#olssm

The walk down to the Great Hall was quiet and peaceful. The majority of the school wasn’t fully up yet. It was one of the reasons Ryou like being up and out of the dormitory early. It wasn’t something he made a daily routine out of…but it was nice to beat the rush through the Grand Staircases at least a few times a week.

It also meant that he got first pick of a spot along the Gryffindor Table, before all the choice pastries were gone. Breakfast had only just started, and not even all of the staff were up at the High Table yet.

”And you think this is right?” Umbridge shot back, “the boy instigated a fight with an Auror and rather than punish him, you just want to take his side and allow him to leave?” ”He was supposed to leave,” said Professor McGonagall, “as part of his agreements with Professor Dumbledore. We, as wizards, upended his life to try and mitigate a threat from You-Know-Who. His sporadic weeks of leave was a compromise for his safety. And not only did the Ministry fail to keep him safe, the amount of effort on their part to rectify their errors and do better has been appalling."

2.

Professor Sprout took a sip of her pumpkin juice and glanced towards the main doors exiting the Great Hall. A small herd of students had gathered near it, almost blocking the way in. “I wonder how enforceable it is. It is one thing to grant access from the common rooms to the library after hours, but we don’t want anyone wandering the corridors at….”

She pursed her lips. “…What is going on out there?”

“Hm?” Umbridge said, and followed her gaze. The crowd at the other end of the hall grew a little larger from those who gave up trying to fight the herd to get out. “Is that…shouting I hear?”

Professor Sprout squinted out, to hear over the Great Hall’s normal noise level. “I…maybe?”

Umbridge huffed and shot to her feet, with Professor McGonagall only seconds behind her. “Well! I thought it was engrained in their heads by now that fighting in the corridors was not allowed.”

She stormed up the row between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. “Move! Stand aside, let me through!”

The narrow space between the house tables didn’t leave much room for people to step out of her way, and she passed both Weasley children nearer to the middle of the pack. Potter and the rest of their troublesome friends were nowhere to be found. Strange, but that at least meant that this had to be some sort of mundane problem. Easy to stop, and then she could go on with her day.

Probably just two third-years having a spat.

Quite possibly so, after she saw the flash of red light from out in the Entrance Hall.

When she finally pushed her way through the line of Slytherin girls at the front of the crowd, it became instantly clear that it was not two third-years having a fight.

She wished it were.

It was, of course, none other than Seto Kaiba, wand out and in a standoff with Travers.

“What in Merlin’s name…” she heard Professor McGonagall hiss from behind her, and then she brushed past and out into the hall.