"Hem, hem."
Ginny mimicked Umbridge so perfectly that half the room burst into laughter, the sound bouncing off the pub's low rafters.
"Weren't we just discussing how often to meet?"
"Right," Hermione said, seizing the moment. "Here's what we'll do—we'll find a proper place to practice. Once we've settled on the time and location for our first meeting, we'll send word to everyone."
She dug through her bag, parchment rustling as she pulled out a roll and a slightly ink-stained quill. Then she paused, her fingers tightening around the quill like she was bracing herself.
"I—I want everyone to write their name on this. So we know who was here today." She took a breath that seemed to cost her something. "And we should all agree not to spread word about this outside the group. So once you sign, you're promising not to tell Umbridge or anyone else what we're doing."
Fred snatched the parchment first, scrawling his signature with theatrical flair. George and Ginny followed suit, their quills scratching quickly across the page. But several others hesitated, exchanging uncertain glances.
"Well... I suppose we are prefects..." Ernie Macmillan said, his voice trailing off. "I mean, if Umbridge found the list..."
"Ernie, do you really think I'd leave it lying around for her to find?" Hermione snapped, spots of color rising in her cheeks.
"No, no, of course not—all right, I'll sign."
After Ernie, the parchment made its rounds without further protest. Though Orli caught Cho Chang's friend shooting her a venomous look before adding her name. When the last person—the Ravenclaw boy who'd peppered them with questions—finally signed, Hermione tucked the parchment carefully into her bag's innermost pocket. Something shifted in the room's atmosphere, as if they'd just sealed a pact in blood rather than ink.
"We gave you several chances to leave earlier," Orli said, her voice cutting through the murmurs. "No one took them. Now that everyone's signed—" Her gaze swept across the group, sharp as broken glass, "—we're sharing the risk together. If someone betrays us, they'll pay a price. This protects the majority."
Hermione looked like she wanted to soften the words. Neville squirmed in his seat. The questioning Ravenclaw and Cho's friend had gone pale as parchment. But Orli wasn't finished:
"If anyone tells Umbridge about today—through gossip, anonymous letters, whatever method—aside from the contractual consequences, I'll personally ensure they learn that my potions are a hundred times more effective than any Defense Against the Dark Arts spell."
"Are you threatening to poison us?" Another Ravenclaw boy who'd been silent until now shot to his feet. "Waters, Trelawney predicted you'd bury us all, and everyone knows you're mixed up with Slytherins. Maybe you're the one we should be watching—"
"Langlock."
Orli's wand moved before he'd finished speaking. The spell hit him square in the mouth. His tongue sealed itself to his palate mid-word, trapping the rest of his accusation in his throat. His eyes went wide with shock and fury.
"Consider that spell a gift from our first meeting." Orli smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes, tapping her wand against her palm in a steady rhythm. "Simple to learn—practice it a few times and you'll master it. Effect, as demonstrated: tongue glued to the roof of the mouth for thirty minutes. Quite useful for silencing people and preventing them from casting spells. Though naturally, it won't stop nonverbal magic."
The room had gone deathly quiet. Even the twins looked impressed.
"Anyone else have concerns they'd like to voice?" Orli asked pleasantly.
No one spoke.
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