'Ello. How are you?
Thanks to: Rowellylovesgryffindor, Bellaroe, GraciieGoriie, the Anon and Sam for reviewing.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything to do with it, just Mia
Chapter 13: Manic
McGonagall walked around the room, handing out the graded essays they had done the previous week. "One more grade like that, Thorns, and it'll be a detention!" she told the boy sitting in front of Mia. She turned around and slid Mia's essay across the desk to her, with a small 'E' scratched in the corner. "Better then your last few essays," she told Mia, "I suggest you keep up this standard of work or I doubt you will get a good enough grade in your NEWT."
"Sure thing, Professor," Mia said.
"What do you need to get in your NEWTs to be a Healer?" Fred asked, reading the essay over her shoulder.
"An 'E' in Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Herbology and Defence Against the Dark Arts…" she replied.
"Good luck."
"You think I can't do it?" she asked, placing her essay back down on the desk and looking at Fred, eyebrows raised. He just shrugged.
"Well, you're very supportive, ain't ya?"
"I know, right?" Mia just rolled her eyes.
"Remember, you need to think of a happy memory. A really happy memory," Harry told them as he walked around the Room of Requirement. "And, then, once you've done that- and make sure it fills your mind and is the only thing you think about- once you've done that, all you do is… Expecto Patronum!" Harry's silvery-white stag came out of his wand and cantered around the room, then disappeared. Fred whistled. "So, have a go, I'll come round and see how you're doing." Everyone in the room dispersed and the room was soon full of people saying 'Expecto Patronum!'
"Ok, then…" Mia sieved through her mind, trying to find a happy memory. "Expecto Patronum!" nothing happened.
"Bad luck, Mia," Fred said, patting her on the back.
"All right, then, you try!" Mia said, rolling her eyes.
"All right, then, I will!" Fred stood up straighter and flicked his was, saying "Expecto Patronum!" Overall, it should have been quite impressive, if something had happened. But nothing did. So it really wasn't. Mia smirked. "Oh, shut up," Fred muttered. George tried as well, but nothing happened when he did it, either.
The first person to master doing a Patronus was Luna. Her silver hare ran around the room, and several people stopped what they were doing to watch it. Luna beamed as Harry congratulated her. The next person to do it was Cho Chang- and Harry's praise was much more enthusiastic. Soon, a few other people either had animals zooming around them, or silvery wisps were coming out of their wands.
On her seventh attempt, the silvery wisp came out of Mia's wand feebly. She frowned slightly, and tried again. She'd flicked through several happy memories now… her and George's first kiss… when he told her he loved her… when she got her letter from at the age of eleven… being Sorted… but none of the, seemed to work. "Something happy… something happy… something happy…" she murmured, twirling her wand around in her fingers, walking around in small circles. She racked her brains, sifting through memories. There was the time her, Fred and George had gone completely hyper in second year… or the weeks she spent at Jess' during the summer holidays… when she'd first gone to Diagon Alley… just after she'd gotten un-petrified… she went through loads of them.
"Expecto Patronum!" something flew out of her wand and went around the room, but it was gone before she could catch a glimpse of it.
"Well done, Mia!" Harry said, she jumped and turned around, "sorry."
"Don't worry." she replied, "Did you see what it was?"
"No, sorry," he shook his head, "try again." she nodded and paused for a second.
"Expecto Patronum!" the hawk flew from her wand and circled the room. Mia turned as it swooped over Fred's head.
"OI!" he yelled and Mia giggled. The dissolved and Fred whipped around, "did you just do that?"
"Why yes, yes I did," she replied, then giggled again.
"Well done," Harry told her, "keep practising, make sure you can do it every time." Mia nodded as he walked away. It took her a couple more minutes to do it again, but soon, the shining hawk was flying around her head nine times out of ten.
"Show off," Fred muttered after she sent the hawk to fly into his face. She laughed and sent it flying after Cho Chang's swan.
"Remember that producing a Patronus in a brightly lit room is very different to producing one in front of Dementors," Harry reminded them.
"Oh, don't be such a killjoy," said Cho as she made her swan swoop away from Mia's hawk, "they're so pretty!"
"They're not supposed to be pretty," Harry rolled his eyes, "they're supposed to protect you. What we really need is a Boggart or something; that's how I learned, I had to conjure a Patronus while the Boggart was pretending to be a Dementor-"
"But that would be really scary!" Lavender Brown interrupted.
"Yeah, but, Harry," Mia said, letting her hawk dissolve, "a Boggart wouldn't exactly work, though, would it? I mean, 'cause Boggarts turn into whatever the person's scared of most… and I don't think that my biggest fear's a Dementor…" but Harry was stopped from answering by Parvati Patil, who had accidentally thrown her wand at his back.
Mia looked around as the door slammed. Several other people did too, and a few of them pointed their wands at it. Something small came jogging past Mia's legs, and she looked down to see one of the House-Elves from the kitchen running up to Harry, wearing a tower of knitted hats on its head.
"Hi, Dobby!" Harry said, then his forehead creased, "What are you- What's wrong?"
Everyone in the room had become silent now, dropping their wands down by their sides. Luna's hare- which was the last Patronus in the room- disappeared, leaving an eerie silver smoke. People started to slowly make their way towards Harry and the elf.
"Harry Potter, sir," Dobby squeaked, "Harry Potter, sir… Dobby has come to warn you… but the house-elves have been warned not to tell!"
The Elf suddenly ran into the wall and a few people around him staggered back. But because of his many hats, all dobby did was bounce back.
"What's happened, Dobby?" Harry asked urgently.
"Harry Potter… she… she…" the elf gasped
"Who's 'she' Dobby?" Harry asked. But everyone in the room knew who 'she' was. Subconsciously, Mia gripped her wand tighter.
"Umbridge?" Harry asked quietly, and Dobby nodded.
"What about her?" Harry pressed, kneeling down slightly. "Dobby- she hasn't found out about this- about us- about the DA?" nobody needed Dobby to answer. They all already knew the answer.
"Is she coming?"
"Yes, Harry Potter, yes!" the elf screamed.
Harry stood up and looked around at everyone. Lavender and Parvati were clutching each other's arms. Hermione and Ron were looking horrified. Neville was staring at the door, as if he could stop Umbridge from coming just by wishing it. Mia's eyes had gone wider then usual. Fred and George had raised their wands. The room itself seemed to have gotten darker, as if it knew what was coming.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? RUN!" Harry bellowed. As one, everyone in the room darted towards the doors. Angelina, Alicia, Katie, Mia, George and Fred flew down the corridors.
"Library!" Alicia suddenly shouted.
"What?"
"The library! Its closer then Gryffindor Tower!"
"I'm not going to the library!" Fred said indignantly.
"But-!"
"I am not going to the library!" he yelled.
"Fine! Get caught and expelled!" Katie yelled, as her, Angelina and Alicia rounded a corner. Mia rolled her eyes.
"C'mon!" she muttered, grabbing George's hand and pulling him around a corner.
"Hey!" Fred yelled. He hand gone past the turn off, and obviously decided to keep going, because he didn't catch up with them. Mia and George stopped running, breathing hard, faces flushed and looking around. They stayed silent for a second.
"Can you hear that?" Mia whispered. The sound of running footsteps was approaching them. George peered around the corner and looked back, mouthing the word Slytherin. Mia grimaced and licked her lips. The running footsteps got closer. An idea struck her.
She grabbed onto George's collar and pulled him down, smashing their lips together. He made some confused, muffled sound, but a second later, a tall, burly Slytherin came skidding around the corner.
"OI!" he yelled. Mia and George broke apart, still breathing heavily from running. The three of them stared at each other for a second.
"You got a problem, mate?" Mia asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"What you doin' out here?" the Slytherin said, striding forwards until he was towering over Mia. She looked up at him.
"Bit obvious, innit?" she replied. The Slytherin was grasping his wand and it was twitching forwards.
"Where was you before you was here?" he asked.
"Don't seen how that's any of your business."
"Confundo," she heard George whisper behind her. The Slytherin's eyes glazed over and he looked even more stupid then before.
"What are you doing here?" Mia asked, peering up into his face.
"Um…"
"I think you're meant to be down on the fifth floor," Mia told him.
"You sure?" Mia licked her lips.
"Uh-huh."
"Oh… right…" the Slytherin said as he turned and walked away jerkily. Mia licked her lips again and breathed out a sigh of relief, then looked up at George slyly.
"You know…" she said, "we could always carry on…" George smirked and kissed her again. He leaned back against the wall as she pressed into him, wrapping his arms around her.
"OI!" they jumped apart. Turning, they saw Fred standing there, with a 'what the hell' expression on his face. "I don't really want to be scarred for life!" he said. Rolling her eyes, Mia walked back down the corridor, slapped Fred on the arm, and rounded the corner.
The next day, there was a bunch of first years milling around the notice board in the common room, whispering stuff. "oh my God…" Mia muttered, reading the noticed above the first year's heads.
"What?" Angelina asked. Mia pointed at the notice.
BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC
Dolores Jane Umbridge (High Inquisitor) has replaced Albus Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-Eight.
Signed: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic
"What?" Angelina hissed.
"The Minister's middle name is Oswald?" one of the first year boys.
"I suppose you think this is funny, do you?" Mia snapped at him. The boy went slightly pale as Angelina pulled Mia away. As they went down to the Great Hall, they passed at least a hundred more posters.
"Harry!" Mia said, as she slid into a seat in front of him at the Gryffindor table, "what happened?" Harry groaned and then told her and Angelina how he had been caught by Draco Malfoy, taken to Dumbledore's office, how Marietta had been the traitor and now had the word 'SNEAK' etched on her face in large spots (to which Mia burst out laughing) and how the Minister for Magic had been there, along with two Aurors and Umbridge. And finally, how Dumbledore had blasted them all unconscious and left. As soon as he finished his story, Fred and George sat on either side of Mia and Angelina.
"What happened?" Fred asked.
"Where's Dumbledore?" asked George. Again, Harry groaned and told the story… again.
Later that day, Mia, Fred and George strode across the Entrance Hall, seeing Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ernie Macmillan, and Draco Malfoy standing in the middle of it.
"-A Mudblood, Granger, so ten off for that." Mia's jaw clenched. They saw Ron take put his wand and Hermione push his hand down.
"New Head, new times," Malfoy gloated, "be good now, Potty… Weasel King…" he left, laughing.
"He was bluffing… He can't be allowed to dock points… that would be ridiculous… it would completely undermine the prefect system." Ernie was saying as Mia and the twins drew nearer.
The Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw hourglasses were getting emptier and emptier by the second.
"Noticed, have you?" Fred said dully.
"Malfoy just docked us all about fifty points," Harry hissed.
"I know, we heard," Mia said, falling into step next to Hermione.
"Yeah, Montague tried to do us during break," said George.
"What do you mean, 'tried'?" Ron asked.
"He never managed to get all the words out due to the fact that we forced him headfirst into that Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor," Fred said casually.
"But you'll get into terrible trouble!" Hermione gasped.
"Not until Montague reappears, and that could take weeks," Fred shrugged "I dunno where we sent him." Hermione looked at Mia.
"I wasn't actually there," she replied. She'd been in the library doing Potions homework with Angelina.
"Anyway… we've decided we don't care about getting into trouble any more," Fred told her.
"Have you ever?" Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Course we have. Never been expelled, have we?"
"Surprisingly," muttered Mia.
"We've always known where to draw the line," said Fred.
"We might have put a toe across it occasionally," said George.
"But we've always stopped short of causing real mayhem," Fred said cheerily.
"But now?" Ron asked and the twins grinned.
"Well, now-" George said
"-What with Dumbledore gone-" said Fred.
"-We reckon a bit of mayhem-"
"-Is exactly what our dear new Head deserves."
"You mustn't! You really mustn't! She'd love a reason to expel you!" Hermione whispered frantically.
"You don't get it, Hermione, do you?" said Fred, "we don't care about staying anymore. We'd walk out right now if we weren't determined to do our bit for Dumbledore first. So, anyway, phase one is about to begin. I'd get in the Great Hall for lunch, if I were you, that way the teachers will see you can't have had anything to do with it."
"Anything to do with what?" said Hermione anxiously.
"You'll see, run along, now."
"Mia!"
"Hermione, you keep expecting me to stop them doing whatever their doing," Mia said, "but it ain't gunna happen!" and with that, her, Fred and George entered the Great Hall.
"So… what are you doing?" Mia asked as she sat down. Fred tapped his nose.
"You'll just have to wait and see. Now, if you don't mind, we have some chaos to attend to," they grinned evilly and left her sitting at the table. She glanced to her left- where Neville was sitting- and then to her right- where Colin Creevey was sitting- then down at her plate. She stood up and went to sit opposite Ron and Hermione, who had just sat down.
"Where's Harry?"
"Flitch said Umbridge wanted to see him," Hermione replied, "where's Fred and George?"
"Doing whatever they said they'd do."
"Wait a minute…" Ron said, "you don't know?"
"Obviously," Mia replied dryly, piling some chicken onto her plate.
"But-" Hermione cut him off.
"I still don't believe you're letting them do these things. You know full well that they'll probably end up getting expelled!"
"Hermione," Mia said softly, "you heard them, they don't care-"
"But you must!"
"Why?"
"Oh, I don't know! You're going out with George and Fred's your best friend! If Harry and Ron went and did something to get themselves expelled, I'd be quite worried!"
"So," Mia laughed, "which one are you going out with Hermione, and which one's your best friend?"
"That isn't the point!" Hermione almost shrieked. A couple of sixth years down the table looked at them. "what if they do get expelled?"
"Then they can go start their joke shop!" Mia said, moving along the bench slightly so a third year could sit next to her friend, "and then I'll have more time on my hands to study for my NEWTs. And if they don't get expelled, well, I won't exactly be complaining, will I? So its win-win either way," she shrugged.
"But… but… but then-"
"Hermione, as I have said countless of times before- I am not Mrs Weasley; I do not have any control over them. Stop trying to pretend I do." She stuck a bit of chicken in her mouth.
"But-"
"Hermione, let the girl eat in peace!" Ron said tiredly. Hermione rolled her eyes and made a 'hmph' noise.
A while later, someone shrieked. Mia, Hermione and Ron's heads shot up from their plates, to the double doors, where a large red rocket was zooming down the aisle, red and gold stars trailing from its end. "Excellent!" Ron yelled over the noise of the chaos that had suddenly erupted. More fireworks flew into the hall, soaring around people's heads and over the four house tables. Mia laughed and ducked as a purple dragon came swooping over her head.
"I'll see you later!" she called to Ron and Hermione, dashing out of the Hall. She followed the jumble of people running up the stairs, and met Fred, George and Harry on the third floor, all of whom were laughing. "I-MEN-SE!" she yelled, as more fireworks skittered across the walls.
"Why, thank you!" Fred replied, giving a mock-bow.
While the twins had a free period next, Mia had Herbology. A vibrant lime green, shocking pink and electric blue rocket followed her across the grounds and into the greenhouse. She made no attempt to shun it, but did have to duck several times. She passed Sparklers writing words in the air, and Catherine Wheels spinning uncontrollably.
When she entered the Greenhouse, she saw about seven other fireworks wrecking havoc amongst the plants. Venomous Tentacle snaked up their vines, trying to catch the sparks. Honking Daffodils hooted louder then usual. Sprout was standing in the middle of them, trying to calm her precious plants, but doing nothing in particular to stop the fireworks. Once all the students had arrived, Sprout put on some weird expression between a grin and a grimace.
"Oh dear, I do believe that these," she pointed the rocket that had followed Mia down from the castle, "will disrupt our lesson…" a couple of the students laughed. "Miss Homing, do you mind trying to find our new Headmistress? I'm sure she wont mind helping us out…" the students laughed again.
"Course, Professor," Mia grinned, and left the Greenhouse again. She found Umbridge exiting Professor McGonagall's room, with sweat and soot mixed on her face. She shot a wink towards Harry, Ron and Hermione- who were watching Umbridge leave with expressions of immense glee- before saying loudly, "Professor Sprout needs some help down in the greenhouses. There are about ten really big, really loud fireworks trying to kill all of her plants." The class of fifth years laughed and McGonagall's lips twitched before the door closed. Umbridge clenched her teeth.
"Of course," she said, with weird little jerk of her head. Mia smiled. As they walked back through the castle, Mia looked over her shoulder.
"You know, I'm sure you'll be an excellent headmistress," she said, lacing sarcasm delicately into her words.
"Oh, really?" Umbridge asked, her voice shaking.
"Oh, yes," Mia replied, smirking, "I mean, you're doing such a good job getting rid of all of these fireworks!" a dragon whizzed past her head and Umbridge shrieked.
"Oh, here we go," Mia said as they reached the greenhouse. Sprout and all the students were standing outside, each holding one or two plants that they had obviously saved from being set alight.
"Ah, Professor Umbridge!" Sprout beamed, "I would largely appreciate it if you could get rid of all of these fireworks for me. They are distracting us!"
"Of course," Umbridge muttered through clenched teeth. As she entered the greenhouse, the students burst out laughing.
"Now, now," Sprout said, but she, too, was grinning.
Umbridge didn't manage to get the fireworks out of the greenhouse during their lesson, so the students spent the time lounging around on the grass, occasionally answering revision question Sprout asked them. Mia started talking to a tall Hufflepuff girl about Dumbledore.
"I mean, I heard that Fudge is in St Mungo's and Dumbledore's living in this secret cave in the Channel!" the Hufflepuff girl said.
"Who the hell did you hear that from?" Mia laughed.
"I over heard two Ravenclaws talking about it!" Mia scoffed.
"Yeah, well," Mia rolled her eyes, "I got the story straight from Harry-"
"How did you do that?" the Hufflepuff exclaimed, "I haven't been able to get anywhere near him all day!"
"Well… I do kinda know him… anyway- yes, Professor?"
"Properties of a Mandrake Root?" Sprout asked.
"Un-petrify people," Mia answered. Sprout nodded and turned to a Ravenclaw. "Anyways, as I was saying, all Harry said was that Dumbledore left while Fudge, Umbridge, and the Aurors were out cold. No one knows where he's gone! So I don't know how those Ravenclaws got the story that he was hiding in a cave inthe Channel!" the Hufflepuff girl shrugged. The bell rang and Sprout dismissed. Umbridge still hadn't come out of the greenhouse…
That evening in the common room, everyone was crowding around Fred and George. Some of them congratulating them, some asking how they made the fireworks, and others placing orders for when they had enough to sell. Hermione managed to get to the front of the crowd, and for a second, Mia thought she was going to tell them off. But then she said, "they were wonderful fireworks."
"Thanks," George said, surprised, "Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-bangs. Only thing is… we used our whole stock; we're going to have to start again from scratch now." He shrugged.
"It was worth it, though," said Fred, taking an order off of a very short first year girl. "If you want to add your name to the waiting list, Hermione, it's five Galleons for your Basic Blaze box and twenty for the Deflagration Deluxe!" Hermione just rolled her eyes, grinned at Mia, and left, pushing past some third years.
"They really have outdone themselves, haven't they?" Mia looked round and saw Ginny.
"Mmm…" Mia agreed, "sometimes I wonder how they find the time! What with… um… no, wait… I do see how they find the time." Ginny chuckled and left, going to talk to one of her friends.
That night, Mia, Angelina and Alicia all stayed up, standing at the window and watching the fireworks stream past. At one point, two fireworks collided, and even more of them sprung away, even more ablaze and colourful. One of them shot across a centimetre from the window, and Mia swore she could see each individual spark.
"they're geniuses! Absolute geniuses!" Alicia laughed, watching a firecracker blow up.
So… how was that? I had fun writing the manic with the fireworks…
Anyways… just thought I'd say that I everything planned out for the rest of this story…
Please review!