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'I'm not saying what she did was sensible；' said Hermione； as Ginny joined them； just as muddy as Ron and looking equally disgruntled。 'I'm just trying to make you see how she was feeling at the time。'
'You should write a book；' Ron told Hermione as he cut up his potatoes； 'translating mad things girls do so boys can understand them。'
'Yeah；' said Harry fervently； looking over at the Ravenclaw table。 Cho had just got up； and； still not looking at him； she left the Great Hall。 Feeling rather depressed； he looked back at Ron and Ginny。 'So； how was Quidditch practice？'
'It was a nightmare；' said Ron in a surly voice。
'Oh e on；' said Hermione； looking at Ginny； 'I'm sure it wasn't that …'
'Yes； it was；' said Ginny。 'It was appalling。 Angelina was nearly in tears by the end of it。'
Ron and Ginny went off for baths after dinner； Harry and Hermione returned to the busy Gryffindor mon room and their usual pile of homework。 Harry had been struggling with a new star…chart for Astronomy for half an hour when Fred and George turned up。
'Ron and Ginny not here？' asked Fred； looking around as he pulled up a chair； and when Harry shook his head； he said； 'Good。 We were watching their practice。 They're going to be slaughtered。 They're plete rubbish without us。'
'e on； Ginny's not bad；' said George fairly； sitting down next to Fred。 'Actually； I dunno how she got so good； seeing how we never let her play with us。'
'She's been breaking into your broom shed in the garden since the age of six and taking each of your brooms out in turn when you weren't looking；' said Hermione from behind her tottering pile of Ancient Rune books。
'Oh；' said George； looking mildly impressed。 'Well … that'd explain it。'
'Has Ron saved a goal yet？' asked Hermione； peering over the top of Magical Hieroglyphs and Logograms。
'Well； he can do it if he doesn't think anyone's watching him；' said Fred； rolling his eyes。 'So all we have to do is ask the crowd to turn their backs and talk among themselves every time the Quaffle goes up his end on Saturday。'
He got up again and moved restlessly to the window； staring out across the dark grounds。
'You know； Quidditch was about the only thing in this place worth staying for。'
Hermione cast him a stern look。
'You've got exams ing！'
Told you already； we're not fussed about NEWTs；' said Fred。 The Snackboxes are ready to roll； we found out how to get rid of those boils； just a couple of drops of Murtlap essence sorts them； Lee put us on to it。'
George yawned widely and looked out disconsolately at the cloudy night sky。
'I dunno if I even want to watch this match。 If Zacharias Smith beats us I might have to kill myself。'
'Kill him； more like；' said Fred firmly。
That's the trouble with Quidditch；' said Hermione absent…mindedly； once again bent over her Runes translation； 'it creates all this bad feeling and tension between the houses。'
She looked up to find her copy of Spellman's Syllabary； and caught Fred； George and Harry all staring at her with expressions of mingled disgust and incredulity on their faces。
'Well； it does！' she said impatiently。 'It's only a game； isn't it？'
'Hermione；' said Harry； shaking his head； 'you're good on feelings and stuff； but you just don't understand about Quidditch。'
'Maybe not；' she said darkly； returning to her translation； 'but at least my happiness doesn't depend on Ron's goalkeeping ability。'
And though Harry would rather have jumped off the Astronomy Tower than admit it to her； by the time he had watched the game the following Saturday he would have given any number of Galleons not to care about Quidditch either。
The very best thing you could say about the match was that it was short； the Gryffindor spectators had to endure only twenty…two minutes of agony。 It was hard to say what the worst thing was： Harry thought it was a close…run contest between Ron's fourteenth failed save； Sloper missing the Bludger but hitting Angelina in the mouth with his bat； and Kirke shrieking and falling backwards off his broom when Zacharias Smith zoomed at him carrying the Quaffle。 The miracle was that Gryffindor only lost by ten points： Ginny managed to snatch the Snitch from right under Hufflepuff Seeker Summerby's nose； so that the final score was two hundred and forty versus two hundred and thirty。
'Good catch；' Harry told Ginny back in the mon room； where the atmosphere resembled that of a particularly dismal funeral。
'I was lucky；' she shrugged。 'It wasn't a very fast Snitch and Summerby's got a cold； he sneezed and closed his eyes at exactly the wrong moment。 Anyway； once you're back on the team …'
'Ginny； I've got a lifelong ban。'
'You're banned as long as Umbridge is in the school；' Ginny corrected him。 There's a difference。 Anyway； once you're back； I think
I'll try out for Chaser。 Angelina and Alicia are both leaving next year and I prefer goal…scoring to Seeking anyway。'
Harry looked over at Ron； who was hunched in a corner； staring at his knees； a bottle of Butterbeer clutched in his hand。
'Angelina still won't let him resign；' Ginny said； as though reading Harry's mind。 'She says she knows he's got it in him。'
Harry liked Angelina for the faith she was showing in Ron； but at the same time thought it would really be kinder to let him leave the team。 Ron had left the pitch to another booming chorus of 'Weasley is our King' sung with great gusto by the Slytherins； who were now favourites to win the Quidditch Cup。
Fred and George wandered over。
'I haven't even got the heart to take the mickey out of him；' said Fred； looking over at Ron's crumpled figure。 'Mind you： when he missed the fourteenth …'
He made wild motions with his arms as though doing an upright doggy…paddle。
'… well； I'll save it for parties； eh？'
Ron dragged himself up to bed shortly after this。 Out of respect for his feelings； Harry waited a while before going up to the dormitory himself； so that Ron could pretend to be asleep if he wanted to。 Sure enough； when Harry finally entered the room Ron was snoring a little too loudly to be entirely plausible。
Harry got into bed； thinking about the match。 It had been immensely frustrating watching from the sidelines。 He was quite impressed by Ginny's performance but he knew if he had been playing he could have caught the Snitch sooner： there had been a moment when it had been fluttering near Kirke's ankle； if Ginny hadn't hesitated； she might have been able to scrape a win for Gryffindor。
Umbridge had been sitting a few rows below Harry and Hermione。 Once or twice she had turned squatly in her seat to look at him； her wide toad's mouth stretched in what he thought had been a gloating smile。 The memory of it made him feel hot with anger as he lay there in the dark。 After a few minutes； however； he remembered that he was supposed to be emptying his mind of all emotion before he slept； as Snape kept instructing him at the end of every Occlumency lesson。
He tried for a moment or two； but the thought of Snape on top of memories of Umbridge merely increased his sense of grumbling resentment and he found himself focusing instead on how much he loathed the pair of them。 Slowly； Ron's snores died away； to be replaced by the sound of deep； slow breathing。 It took Harry much longer to get to sleep； his body was tired； but it took his brain a long time to close down。
He dreamed that Neville and Professor Sprout were waltzing around the Room of Requirement while Professor McGonagall played the bagpipes。 He watched them happily for a while； then decided to go and find the other members of the DA。
But when he left the room he found himself facing； not the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy； but a torch burning in its bracket on a stone wall。 He turned his head slowly to the left。 There； at the far end of the windowless passage； was a plain； black door。
He walked towards it with a sense of mounting excitement。 He had the strangest feeling that this time he was going to get lucky at last； and find the way to open it： he was feet from it； and saw with a leap of excitement that there was a glowing strip of faint blue light down the right…hand side： the door was ajar： he stretched out his hand to push it wide and …
Ron gave a loud； rasping； genuine snore and Harry awoke abruptly with his right hand stretched in front of him in the darkness； to open a door that was hundreds of miles away。 He let it fall with a feeling of mingled disappointment and guilt。 He knew he should not have seen the door； but at the same time felt so consumed with curiosity about what was behind it that he could not help feeling annoyed with Ron： if only he could have saved his snore for just another minute。
* * *
They entered the Great Hall for breakfast at exactly the same moment as the post owls on Monday morning。 Hermione was not the only person eagerly awaiting her Daily Prophet： nearly everyone was eager for more news about the escaped Death Eaters； who； despite many reported sightings； had still not been caught。 She g