.We.shouldn.t.have.taken.the.stupid.subject.in.the.first.place,..said.Harry..
.Still,.at.least.we.can.give.it.up.now...
.Yeah,..said.Harry...No.more.pretending.we.care.what.happens.when.Jupiter.and.Uranus.get.too.friendly...
.And.from.now.on,.I.don.t.care.if.my.tea‐leaves.spell.die,.Ron,.die.‐.I.m.just.chucking.them.in.the.bin.where.they.belong...
Harry.laughed.just.as.Hermione.came.running.up.behind.them..He.stopped.laughing.at.once,.in.case.it.annoyed.her..
.Well,.I.think.I.ve.done.all.right.in.Arithmancy..she.said,.and.Harry.and.Ron.both.sighed.with.relief...Just.time.for.a.quick.look.over.our.star‐charts.before.dinner,
.then…..
When.they.reached.the.top.of.the.Astronomy.Tower.at.eleven.o.clock,.they.found.a.perfect.night.for.stargazing,.cloudless.and.still..The.grounds.were.bathed.in.silvery.moonlight.and.there.was.a.slight.chill.in.the.air..Each.of.them.set.up.his.or.her.telescope.and,.when.Professor.Marchbanks.gave.the.word,.proceeded.to.fill.in.the.blank.star‐chart.they.had.been.given..
Professors.Marchbanks.and.Tofty.strolled.among.them,.watching.as.they.entered.the.precise.positions.of.the.stars.and.planets.they.were.observing..All.was.quiet.except.for.the.rustle.of.parchment,.the.occasional.creak.of.a.telescope.as.it.was.adjusted.on.its.stand,.and.the.scribbling.of.many.quills..Half.an.hour.passed,
.then.an.hour;.the.little.squares.of.reflected.gold.light.flickering.on.the.ground.below.started.to.vanish.as.lights.in.the.castle.windows.wee.extinguished..
As.Harry.completed.the.constellation.Orion.on.his.chart,.however,.the.front.doors.of.the.castle.opened.directly.below.the.parapet.where.he.was.standing,.so.that.light.spilled.down.the.stone.steps.a.little.way.across.the.lawn..Harry.glanced.down.as.he.made.a.slight.adjustment.to.the.position.of.his.telescope.and.saw.five.or.six.elongated.shadows.movin.over.the.brightly.lit.grass.before.the.doors.swung.shut.and.the.lawn.became.a.sea.of.darkness.once.more..
Harry.put.his.eye.back.to.his.telescope.and.refocused.it,.now.examining.Venus.
.He.looked.down.at.his.chart.to.enter.the.planet.there,.but.something.distracted.him;.pausing.with.his.quill.suspended.over.the.parchment,.he.squinted.down.into.the.shadowy.grounds.and.saw.half.a.dozen.figures.walking.over.the.lawn..If.they.had.not.been.moving,.and.the.moonlight.had.not.been.gilding.the.tops.of.their.heads,.they.would.have.been.indistinguishable.from.the.dark.ground.on.which.they.walked..Even.at.this.distance,.Harry.had.a.funny.feeling.he.recognised.the.walk.of.the.squattest.of.them,.who.seemed.to.be.leading.the.group..
He.could.not.think.why.Umbridge.would.be.taking.a.stroll.outside.after.midnight,.much.less.accompanied.by.five.others..Then.somebody.coughed.behind.him,.and.he.remembered.that.he.was.halfway.through.an.exam..He.had.quite.forgotten.Venus.s.position..Jamming.his.eye.to.his.telescope,.he.found.it.again.and.was.once.more.about.to.enter.it.on.his.chart.when,.alert.for.any.odd.sound,.he.heard.a.distant.knock.which.echoed.through.the.deserted.grounds,