A/N beta by MagicInTheStars 8/31/17
Narcissa Malfoy was at her vanity as she prepared herself for the social ball (this one being one of the charity events she had not been to in many years). To say she had been enjoying herself would be the understatement of a lifetime. The January Ball was nothing special. Snape made it enjoyable but nothing happened that was noteworthy.
Valentine's day was another matter, not only did Snape make it a great night but they also had information. Mistress Yuchina, leader of the war mages, would be at the charity balls and the witches coven. Narcissa had orders to get close as possible.
She dressed herself in a beautiful open backed gown that was black with red trim and a set of heels. As she stood and looked in the full body mirror, she smiled. Since she had been 'sold' to Severus, she had grown stronger and people could see how she walked with more power and beauty then she had since she was married.
She also felt better about herself.
She left with orders to give generously and get close to her target when she walked out the door of her former home (even though she spent any time she could at Severus's she was required to keep her stuff at the manor). Snape stood there waiting and they walked down the stone drive in silence.
Before they apparated to the ball Snape looked at her,
"They won't be easy to get to, your husband has a history and this will be the first time I will attend where Dumbledore won't be there."
"I can handle a hostile crowd," she replied calmly.
They jumped and landed at the beginning of a long drive leading to a manor.
"How is the school?" she asked in small talk.
"I am sure it is chaos now, Potter unleashed the Weasleys last night," Snape replied and smiled mostly because he wasn't there.
"And class?" she asked.
"Without me hampering them, most of the students have shown great improvement."
"And Draco?" she asked.
"Did not inherit your skills." Snape replied, "He grows more like his father everyday."
"I am not surprised," she replied and fixed her features as they entered the Manor.
First stop was to make the donation. After placing the voucher in the basket, Snape and Narcissa walked together. Even though Snape had been here before, he had never been here without Albus. As far as he was concerned, both he and Narcissa were 'virgins' to this social event. For the first hour they watched, chatted when someone approached, and kept all talk common and friendly. But Narcissa saw it as well as Snape, they were being watched.
"Is this normal?" she whispered.
"No," he replied. "Relax and slowly move to that doorway to the left."
As the two moved, it finally dawned on them who was watching them. Everyone that was in the ballroom slowly moved to follow Snape and her. They were in enemy territory and out numbered. Making it to said door was more frightening than planned and as they went through they could feel the eyes on their necks.
"Mr. Snape," was the greeting as they entered the small parlor.
Both frozen, looking to the side they found a woman sitting in one of the chairs, two body guards behind her.
"Madam Yuchina," Snape replied nodding his head towards her.
The woman stood, she was dressed in a fine blue with gold trim kimono. Narcissa was shocked she was taller then the Asian woman, but Yuchina radiated a power, skill, and confidence that humbled the Malfoy wife.
"No Dumble?" Yuchina asked a small smirk on her lips.
"Not this time, may I introduce..." Snape started.
"Wife of a Death Eater need no introduction to me," Yuchina replied and looked right into Narcissa's eyes.
Narcissa froze, Lucius had spent millions covering his name, 'proving' his innocence, and right here and now she realized, it was all for nothing. The leader of the largest group of dark wizard catchers, or better, killers, on the planet knew her husband was a Death Eater.
"How are her shields?" Yuchina asked.
"As good as mine," Snape replied and looked at Narcissa with a smile.
"I am looking for friends and allies," Yuchina started. "We wish to remove the barriers that keep my mages out of England. We already have troops in most of the European nations. We know he is back, I have a agent here in England and during last summer he checked out the graveyard. Is that enough info to please him?" she asked the last question pulling Narcissa out of her shock.
"This was a set up?" Narcissa asked looking around and seeing a large number of the guests were at the doorway watching.
"Yes and no," Yuchina replied. "The normal charity event is being held at the other end of the house. The moment I learned you, Narcissa, was going to be here, I decided I wished to meet you and staged this private get together."
Narcissa looked back at her and motioned to the large group of watchers, "Private?"
"My regiment, they are all mages in my battle regiment," Yuchina smiled. "Dance, enjoy the ball. Relax, add hours of mindless moments for him to shift through before he learns of what I told you. Oh, and everything I did tell you is true," Yuchina added.
"And my donation?" Narcissa asked.
"Will go to the correct fund. Return to the correct ball. Alone. Let people see you. Snape stay," she ordered him as she dismissed Narcissa.
Narcissa just looked at Snape who nodded and gave a small smile before she walked out of the parlor.
That night Narcissa and Snape kneeled before the Dark Lord and gave their report.
"It seems all Lucius's efforts were in vain if the battle mages know," The lord spoke.
"Yes my Lord," Snape replied.
"Narcissa you are dismissed,"
She stood bowed and left.
"Suggestions Severus?"
"Does my Lord still plan to attack the Department of Mysteries?" Snape asked.
"I do,"
"Then all we can do is win fast, and then try and take the ministry quickly. It must be done fast and quiet, both attacks." Snape spoke.
"When should we attack, in your option Severus?"
"June my Lord, during the time students take their OWL's and NEWT's. The Ministry is always chaotic, wondering how their kids have done, working on applications from the students finishing their final year of school. They always drop their guard during testing time." Snape replied.
Harry had planned for this time as it seem traditional for all problems to happen at the end of the year, but he did encourage Snape to add a push to it seeing as the Death Eaters would be healthy before that time.
"Agreed. It leaves me with two and a half months for me to plan and for you and Narcissa to gather more information. Dismissed." The Lord said not just to Snape but to everyone in the room.
The next morning at breakfast, the fun started. Upon entering the great hall, everyone's robes and clothes changed color. Gryffindors were tie dye green and yellow, 'Puffs were orange and blue, Ravenclaws had a deep shade of red and black, but the Slytherins, they had Black and White striped (prisoner robes).
Everyone had to eat with their hands 'cause the silverware stood up, formed a long line along each table, and performed four massive can-can-dance lines down the tables and out the front door. Somewhere there was the music for said dance playing in the background.
It was unorganized and chaotic. Umbridge hated it and was bouncing from one table to the next, trying to fix it. When she asked the professors to help they replied, 'this does not fall under requirements for my class.'
"If you find proof this was done with a potion, call for me," Snape spoke as he turned and left the hall.
"Or charms," Flitwick added before leaving.
"Or Transfiguration," McGonagall finished and ushered the students to their classes.
As a unspoken rule, no professor mentioned the strange outfits during their classes. They just went along as planned. Only the Slytherins (Draco's crew) made any effort to complain. The rest of the houses couldn't wait for what was next.
(Everyone knew it was Fred and George, but no one could prove it.)
At diner that night, Umbridge finally finished correcting all the robes and sat in the headmaster's seat, tired and exhausted. She went to grab a fork, only for the silverware to again dance down the tables and out of the great hall, this time doing a 'swing dance'
As everyone (except the idiot squad and Umbridge) laughed and started eating with their hands, (Umbridge never noticed how everything served that night was in fact 'finger food') the final fun began.
The firework show lasted three days, Umbridge had been run ragged as she went from classroom to classroom putting out fires and chasing stray rockets and cleaning up the mess.
The Lions, Badgers, and Ravens took the chaos in stride, but the Snakes, they were going nuts. Half the house was trying to figure out how they did it 'cause no one could identify whether it was potions, charms, of transfigurations, or a combination of the three.
The other half was desperate to find a way to help the headmistress in hopes of earning rewards and to end the bedlam.
Joseph had a handle on his house.
(Walking into the Great Hall with long Bubble gum pink hair and acting as if nothing was wrong relaxed 90% of the snakes and actually taught the house of Slytherin how to take a joke with good humor.)
The hallways were decorated with pictures of Umbridge chasing fireworks only to end up being chased by them. All the desks in the classrooms were turned into toadstools. The students had no trouble doing their work on them, so no teacher had trouble with their class except the toad herself. She spent so much time dispelling or trying to dispel the pranks that she really had not gotten any work done.
The chaos ended April fourth, the day before Easter break started, with a second firework show. Though these seemed to know to 'just end' as soon as Easter break started the next morning.
The enemies of Umbridge, ninety percent of the school, had requested to return home for the holiday, which rarely happened.
Joseph was the only member of his House not in Umbridge's pocket that sat at his table. The idiot squad looked on him as a predator does it's prey.
Joseph looked around and noticed all the teachers had left or were leaving. Umbridge was hiding in her office.
Twenty Minutes later Joseph went out the doors of the Great Hall, leaving the majority of his victims knocked out. Those that were still awake chose, at that moment, to never challenge Joseph the Beast again. He owned Slytherin House.
The four days that was Easter break was rather quiet. Bill finally announced that he and Fleur were dating, Charlie was back from the reserve, and the twins had not been seen till the Sunday morning after Harry, Ginny, Snape, Sirius, and Remus had returned from visiting Harry's parents.
As everyone gathered around the massive table at Potter Manor for Easter dinner, very few words were spoken as everyone tucked into their meal. As they finished, everyone relaxed and sat back, or more accurately they waited and watched Harry.
Potter was in fact sitting with his eyes closed, a smirk on his face as he waited for the first to finally break.
"Ok Harry, what is the plan?" Sirius finally asked after fifteen minutes of silence.
Harry held out his hand and the table started handing over coins.
"Need to work on that patience, puppy," Papa C smiled.
"You bet against me?" Sirius asked Harry with a look of betrayal.
"It was a random pool," Remus replied.
"So it is Sunday, when do you plan your grand finale?" Harry asked as he looked at the twins.
"Friday just after last class finishes," they replied with a smile.
"Why not wait till the end of the school year?" Molly asked she was still on the fence about the joke shop and wanted her babies to get through school first.
"We won't be there," the twins replied again smiling.
"YOU WILL NOT BE DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL," Molly started her rehearsed lecture. "YOU WILL FINISH YOU TESTS AND BE CERTIFIED WIZARDS!"
Everyone broke out laughing, this by itself broke Molly's train of thought as she looked around. Fred and George just stood up and handed her each a piece of parchment.
On them were their NEWT scores, even for the classes they hadn't taken. An O in potions and charms and an E in everything else.
Molly was speechless the twins were grinning ear to ear as they finally pulled the wool from over their mother's eyes.
Arthur took his wife to bed after a quick good night, the rest followed suit.