobody seemed to acknowledge them, but after around a minute, Harry got a nudge from Ron. He looked up and noticed Dean and Neville come towards them through the crowd.

"You reckon they're interested too?" Ron asked, pointed.

It was then that he saw a group of people including Colin, Dean and Neville next to a shelf full of jars of sweets, staring at Harry openly with a nervous look of anticipation on both of their faces. There were so many, now that he looked closely; Cho was talking to a friend of hers in one corner, Angelia was staring at the two of them intently. The twisting feeling in Harry's stomach worsened.

"Umm… excuse me?" a voice said from behind him. He turned to see Justin Finch-Fletchley, a boy a year below who was never seen without a camera, staring at him apprehensively.

"Yeah?" Harry asked.

"Is…" Justin gulped nervously, looking around with flickering eyes.

"You mean the meeting? It's going to be in the Tomes and Scrolls. We're heading over soon," Harry whispered.

"Tomes and Scrolls, Harry?" It was Cho. She held a large packet of Sugar Quills in one hand. When Harry nodded, she gave him a light smile and walked over to her friend who was waiting a few metres away.

"Blimy," Ron said. "How many people did Hermione talk to?" There was an echo is disbelief in his voice; Hermione's productivity never ceased to amaze the two, even after four years had passed.

Right now, Harry could never have agreed more.

-o0o-

The Tomes and Scrolls was smaller than Flourish and Botts, and decisively dustier. As Ed stepped inside, he let the warm air rush over him along with the distinctive scent of old parchment. The well-lit rows of shelves smelled like the Hogwarts library and it was comforting.

Hermione and Ed were waiting for newcomers for longer than accepted. The shopkeeper seemed quite pleased to have so many students gathering in her shop, it seemed the Tomes and Scrolls was only used by Hogwarts students who had hopelessly misplaced their textbooks and they were (surprisingly) relatively rare. Her face only brightened when Ed appeared at the counter with a mountain of books in his hands that he could barely see over.

"Ancient runes, very interesting subject," she commented proudly as Ed handed over the gallons. "Took it myself at Hogwarts."

"I'm taking it now," Ed said. He had talked to Professor McGonagall who had agreed he could drop his Divination lessons for the subject. It wasn't like Ed was learning anything while choking in perfume and staring into tea leaves. Pure theory was something he could understand quickly so it wouldn't be impossible to start the course halfway through.

By the time he had finished with his purchase, people had finally stopped arriving. Ed's eyes widened as he saw the amount of people who had gathered. The crowd – most of whom Ed didn't recognise – nearly filled up the whole of the bookshop, filling in the spaces like an overenthusiastic patch of Devil's Snare.

Ron and Harry came in last. Harry looked like he could sink in the floor and disappear while Ron gave Ed a sheepish glance. Ed, in turn, directed his bewildered stare to Hermione.

"Err… Hermione…" Ed whispered. "This isn't a few people."

For the first time, Hermione seemed to notice that half the school seemed to have arrived.

"Well," she admitted. "A bit more than a few." She gestured over to Harry and Ron, who slid down the edge of the store to the front. It didn't take long; everyone moved out the way for Harry, leaving a clear path for him to walk, and Ron walked behind. Ed set down the books down on the faded carpet by his feet so that he could concentrate on the meeting.

"Err," Hermione said, then coughed once to clear her throat. "Well…er…hi." The chatter stopped instantly and the whole group turned its attention to her. Surrounded by Hogwarts students, she looked smaller than usual.

"We were thinking about how this year's Defence Against the Dark Arts… isn't up to scratch," Hermione started. "Combined with recent events and the dangers it presents, we have decided that it would be best to take matters into our own hands."

"So is it true then?"

A sharp voice interrupted Hermione and she turned to the speaker, flustered. It was a blond boy from Hufflepuff (going by his bright yellow scarf) with a look of mild curiosity plastered across his pale face.

"Who are you?" Ed asked bluntly. The boy flashed a look of annoyance his way.

"Zacharias Smith," he replied. He turned back to Harry. "Is it true?"

He was certainly resilient. Ed admired his guts for sticking to his guns when it had been obvious for months now that Harry was in no mood to answer. Harry looked torn between answering and walking out. After a long, drawn out moment of hesitation, he took a deep breath.

"What is?" he said, quietly.

"That you fought You-Know-Who?"

It was then that Ed noticed the glimmer of panic in Harry's eye. He would have missed it if he hadn't seen an expression similar in the mirror, in the days he was still recovering from the shock of Scar's attack, of being so close to death he had felt it brush passed him.

"That's none of your business," Ed said, loudly.

"What makes it your business? You've only known him for a month," Smith shot back.

"He's my friend," Harry said. Surprised, Ed forgot how to speak for a second. After spying on him for a full month, Harry had final decided to trust him. Even though he still didn't know where he was actually from. Ed had underestimated his own social skills.

His expression now suspiciously neutral, Harry turned to the others in the room.

"If… if you're here just to hear what happened last year… then Dumbledore's already told you," he said. "But I saw him. Voldemort is back."

The whole group flinched. Neville nearly knocked over a book shelf. The owner of the store was so frozen in her shock that she didn't tell him off. Ed frowned at the reaction; he had heard Voldemort's name was taboo but most of these students hadn't been alive at the time and had no reason to be quite so jumpy about it.

Although Fudge's insane attempts to deny Voldemort's return did make more sense, now that Ed was aware of the almost irrational amount of fear that the wizarding world had of his existence. It was as though he was a god whose name was enough to bring misfortune.

"But Dumbledore only said part of the story," Smith continued, once he had recovered.

"Look," Harry cut in darkly. "If you're not happy, then go."

Smith looked outraged for second. He glanced at the door as though he was about to leave, but having obviously decided against it, he gritted his teeth and sank lower in to his chair. He did not talk again.

"As I was saying," Hermione said quickly, coming in front of Harry, "Voldemort is back..." (another flinch from the crowd) "-and we need a way to defend ourselves."

She took a deep breath. When she continued, her voice was steadier.

"So we thought of making a study group, so we can combine our knowledge and, more importantly, have a chance to practice using it. And also…" (Ed didn't miss how her voice became stronger) "-learn from people with actual experience." Hermione gave Harry an enthusiastic glance.

There was deafening silence. For a moment Ed was sure one of them was going to laugh, before storming out and going straight to Umbridge, but then the tension disappeared. Nods went around the group. A few bright smiles were shot there way.

"Hear, hear!" Fred and George Weasley said in unison and Ed distinctively heard Neville repeat it in a whisper.

Although Ed could spot a few people looking very shifty, that could hardly be helped. It wasn't like they could do anything, seeing how they weren't breaking any specific school rules – Hermione had even checked.

After that the discussion turned to whether they could fit it in-between Quidditch practice (because to many wizards, Quidditch was more important than a rampaging Dark Lord). It was a while before they finally, they agreed to send a message round to everyone when it was decided.

"I think everyone should sign their name down on a piece of paper," Hermione suggested, pushing forward a blank sheet of parchment. "So we know who was here. If you sign, you're agreeing to keep this meeting from Umbridge or anyone else."

Hermione twisted open a bottle of ink and laid it open on the table. She dipped the quill in once, carefully wiped any excess ink on the side of the glass bottle and held out the quill. Taking it first, Ed signed his name with a quick flourish and Ron's name soon followed on the list. Ed noted how Hermione took extra effort in making sure that even those most unwilling (such as Zacharias Smith) had signed their names before leaving.

Slowly, the Hogwarts students left the pub in small groups until only Harry, Ron and Hermione remained with Ed.

"Thank you," Ed said to the shopkeeper. It wasn't every day that people held secret meetings in book shops. The shopkeeper gave a light smile and tapped her nose.

"I regard customer privacy very highly," she replied.

With that they walked out of the Tomes and Scrolls, Ed holding his pile of books now wrapped in paper and Hermione with a few volumes of her own.

As soon as Ed took a step out into the crisp autumn air, he remembered that he still had to get oil for his automail. Winery would kill him if he knew how much he was neglecting his leg. Despite the fact Dumbledore had cast a spell on it to make sure it couldn't get effected by Hogwart's magic, Ed could occasionally feel it give an odd twinge. The cold hardly helped.

"Do you know where to get machine oil?" Ed asked.

Hermione inclined her head.

"Try the magical repair shop," she said, pointing the building out along the road. Ed nodded.

"Thank you," he said.

-o0o-

It was evening and the crackle of the Gryffindor Common room fire was very much welcome after the long trip outdoors. Hermione peered over the book she had purchased at Hogsmeade to Ed, who was bent low over an Ancient Runes text while consulting a series of his own notes.

"Ed," Hermione said. He looked up and locked his golden eyes on her own. Under the intensity of the gaze, Hermione blushed.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you," she said. Ed looked down at his notes and blinked.

"No, its fine," he said, putting down his quill. "What is it?"

Hermione put down her book.

"It's just… your Alchemy… you never explained what happened on the Hogwart's Express…" she stuttered on her words, unsure where to start. The alchemy that Ed described was nothing like Hermione could find in the library and it confused her to no end. It was like he was describing some other magic and using the same name as the obscure branch of potions.

"No… it doesn't exist in that form in this world," he muttered, crossing his arms and sinking into thought.

The common room was silent and Hermione was the only one to have heard his comment.

"Ed, two weeks ago… as in, I didn't mean to be rude… but I saw your notes," Hermione said.

Even now she could see parallel worlds written out in Ed's sharp handwriting, circled thickly in a way that made it jump out against the yellow of the parchment. She had found it unbelievable, ludicrous even, but somehow the idea made a strange amount of sense.

The fact Ed was a wizard but seemed unable to cast the simplest spells. The gaps in his knowledge. How he had appeared in a flash of blue light.

Ed's stare was unblinking. A hundred thoughts seemed to flicker through his expressions before he finally sighed.

"Well," he laughed. "I've actually never been to Germany."

A giggle burst out of Hermione before she knew what she was doing. So he wasn't from Durmstrung. She had been right. The feeling was exhilarating.

The relief on Ed's face was clear. It was like a weight had been taken off of his shoulders and he sat straighter, a smile on his lips. Hermione couldn't imagine what it must be like to be thrown into a completely knew setting and unable to tell anyone about your situation (because in her mind, Ed must have had a very good reason to lie to them). She supposed it must be very lonely.

"So where are you from?" Hermione asked tentatively. Ed hesitated.

"I've been told not to tell you," Ed said. He sighed. "But what harm can it do? It isn't like Voldemort is going to burst in because I happen to be from a different world, right?"

Inter-world travel. A lot of wizards would kill to have a look at Ed. That was probably why he had stayed silent about it.

"So you are from a different world?"

Ed nodded. He looked a little vacant.

"I have a brother, called Al," he said softly. "He's determined and brave, but thoughtful too. You remind me of him."

He looked broken.

"You must have loved him a lot," Hermione said.

"I do," Ed said. "Which is why I have to get back to him, whatever the cost."

Hermione suddenly felt like she was intruding on something very private and personal. Being an only child, she had never truly understood what it was like to have a sibling. She grew up used to being alone, looking out for herself and achieving just her own goals. However, during her time at Hogwarts she had come to see Ron and Harry as people very close to her heart and she could empathise with the ache of being away from them.

"Ed, can I do anything to help?" Hermione asked.

Ed's gaze burned into her for what felt like forever. Then, a grateful smile on his lips, he turned the parchment in front of him ever so slightly so that Hermione could read it too.

Lots of changes here! Thank you to Cabbieforhire for pointing out that Hermione couldn't figure out Ed was from another world on her own.