Isabella and Luna pushed to the front of the crowd gathered before the Ravenclaw noticeboard.
"What's going on?" Isabella asked Anthony. He pointed to a large notice that covered most of the board.
BY ORDER OF THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS
All student organizations, societies, teams, groups, and clubs are henceforth disbanded.
An organization, society, team, group, or club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students.
Permission to re-form may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge)
No student organization, society, team, group or club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor.
And student found to have formed, or to belong to, an organization, society, team, group or club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled.
The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-four.
Signed: Dolores Jane Umbridge, High Inquisitor.
"Oh my," Luna said, finishing reading the notice. Isabella frowned and grabbed Cho's arm as she was heading off to breakfast.
"That can't mean Quidditch, can it?" Isabella demanded.
"Well, it does say team," Cho pointed out, clearly unhappy. "So I guess we have to, what was it? Oh yeah, 'seek permission to re-form'."
"Then do it quickly!" Isabella said. When she was upset, her accent got thicker and almost impenetrable. "We can't afford to lose practice time!"
"I'll go right away," Cho assured her.
"Bella!" she turned and saw Alex descending on her.
"What's the matter?" Isabella asked.
"That's what's the bloody matter!" the taller girl exclaimed pointing at the notice. "Bella, what about our study sessions?"
"What do you mean?" Alex, Morgan, Luna, and she usually met either in the library or the common room to do homework together. "That's not a club, is it?"
"It's a regular meeting of three or more students," Alex insisted.
"Christ!" Isabella smacked her forehead. "All we do is a little transfiguration and potions practice! I'm going to fail potion if she won't let us do that!"
"Look, we've got to go during lunch," Alex said, stepping through the door.
"Could you imagine McGonagall's face if I give her another whistle watch?" Morgan groaned.
Down in the Great Hall there was a buzz of talk and movement. Every member of every club was seeking each other out and speculating on whether Professor Umbridge would let them reform. Harry, Hermione, and Ron walked in and were immediately set upon by the other three Weasleys and a boy Isabella didn't know.
Terry, Anthony, and Michael also went over to the Gryffindor table, but were intercepted by Ginny.
"Well?" Isabella asked Terry who sat down across from her.
"We're in," the fifth year assured her.
"In what?" Morgan asked, forking up bacon. Luna and Isabella exchanged looks.
"How would you like a real Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Isabella asked, keeping her voice soft.
"That'd be great," Alex shrugged, buttering her toast. "But it's not like that's going to happen."
"What if an older student agreed to teach us?" Isabella said.
"A Ravenclaw?" Morgan asked. "A boy?"
"A Gryffindor boy," Luna corrected. "Harry Potter." Alex, who had been about to take a large bite out of her toast, lowered it.
"Come off it," she said. "No way Umbridge would let us."
"Umbridge doesn't have to know," Terry said, leaning forward slightly.
"But it's against the rules!" Alex argued. Isabella, Terry, and Luna made hushing movements.
"Forget the rules!" Morgan said, her eyes shining. "I'm in!"
"Come on, just one meeting," Isabella begged Alex.
"We could get expelled!" her friend hissed.
"If you go to one meeting," Isabella bargained. "I'll help you turn your crow into a water goblet." Alex fell silent. She had never quite managed to get her goblets perfect, they always ended up molting.
"Fine, one meeting," she said at last. "And if we're expelled, I'll kill you."
"That sounds very cheerful," a voice said. Terry and Alex jumped, Luna spilled a little pumpkin juice and Morgan gasped. Isabella looked up and smiled at Fred and George.
"Listen," George said, pulling out a rolled up poster. "Do you mind posting this in the Ravenclaw common room?" Isabella took it and unrolled it, revealing a bright advertisement.
"Skiving Snackboxes," she read. "Fainting Fancies, Fever Fudge, Nosebleed Nougats, and Puking Pastilles. Skip classes with fake illness, then eat the other half and enjoy your hour off." She grinned and looked up. "This is brilliant! You did this?"
"We blush to hear your praise," Fred said flamboyantly. Terry frowned at them, stirring his cereal morosely.
The owls began to swoop down, delivering the early morning post. Among them was a bottle green, vulture-like bird.
"Castro!" Isabella said, holding out her arm. The augury fluttered down and perched on it. He opened his mouth and gave a silent croak. Luna fed him bacon as she undid the letter tied to his leg.
"Harry reckons Umbridge is checking all our mail," Fred said, stealing a doughnut from a tray.
"I don't think she could read Bella's mail," Morgan said mysteriously. Isabella laughed as she opened the letter and showed to to Fred and George.
"What the bloody hell does that say?"
"It'll take me a few hours to figure it out," Isabella told them. "I have to translate it from Gaelic to Italian."
"Do all your letters come like this?" George asked, looking over it.
"No, only the ones from Mami and Papi," Isabella said, stroking Castro's wings. "Fly up to the dorm, I've got a letter for you to take to Grandfather." Castro finished the bacon and took off.