A/N: This one is a bit short, I know. The next one will be longer.

I channeled a bit of Sassy Gay Friend towards the second half here. All I could think when I wrote this was "Slow down, crazy. Slow down."

And I used a couple more direct Quotes from OotP, but I tried to not use it as a crutch and integrate it into the story.

Enjoy!

On Monday morning, I came down the stairs from the dormitories to find a crowd of students around the notice board in the common room. There was a large sign covering up everything else, and I found an opening in the mass of students that gave me a vantage point from which to read it:

Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four

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.

Any student found to have formed, or 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

My jaw dropped. She knew! But how was that even possible? She definitely hadn't been in the Hog's Head, and I didn't want to think that anyone had told her. I felt the twins come up behind me and read the notice.

"No way," George said, in disbelief.

I turned to him. "Who do you think told her?"

He shook his head. "It's anyone's guess. Although if you ask me, it was that Smith kid. He was a complete arse, wasn't he?"

"Let's go find Harry," Fred suggested. "We'll ask him what's going on."

George and I agreed, and we hurried down to the Great Hall. Once there, the scene was even more chaotic than usual. Students were running back and forth between the House tables conferring about the news. I saw Ivy about halfway down the Hufflepuff table. We made eye contact, and I mouthed I'll tell you in a minute!, pointing to Harry. She nodded.

We hurried over to the Gryffindor table and were joined by Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, and the twins' sister, Ginny as we approached Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Did you see it?"

"D'you reckon she knows?"

"What are we going to do?"

We all looked expectantly at Harry, who looked around before answering quietly. "We're going to do it anyway, of course."

"Knew you'd say that," George grinned.

I nodded, and watched as Hermione got very upset as a few members from our meeting from other houses started to come over to the Gryffindor table. She shooed them away, not wanting to look suspicious. I bit my lip, looking over at Ivy. I didn't want anyone to suspect that something was going on, but at the same time, there were students running left and right. One more Gryffindor probably wouldn't be noticed.

"I'll be back in a minute," I said to no one in particular, and hurried over to where Ivy was. I took a seat next to her, feeling very out of place at the Hufflepuff table.

"What's going on?" She asked, in a hushed voice. She looked worried.

"Harry says that we're still doing it. But it has to be a secret."

She nodded. "Did he say when?"She asked, and offered me a piece of toast.

I took it, and had a bite before answering. "No, he didn't…But I'm sure it will be soon. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything."

"Alright," She replied. "Does anyone have an idea of how Umbridge found out?"

"None whatsoever," I replied. "I don't know if someone told her, or what."

She glanced around nervously. "I don't think anyone there would have told."

"Neither do I," I agreed. "But what else could have happened?"

She shrugged. We sat in silence for a minute, thinking. I finished my toast and took another piece. Finally Ivy stood up, swinging her bag over her shoulder.

"I better be going…my first class starts soon."

"Okay," I replied, standing up too. "I should probably go, too."

We walked out of the Hall together, and up the marble staircase. I was very aware of her presence next to me, especially after my conversation with Katie on Saturday night and the ensuing thoughts on Sunday.

We got to the Charms corridor. "Well, see you later, then." She said, attempting a smile, although I could tell that she was still nervous.

"Yeah…see you."

And then, something very odd happened. She blushed and gave me a quick hug, before turning around and hurrying to her classroom. I stayed rooted to the spot, happily stunned and confused. What the hell was that about?

Ivy.

This was the only thought in my head that day. I thought about the way that she smiled at me. I thought about how comfortable I felt around her. I thought about how sad I was every time she had to leave.

She was funny. The twins could make me laugh, but not like her. There was something different. Something about her that I really liked…and wanted more of.

She was cute. More than cute. Attractive. I wanted to be close to her, to hold her and touch her and have her hands all over me—

Stop.The voice in my head was firm. Just stop.This is mad. You've known her for a week and a half. There's no way that you could be falling in love with her. There's no way that you could like her more than a friend. You don't even like girls that way! Remember when you kissed George, at the Yule Ball?

Of course I remembered kissing George at the Yule Ball. He couldn't find a date, and neither could I, so we went together. It was just a casual…or so I thought. Most of the night was a blur, but I know that after a couple of fire whiskeys, George and I had ended up on one of the secluded benches in the garden. And wasn't it great?

No. It wasn't a horrible experience, but it wasn't what I had been expecting. And it had been hard to wake up the next morning and try to explain to him that this did not make us a couple. He's been careful around me ever since, as if he regrets it. And I would never tell him, but I regret it, too.

And something like that would ruin your friendship with Ivy, too!

Why was I so good at arguing? Why could I always find a way to refute a point?

I was right. Regardless of how I felt, I couldn't tell Ivy, and I couldn't act on it. She probably would never speak to me again. It was a miracle that George and I were still friends, and our situation wasn't even half as bad as where I would be if I kissed Ivy. There's no way that she could feel the same.

Or could she?

No. Just because you want her to, does not mean that she does.

I sighed. I knew that Ivy would never fall for me, but at that moment, I still wanted her to...more than anything.