Easter holidays brought with it the usual routine of Hermione forming study schedules for herself, Bryt, Ron, and Harry—these much more thorough considering this was their OWL year. Though as they say waiting while Hermione worked, Harry also had a bit of news for them. Snape was no longer teaching him Occlumency.
"Snape reckons I can carry on by myself now I've got the basics," Harry said in response to Bryt, Hermione, and Ron's shocked expressions. Occlumency was something extremely important. Snape shouldn't just stop giving Harry lessons.
"So you've stopped having funny dreams?" Hermione asked, studying Harry closely.
"Pretty much."
"Well, I don't think Snape should stop until you're absolutely sure you can control them!" Hermione said, "Harry, I think you should go back to him and ask—"
"No," Harry cut in sharply and Bryt glanced at Ron, hoping Harry wasn't about to lose his temper on them again. He'd gone quite a while without that lately and Bryt really didn't want it to start up again.
"Just drop it, Hermione, okay?" Harry went on.
Hermione opened her mouth, apparently about to argue more, but Ron spoke up first, obviously in an attempt to distract her.
"I still can't believe we only have six weeks until our exams," he said.
"How can that come as a shock?" Hermione turned back to the schedules in her hands and Bryt shot Ron a grateful look.
"I dunno," Ron said, "There's been a lot going on."
"Well, there you are," Hermione handed Ron and Bryt identical study schedules, "If you two follow that, you should do fine."
Bryt stared at her schedule and sighed. It seemed every waking moment—aside from one afternoon—was going to be spent on studying.
"You've given me an evening off every week!" Ron said excitedly.
"That's for Quidditch practice."
"What's the point?" Ron asked, slouching back in his chair, "We've got about as much chance of winning the Quidditch Cup this year as Dad's got of becoming Minister of Magic."
"You never know," Bryt said, though she couldn't help but agree with Ron. They just weren't a team this year. There was no way they were going to stand any chance at the Quidditch Cup.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione suddenly asked and Bryt looked over to see Harry was staring intently at a wall nearby.
"What?" Harry asked, snapping from his daze, then grabbed the closest book and hid his face behind it, "Nothing."
Bryt stared at him, knowing there was something wrong. What, though, she couldn't tell. He'd definitely been in a bad mood the past couple of days.
"I saw Cho earlier," Hermione said slowly, "And she looked really miserable too...Have you two had a row again?"
"Yeah, we have," Harry said and Bryt instantly understood. Harry had fancied Cho for two years and their relationship just seemed to keep going downhill after it started. Bryt remembered how it had been for her when her relationship with Terry had gone sour.
"What about?" Hermione asked.
"That sneak friend of hers, Marietta."
"Yeah, well, I don't blame you!" Ron said, then launched into a rant on just exactly what was bad about Cho's friend, the top of the list being her betrayal to the DA. Bryt, not wanting to listen, pulled over her latest piece of Transfiguration homework and tuned Ron out the best she could as she set to work.
xxxxx
Easter holidays where nowhere near as enjoyable as they'd been the past four years at Hogwarts. Sure, during the years before, the holidays were spent catching up on homework, but they still had time to goof around and relax. This year was far different because of the OWLs and Bryt was beginning to have weird dreams about the different subjects she spent all day studying. Quidditch was even worse. Every practice seemed to be worse than the last—the most spectacular failure being when one practice only lasted about five minutes and was canceled because Sloper somehow managed to knock himself out with his own bat.
The only break they got from both studying and Quidditch came at the end of the holidays when a notice went up about career advice with the Head of House. Then, their time was spent going through leaflets advertising different careers.
Bryt, already knowing what she wanted to do, simply sat with the others and gave suggestions, though she kept looking for one specific leaflet she knew Ron would be interested in seeing.
"Well, I don't fancy Healing," Ron said as he dropped a leaflet baring the symbol of a wand crossed with a bone, "They want at least an E at NEWT level in Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. I mean, blimey...Don't want much, do they?"
"Well, it's a very responsible job!" Hermione said sharply, putting down her leaflet on working in Muggle Relations, "Julio always talks about how being a Healer is one of the toughest jobs to get into. They take it all very seriously."
"Of course they do," Bryt said, shifting through the leaflets scattered around, "When your job involves taking other peoples' health and lives into your hands, it makes sense they want the best. Aha!" Bryt finally found the leaflet she'd been looking for—not surprised at all it took her so long since it was dark and quite a bit smaller than the others—and leaned back, holding it out to Ron, "There you go!"
Ron stared at Bryt in confusion as he took the leaflet, staring down at the words "Do You Have What It Takes to Join the Aurors?" printed on the front. Ron looked back up at Bryt, his confusion turning to surprise, but before either could say anything, Fred and George sat down with them.
"Ginny's had a word with us about you," Fred said, looking directly at Harry, "She says you need to talk to Sirius?"
"What?" Bryt and Hermione chorused, staring at Harry in shock. Had Harry lost his mind?
"Don't be ridiculous!" Hermione continued, leaning forward and talking in a stern whisper, "With Umbridge groping around in the fires and frisking all the owls?"
"Well, we think we can find a way around that," George said with that smile that meant trouble, "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's the point, we asked ourselves, of disrupting leisure time?" Fred went on, "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."
Bryt fought hard not to snort in disbelief. She had a feeling Fred and George had been quiet because they were planning something big, not being courteous to those studying.
"But it's business as usual from tomorrow," Fred said, "And if we're going to be causing a bit of uproar, why not do it so that Harry can have a chat with Sirius?"
"Yes, but still," Hermione said slowly, "Even if you do cause a diversion, how is Harry supposed to talk to him?"
"Umbridge's office," Harry said and Bryt stared at him with her mouth hanging open.
"Harry," she started, "Umbridge's office? Have you...Have you lost your mind? Even if, if you could get Umbridge away from the office, how the bloody hell will you get in there? I'd bet my life that Umbridge has her door charmed so Alohomora won't work."
"Sirius's knife," Harry said simply.
"Excuse me?" Hermione asked.
"Christmas before last, Sirius gave me a knife that'll open any lock," Harry said, "Even on doors that Alohomora can't open."
"What do you think about this?" Hermione spun to Ron with a tone that showed she was trying to get support of the only other authority figure around—which, technically, Ron was considering he was a Prefect.
"I...I dunno," Ron said, sinking back in his chair and looking horrified about being dragged into the argument, "If Harry wants to do it, it's up to him, isn't it?"
"Spoken like a true friend and Weasley," Fred said, giving Ron a slap 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?"
"Easy," George said.
"What diversion are you two planning?" Bryt asked, not liking the sound of any of this.
"You'll see," Fred said with that trouble's-coming grin again as he and George stood up, "At least, you will if you trot along to Gregory the Smarmy's corridor round about five o'clock tomorrow."
Fred and George left Bryt, Ron, Harry, and Hermione among the piles of career pamphlets, all of them worried about whatever it was Fred and George were planning now.
xxxxx
It was hard for Bryt to concentrate in her classes the next day and it had nothing to do with the fact she had her career advice meeting with McGonagall that afternoon—and would, thankfully, be missing her final class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, for it—or wondering what Fred and George were up to. The classes were hard to concentrate during simply for Hermione's constant warnings to Harry about not going through with breaking into Umbridge's office. Even though Bryt agreed with Hermione, she was still getting tired of listening to her all morning long.
Afternoon fared better considering Bryt, Ron, and Harry had Divination—and the fact that, even if Hermione still took the class, Harry had career advice and would be missing the class anyway. After Divination was over, Bryt gave Ron a light kiss on the cheek, heading up the stairs towards McGonagall's office, passing Umbridge along the way. Bryt suddenly found herself a lot more grateful she was missing the class when she noticed how livid the woman seemed.
"Right on time, Miss Watkins," McGonagall greeted as Bryt came into the office, then she motioned to a chair on the other side of her desk, "Have a seat."
Bryt nodded and walked over, sitting down, unable to keep herself from feeling a bit nervous. After all, any time she'd been in any office with her Head of House had been under dire circumstances or her getting into serious trouble. Sitting here now for something that was neither was strange for her.
"As you know, Miss Watkins," McGonagall started, sounding as if she were reciting from a speech she'd given many times before—which Bryt was positive she had—but she still sounded sincere about it, "This meeting is to talk over any career ideas you might have, and help you decide which subjects you should continue into the sixth and seventh years. Have you had any thoughts about what you would like to do after you leave Hogwarts?"
"Yes ma'am," Bryt said, sitting as straight in her chair as she possibly could, "Ever since I heard about it in my third year, I've wanted to join MCRS, you know, the Magical Creature Removal Squad."
McGonagall nodded, sorting through the leaflets on her desk and Bryt fought hard not to fidget and she couldn't help but fear her teacher was about to tell her that she had picked the wrong career and should choose something else. That's why Bryt felt a bit of relief when McGonagall picked up a leaflet that read "Working With Creatures Daily at MCRS" and opened it up.
"The Magical Creature Removal Squad calls for high marks, Miss Watkins," McGonagall said, "They expect at 'Exceeds Expectations' or better in at least four subjects in NEWT level, and there is additional training that can take up to two years. It's a very difficult career path."
"I know that, ma'am," Bryt said with a nod. After all, she'd been looking up anything she could about MCRS over the past two years, not to mention all she heard from Terry.
"I suppose you'll want to know the classes you'll need to continue?" McGonagall asked.
"Care of Magical Creatures, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Potions," Bryt listed off instantly, "Though I plan to carry on with Herbology as well."
For a second, McGonagall almost looked as if she were smiling, but Bryt wasn't sure. She did give Bryt an approving, impressed look, however.
"You have put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?" she asked.
"Since third year, as I said, Professor," Bryt said with a grin, "I can't imagine doing anything else."
"It's nice you've put so much effort into your career plan," McGonagall said with an approving nod, "And know what classes you'll need to continue. Right now, you're averaging Exceeds Expectations in Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts and Outstandings in Potions and Care of Magical Creatures, so you're doing quite well there. Professor Sprout tells me you're averaging between Acceptable and Exceeds Expectations in her class, so if you truly want to continue that class, you'll need to put more effort into your work."
Bryt nodded and McGonagall handed her the leaflet she had been reading.
"I'm sure you already know everything in here, but it wouldn't hurt to review it again," McGonagall said, "You may leave now."
"Thank you, Professor," Bryt said, grinning more as she stood up, grabbed her bag, and started out the door. She looked down at her watch and realized that by the time she got back to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, only ten minutes would be left. There was no point heading there, so Bryt turned and decided to go to the library and study. Maybe she'd look over her Herbology homework and start working on that, getting her grades up to full Exceeds Expectations. She may not need to take NEWT-level Herbology, but she felt it'd be smart to be able to identify certain plants and what properties they held, especially in relation to Potions.
Bryt found a good table by the window in the library and quickly got to work, trying to get as much done as possible in the next ten minutes. When the bell rang to signal the end of the day's classes, Bryt gathered her things quickly and started for the door, but stopped short when she heard a loud bang from somewhere nearby. Bryt and several others who were in the library at the time suddenly headed off through the hallway towards the noise, and as Bryt stumbled to a stop at the source of the chaos, she found that Fred and George hadn't lied about targeting the Gregory the Smarmy corridor. They also hadn't lied about just how chaotic they were planning to be.
They had turned the entire corridor into a swamp. An actual swamp.
"Those two are brilliant," Bryt muttered, staring around her in disbelief, not even daring to take another step forward, not wanting to get any muck in her shoes. She dug through her bag and got out her camera, making sure to get a couple of pictures. This was something she did not want to forget anytime soon.
Bryt heard footsteps coming and she turned, hurrying off, despite wanting to admire the swamp more. She knew that Umbridge catching her anywhere near any type of trouble would not end good for her—no matter how innocent Bryt was. Bryt made her way down to the Entrance Hall, though she ran into Hermione and Ron on the first floor. She noticed Harry wasn't with them—looked like he decided to take the chance with Umbridge's office. Bryt just hoped he didn't get caught.
"I can't believe your brothers, Ron," Bryt said in a whisper, "They turned a corridor into a swamp!"
"They what?" Ron and Hermione asked together—Ron in amazement and Hermione in horror.
"They're going to get into so much trouble!" Hermione said.
"They're brilliant!" Ron said, "I've got to see this."
"I have pictures," Bryt said, catching Ron by the arm before he started up the stairs, "Umbridge is on her way up there now, and we need to stay away. Here."
Bryt handed Ron the pictures she took and, though he looked disappointed he couldn't go see the swamp himself, he was eager to see the pictures Bryt had.
"They're brilliant," Ron said again, though Hermione still looked horrified.
"What in the world are those two thinking?" she asked, "First fireworks, now this? Do they want to be expelled?"
"They did say they don't care anymore," Bryt said, "Besides, it's more trouble for Umbridge. I say this is a good thing."
Hermione looked like she was about to argue, but they heard yelling on the floor below and Filch came running by, muttering happily to himself. The three exchanged looks before following behind, making their way to the Entrance Hall and pushing their way through the crowd that had already gathered there.
Fred and George stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by students and teachers, though neither seemed in the least bit concerned. Bryt looked around and noticed Umbridge on the stairs, looking almost as pleased with herself as the twins did at the moment.
"So! You think it's amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?" Umbridge asked.
"Pretty amusing, yeah," Fred said with a grin as Filch made his way to Umbridge.
"I've got them, Headmistress," Filch said, "I've got the form and I've got the whips waiting...Oh, let me do it now..."
Bryt stared at them in disgust, gripping her hands into fists and she swore she could feel the scars on the back of her left hand as if the cuts were opening again. It was one thing with Umbridge's quill scaring students' hands, but going as far as using whipping as punishment was far more sadistic.
"You two are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school," Umbridge said to Fred and George, that sickeningly sweet smile on her face again.
"You know what? I don't think we are," Fred said, still grinning himself as he turned to George, "I think we've outgrown our full-time education."
"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," George said.
"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?"
"Definitely."
Fred and George both smirked, raised their wands, and called "Accio brooms!"
Bryt heard a crash above and seconds later, Fred and George's brooms came flying down the stairs, one of them still holding the chain that had held them to the wall in Umbridge's office.
"We won't be seeing you," Fred said as he and George mounted their broomsticks.
"Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch," George added.
Bryt suddenly had a feeling she knew what the twins were going to do and went for her camera again, knowing that this was definitely a moment that had to be caught on film.
"If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp as demonstrated upstairs," Fred said, "Come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley—Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, our new premises!"
"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat!" George added, pointing to Umbridge.
Umbridge let out a yell, ordering for Fred and George to be stopped, though as the Inquisitorial Squad got closer, the twins shot into the air on their brooms and the others scattered to avoid the dangling chain.
"Give her hell for us, Peeves!" Fred called.
Bryt nearly dropped her camera in shock when Peeves actually removed his hat and saluted Fred and George. She'd never seen Peeves take orders from anyone—he barely even obeyed Dumbledore. Bryt shook herself from her shock quickly, though, getting her camera ready and snapping her picture at just the right time.
Seconds later, as Bryt stared down at the miniatures of Fred and George disappearing through the castle's doors, she had a feeling this would be a story of legends at Hogwarts within years to come.