A/N Next chapter, as promised, and I hope you all enjoy it! :) R&R xxx

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Career Advice

The Easter Holidays started with the usual: Hermione made revision timetables for the four of them, making Amara colour-code them depending on what the subject was, and criticising Ron and Harry for not revising sooner. The fifth-years had been given three times the amount of homework they usually got (which was a major amount usually) and it was getting to them slightly.

Hermione, whilst making the timetables (Amara was doing the colour-coding on the ones she'd finished) was interrogating Harry about why he was not having Occlumency lessons anymore. He had come to them that morning to tell them Snape was not doing them anymore, and Amara had wondered why.

"I've told you," Harry muttered to Hermione when she had asked about not having lessons once again. "Snape reckons I can carry on by myself now I've learnt the basics …"

"You've stopped having those weird dreams?" butted in Amara, rather curiously.

"Pretty much," said Harry, avoiding their eyes.

"Well, I don't think Snape should stop until you're absolutely sure you can control them!" said Hermione indignantly. "Harry, I think you should go back to him and ask —"

"No," said Harry forcefully. "Just drop it, Hermione, okay?"

It didn't help when Ron only just realised that they only had six weeks left to the exams. Hermione then gave him a rant about how-on-earth-he-hadn't-realised.

"How can that come as a shock?" Hermione demanded, as Amara put the colour-codes on the neat little squares Hermione had made.

"I dunno . . ." said Ron, watching Amara without interest, "there's been a lot going on. . . ."

"Well, there you are," Hermione said as Amara finished the charms and slid the timetable over the table towards the red-headed boy, "if you follow that you should do fine."

Ron looked down it gloomily, but then brightened.

"You've given me an evening off every week!"

"What?" Amara said, looking at her own. "I haven't!"

"Because that's for Quidditch practice," said Hermione.

The smile slid off Ron's face like melted butter.

"What's the point?" he said glumly. "We've got about as much chance of winning the Quidditch Cup this year as Dad's got of becoming Minister of Magic. . . ."

"Don't be hard on yourself," said Amara when no one else replied. "And Mr Weasley becoming Minister for Magic would be pretty great …"

"What's wrong, Harry?" said Hermione. Harry was staring blankly off into the wall and looked very preoccupied.

"What?" Harry said quickly. "Nothing . . ."

He seized his copy of Defensive Magical Theory and pretended to be looking something up in the index. It wasn't very convincing and the three of them exchanged concerned looks.

"I saw Cho earlier," said Hermione tentatively. They had, before dinner. Amara and Hermione had been walking together when they had seen the Ravenclaw walk past, looking sullen and not speaking. "and she looked really miserable too. . . . Have you two had a row again?"

"Wha — oh yeah, we have," said Harry.

"What about?"

"That sneak friend of hers, Marietta," said Harry.

"Yeah, well, I don't blame you!" said Ron angrily, setting down his revision timetable. "If it hadn't been for her . . ."

Ron went into a massive, rather violent rant about Marietta Edgecombe which none of them really paid much attention too, but were grateful that they had it all the same, because it made their anger ebb away slightly.

-OOOOO-

The holidays whizzed past in the same state as normal – Seamus howling that they never got a proper Easter … Mrs Weasley giving them massive Easter eggs (Amara actually got one this time) that had apparently been approved by Umbridge ("What's gonna be hidden inside them? A little army?" Ron had said as he had opened them) and Tessie coming up to her to moan that this was not what she wanted to do with her time. Amara told her severely of all the study the fifth years had, and Tessie decided that, after all, her life wasn't as bad as Amara's.

Before they got to the end of the holidays, the fifth years got another pressure: what jobs they were aiming for. Lots of pamphlets and leaflets all blazing with information about Wizarding careers appeared on the tables in the Gryffindor Common Room along with another notice on the noticeboard.

CAREER ADVICE

All fifth years will be required to attend a short meeting with their Head of House during the first week of the Summer term, in which they will be given the opportunity to discuss their future careers. Times of individual appointments are listed below.

The lists of the appointments were below. Scanning down, Amara saw that she had to go to Professor McGonagall's office at twelve o'clock on the next Monday, which meant she'd miss the last half of the double Potions lesson.

Amara had never thought about her future outside of Hogwarts before. She'd seen people get the jobs they loved: Jesse and Adrien had both got the jobs in the Ministry they wanted, Fred and George, once they were going to leave, had exactly what they wanted, even Percy had his dream job.

But Amara was stuck - what was she good at? Transfiguration, Charms and Ancient Runes were her strong points. What could she do with them? She didn't want to become an Auror like Ron and Harry, or do something like Hermione was going to do.

They spent a lot of time poring over the leaflets that were available to them, all of them brightly coloured and enticing them to join that particular job.

"Well, I don't fancy Healing," said Ron. He was immersed in a leaflet that carried the crossed bone-and-wand emblem of St. Mungo's on its front. "It says here you need at least an E at N.E.W.T. level in Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, and Defence Against the Dark Arts. I mean . . . blimey. . . . Don't want much, do they?"

"I'll take it,," Amara jerked the leaflet out of Ron's hands and flicking thought it eagerly. Healing. That's something she could do - she'd always help her mum when Ethan or Tessie needed a plaster or bandage, always interested to see what happened ... And Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Herbology and Defence Against the Dark Arts - she could do all those! She flicked through the leaflet as the others began speaking again. Amara paid them no mind as she began to read the leaflet. If she chose to be a Healer she'd have to go through two years training and one year assisting before she could become fully qualified. At the same time, she'd have to go through tests to see if she was capable and able to so the job. It sounded hard work but rewarding and Amara was finally relieved to have found something she could talk about during her meeting the next day.

"They want Arithmancy, though. . . ." Harry was saying as she resurfaced from the Healer leaflet and saw what the other guys were doing. Hermione was looking at a pamphlet about training security trolls (Amara didn't like the sound of that job) whilst Ron had found the Auror leaflet and Harry was reading a banking leaflet out loud to them. "You could do it, Hermione!"

"I don't much fancy banking," said Hermione vaguely.

"Hey," said a voice next to Harry. Amara looked up and saw that Fred and George had come to join them.

"Ginny's had a word with us about you," said Fred to Harry, stretching out his legs on the table in front of them and causing several booklets on careers with the Ministry of Magic to slide off onto the floor. Amara rescued her St. Mungo's leaflet at just in time front Fred's feet and glared at the boy in mention. "She says you need to talk to Sirius?"

"What?" said Hermione sharply, freezing with her hand halfway across the table.

"Yeah . . ." said Harry.

"Don't be so ridiculous," said Hermione, straightening up and looking at him as though she could not believe her eyes. Amara and Ron decided to stay out of it. "With Umbridge groping around in the fires and frisking all the owls?"

"Frisking?" Amara said but George cut through before Hermione could incinerate her with a glare.

"Well, we think we can find a way around that," he said, stretching and smiling. "It's a simple matter of causing a diversion. Now, you might have noticed that we have been rather quiet on the mayhem front during the Easter holidays?"

"What was the point, we asked ourselves, of disrupting leisure time?" continued Fred. "No point at all, we answered ourselves. And of course, we'd have messed up people's studying too, which would be the very last thing we'd want to do."

He gave Hermione a sanctimonious little nod. She looked rather taken aback by this thoughtfulness.

"But it's business as usual from tomorrow," Fred continued briskly. "And if we're going to be causing a bit of uproar, why not do it so that Harry can have his chat with Sirius?"

"Yes, but still," said Hermione with an air of explaining something very simple to a rather thick person, "even if you do cause a diversion, how is Harry supposed to talk to him?"

"Umbridge's office," said Harry quietly.

"Are — you — insane?" said Hermione in a hushed voice.

Ron and Amara had lowered their leaflet barrier which they had been hiding behind and stared at Harry and Hermione's 'talk'.

"I don't think so," said Harry, shrugging.

"And how are you going to get in there in the first place?" Hermione's demanded.

"Sirius's knife," Harry said.

"Excuse me?" Hermione said, her eyes still blazing.

"Christmas before last Sirius gave me a knife that'll open any lock," said Harry. "So even if she's bewitched the door so Alohomora won't work, which I bet she has —"

"What do you think about this?" Hermione demanded to Amara and Ron, and they were both taken aback at being included.

"I dunno," said Ron, looking alarmed and looking at Amara for support. "If Harry wants to do it, it's up to him, isn't it?"

"Spoken like a true friend and Weasley," said Fred, clapping Ron hard on the back. "Right, then. We're thinking of doing it tomorrow, just after lessons, because it should cause maximum impact if everybody's in the corridors — Harry, we'll set it off in the east wing somewhere, draw her right away from her own office — I reckon we should be able to guarantee you, what, twenty minutes?" he said, looking at George.

"Easy," said George.

"What sort of diversion is it?" asked Ron.

"You'll see, little bro," said Fred, as he and George got up again. "At least, you will if you trot along to Gregory the Smarmy's corridor round about five o'clock tomorrow."

-OOOOO-

She knew Hermione was rather worried about what Harry and Fred and George were going to do the next day, but Amara herself couldn't seem to get anxious over the fact that any one of them could get expelled. She knew that Fred and George would never let that happen to Harry, but that they wouldn't mind it themselves, considering they wanted to leave now anyway. So Amara was quite excited about the prospect of the diversion, and couldn't wait to see what the twins came up with to annoy Umbridge.

Hermione had decided to try and stop Harry from going through with the act of breaking into Umbridge's office.

Never before had Hermione stopped listening to Professor Binns' lectures and hissed reasons why Harry shouldn't do it the entire lesson. Amara couldn't have listened even if she had been planning too - Hermione's whispers were very distracting.

". . . and if she does catch you there," Hermione was saying. "apart from being expelled, she'll be able to guess you've been talking to Snuffles and this time I expect she'll force you to drink Veritaserum and answer her questions. . . ."

"Hermione," said Ron in a low and indignant voice from beside Amara, "are you going to stop telling Harry off and listen to Binns, or am I going to have to take notes instead?"

"You take notes for a change, it won't kill you!"

Ron was so shocked that she was not letting him have her notes that he refused to speak to Hermione any more. When they had reached the dungeons for their Potions lesson neither was Harry. Amara was staying out of it - it was Harry's choice after all, and they shouldn't disrupt it when Fred and George were already doing a diversion.

Amara did quite well on her Potion, but she had to cork a half-finished version as she had to go to her Career meeting.

Professor Snape grudgingly let her go and Amara left the classroom without saying goodbye to the others (Hermione had been hissing at Harry so much Seamus checked his cauldron for five minutes before Amara told him it was actually Hermione).

The corridors were empty and silent when she walked down them to Professor McGonagall's office. She was waiting for her when she knocked on the door, and after a brisk "enter" Amara entered the office.

"Please take a seat Miss Matthews," said Professor McGonagall. There were lots of leaflets and pamphlets on her desk which shuffled as she sat down.

"As you probably know, you're here to discuss the subject options for sixth and seventh year and possible jobs for the future. Have you had any ideas for what you want to do?"

Amara shifted.

"Sort of," she said.

"Well?"

"Yesterday I found a leaflet on becoming a Healer," said Amara.

"A Healer?" Professor McGonagall nodded. "That's a very responsible job. But I feel that you're quite capable of achieving this. Do you know which area you'd prefer?"

"Not really," said Amara.

"Well considering your skills you could be in any ward - more specifically, Spell Damage or Potions and Plants. They require very good N.E. to get into their training programme," said Professor McGonagall, examining the St. Mungo's leaflet. "Now, your Transfiguration is quite excellent - you are an O the majority of the time, so keep that up. Professor Flitwick here has put down you are ranging from an E to an O as well, so do the same thing ... Your marks in Defence Against the Dark Arts are satisfactory - what with the teacher and all." Amara smiled at the jibe against Professor Umbridge. "Herbology and Potions are an A to an E at the current time - Professor Snape doesn't allow anyone under an O in his class, so put in lots or hard work for that or your time will be wasted. Any questions?"

"Could I take Ancient Runes?" Amara asked. "I just -"

"Professor Babbling has told me that you are very good at them," Professor McGonagall said. "I think she'll be more than happy to let you in her class next year."

Amara grinned. "What sort of training is it? I read there's two years minimum training and then one year assisting work ..."

"Yes, the two years will have tests and to show you are capable and responsible for the job and the other year you will be an Assistant Healer following around a fully qualified Healer."

Amara nodded.

"It's a lot of work but I won't be surprised if you don't achieve it," said Professor McGonagall. "Lunch has just started - you may go."

Amara thanked her and walked out it her office and started walking down to the Great Hall.

She was halfway there when she heard raised voices coming from a corridor off of the main one. Too nosy for her own good, Amara peered in to take a look.

It seemed that five Slytherins, all members of the Inquisitorial Squad were surrounding someone much smaller than they were. Amara didn't know who it was until the person spoke. It was a boy, and it sounded as though he was in first year. From the looks of things, he was also wearing Gryffindor robes.

"Let me go!" The first year boy said stubbornly.

"Why should we?" snarled one Slytherin Amara was sure was a Sixth Year called Rebecca Alderton. "You cheeked us."

It was only a minute later when Amara realised that they were all holding their wands and the little first year boy was supporting a black eye and a bloody lip.

"Oi!" Amara said, suddenly furious. "Lay off him!"

The five Slytherins turned around and Amara recognised Warrington, Millicent Bulstrode and Pansy Parkinson but the other one she didn't know.

"Get lost Matthews," snapped Pansy. "Or you'll get what's coming for you, filthy Mudblood."

Amara glared and sneakily took her wand out of her robes.

"Funny how that statement just doesn't do anything to me," spat Amara. "Five on one first year? You're more cowardly than I thought."

It was hard to say which Slytherin looked angriest at this. Amara couldn't help but smirk as they all reached for their wands.

"Now, now, ganging up on one little Mudblood?" she taunted. "Unwise."

"Unwise?" snorted Rebecca. "You're the one who's stupid, Mudblood, trying to take us on."

"Oh yeah?" Amara said. "Come on then!"

Rebecca Alderton was the first to fire a spell, but Amara was too quick for her - she cast a Shield Charm so strong the spell rocketed off and bounced off of a wall.

Before Amara could fire back, Professor McGonagall had appeared in the corridor.

"What do you think you are doing?" she exploded, not at Amara, but at the five Slytherins who all had their wands aimed at her. "Five against one and in the corridors! Twenty points from Slytherin! Away to lunch with you - immediately!"

The five of them glared at her as they stormed off and the first year boy appeared.

"Mr Chandler! What are you doing here?"

"They were picking on him, so I tried to stop them but they drew their wands instead," said Amara quickly.

Professor McGonagall shook her head in disgust.

"Miss Matthews go onto lunch, Chandler, you follow me."

Amara felt sorry for the small kid and mentally wished him luck as she turned away.

-OOOOO-

"I hope you've thought better of what you were planning to do, Harry," Hermione whispered during Defence Against the Dark Arts (Professor Umbridge was looking murderous), after they had opened their books to chapter thirty-four ("Non-Retaliation and Negotiation"). "Umbridge looks like she's in a really bad mood already. . . ."

Amara didn't even bother reading anymore (she'd stopped reading at chapter nineteen) and instead inconspicuously doodled inside the book. Eventhough Hermione hated the book herself, she still seemed scandalised that Amara was writing worthless stuff in it.

At the end of the lesson, Hermione was determined to dissuade Harry from what he was about to do.

"Harry, don't do it, please don't do it!" Hermione said in anguished tones.

Harry didn't answer. Ron and Amara were determined not to give their opinion (Amara thought it was good and bad, but if Harry really wanted to speak to Sirius …)

When they were halfway down the corridor after exiting the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, there were several loud bangs vibrating through the ceiling, followed with some screams and yells. The people leaving their classrooms froze and looked up at the ceiling as though it was going to fall.

Umbridge came sprinting out her classroom and ran towards the source of the noise.

"Harry — please!" said Hermione weakly.

Harry ignored her and sprinted off. Hermione turned towards the other two, anguish on her face, but Amara paid this no heed. She turned and ran off down the opposite corridor – Umbridge was going the long way, and she knew a shortcut.

"Amara – where are you going?"

"To see what it is!"

She ran the length of the corridor and up two flights of stairs. She was rather glad that all her adventures had involved running, because she didn't get as puffed out as she would've done.

She halted when she came across a corridor which looked as though was now a swamp.

Amara couldn't help it: she laughed aloud as she saw what Fred and George had done. Across the other side of the corridor, she saw a very angry looking Filch, and decided it would be best not to be involved. She had just turned around when two hands grabbed her and forced her into a small passageway.

Turning, she saw Fred and George grinning at her.

"That's amazing!" she said breathlessly.

"You should get out of here," said George. "We're planning to get caught, you know."

"What?" said Amara, the grin vanishing. "Why?"

"We're leaving," said Fred.

Amara gaped at them.

"Well," she said finally. "Guess I better say goodbye then."

"It's not forever," said Fred as Amara hugged George, then him.

"I know," said Amara. "But it'll be strange."

They heard Filch's voice.

"Better go," said George quickly. "Mum'll kill us if you get expelled."

Amara nodded and started off the other direction. She had taken two steps when bravery rushed through her and she turned, hurried over to Fred, stretched up and kissed him on the cheek. She then ran away very quickly to avoid them seeing her blush – not before she heard George's indignant voice of "Where's mine?"

There was still chaos in the corridors as she ran off – people were telling everyone about Fred and George's latest prank and some of them had some of the swamp on them and were looking rather disgusted.

Amara found Hermione and Ron fairly quickly, not far from the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, and both looking slightly panicked.

"What have they done?" said Ron quickly once he saw her.

"Turned a corridor into a swamp," said Amara excitedly. "Genius."

"Turned a –" Hermione began weakly. There was a lot of running footsteps from down below and the three of them looked at each other: two grinning, one looking anxious.

"Let's go!" said Ron, and he started off at a run. Amara followed quickly, and she heard Hermione huff and start running too.

When they got to the top of the marble staircase, they found the Entrance Hall looking exactly how it had a few months before. Fred and George were in the middle with the Inquisitorial Squad looking very pleased with themselves.

"So!" said Umbridge triumphantly, looking down at Fred and George from the steps of the staircase (otherwise it would look less impressive) "So . . . you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"

"Pretty amusing, yeah," said Fred, looking back up at her without the slightest sign of fear.

Filch elbowed his way closer to Umbridge, looking as though he was going to cry with happiness. Amara wondered for a second why he was looking as though Christmas had come early.

"I've got the form, Headmistress," he said hoarsely, waving a piece of parchment. "I've got the form and I've got the whips waiting. . . . Oh, let me do it now. . . ."

"Very good, Argus," she said and Amara realised why he was looking so happy. "You two," she went on, gazing down at Fred and George, "are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school."

"You know what?" said Fred. "I don't think we are."

He turned to his twin.

"George," said Fred, "I think we've outgrown full-time education." "Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," said George lightly.

"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?" asked Fred.

"Definitely," said George.

And before Umbridge could say a word, they raised their wands and said together, "Accio Brooms!"

There was a loud crash coming from Umbridge's office. Fred and George's broomstick, complete with a chain hanging off one, were flying eagerly towards their owners at top speed.

"We won't be seeing you," Fred told Professor Umbridge, swinging his leg over his broomstick.

"Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch," said George, mounting his own.

Fred looked around at them all, grinning brightly and looking like this was the best day of his life.

"If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley — Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes," he said in a loud voice, and everyone heard it. "Our new premises!"

"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," added George, pointing at Professor Umbridge.

"STOP THEM!" shrieked Umbridge, but it was too late. As the Inquisitorial Squad closed in, Fred and George kicked off from the floor, shooting fifteen feet into the air, the iron peg swinging dangerously below them, nearly hitting a few students. Fred looked across the hall at Peeves the poltergeist bobbing on his level above the crowd.

"Give her hell from us, Peeves."

Amara looked at Peeves, expecting him to blow a raspberry or something, but was shocked to see him sweep his little bell hat off his head and salute the twins importantly.

Fred and George sped round on their broomsticks, waving to the crowd as the burst into applause (Amara with them) and sped off into the evening's sunset.

As Amara watch them go, she couldn't help but feel slightly disheartened that they would never come back.