BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC
Dolores Jane Umbridge (High Inquisitor) has replaced Albus Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy.
The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-Eight
Signed: Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic
Harry stared grimly at one of the many notices around school. Arms wrapping around him from behind startled him, until he felt a soft, familiar kiss being pressed against his neck. Harry relaxed back into the embrace, eyes still fixed on the haunting words.
"Fred," he murmured, aware they were in a public place, but that wasn't his main concern right now. Fred hummed, as if he knew exactly what Harry meant by that one word.
"I know," was all he said, before unravelling his arms, taking Harry's hand, and dragging him away. Harry went with him willingly, blushing slightly when Fred lifted his hand to his mouth and kissed it lingeringly, a few students staring at them. Harry didn't have the heart to stop him, though.
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Somehow, despite the notices not even mentioning Dumbledore's great escape, every single student in the school seemed to know how the old Headmaster had overcome two aurors, the High Inquisitor, and the Minister for Magic, all by himself. Wherever Harry went, it was the sole topic of conversation.
And the twins weren't helping any.
"And then he stunned Fudge!" George exclaimed with false animation to a group of enraptured followers. Younger, more gullible students had been following the twins around all day, which was beginning to grate on Harry's nerves, although he refused to think why.
"He stunned the Minister?" one little second year squeaked, face flush with excitement. Awe shone in all their eyes. Harry snorted and pushed his way through the crowd, standing by George's side and scowling.
"I think he was aiming to kill but – " Harry cut George off before he tried to continue.
"No, he didn't. George is being a prick and pulling your leg. Now piss off," Harry snapped, aura quite dark, although this wasn't an unusual thing for Harry Potter, who was famous for his temper. The students instantly scattered, whispering the story amongst themselves, probably going to find Fred.
George let out a barking laugh and swung an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Who's a jealous little kitty cat?" he cooed, pinching one of Harry's cheeks. Harry snarled and sunk his teeth into one of George's fingers, causing George to hiss and instantly retract his hand.
"Haven't you got a class?" Harry asked. Technically, he had a class, too, but had got sidetracked when he saw the students around George, who were likely to get exploited at a later date for the twins' dangerous experiments with their skiving snack boxes.
"I could ask you the same thing myself. Transfiguration, right? McGonagall will have your head," George informed him, arm lowering to wrap around Harry's waist as the two began walking towards Harry's classroom.
"How d'you know what class I have?" Harry asked. Creepy stalker. George just grinned and squeezed Harry's side, not answering.
"'Arry!" another voice exclaimed, and then there was another arm wrapped around his shoulders. Harry felt quite weighted down with body parts. He turned to scowl at Fred.
"What?" he snapped darkly, seeing the students beginning to follow them again. Harry turned and fixed them with an eerie glare. The twins watched, amused, as the students scattered.
"Tsk, tsk, kitten," Fred said, shaking his head sadly. As soon as the corridor was empty, he grabbed the back of Harry's head and pulled him in for a scorching kiss, all tongue and teeth. Harry kissed back equally as hard, partly out of annoyance at not seeing the twins all day, and partly out of actual desire.
George laved a long lick up his neck, one hand fiddling with his cat ears. Harry groaned into the kiss, one of his hands fisting Fred's robes in the hopes his knees wouldn't buckle and send him crashing to the ground.
"Transfiguration, right?" Fred asked, pulling away from the kiss abruptly, a wicked look in his eyes. Harry made a protesting sound, before blushing to the roots of his hair and stepping on Fred's foot. Fred cackled and hooked an arm in Harry's, beginning to drag him to McGonagall's room. "Wouldn't do to be even later, now would it, Mr Potter?" he asked, in a perfect imitation of their Scottish teacher.
"Fuck off," Harry grumbled, but that didn't stop him entwining his fingers with George's when the hand was offered, and allowing himself to be dragged around by Fred.
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"Oh, I expect she really faniced herself sitting up there in the Head's office," Hermione was saying viscously as they trailed down to Herbology. Ernie Macmillan was informing them of how the Headmaster's office refused to open for her. Fred was with them, having no lesson, and laughing loudly. "Lording it over all the other teachers, the stupid puffed-up, power-crazy old - "
"Now, do you really want to finish that sentence, Granger?"
Harry tensed and turned to where Draco Malfoy had slip out from behind some innocuous hiding place, closely followed by Crabbe and Goyle, eyes glittering with malice, especially when they alighted on Harry. Fred tensed and threw an arm around Harry's shoulders, pulling him closer.
"Afraid I'm going to have to dock a few points from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff," Malfoy drawled. The others rolled their eyes.
"It's only teachers who can dock points from houses, Malfoy," said Ernie at once. Harry's eyes narrowed when Malfoy only looked more gleeful.
"Yeah, we're prefects too, remember?" snarled Ron. Harry realised a fight was bound to break out any minute with the look on Malfoy's face, and Ron's bad temper, which had only increased with Harry getting the blame for punching Malfoy twice (he'd yelled at the twins quite a bit).
"I know prefects can't dock points, Weasel King," Malfoy sneered, and his two cronies sniggered. Harry's hand shot out to curl around Ron's arm and hold him back from lunging at the humiliating reminder of his Quidditch match. Ron's nose flared and his ears turned red, but he didn't make any other movement. "But members of the Inquisitorial Squad-"
"The what?" snapped Hermione. Fred made an annoyed sound, as if he knew exactly what Malfoy was talking about. Harry turned to look up at him, but Fred grinned down at him easily. His eyes, however seemed to be warning Harry, 'don't do anything stupid'.
"A group of smarmy prats hand-picked by Umbridge to do her dirty work. Of course she'd pick the most idiotic," a voice said from behind them. Harry turned to see George walking towards them. Malfoy flushed at the insult.
"That'll be twenty points for insulting a member of the Inquisitorial Squad," the blond snarled, looking at the group as it to see who he could hurt, to get back at them. "Five from Granger, for being rude to our new Headmistress. Macmillian, five for contradicting me. Five because I don't like you, Potter-"
"The feeling's mutual."
"-Weasley, you're shirt's untucked, so I'll have another five for that. Oh, and yes, nearly forgot, you're a Mudblood, Granger, so ten for that."
Fred and George held tightly onto Harry as he attempted to lunge. Ron drew out his wand, barking swearwords at Malfoy, but Hermione snatched it out of his hand.
"Hermione!" Both Ron and Harry whined, wanting to see some just revenge.
"Calm down," George commanded in a low voice, the one that never failed to make Harry's knees buckle. Harry sighed, but stopped struggling. However, Malfoy shooting him a nasty smirk made him begin struggling once again.
"Wise move, Mudblood, Weasel. Better keep your pets in line," he said to Hermione and George, before turning and stalking off, satisfied with the chaos he'd caused, Crabbe and Goyle following.
"Poncy Slytherin bastard," Harry and Ron grumbled in unison.
"He was bluffing," Ernie said, as if trying to convince himself, face very pale. "He can't be allowed to dock points. That would be ridiculous! It would completely undermine the prefect system."
Together, they turned automatically to the giant hour-glasses set in the wall behind them. Harry groaned quietly as stones flew upwards, reducing their points. In fact, the only hour glass that seemed unchanged was Slytherin, while all other houses had lost points since this morning. It wasn't the points that bothered Harry – it was the power the Slytherins now held over them.
"Did you already know?" Harry asked Fred and George accusingly, turning his anger on them, mainly because he knew they'd placate him. Fred and George nodded, faces not as amused as usual.
"Montague tried doing the same to us this morning," George answered, lip quirking a bit. Ron narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"What do you mean, 'tried'?" he asked quickly. Harry could only dread the answer.
"He never managed to get the words out, due to the fact that we forced him head-first into that Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor." Harry felt a smile creep onto his face despite himself.
"That'll get you in trouble!" Hermione exclaimed, looking very shocked at the mere idea. Ron grinned and patted her on the head soothingly.
"Not for weeks, maybe, until Montague reappears," Fred said, coolly. Harry frowned – the twins whole demeanour had suddenly changed completely. "And to be honest, we don't really care about getting in trouble."
"Did you ever?" Hermione muttered. Ron snorted with laughter at that. George looked mock-offended.
"How could you say that? We've always been very conscientious students. Never got expelled, have we?"
"Always knew where to draw the line," Fred continued, a proud look on his face, familiar attitude back for the moment.
"We might have put a toe across it occasionally," said George thoughtfully.
"But always stopped short of causing real mayhem." Harry's eyebrows had been rising steadily at all this, because it wasn't precisely true. They loved causing real mayhem – Dumbledore was simply too fond of them to send them away, and no-one had ever got hurt.
"But now?" Ron asked tentatively. The twins didn't look at Harry as they answered.
"Well, now," started George, slight hesitance in his voice.
"-What with Dumbledore gone-"
"-We reckon a bit of mayhem-"
"-Is exactly what our dear new Head deserves," Fred finished, evil delight in his eyes mirrored by George. They'd always had it in for Umbridge. Umbridge always had it out for them. Harry supposed things couldn't remain calm forever.
"You mustn't!" Hermione whispered, as if anyone could be listening. Which, Harry supposed, they could. What if Umbridge had enlisted the help of portraits? "She'd love a reason to expel you!"
There was a heavy silence for a moment, and Harry paled, as if he knew exactly what the twins were thinking.
"You don't get it, do you, Hermione?" George finally asked with a forced smile. There was a tug on Harry's arm, and Fred was leading him away, George following.
"Come on, we need to tell you something," Fred said quietly. Harry grimaced, not at all liking the sound of that. They better have a good fucking explanation for what they were planning.
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Yeah, short, but look at the next chapter! It's a double update, don't kill me ;;hides;;