Chapter 89

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"You've changed again," Rebekah sat on the high back chair, a cold glass of water in her hand even though it would do nothing for her body but keep her cool.

Tom smirked, his lip curling dangerously as red eyes narrowed. "Perhaps, but we all change over time."

"Red eyes, pale skin, your nose is flatter, thinner hair," Rebekah said, counting off the differences. "You're starting to look more like Voldemort now."

"I am him and at the same time I am not,"

"You're a version of him in my head, a version he does not have access to,"

"From what you've told me, the diary was probably the reason,"

"It's destroyed."

He turned cold. "I know that."

She fiddled with one of her earrings, tweaking a Basilisk fang between her finger tips. "Pity I had to do it. I liked knowing the past, it was very informing."

"Pity indeed." Tom gave her a side glance before the glare stopped. "The Court has begun to practise Patronuses, how has that been going?"

"Surprisingly dreadful," She said. "but that's only comparing it to my experiences. It only took me a couple lessons and we've been doing it for a good four lessons now. It's taking more time than I thought, but we have the Easter Holidays soon so there isn't any pressure in lessons."

"I never learnt how to produce a Patronus," Tom hummed quietly. "It was not something I thought important. I was, am, too powerful to need something to protect me."

"You say that but then realise it might've helped in one way or another," Rebekah sipped the icy water. "Never know when something will go wrong."

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"Oh, fuck that," Draco swore. "Father gives me enough trouble about taking over the family business already, why would I need career counseling?"

"Because not all of us come from a dynasty?" Tracey said, before reading the notice board again.

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.

"What's Umbridge gonna try and do, do you think?" Pansy asked. "That pink bitch always tries to interfere with our education."

And Umbridge did.

Dorlores Umbridge's advice was appalling.

Daphne should focus on healing people and then to try and find a husband that would put up with her working.

Draco, Theo, and Blaise were advised to continue their family businesses, and not actually do what they wanted.

Pansy was told to become a housewitch since her grades were not top notch.

Tracey was more or less told to go to the Muggle world.

Of course, all of this was between the lines of what Umbridge told them in her snippy little voice as she tried to hide it from Snape. That man did not let Umbridge discourage his students from pursuing what they wanted, advising them to take whatever classes they needed to become whatever they wanted.

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Rebekah did not look forward to her meeting.

Snape was just as menacing as ever as he sat behind his desk with leaflets covering most of the wood. He did not look happy, glancing to Umbridge and back with a disgusted glint in his eyes.

"Good afternoon, Potter," He said, motioning for her to sit down in the decent wood chair opposite him. "Take a seat. Any thoughts on what you would like to do after you finish Hogwarts?"

"A couple ideas, sir,"

"And they are?"

"Auror was the main one, as was Hit Witch, and Cursebreaker," Rebekah said. "I would like to work for the Ministry for a time but would like to go into freelance after."

"For an Auror, you'll need top grades, which you already achieve," Snape pulled out a dark leaflet and opened it in front of him as reference. "Minimal of five NEWTs, and nothing under Exceeds Expectations grades. Then there are the various character and aptitude tests at the Auror office. They only take the best, and none have been taken in the last three years."

"I plan to take all of my OWLs as NEWTs,"

"Of course you are," He sighed. "All twelve classes, then. Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Divination, Herbology, History of Magic, MuggleBorn Studies, Potions, Transfiguration. You are achieving O's so far and—"

Umbridge did her annoying little hemhem before writing something down and looking up.

"I thought you were observing, Delores," Snape turned his head to her, dark eyes looking like black tunnels ready to collapse. "I did not realise that meant having your input in my student's career choices."

"Hmm," She hummed. "I did not realise that Hogwarts allows students to take twelve classes at once. there is not enough time in the day for it."

"As you know, Professor Umbridge, I use a Ministry-approved Time Turner," Rebekah said, untucking it from her shirt and letting her see the collapsed circles and hourglass. "I am putting in a request to use it for the next two years also."

"Being an Auror is dangerous, Miss Potter, you must know this," She said in a condescending voice like Rebekah was a little child and needed complete guidance with everything.

Rebekah refrained from scoffing at her, instead nodding once. "As is being a Magizoologist, and anything to do with curses as Cursebreakers, and many departments of the Ministry. I don't see your point."

"Well, I would have thought you would have chosen a career that kept you away from danger."

"I like Magic and I like using it," Rebekah said. "I like a bit of a thrill and being an Auror wouldn't be uninteresting as a job. However, Hit Witch is much more dangerous as they have to actually hunt down and capture Dark Witches and Wizards."

Umbridge seemed to bristle at that, keeping something to herself but Rebekah wasn't stupid, nor was Snape by the way the corner of his eye twitched. He knew something was up.

"I'm not changing my options because you deem one too dangerous," Rebekah gave her a nasty glance up and down. "Some of us can handle a bit of danger."

Snape sent one final dark look that silenced Umbridge before continuing. "You spoke of Cursebreakers? They need to have Ancient Runes along with…"

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"They've made a swamp," Astoria said as the Crown and the rest of the school were standing around the walls, watching Umbridge all pink faced and close to screaming at the Weasley Twins.

Rebekah shrugged. "They're Weasleys."

"Fair."

It was scarily similar to the night when Trelawney was sacked with how students loitered around in a huge ring to watch them.

Fred and George Weasley looked like the cats that caught the canaries as they grinned at Umbridge. They winked to Peeves who bobbed above the crowd, laughing at Umbridge.

"You think it's amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?" Umbridge snapped at them.

They didn't even blink at her, replying calmly.

"Pretty amusing, yeah," Fred said, hands in his pockets as he grinned. "Great fun, truly."

Umbridge scrunched her nose up at them. "You two are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school."

"You know what? I don't think we are." Fred turned to his twin. "I think we've outgrown full-time education, don't you?"

"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," George agreed.

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

"Definitely."

They reacted faster than Umbridge could, raising their wands upwards and saying, "Accio Brooms!"

With a loud crash somewhere in the distance, two brooms came flying down the stairs and one even had a heavy chain and iron peg trailing behind it. They stopped sharply in front of the twins, the chain clattering loudly on the stone floor.

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

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

They both glanced, looking around at the assembled students, and at the silent, watchful crowd. They watched on.

"If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley. Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes!" Fred yelled, triumph in his voice as he announced. "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 gestured vaguely at Umbridge.

The Weasley Twins kicked off from the floor and shot fifteen feet into the air with the iron peg swinging dangerously below. Fred looked across the hall at the poltergeist bobbing on his level above the crowd.

"Give her hell from us, Peeves."

To Rebekah's astonishment, Peeves swept his hat from his head and saluted the twins with the biggest grin possible. Oh he was going to bend heaven and raise hell, and he was going to do it well!

Fred and George swept out of the open front door, cheering as the students applauded before speeding off into the glorious sunset and freedom.

"Dramatic much?" Logan said.

Theo shook his head. "Nothing out of the normal for them."

"They're decent boys," Pansy said.

"They booed us in our first year," Draco mentioned.

She shrugged. "I'm biased."

"Yep," Rebekah snickered. "They didn't know better. Socialised into hating something simply because they're told they should hate. We had a bias against Gryffidnors, remember?"

They nodded.

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"Hagrid has a half brother?"

"Yep."

"And he's in the Forbidden Forest?"

"Yep."

"And the Centaurs aren't happy about it?"

"Not happy at all."

"Probably 'cause Grawp is dangerous,"

"Not saying all Giants are dangerous, but he is."

"What is it with Hagrid and collecting things?"

"Dragons."

"Three headed dogs.

"Huge, disgusting spiders…"

"You hate spiders—"

"We all know."

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