A/N: Thanks to Moon Lantern, GeographicallyDisplaced, ChiyukiLuvs2Glomp and EpicSouls for reviewing/favouriting/following!
However, it seemed that the next day, the three friends were in for a shock. When they went down to the common room, Lottie noticed that there several people grouped around the noticeboard and on wandering over, she let out a cry of annoyance.
"What is it, Lottie?" Ariella asked, rushing over, but Lottie didn't even need to say anything. The answer was right there in front of her. "You've got to be joking!" she cried, for, there, in the middle of the board in big letters read: Educational Decree No.24. However, it wasn't the fact that there was yet another Educational Decree that was annoying them. No, it was what the Decree was, for it was stating that all clubs and societies were to be disbanded and they were to get permission from Umbridge herself to restart.
"There's no way she'll allow ours! Hermione's going to be furious. This can't be a coincidence," Ariella continued, flopping down into one of the armchairs in front of the long-burned out fire while they waited for Arcturus to come down.
"I know, she has eyes everywhere, but this is getting beyond ridiculous. It's like what Archie said the other day, she's soon going to have more power around here than Dumbledore himself!"
"What's wrong, you two? Your faces are as long as long as a fiddle." Ariella jumped at the sound of Arcturus' voice behind her.
"Don't do that! I nearly jumped out of my skin," she scolded as he came round to face them, a cheeky grin on his face.
"Tell me what's bothering you then."
"It's Umbridge. She's set up another Educational Decree," Lottie told him.
Arcturus sighed and sat down on the arm of Lottie's chair.
"What is it this time?" he asked. "Something bad I presume."
"All clubs are to be disbanded and permission must be asked from her to form them again. We'll never get away with it. We were just saying that she must have found out somehow. This is just too much of a coincidence with the fact the meeting was held on Saturday."
Arcturus pursed his lips in thought. "I agree with you," he said slowly. "But if this is true, we're going to have to tread very carefully. Harry and Ron will want to continue with it and knowing them, I'm sure they will probably persuade Hermione too. But it's just where to do it without being caught… Oh look, here they come now."
The three friends watched as Harry, Ron and Hermione went up to the noticeboard and Ariella bit her lip as her sister frowned and her two friends both rolled their eyes, their shoulders slumping.
"Perhaps I should go over and say something?" Ariella said, still watching them as they walked away from the noticeboard, deep in discussion.
However, before either one of her friends could answer, the trio had spotted them and headed over. Hermione spoke first.
"I'm assuming you've read the new notice?" she said.
"What are we going to do now? I mean, she's not going to let us do it, is she?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "What do you think? Of course she isn't! She already hates us as it is. The whole reason for the new rule was to stop something like this. The Ministry are scared of Dumbledore raising an army against them and it seems she's trying to stop that happening."
"That's stupid, Dumbledore would never do that!" Lottie chipped in.
"Yes, well Fudge seems to have got into his head that Dumbledore wants to be Minister of Magic and is raising an army to take over the Ministry."
Ariella bit her lip to stop herself from laughing out loud, whilst Lottie and Arcturus' jaws dropped open.
"Seriously?" Arcturus asked. "Why would he think that?"
"I expect it's to keep his mind off the topic of You-Know-Who since Dumbledore believes he's back, as do you and I, yet he doesn't want to hear it because he knows it's true and therefore is deploying tactics to continue ignoring it," Hermione said, matter-of-factly, only to be met with three confused looks. She sighed. "Pretty much, Fudge is using this to keep his mind off the fact You-Know-Who is back."
"Oh, I get it now. You could have said that in the first place, Mione, instead of confusing us all!" Ariella accused her sister.
"Yeah, well, sometimes I forget I'm talking to my sister who can't understand sophisticated language."
"Oi!" Ariella playfully punched her sister on the arm. "So how are we going to know when the first meeting is?"
"We'll find a way," she said, and with that, she walked away.
A couple of days later, Ariella was sitting with her roommates in the common room when Hermione came over to her and bent down to her ear.
"We've found somewhere to meet for Defence lessons. Seventh floor, opposite a portrait of Barney the Barmy being clubbed by the trolls, at eight o'clock, tonight. Can you remember that?"
Ariella blinked in surprise and turned round to her sister. "You've actually done it?" she asked in amazement.
"Yes, now keep your voice down! If Umbridge finds out…"
"Alright, alright, I get it. We'll be there."
"Good." And with that, Hermione walked off.
"She seemed in a bad mood," Arcturus commented as Ariella continued to stare after her sister.
Blinking, she turned back. "She's always moody." She lowered her voice. "But, they've found somewhere to meet for the Defence lessons. We're meeting on the seventh floor, opposite Barney the Barmy at eight, which means…" She looked up at the clock. "… We have five minutes before we need to go, because I have no idea where that portrait is on the seventh floor. Can you tell Lottie?"
Arcturus gave her a quick nod and then turned to whisper into his friend's ear. Lottie's face quickly turned into one of excitement as she heard before the three hastily excused themselves from the group.
"Do you think we need anything other than our wands?" Lottie asked as soon as they were out of earshot from the common room.
"No, Hermione would have said something if we did. Just stop worrying about it."
"But what if we–"
Ariella sighed, cutting her friend off. "We WON'T get caught, Lottie, don't worry. You're just being paranoid. Now, come on." She started pulling her friend out of the room until Lottie gave in and came willingly.
"Which way is it to the Seventh floor?" Arcturus asked as they mounted a staircase that started to swing round as they climbed up.
"Isn't our Charms classroom on the seventh floor? I haven't heard of the portrait Hermione mentioned though, so we'll just have to wander until we've found it," Ariella replied. "It's why I wanted to come early." She stepped off the staircase and onto the next that would take them up to their Charms classroom.
Upon getting there, they did as Ariella suggested, walking round and looking for the portrait of Barney the Barmy. It turned out they didn't even need to find it, for near to the picture was a huddle of Fifth-year Gryffindors who, after slyly looking around to check no one that shouldn't be around was there, entered through a large set of wooden doors.
"That must be it!" Lottie whispered excitedly into Ariella's ear. "And that portrait opposite must be Barney the Barmy."
"I expect it is, but we don't have time to look at it now, we'll be late, and I expect Barney will try and talk to us. He'll probably be one of those that rattles on for hours about things in 'his' day."
"I suppose so." Lottie sounded disappointed, but followed her two best friends as they walked through the double doors.