A/N: Installment One. There will be another post tomorrow. I'm still finishing up OotP, but I'd figured I post this to let you know I was still alive. I was planning on posting all of it at once, but both life and the chapter conspired against me. The one chapter looks like it is turning into three and the two easy weeks I was expecting turned into getting up at five and getting home at six…
Thanks for the reviews!
Chapter 22: Umbridge's Reign
The month of February was quickly passing. Harry and Ginny had planned on making Umbridge's life hell, but had quickly discovered the twins had it covered. They had started off with a bang. Literally. For their first prank they had set of fireworks inside the Great Hall. Being Fred and George, the fireworks did not die out. Indeed, when Umbridge had tried to vanish them they had multiplied.
Then there had been the most recent prank. Umbridge had just entered her first class and had settled behind her desk, as usual, when her desk disappeared in a giant puff of foul smelling smoke. In its place was a very large lily pad. The class had erupted into uncontrolled laughter. Umbridge had been clearly embarrassed, but the twins were not finished. When she tried to vanish the lily pad, after unsuccessfully trying to transfigure it back into a desk, it emitted a large cloud of fine white particles. The lily pad now had a toad.
Two weeks, two pranks. If the twins kept the pace up, Umbridge would be mad by the end of term.
Hermione and Ginny were in the girls' dormitory preparing to go to Hogsmeade. "Ginny," Ginny almost sighed, she knew Hermione was up to something, but she turned and smiled anyway. "I know you and Harry probably have plans, but could you come by the Three Broomsticks at two?"
What's she up to? asked Harry.
"What's going on?" asked Ginny as sweetly as she could.
Hermione fidgeted, "Just show up, please. I promise you it's nothing bad and it's important."
"Okay, if it's important," agreed Ginny.
I think she's just as stubborn as my brother, commented Ginny.
She could hear Harry chuckling in her mind as he looked at Ron, Yeah, I'm just surprised they haven't killed each other with the amount of time they've been spending together.
"How's the potion making going with Ron?" asked Ginny as she pulled a sweater over her head.
"Pretty good, actually. So are the lessons. He can actually transform both arms now!" answered Hermione excitedly.
Ginny gave an evil smirk, "So you like spending quality time with Ron?" She was rewarded with a blush from Hermione.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Hermione said even as her blush deepened. "Don't smirk at me like that!"
Ginny continued smirking. It's going to take them forever to get together.
Probably, but at least she's no longer writing to Krum and Ron didn't even get mad that she was writing to him in the first place!
Rolling her eyes, Ginny responded, That's only because of how he found out - she threw his last letter into the fire! I think even he figured that it was over between them after that.
Harry agreed. After Krum had written to Hermione advising her that it might be best to distance herself from Harry, Hermione had not reacted well. She had promptly declared that she would never write to that "insensitive, Bulgarian idiot again." Harry had not missed Ron's broad smile.
As the quartet was leaving the castle, they were met by Neville and Luna. Neville looked extremely pleased that they had run into each other. Despite getting to know Luna better in the D.A., Neville was still wary of her. Hermione was also wary of the Ravenclaw, although Harry did not think it was for the same reason. Luna did spout all sorts of strange things that irked Hermione's logical mind, but Harry believed it was something else that irked his friend even more: Luna's rather obvious affection for Ron.
"Hiya, do you mind if I join you?" asked Neville.
"Ginny and I are going off by ourselves…" said Harry with a shrug.
"That would be great! Hermione's just going to drag me off to look at some dusty books," interjected Ron. "You can come to Luna, but you've been warned!" he said cheerfully.
Is he flirting with Luna? Harry was not very good at noticing these types of things. Being bonded to Ginny at eleven meant that he had never developed the subtle art of flirting.
Luna smiled brilliantly, "Thank you, Ronald. I think I will. Hermione's right to inspect old books, you never know when they can become infested with Hooknosed termites."
Hermione opened her mouth, but did not say anything. Harry allowed himself a small smirk at her predicament. Luna had said something ludicrous, but at the same time defended her. Eventually, she managed to get out, "Well, let's not waste time. Harry, Ginny, we'll see you are two then."
Harry and Ginny watched the quartet walk toward the bookstore in Hogsmeade. Just as the four reached the building they saw Luna lean over and seem to pick something off Ron's shirt. Even with the distance, it was easily apparent that Ron had blushed.
"Let's go," commanded Ginny.
They spent a pleasant morning visiting Hogsmeade's unique shops. Dervish & Banges had been their first stop. The shop was always interesting to visit. It had a hodgepodge of items. Some were boring like the used cauldrons, but others were far more interesting. It had almost every object that could be charmed, charmed. There were self-cleaning pots, dictating quills, alarm clocks that squirted water instead of blaring sound, and other odd items. From there they went to Zonko's and stocked up on a few essential prank ingredients. Even Fred and George were there as they needed more raw materials for their own pranks.
After Zonko's was Honeydukes. They spent quite awhile in the store. Chocolate had always been one of Ginny's favorite sweets and Harry had never had that much of it until after he came to Hogwarts. Several large purchases later, they walked up a long and narrow path to the cave where Sirius had hidden briefly after his escape from Azkaban.
Ginny looked at Harry curiously. He was purposely clouding his thoughts from her. The only thing she could feel from him was anticipation and a little anxiousness. She wondered what he was planning.
Harry turned around and offered his hand to Ginny, helping her up one of the rocks. They were quite close to the train station now, which was nestled near a small wood. Harry's smile was a little unsure, "Ginny, I know it's not terribly romantic or anything," his cheeks flushed and Ginny smiled both in encouragement and pleasure that she affected him like this. "But, well, we've been flying a lot. I thought that you might like to go exploring in our panther forms."
Smiling broadly and sending as much reassurance through their bond as she could, Ginny answered, "That would be great."
Spending Valentine's Day exploring the small forest was just so typical Harry. It was not romantic, but it was a fantastic way of relieving tension and forgetting about the troubles of the day. Spending time as an animal made things much simpler. You were still you, but you viewed everything from the animal's perspective.
They spent most of their animagus time as phoenixes. The phoenix's ability to fly and flame travel made it extremely useful. The phoenix form bolstered their courage and gave them confidence; however, it did not allow them to forget their worries. Indeed, perhaps because a phoenix was a magical creature that was strongly attuned to good, as a phoenix they became even more aware of the growing darkness. With the revealing of the prophecy was also a growing sense of responsibility. Harry had been meaning to ask Fawkes about the feelings invoked by the form, but now both Dumbledore and Fawkes were gone.
Harry's idea turned out to be far better than either of them had anticipated. As panthers Voldemort, Death Eaters, the prophecy, Umbridge, and O.W.L.s no longer seemed as important. It made for an extremely relaxing and refreshing time. They had played tag, hide-and-go seek, and stalked several small animals. It was almost two when they emerged from the forest.
"That was a fabulous idea!" exclaimed Ginny as she stretched. "I didn't even realized how stressed I was."
Harry took advantage of her position and pulled her into an embrace.
Fifteen minutes later, and ten minutes late, they walked into the Three Broomsticks. Ron, who was standing near the door, frowned at their mussed appearance.
"Over here," he said waving them toward a more private area.
As they neared the table Ron pointed out, Harry could see two people seated at it with their backs toward the crowd. One he recognized immediately as Hermione. It only took him a moment to recognize Rita Skeeter. She looked like she had not been to the salon recently. Even her cloths were looking dingy.
Not writing must be making it hard on her, commented Harry.
Pity, Ginny replied coldly.
As they all sat down, Harry queried, "What's this all about Hermione?" He cast a worried glance at Rita Skeeter.
Hermione, however, ignored the question, "I told you to be here at two! Why are you…" her eyes roved over Harry and Ginny's rather mussed hair and ruffled cloths, "Never mind."
"So, Harry, you and Ms. Weasley here are still going out? Is it serious? What does she think about…" Rita Skeeter was reaching for her crocodile-skin handbag that had to contain her acid-green quickquills. Hermione looked furious and Harry and felt his stomach plummet. He did not need this now.
Rita must have noticed both their expressions because she stopped reaching for her quills and said in a falsely sweet voice, "Don't act so worried, Harry. Little Miss Perfect here won't let me write anything." Rita harrumphed and glared at Hermione, "Maybe now that you're here, she'll tell me what she wants."
Hermione actually rolled her eyes at Rita's dramatics, "It's not like you have something better to do. Besides, I've got something for you to write - about Harry."
Every head at the table swiveled toward Hermione and gaped. Well, everyone except Luna, who Harry had just noticed was at the table. He did not know how he had missed her as she was humming something.
However, Rita looked the most skeptical. "You've got to be kidding! You want another story about Harry?"
"I think it's time for the public to hear Harry respond to what's being written about him!" answered Hermione forcefully.
A predatory gleam entered Rita's eyes, "Then you're sticking to it?" she said focusing her attention on Harry, "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned? You realize that you don't have much credibility spouting this since you were the sole witness, don't you?"
Harry's temper was getting the best of him and was about retort, but Ginny beat him to it. "Harry wasn't the only one there! There were plenty of Death Eaters there - he can name them!" Ginny said acidly. Harry smiled in appreciation.
"Yes! I would love them!" Rita exclaimed the gleam in her eyes becoming brighter. "Oh! I can see the headlines now. In big, bold letters: Potter Accuses. Then in a smaller font, Potter names prominent members of the Wizarding Community as Death Eaters! It would be fantastic! Biting commentary and…" Rita's face fell and she sighed. "But I'm not allowed to write that now am I?" Her last comment was aimed at Hermione.
Hermione smirked, "Oh, but I do want you to write that Rita. In fact, I want you to write the entire story with all the facts - names and all."
Rita's astonishment did not last long, "Don't be ridiculous. The Prophet would never print it."
"Of course it won't," answered Hermione with a tint of annoyance. "But the Quibbler will."
At the mention of the Quibbler, Luna's head rose and she stopped humming, "Yes, Daddy said he would be happy to print it."
"I'm not going to write anything for that rag! They don't even pay," protested Rita.
"Yes, you are. And you are going to do it for free!" Hermione said forcefully. "I hear Azkaban is nice this time of the year." Harry barely registered Ginny's shock through his own. Hermione had made a threat, a very nasty threat.
Rita twirled the paper umbrella in her drink, "Fine, but we're even now."
Hermione smiled broadly and then said, "Alright, fire away! Just remember what you print has to be the truth."
February turned out to be a very bad month for Dolores Umbridge. It had started out with two large pranks and the second half was no better for her. Harry smiled, remembering the pranks and Umbridge's growing frustration.
The twins had invented a "portable swamp." Why they had invented something like this, Harry did not know. The Monday after the Hogsmeade weekend, Fred had cornered Harry and Ginny and asked, "Would one of you mind transporting something to our presumptuous Headmistress' office?" His eyes glittered with mischief.
They had, of course, agreed. It turned out to be a prototype of the portable swamp. George later confided, "We have everything worked out with it except on how to get rid of it. It was supposed to stick around for eight hours…" Harry raised his eyebrows as George's voice trailed off, "…but…well…we think it's the Abyssinian shrivelfig…er…we haven't exactly figured out how to get rid of it at all, but seeing as it's Umbridge's office we decided not to worry about that detail."
The portable swamp had been a great hit with everyone except Professor Umbridge and Argus Filch (who had tried every cleaner known to wizard and muggle alike to get rid of it).
Although the twins did not pull another large prank for the final week of February, their products more than made up for their inactivity. With the demonstration of their fireworks during the first week, almost every student in Hogwarts wanted to buy a box. About half of those who bought a box set it off somewhere in Hogwarts. A few daringly close to Umbridge's classroom and office (the new one by Filch's office as she was no longer able to use her swamp).
Umbridge's response to the mayhem was the creation of the Inquisitorial Squad. At first it appeared like this group of Slytherins was going to make their lives miserable as Umbridge had bestowed upon them almost all the power of a professor. It turned out the silver "I" the squad members wore on their robes only made them a target.
Harry sneaked a glance toward the Slytherin table. Montague was still missing. The fool had made the mistake of trying to take points off Fred and George. Apparently, they had stuffed him into the Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor. No one knew where it had sent him. He was not the only member of the Inquisitorial Squad to have "accidents" happen to him. Malfoy seemed to be a very popular target. Today the only thing that could be said about him was that his hair was still platinum blonde, although it was sticking straight up; everything else, however, was bright, neon pink. Goyle and Crabbe did not have anything visually wrong with them. Harry and Ginny snickered as the two large boys scratched themselves. They had fleas. Lots of fleas.
It's only a matter of time before they migrate to ferret boy, mocked Ginny.
It was not only the Gryffindors who were harassing Umbridge's assistants. Amazingly, by appointed a group of students that were almost universally disliked by the entire Hogwarts population, Umbridge had succeeded where Dumbledore had failed: she had united the Houses.
"Harry," said a dreamy voice that could only belong to Luna Lovegood. Due mainly to the D.A. meetings and her involvement with Hermione's plan, he had gotten to know Luna better. She was nice, but was without a doubt the strangest person Harry had ever met.
"Yeah, Luna?" responded Harry.
"Daddy said that he decided to print your article in today's Quibbler. See you at the meeting tonight," she said before walking off, radishes swinging.
Harry watched her walk a few more steps before turning around and walking toward the Gryffindor table. He sat down at the table and began dishing food onto his plate nervously. He was not sure how the article would be received.
Below the table Ginny gently, but firmly squeezed his thigh. Don't worry, it'll be alright.
Harry smiled at her in response, allowing Ginny's confidence to overwhelm his doubts. He had only eaten a few bites when the owls bearing mail began swarming into the Great Hall. A large brown owl dropped a rolled paper in front of him. He looked at it worriedly, knowing what it must be.
He cut the twine binding the paper cautiously and unrolled it. Luna had said that the story would probably be regulated back to page three. Luna had been wrong. Written in large, bold letters across the front of the Quibbler's front page was: HARRY POTTER TELLS ALL: What the Ministry Refuses to Believe.
Ginny peaked over his shoulder as he read the article (which covered page one, two and six). It was surprisingly well written and accurate. Rita had been true to her word and had not embellished anything. In addition to Harry's interview, she had also written a smaller piece about the Ministry's smear campaign against both Harry and Professor Dumbledore.
I don't believe it! I might have to send her a thank you note, he sent to Ginny.
Umbridge tried to ban and confiscate all copies of the Quibbler, but it was an exercise in futility. Fred and George, after seeing Umbridge patrolling the hallways, randomly grabbing books and magazines from students' hands, decided to take action. That evening in the Great Hall, on the wall behind the professors' table was a giant sized version of the Quibbler article. It was so large that it could be read from the opposite side of the hall.
Upon seeing it, she had tried to remove it with a simple evanesco. It did not work. After trying a few other disappearing spells and a scurgify, she ordered Filch to paint the wall. It took him two hours to paint over the entire article; however, he had no sooner replaced all of his painting supplies when the article started to become visible again, seeming to rise out of the wall.
The D.A. session that night took awhile to get started as most members wanted to discuss the article. However, when Harry had announced that they would be working on Patronuses again most people had quieted down. Harry was happy to see that Seamus had come, evidently he had accompanied Dean, and the Gryffindor had even apologized to Harry for his behavior.
Harry had also discovered that he could do intentional and controlled wandless magic. Hermione had told him of her suspicions that he and Ginny could – something about raising a shield around Ginny at some point – but it had come as quiet a shock.
His finding out was all thanks to the Creevy brothers. After spending an hour trying to cast patronuses and only producing mist the two boys had moved on to a mock duel. Dennis had cast the Stunning Spell, which Colin had successfully blocked, but had sent careening toward Harry. His wand had been in his pocket, but he had not known that when he raised his hand and said, "Protego." Luckily, no one but Ginny had noticed that he had not used his wand. He and Ginny had decided that they would both try wandless magic after term ended and in private with Ron and Hermione. Harry did not want to draw attention to the talent.
The large article was still on the wall when Harry made his way to Professor McGonagall's office for career counseling. He was not looking forward to the meeting. Ron said that he wanted to be an Auror, but Harry was not sure what he wanted to be.
He had asked Ginny what she thought about it as he flipped through the different pamphlets. He had said "Auror" at the time only because Ron had mentioned it earlier. Ginny had frowned and thought about it for a while before responding with her own question, "After Voldemort, are you really going to want to chase after Dark Wizards all the time?"
The question had caused him a lot of self-reflection and Ginny refused to say specifically what she though, only saying in a manner strikingly similar to Hermione, "You need to figure this out on your own."
It was not until he could see McGonagall's door that he decided he definitely did not want to be an Auror. His entire life had been determined by a Dark Wizard and after Voldemort Harry wanted a life that had nothing to do with Death Eaters, Voldemort, or any other Dark Wizards.
Unfortunately, this meant he did not have any real idea of what he wanted to do. As he walked the last few meters to the door, Harry ran through a few careers that seemed interesting. However, when he opened the door his mind whet blank. McGonagall was seated in her usual place, her biscuit tin on the edge of the desk, but behind her, sitting on a stool, was Professor Umbridge.
Harry's eyes traveled from Umbridge to McGonagall, who nodded her head toward the chair in front of her desk, "Please, sit down Mr. Potter." Harry sat and the chair scrapped the stone floor as he did. He supposed that it usually happened, but the tension in the room was so great that any sound seemed to be magnified several times.
McGonagall gave him a tight, forced smile, "Mr. Potter, we are here to discuss your future career." She flipped through a file folder full of parchment, "Your marks are very good. So you have many career fields open to you - do you have a preference?"
Harry opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Umbridge's fake cough, "Hem, hem." His eyes traveled to her and then back to McGonagall wondering if he should talk or not.
"Go ahead and answer Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, pointedly ignoring Umbridge.
"Erm…well I'm not sure, but maybe a Curse Breaker or maybe…" his voice became very low as he said the other alternative he had considered. McGonagall must have caught it though because her eyebrows rose slightly and her lips twitched.
Umbridge, however, missed it, "HEM, HEM!"
McGonagall closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her hand twitched ever so slightly near her wand.
Umbridge is crazy! commented Harry, If McGonagall did that because of me, I'd be running the other way…
Yeah, there's no telling what she'd transfigure you into, agreed Ginny, who was now eagerly waiting McGonagall's response.
"May I offer you a cough drop, Dolores?" the words were polite, but the tone belied McGonagall's irritation.
"Oh, no. I don't need one," Umbridge replied in her sickly sweet voice. "I just thought you should note that Mr. Potter's most recent marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts are abysmal. He could never qualify to become a Curse Breaker with them."
McGonagall blinked, but did not turn her head to acknowledge Umbridge. "Yes, Mr. Potter, curse breaking is a very interesting profession - only the most skilled and intelligent wizards can become Curse Breakers…" McGonagall closed her mouth as if considering her words.
That's what Bill said! The rest of it is "Because the stupid ones die," Ginny giggled at the almost slip by McGonagall. Ginny had wanted to be a Curse Breaker ever since Bill had shown her the Bat-Bogey Hex. Harry supposed this might have influenced him, but it also seemed to be a natural choice for him - thinking back to his first year, he definitely seemed to have a knack for getting past traps.
"As long as you continue along your current course, I see no reason you should not be able to pursue this career. Defense Against the Dark Arts is necessary of course - you never know what to expect with curses, but this is not a problem for you. Your marks in this subject area have always been exemplary. Charms is also necessary and Transfiguration would also be beneficial to the field. Depending on the type of curse breaking you are interested in, Ancient Runes may help, I see you maintain about an Acceptable level, you should know to enter N.E.W.T. Ancient Runes you will need an E. Care of Magical Creatures would be a wise choice as Curse Breakers run into a myriad of creatures."
Harry nodded his head as McGonagall talked and felt a glimmer of hope rise, "Would I have to take Potions?"
McGonagall gave him a piercing look, "We encourage all students to continue on with their core classes - Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, and, yes, Potions. However, neither Herbology nor Potions is a requirement for a Curse Breaker." She must have read the light in Harry's eyes correctly because McGonagall immediately followed with, "However, attaining N.E.W.T. Potions would almost guarantee your acceptance into the field - expert potion makers are hard to find."
Harry sighed and leaned back in the chair, "Oh. So that means I should take DADA, Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, and Care of Magical Creatures."
"Yes, although, as I said before, it depends on what type of Curse Breaker you want to be."
"There are different kinds?" asked Harry.
"Hem, hem."
"Yes, Bill Weasley, who I believe you know, specializes in the Ancient Curses field. Should you desire to enter this field, then I would suggest you substitute Ancient Runes for Care of Magical Creatures. As Mr. Weasley could tell you, dealing with Ancient Curses requires a great deal of finesse, and often a great deal of research." Harry frowned and he though he saw McGonagall give a small smile, "Your personality, I believe, would lend you more toward the other side of Curse Breaking. It is an extremely dangerous profession as many curses may be unique to the caster and, unlike in Ancient Curses, there is usually very little historical research to depend on. Only the most powerful…and quick wizards survive long in this field," McGonagall concluded.
"Hem, hem."
Harry felt pride surge through him at the thought that McGonagall thought he could be successful in the field and he immediately began fantasizing about becoming a famous curse breaker or at least famous for his curse breaking skills rather than his scar.
"The only problem is your Potions' marks," Harry's day dream came to a crashing halt. Snape would ruin things. "Professor Snape requires an O to continue on into N.E.W.T. level Potions.
"Er…"
"HEM, HEM! HEM, HEM!" Harry turned started to look at Professor Umbridge. He had forgotten she was there. From her red, irritated face, he guessed she had been trying to interrupt for some time.
Again McGonagall closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Yes, Dolores. Do you have something constructive to add?"
Umbridge threw her a nasty look, "You should not encourage Mr. Potter. His marks in my class, like I said previously, are abysmal. He has no hope of achieving the proper marks to continue on in Defense Against the Dark Arts!"
"Mr. Potter's marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts are the best in the school," replied McGonagall and as Umbridge tried to speak again, McGonagall continued in a clipped tone, "WHEN being taught by a competent professor." Umbridge paled and then reddened. McGonagall paid no attention, "Mr. Potter, I believe you had another career choice."
Harry blushed, "Yes, well, I just thought…maybe…"
Just tell her - she already heard you anyway, prodded Ginny.
"Quidditch."
"A very difficult choice and very common," replied McGonagall. "You are probably one of the few who stand a chance at playing professionally."
"NO, HE DOES NOT!" yelled Umbridge.
McGonagall ignored her, "I am sure that once things change, you will be back out on the pitch next year. I would still urge you to continue studying to become a Curse Breaker. It never hurts to have a backup plan. If that is all Mr. Potter, you may go."
Harry quickly left as the room exploded with Umbridge's yelling. He could make out several words: "Quidditch," "Broom," and, "Ban." Then McGonagall's stern voice started and he could barely hear, "We shall see."
A few hours later it was Ginny's turn to enter McGonagall's office. Umbridge was sitting in the same position as she had with Harry.
They both look a little haggard, she sent Harry.
I bet they've been arguing all day! Do you think that Umbridge is there for every one?
No, she wasn't there for Hermione's, answered Ginny.
When did she tell you? asked Harry.
When you were having your session. Now hush, I've got a plan.
Harry smiled wickedly and closed his eyes so that he could be completely focused on what Ginny had planned for her career counseling session.
"Hello, Ms. Weasley, take a seat," McGonagall's voice betrayed her exhaustion. When Ginny sat, smiling back at the stern professor, she continued, "Do you have a specific career in mind?"
Ginny smiled. McGonagall's eyes widened. She had been a teacher for a very long time and had taught two groups of extremely mischievous and talented students. The first were the Marauders. The second were the Weasley twins. Thus, she knew what Ginny's smile meant; she had seen a version of that smile many, many times before.
"Yes, I do. I've been thinking about going into politics." Umbridge, who had been looking down at her clipboard, looked up so quickly her neck cracked. "I mean, I'm not going to run for office. But, I thought about being more of a manager for Harry." Umbridge's eyes widened. "He's already well known and, after the recent article, people have more faith in him than in the Ministry. Besides, he's the Boy-Who-Lived; people want to believe in him. I think it would be easy." Umbridge opened and closed her mouth several times, unable to find any words. "I bet I could convince him to give a few interviews now - talk about incompetence of the Minister and his staff, the Ministry's smear campaign, and Voldemort's return."
Umbridge slipped off her stool with a thud. Ginny's smile widened.
McGonagall's face was set into concrete, but she did comment. "Dolores? Are you alright? I hope you didn't hurt yourself." She turned her attention back to Ginny, "Thank you, Ms. Weasley. There are not many classes here at Hogwarts that are required to enter into politics. I daresay that any fool with enough money can enter the field, but I wish you luck. Perhaps you will restore honor to the profession. Please send in your brother."
Ginny's smile never faltered as she left the office.
After dinner, which turned out to be a very sedate affair as the main target, Umbridge, was conspicuously absent. As they left the Great Hall, Lee Jordan stopped them, "Follow me! You have got to see this!"
The older boy ran off and the four followed him as fast as they could. As they neared the third floor corridor it became more difficult as more and more people were heading in the same direction.
"Bloody brilliant!" announced Ron. Hermione did not even bother to chastise him.
Almost the entire corridor looked like it was covered in sand. In the middle of the corridor was Filch and Umbridge. Normally, walking on sand is not difficult. However, this was not just sand. It was quicksand.
Harry turned to his three companions, "Fred and George?" All three nodded in agreement.
As the crowd slowly got over its shock, people began snickering and then laughing. Only Filch and Umbridge's heads were clearly visible. Filch, for his part, had managed to grab onto a foot of a suit of armor. The suit of armor, however, was not pleased with being manhandled and was hitting the caretaker on top of the head every ten seconds.
No one made a single move to help the two adults. A few of the professors made a few vague wand waves, but then would say that they could not figure out how to remove the sand. Only the members of the Inquisitorial Squad did anything and that was only surrounding Fred and George, who were both looking extremely smug.
It took Umbridge five minutes to force her hand with her wand up through the sand. "Wingardium Leviosa!" she cried.
"Oh! You really should…" started Fred.
"…not have done that," finished George.
The moment she finished saying the spell the sand changed into concrete.
While Filch was practically unconscious thanks to the suit of armor's efforts, Umbridge was angry, very angry.
"You two are in trouble - a lot of trouble! You are going to wish you never came to Hogwarts!" croaked Umbridge.
"Funny, you should say that," said George, not looking the least concerned.
Fred nodded his agreement, "We really don't feel like being punished, you see."
"Not in the least," added George.
"We've decided that we've outgrown formal education and that it is time for us to leave the hallowed halls of Hogwarts," said Fred dramatically.
"And it is now time for us to strike out on our own, find our destiny so to speak," the laughter behind George's voice threatened to break.
"Incidentally, anyone looking for Long-lasting Concrete Quicksand can contact Fred or George Weasley at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes in Diagon Alley!" said Fred loudly.
"So now we must sadly take our leave - ACCIO BROOMS!" both twins yelled.
There were two great thuds and then a clatter as two brooms raced toward the twins, forcing the Inquisitorial squad dive for cover. One of the brooms still had its formerly restraining chain attached, which had bounced off the now unconscious head of Argus Filch.
As the twins pushed off and soared into the air, there were several loud pops and hundreds of flyers gently swooped to the floor. They all read: Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, Hogwarts students get 1/2 OFF!
Just as the twins reached the exit one of them turned and yelled at the watching poltergeist, "Give her hell from us, Peeves!"
Peeves saluted and then turned to the situation at hand.