Chapter Fifty Two
Harry walked along the corridor, filled with the need to hit something. His mind was swimming, was he being disloyal to his Dad by defending James? James had been a lot of things, things Harry never got to know himself or make up his own mind about but a lazy, unemployed layabout was not one of them and Harry felt the need to correct that.
He moved out of the way of Filch, hurrying down the corridor. Harry pressed himself against the wall, trying to make sure that Filch didn't see him, the last thing he needed right now was Filch having a go.
As soon as Harry felt the cool stone on his back, he lost the anger that had kept him going. He slid down the wall and closed his eyes for a moment, revelling in the lack of noise.
Harry wasn't sure how long he was sitting there and only opened his eyes again when he heard Filch all but skipping back down the corridor.
"At last, permission for a good whipping, and trust me, they'll only need one." Filch cackled.
Harry knew that this couldn't be good news, his stomach tightening horribly. He followed Filch down the corridor with his gaze, Filch clearly still hadn't seen Harry, he didn't notice when Harry stood up and started following him either.
Filch, unknowingly, lead Harry to the Entrance Hall where there was a large crowd of students gathered around.
"Out of the way!" Filch barked, shoving students out of the way.
Harry spotted Hermione and Neville at the edge of the crowd and went over to them.
"What's going on?" Harry whispered.
Hermione and Neville both looked worried, Hermione as white as a sheet and chewing at her nails.
"Oh Harry, Fred and George went to expand the swamp. It needed making more interesting or something they said…" Hermione whispered.
"They said it was too easy for Filch to punt people across at the moment." Neville explained, "They'd come up with a few ideas."
Hermione nodded, "Only they got caught. Filch spotted them, caught them red handed and physically dragged them down here by their hair."
Harry felt his heart beating quickly, "Filch said something about whipping."
Hermione nodded.
"How did Filch know they would be there?" Harry asked, "Or was it just a fluke?"
"Ronald Weasley." Neville said, pointing into the centre of the group of students.
Fred and George were standing in the centre of the crowd, looking nervous but defiantly around them. Ron was looking awkwardly between them and Filch who was almost jumping up and down on the spot in glee.
Umbridge soon arrived strutting over, the crowd parted to let her through.
"Well well well." Umbridge smiled, "Good work Mr Filch and you too Mr Weasley."
Ron looked awkwardly at his feet and gave a small nod. Harry was furious at Ron for ratting out his own family, but at least Ron also looked like he was regretting his treachery.
"So," Umbridge hissed, turning to Fred and George, "you think that is 'funny' to turn the school into a swamp do you?"
Fred smiled, "Yeah. Pretty much."
"Well I don't!" Umbridge snapped, "You have caused enough trouble here, and it is clear that my usual methods of punishment are not enough for you two."
Filch looked greedily at them as Umbridge passed him a nasty looking whip, several strands hung from the leather grip, each with a large knot at the end. Fred and George looked worriedly at one another.
"Mr Filch, ten each should do the trick. Do you wish me to secure them?" Umbridge asked.
"Hold on a moment." George said, holding up his hand, "Are you honestly going to beat us? Let him beat us? You think that is going to work?"
"I have found pain to be a great motivator." Umbridge said, thrusting her chin into the air.
"Well, we thank you for you honesty, you old cow." Fred smirked, "You're not half the teacher Dumbledore was, hell, you can't even get into his office."
"You insolent…" Umbridge pointed her wand at Fred and George.
They effortlessly disarmed her, making Harry rather proud of his teaching skills.
Fred and George turned, bowing to the crowd around them.
"Thank you for coming here today." George joked.
"We hope you have enjoyed the little taster over the passed few weeks of Weasley Wizard Wheezes. There will be fifteen percent off for Hogwarts students for the next year! Please, do come and find us at our new premises in Diagon ally!" Fred announced.
They raised their wands into the air and their booms came crashing though, stopping just next to them. Fred and George hopped on and kicked off from the ground, sailing away from Hogwarts leaving a trail of scarlet and gold sparks behind them.
Umbridge had now collected her wand and glared at the quickly disappearing figures zooming away from the school.
"Clear the hallway! NOW!" She yelled, trying to smooth her hair down.
Harry, Hermione and Neville didn't need telling twice and quickly left before Umbridge could turn her frustration on them.
"We'll walk you part of the way to the common room." Neville offered, "We were heading to the Potions Lab anyway."
Harry smiled and nodded, he was grateful of their company. He looked back, Ron was standing alone, pressed against the wall as people shoved into him as they walked by. Harry would have felt sorry for him had he not just forced his brothers to either leave the school or be publicly and brutally beaten.
"Why are you heading to the Potions Lab?" Harry asked, once they were free of the Entrance Hall.
Hermione waved her hand, "Oh, we just wanted to go over a few things from the last lesson, having several different teachers all the time has thrown off my timetable and there's still no word on when Professor Slughorn will be through the Ministry screening." she sighed.
"You had your careers thing today, didn't you?" Neville asked.
Harry forced a smile and nodded, "Yep. I'd just finished when I ran into you."
"Well? How did it go?" Hermione asked, "Professor McGonagall gave me so many pamphlets and leaflets. I really can't make up my mind on what I want to specialise in."
Harry couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm, "Mine didn't go so great. Basically I'm stupid and, at best can look forward to being a cleaner. But hey, if I go agency I can travel all over the country."
"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry." Hermione said, "I shouldn't have been boasting."
Harry shrugged, "You weren't boasting, you're excited and that's the way it should be." he assured her.
"Well, don't listen to the cow, you have a lot more promise than a cleaner." Hermione said confidently.
"And if you do become a cleaner, you will be the best ever. You'll win awards and everything." Neville grinned.
Harry snorted a laugh, "Thanks. She got to me a bit."
"She's good at that." Neville said, giving him a one armed hug.
"I think I managed to get to her a bit as well though." Harry grinned, "I pointed out that, for good pure-blood families, 'jobs' we not needed. Gentlemen don't work."
Neville snorted a laugh, "She does hate the fact she comes from the family she does. Stupid old woman."
Hermione forced a smile, "I had noticed she was very fond of Pure-Bloods."
"Hermione, don't let it get to you." Harry said seriously, "Honestly, blood has nothing to do with magical abilities, no more than money does."
"I just feel a little out of place in your world sometimes." Hermione shrugged.
"We all do!" Neville grinned.
They reached the Potions Lab and Harry said goodbye to Hermione and Neville and went to the common room, feeling much happier.
Over the next few days, the position of 'Chief Troublemaker' was clearly up for grabs. It became clear that Fred and George must have sold over a hundred Skiving Snack Boxes before they left, Professor Umbridge only needed to walk into her classroom for the majority of the students to throw up, sprout nose bleeds or faint dramatically to the floor.
Dung bombs and Stink Pellets were dropped in every corridor; many students walking between classes with bubble head charms on to protect themselves from the never ending stench.
Harry was sure that the other teachers could of done more to help but were always strangely absent when needed. Umbridge had tried to put several classes in detention to find out where they were hiding their stock of things that were making her life miserable but no one talked.
Even Peeves had made it his mission to torment Umbridge and her followers.
Harry had laughed until he could hardly breath when Peeves had emptied what looked and smelt like the contents of a chamber pot over Gemini's head and those followers unfortunately standing too closely.
"You…" Gemini hissed, a vain showing angrily at the side of her forehead.
Peeves stuck his tongue out at her and laughed.
"I will get you for this!" Gemini hissed, "Who do you think you are? Some unimportant poltergeist!"
"I think young Missy needs a shower!" Peeves sang loudly.
"My hair is covered!" Wailed a seventh year boy, splatting the walls around him with muck.
Harry left quickly, not wanting Gemini to spot him and have her blame him. One punishment that was still very effective was Umbridge's quills. Ginny had to write 'I will remember where my loyalties should lie.' over a hundred times after she slapped Ron shortly after Fred and George had left.
Harry felt sorry for her and managed to slip her a small pot of Murtlap ointment to help it heal, the wound was nastily deep and sore looking. Harry was having to guard his ointment though, it was running low and there was no way of him getting any more, and goodness knew most of the school had needed some at some point.
He was wondering up to the library, hoping to catch his friends and do a little studying, the O. being scarily close now, when he, quite literally, bumped into Ron.
"You!" Harry hissed, "Proud of ourself are we?"
Ron blushed and mumbled something.
Harry shook his head, "Stay away. You filthy blood traitor."
"Harry, wait!" Ron called after him.
Harry stopped, he didn't want to, unless stopping would allow him to send a couple of nasty jinxes in Ron direction without any consequences, which was highly unlikely; Lily would be furious at him for attacking first apart from anything else. But not stopping would almost certainly get him reported to Umbridge and he would find himself once more in detention, this time for ignoring her authority and the authority she chooses to give out.
"What do you want Ronald?" Harry hissed.
"I wanted to say sorry." Ron said, sincerely.
Harry blinked, he was taken a back but the sudden apology, "I don't think it's me you should be apologising to." he said frankly, "It's your family you've hurt most, Fred and George had to leave this school before they could finish their exams because of you, something that will effect them for the rest of their lives, and Ginny, your baby sister's hand is still bleeding if she flexes it to much."
Ron looked close to tears and wiped his face, "I know and if I could take every bit of it back I would. If I could of gone back to that day I left the DA I would of stayed, done all of this differently."
"But you didn't." Harry snarled, "You chose your path."
"And I chose wrong." Ron huffed, "I know that, by god I know that. I fucked up. Look, I know that Mum was trying to protect me but this… the fact Umbridge can torture students like this means that things are coming, bad things and we all need to know how to protect ourselves."
"I'm sure Mummy will protect you." Harry snarked, rolling his eyes.
Ron snorted, "Like she protected Ginny? Or Fred? Or George?"
Harry shrugged, "I'm no fan of your mother, but as far as I am concerned, their sufferings are on you."
"And I'm owning it!" Ron insisted, "Tell me what I can do to help."
Harry looked him over and pulled him into an alcove nearby, "Nothing. I can't trust you."
"But-"
"No. I will not put my friends in danger just to give you a second chance." Harry told him, "That's the end of it. You want to own your mistakes? Then own them. You can't just make one big gesture and they'll go away, it doesn't work like that."
Ron hung his head and nodded, "I know. I… I'm just so sorry."
Harry sighed, there was a part of him that felt sorry for Ron; everyone makes mistakes after all and he looked so pathetic standing there, tears rolling down his cheeks, but he couldn't take the risk it was just an act, something Umbridge had set him up to do.
"Look, just, play it safe." Harry told him, "There's no point you getting yourself into trouble now, what's done is done. Just don't be a little snitch any more."
"I won't, I promise." Ron nodded, quickly wiping his face.
"Why did you do it?" Harry shrugged, "I can't think of anything that would lead me to betray Danica, I'd rather die than see her hurt."
Ron shrugged, "I… I wanted Mum to be proud of me."
Harry let out a bark of laughter, "And this is how you do it? Look Mum, I got your other kids punished or kicked out of school by turning them into a sadistic troll, aren't you proud?"
"It's not easy for me!" Ron snapped, "I'm never good enough! Apart from Fred and George, who are scarily smart just never bothered with trying in school, everyone in my family has been top of this and head of that and Prefect and I'm never enough! I just wanted to be enough for once."
Harry shook his head, "You don't get it, do you? It's not easy for any of us. I sat in my careers advice thing and when Umbridge asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, the only thing I could think of was being alive, because as things stand I've got what? A fifty fifty chance, at most? I'm afraid every single day! We all are. But we fight because it's not easy but it's what is right. You chose what was easy and that's on you, there is no excuse."
Ron nodded, "I really am sorry."
"I know." Harry said, "It's just not enough. Not to just say you're sorry and expect everything to go away. Now, please leave me alone before Umbridge thinks I'm in trouble."
Harry ignored Ron's pleas to continue talking, he was tired and there was nothing more to say.