Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the characters and HP's World. I am playing with them.
Swamped, the Story behind the Story
Dark times took over the day that Dolores Umbridge became the Defense of Dark Arts Professor. After Harry's first detention with her he had come back to the Gryffindor Common Room and told them only about the "crazy cat lady" but not of his torture. Everyone knew that something was wrong, but he refused to tell. He was afraid that it would only get worse. Filch was in seventh heaven and was no fan of sparing the rod. He wanted to reinstall not only corporal punishment but torture.
Fred and George were also targets of Professor Umbridge. To them she reminded them of a toad dressed in her horrible pink robes the color of the wintergreen candies that Headmaster Dumbledore gave out from time to time when he was out of lemon drops. With her weird bobbed hairdo and the stupid pink bow in it she reminded them of a bad hair day in the 1960s as illustrated in muggle fashion book that Ginny found.
As time went by and more and more edicts were handed out the restlessness of the student body grew. By the time that she had usurped Dumbledore as Headmaster, the only people in the castle who liked her were those Slytherins who were power hungry and Filch. The remaining teachers were in silent revolt against the "Ministry puppet". The day she discovered that the Headmaster's Office was sealed against her all hell broke loose. Detentions became more numerous and frequent, the punishments were more severe. She swore that she would get in there if it was the last thing she did.
Fred and George knew it was time to strike while she was distracted. One of the first pranks they played involving her lack of entry into the Headmaster's Office was to create a fake door that opened not into the Office but the third floor boys' bathroom. Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were very impressed and said that there had to be cooperation from the castle for that kind of magic and pranking to work when "Headmistress" Umbridge called them in to examine the wall to see what was wrong. (Either would have been able to tell her that the entrance to the Headmaster's Office was not through an ornate wood door, but behind the eagle statue, but nobody wanted to help "Her Stupidness" as she was called by the other teachers behind her back.)
Being a twin was the coolest thing on earth thought Fred. He had a constant companion and helpmate in any pranking at all times. They could do whatever they wanted singly and nobody was quite sure whether he or George was to blame. His whole goal in life was to open a joke shop in Diagon Alley with his brother, George. That is why he and George had made the bet with Ludo Bagman at the Quidditch World Cup. They thought that they would get the grubstake for their dream. They lost since they were paid in Leprechaun gold, it vanished soon after receiving it from Bagman. Harry had backed their venture as a silent partner with the winnings from the Triwizard Tournament.
On the other hand George wanted to be different sometimes. He was glad that he had his twin brother as his closest friend, but he still wanted his space. He was known to tell people, "We might be born the same, look the same, but we're two different people still." His whole goal in life was to open a joke shop in Diagon Alley with his brother, Fred. That is why he was so pleased Harry had backed their venture as a silent partner with the winnings from the Triwizard Tournament.
Molly Weasley on the other hand wanted the twins to finish school and then go to work for the Ministry of Magic like their father and older brother. She was a woman without imagination the boys would tell each other from time to time and anyone who would listen when they felt she was stifling their ingenuity.
As the times grew darker at Hogwarts, the punishments grew greater and meaner. They were handed out with a viciousness that had no place in an establishment where children were housed and taught. The punishment was now being handed out like hang-over potions after a Gryffindor-Quidditch-win-against-Slytherin party—plentiful, with seconds and thirds available. When stress level was at pitch peak they decided that they would be leaving on a high note. In potions they were not paying attention to Professor Snape, but trying to figure out what charms would be required to create the swamp for the entrance hall. The conundrum was to create an environment that could not be removed by usual means. George accidently dropped the paper with the plan of the swamp on it as he was putting it into his book bag. When the paper was picked up from the floor after they had exited the classroom, Professor Snape was intrigued. This just might work. He scribbled a couple of notes on the bottom of the page.
Then he added a personal note, "If you need potion ingredients, Professor Snape will not be in his office or laboratory from eight to nine o'clock tonight. Take all of the ones on the shelf marked 'swamp project' after moving your wand in an infinity pattern three times and saying the password 'toad removal'. The recipe is on the back and there will be nobody patrolling the third floor girls' bathroom, better known as 'Moaning Myrtle's bathroom', which has been found to be a good place to brew illicit potions. For access to charms books in the restricted section of the library for the completion of the project Madam Pince will be with Professor Snape and you should be able to get in and out of the library unobserved between eight and nine o'clock tonight." The note was signed, "A wise man told me that those in need of help at Hogwarts, need only ask. I am pleased to be of service."
He carefully folded the missive and waited until all were seated for the evening meal. He made his way into the room and with a flick of his wrist the page lit on the top of George's book bag. Continuing forward he sat beside the Librarian. With a conspiratorial whisper he told her that things were about to take a turn for the better and would she take a turn around the Quidditch Pitch with him this evening at quarter to eight. He said he would explain then. He also whispered an invitation to Professors Flitwick and McGonagall to join the group. His theory was that once they were outside the castle walls, they could talk freely without being overheard, "After all the walls have ears, and who knows which corner could have a spy behind it."
Fred and George argued about whether the note was a trap or truly help. Fred decided to go to the Potions Lab and try his luck. George would go to the Library and then they would meet in Myrtle's Bathroom. As described in the message, the places denoted were unprotected. In fact the halls were eerily empty and they were able to quickly complete their missions in record time. Just as they were climbing the stairs to go back to their dorm from depositing the contraband in the bathroom, second stall from the back, they saw the hoards of Slytherins exiting the classroom where they had been meeting with "Headmonster" Umbridge. They quickly climbed the rest of the stairs and entered the space behind the portrait.
It seemed that the fates were on their side for the Advanced Charms lesson Professor Flitwick had prepared included a series of permanency and sticking charms some requiring the original caster or a specific number of casters to reverse. On the other hand Professor McGonagall's Advanced Transfiguration lessons included populating water bodies with wildlife made from stones, growing grasses from dust bunnies and turning statues into living cypress trees. Now they only needed time to create the masterpiece.
When the time came for the creation Peeves stepped up and created havoc in the area of Umbridge's quarters. The mess required Filch's cooperation in cleaning it up thus occupying both he and Umbridge for considerable time. The Slytherin prefects that were patrolling after hours just happened to be in another portion of the castle in fact none of their scheduled patrols took them anywhere near the entry hall.
You, of course, had heard of their exit and how they began Weasley's Wizard Wheezes (also known as WWW); now you know the story of the swamp and the reason why they were able to carry it off without meeting roadblocks on the way.
Round 2: QL Finals: Chaser 3 use phrase: he didn't quite know what to think of that picture; Prompts: (dialogue) "We might be born the same, look the same, but we're two different people still.", (word) examine, and (word) sparing
Hogwarts School, Assignment #9, Major and Minor Arcana: Attainment of a long held dream/ aspiration.