Nova found a new thing to loathe.
The Inquisitorial Squad.
The ring leader?
Draco Malfoy.
He wasn't really, but he was a main factor.
The Inquisitorial Squad had the power to take points away from houses. Seeing as most of the students in the group were Slytherin, Gryffindor was down to five points.
"A select group of students who are supportive of the Ministry of Magic, hand-picked by Professor Umbridge. Anyway, members of the InquisitorialSquad do have the power to dock points. . . . So, Granger, I'll have five from you for being rude about our new headmistress. . . . Macmillan, five for contradicting me. . . . Five because I don't like you, Potter . . .Weasley, your shirt's untucked, so I'll have another five for that. . . . Oh yeah, I forgot, you're a Mudblood, Granger, so ten for that. . . ." Draco had said.
When Ron moved to defend Hermione, she put a hand out to stop him.
Nova, who is beyond over her cousin's bullshit, step forward. Harry moved to stop her, but she tugged her arm out of his grip.
"Dray," Nova had said in a sickly sweet voice. This shocked her cousin greatly. He believed she was going to hex him.
And he wanted her to hex him.
He owled his mum about what Nova said (his mail isn't being watched). Cissy, who has always adored Nova for her strength and willingness to protect her family, was touched by the offer. However, neither were planning on leaving just yet. Cissy decided to stay put in case Nova were to ever be captured (with the war raging on, it is a huge possibility), to keep her alive. To keep her safe.
Draco refused to leave his mum.
Nova knew nothing of the plan they cooked up.
Draco was supposed to push her away. To make her hate him. To make her give up on him. As much as he hated to admit it out loud, it pained Draco to act like a spoiled brat to his cousin. It pained his heart as she grew to hate him.
But Nova's fatal flaw is her stubbornness and an undying need to protect those she loved.
This is exactly the reason Draco knew Nova wouldn't give up. No matter how hard he tried. He could push her away as much as he wanted, but deep down, both teenagers knew they would fight for each other. Draco for Nova's well being. Nova for Draco's heart that isn't ice cold.
"If it isn't my filthy halfbreed of a cousin," Draco sneered.
He saw the pain flash in Nova's eyes, and it struck his heart.
He saw Ron gab Harry's cloak to stop him from attacking the Slytherin. He could care less about this. He knew he deserved the pain.
"Maybe you need your eye checked, Dray, because I'm clearly here," Nova sassed. She wondered why he was being so harsh to her. He literally gave her chocolate yesterday.
"It's an expression."
"It's a muggle expression." Nova corrected smugly.
"Five points from Gryffindor," he sneered.
"Oh so now you aren't only a kiss arse to your father but the pink fucking toad too?" Nova asked incredulously.
"Five and a half-points for disrespecting the Headmistress. And another five and a half for disrespecting my father."
"You must be kidding!" Nova exclaimed. "You can't seriously-"
"I am."
"I thought you changed." Nova hissed under her breath to her cousin. "I thought you wanted to be different than your toxic arse father. Clearly, I was wrong."
With that, Nova was gone. It was like she vanished. But in reality, Draco watched with a sad expression on his face. His sister walked away from him . . .again. His sister hated him . . .again.
Draco was seriously beginning to hate what his mother's wishes were.
But Harry, Ron, Nova, and Hermione had turned automatically toward the giant hourglasses set in niches along the wall behind them, which recorded the House points. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had been neck and neck in the lead that morning. Even as they watched, stones flew upward, reducing the amounts in the lower bulbs. In fact, the only glass that seemed unchanged was the emerald-filled one of Slytherin.
"Noticed, have you?" said Fred's voice. He and George had just come down the marble staircase and joinedHarry, Ron, Hermione, and Ernie in front of the hourglasses.
"Malfoy just docked us all about seventy-five points," said Harry furiously, as they watched several more stones fly upward from the Gryffindorhourglass.
"Yeah, Montague tried to do us during break," said George.
"What do you mean, 'tried'?" said Ron quickly.
"He never managed to get all the words out," said Fred, "due to the fact that we forced him headfirst into that Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor."
Hermione looked very shocked."But you'll get into terrible trouble!"
Nova, on the other hand, high-fived the twins that easily toward over her. "Hell yeah, Gred and Forge!"
A large grin appeared on both Weasley twins' faces.
"Not until Montague reappears, and that could take weeks, I dunno where we sent him," said Fred coolly. "Anyway . . . we've decided we don't care about getting into trouble anymore."
"Have you ever?" asked Hermione.
" 'Course we have," said George. "Never been expelled, have we?"
"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," said Fred.
"But now?" said Ron tentatively.
"Well, now —" said George.
"— what with Dumbledore gone —" said Fred.
"— we reckon a bit of mayhem —" said George.
"— is exactly what our dear new Head deserves," said Fred.
"You mustn't!" whispered Hermione. "You really mustn't! She'd love a reason to expel you!"
"Oi! Lil lion!" George hissed to her, loud enough for the others to hear.
"Wanna help us?"
"Is Grover Underwood one of the most underrated characters ever?" Nova asked with a smirk.
"Yeah . . .If you could repeat that in English-" Fred began.
"-it would be rather lovely," George said.
"We don't speak nerd," Fred added causing Hermione to wack him with her book.
"She means 'yes'," Harry translated.
"Thanks, Harry," both twins responded.
The twins, with Nova on Fred's back, began to leave.
"Be in the Great Hall for lunch tomorrow!" George called before they left.
***
"Ready, Gred?" George asked turning his head to the left to look at his twin.
"Ready, Moonfoot?" Fred asked turning his head to the left to look at his honorary sister.
"Ready, Forge?" Nova asked as she looked to her left.
The three mischief makers stood in a small football huddle, each holding their own firework. A similar smirk was etched upon their faces. It was both good-hearted and sinister.
The three shared a look before splitting off to their designated spaces.
"Light 'em up!" They yelled in unison.
The core of the school shook, drawing attention to the trio. Harry, who had been in Umbridge's office being tested with Veritiserum, set his cup down as he prepared to see what the wracked was.
A large green and gold firework dragon roared as it flew through the air. Five-foot Catherine wheels spun in the air like wide saucers. Lethal-looking silver sparks flew off of each in turn.
FUCKING SHIT UP SINCE 1980
MOTHER FUCKERS
SHIT
UMBITCH
BLOODY HELL
These were prime examples of the many phrases (many of which included swear words) that wrote themselves in the air.
Firecrackers were exploding everywhere you looked. They illuminated the dark hallway, making the after-shock smoke visible.
The pyrotechnical miracles seemed to be gaining energy by the minute as more and more students appeared to watch the show.
Filch and Umbridge watched in an oddly satisfying horror as more fireworks were being set off.
A large blue dragon barrelled towards Filch and Umbridge with a sinister "wheeeeee".
Outside the open door, several of the dragons and a large purple bat that was smoking ominously took advantage of the open door at the end of the corridor to escape toward the second floor.
"THEY ARE FUCKING GENIUSES!" James yelled as he celebrated.
"Hurry, Filch, hurry!" shrieked Umbridge. "They'll be all over the school unless we do something — Stupefy!"
A red spark terminated from the edge of her wand towards the dragon. Nova laughed maniacally as she watched the horrified look on Umbridge's face as her spell did nothing.
"Don't Stun them, Filch!" shouted Umbridge angrily, for all the world as though it had been his suggestion.
"Right you are, Headmistress!" wheezed Filch, who was a Squib and could no more have Stunned the fireworks than swallowed them. He dashed to a nearby cupboard, pulled out a broom, and began swatting at the fireworks in midair; within seconds the head of the broom was ablaze. Harry had seen enough. Laughing, he ducked down low, ran to a door he knew was concealed behind a tapestry a little way along the corridor, and slipped through it to find Nova, Fred, and George hiding just behind it, listening to Umbridge's and Filch's yells and quaking with suppressed mirth.
"Impressive," Harry said quietly, grinning. "Very impressive . . .You'll put Dr. Filibuster out of business, no problem. . . ."
"Cheers," whispered George, wiping tears of laughter from his face."Oh, I hope she tries Vanishing them next. . . . They multiply by ten every time you try. . . ."
"It was my suggestion," Nova grinned cheekily.
"Shush, Lion!" Fred hushed.
"We know you're brilliant," George rolled his eyes.
Nova crossed her arms and huffed. Harry leaned down to kiss the top of her head.
"Ew! Potter, watch what you're doing-" Fred urged.
"That's our sister right there," George stated glaring at the youngest Potter.
The fireworks continued to burn and spread all over the school that afternoon. Though they caused plenty of disruption, particularly the firecrackers, the other teachers did not seem to mind them very much.
"Dear, dear," said Professor McGonagall sardonically, as one of the dragons soared around her classroom, emitting loud bangs and exhaling flame. "Miss Brown, would you mind running along to the headmistress and informing her that we have an escaped firework in our classroom?"
The upshot of it all was that Professor Umbridge spent her first afternoon as Headmistress running all over the school answering summonses of the other teachers, none of whom seemed able to rid their rooms of the fireworks without her. When the final bell rang and the students were heading back to Gryffindor Tower with their bags, Harry saw, with immense satisfaction, a disheveled and soot-blackened Umbridge tottering sweaty-faced from Professor Flitwick's classroom.
"Thank you so much, Professor!" said Professor Flitwick in his squeaky little voice. "I could have got rid of the sparklers myself, of course, but I wasn't sure whether I had the authority. . . ."
Beaming, he closed his classroom door in her snarling face. Nova, Fred, and George were heroes that night in the Gryffindor common room. Even Hermione fought her way through the excited crowd around them to congratulate them.
"They were wonderful fireworks," she said admiringly.
"Thanks," said George, looking both surprised and pleased."Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-Bangs. Only thing is, we used our whole stock, we're going to have to start again from scratch now. . . ."
"It was worth it, though," said Fred, who was taking orders from clamoring Gryffindors. "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 returned to the table where Harry and Ron were sitting staring at their schoolbags as though hoping their homework might spring out of it and start doing itself.
"Oh, why don't we have a night off?" said Hermione brightly, as a silver-tailed Weasley rocket zoomed past the window. "After all, the Easter holidays start on Friday, we'll have plenty of time then. . . ."
"Are you feeling all right?" Ron asked, staring at her in disbelief.
"Now you mention it," said Hermione happily, "d'you know . . . I think I'm feeling a bit . . . rebellious."
"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?" Ron asked with a look of awe on his face.
Hermione shoved him into a plant.
***
Later that night, Harry returned from Occulemency lessons with Snape. He looked burdened with something.
"Wassup, Harold?" Nova asked as he sat next to her on the couch.
"My dad was a bully." He said bluntly.
"That's what he has to say?" James asked incredulously.
"Don't be silly, Darlin." Nova contradicted. "He wasn't a bully."
"He bullied Snape."
"Har, where is this coming from?"
"I watched one of Snape's memories," Harry stated angrily. "It was after the O.W.Ls. My father and your dads were there. They joked about a certain werewolf question on the DADA examines. They went outside. My father was playing with a snitch-"
"Harry, listen," Nova interrupted. "I know where this is going."
"No, you don't," Harry said hotly.
"One, don't get an attitude with me," Nova sassed. "Two, I know exactly what memory you saw."
"Oooo! She told you!" Marlene yelled.
"Uncle Prongs was a great man, Har." Nova insisted. "Sure he wasn't the nicest to Snivels, but the two had a rivalry. It was Snape's memory. He is going to make himself out to be the victim. I'm sure if you asked a neutral party, they both terrorized each other equally."
"She isn't wrong," Dorcus piped up.
"He was a bully."
"Harry," Nova said sternly. "You can think what you think, but let me point somethings out for you. Bullies don't sacrifice themselves for their son, wife, and goddaughter. At the time, your father, and mine, were nothing more than boys. They were nothing more than boys that still had to grow.
"Snape has terrorized the two of us and Neville since we stepped foot in this school. Sure I haven't made it easy for him, but what the hell didn't Neville do? What have you done? You may look like your father, Harry, but you are different people." Nova stated. "Harry, Uncle Prongs is a great person. I guarantee you he is turning over in his grave right now."
James snorted. "She ain't wrong."
"Harry," Nova said softly. "He matured. He grew up. Aunt Flower would've gotten together with him, let alone produce a child with him had he been an arrogant toerag. Uncle Prongs grew up."
Harry met Nova's eyes.
"This isn't just about Uncle Prongs being a bully is it?"
"I just wish I knew more about him," Harry admitted. "The good and the bad."
"Ask my dads." Nova suggested. "I once asked what position Uncle Prongs played in Quidditch and my dads went n for five hours about him. Har, the good and the bad. If you want to talk to them, do it."
"But Umbri-"
"One thing I learned living with Fred and George," Ginny butted in. "Is that anything is possible if you've got enough nerve."
"If you want to talk to my dads," Nova said. "I'll make it happen."
***
"What is it you aspire to be, Miss Lupin-Black?" Minnie asked Nova as she sat across from her.
Today Nova had career advice. Both Minnie and Nova ignored the pink toad in the back as she observed the conversation.
The pink toad appeared to not like being ignored.
"Let's not ignore how Miss Black will have limited options-"
"Dolores, pleases," Minerva began. "Let me converse with my student."
Umbridge gave a small huff before turning to Nova.
"I want to be a professional Quiddich player-"
Umbridge gave a small sickening laugh only to be ignored.
"-preferably chaser." Nova continued. "After that, I aspire to be an Auror."
"I really hate to burst your bubble," Umbridge said with a satisfied look on her face. "But you have a life long ban from Quidditch." Nova frowned. "And you are failing Defense Against the Dark Arts. Not to mention your heritage is questionable, and your school record is rather . . .unlikeable."
"Dolores," Minerva said hotly. "Miss Lupin-Black is not failing Defense Against the Dark Arts! She has been one of the best students to ever attend-"
"She is failing this year."
"She is under an insubordinate teacher. I would expect as much."
"Are you-?"
"Yes, I am!" Minerva hissed before turning to Nova. "I will make sure you get where you need to go, Miss Lupin-Black. You are dismissed."
Nova left without another word.
***
Nova and Harry had successfully made it into Umbridge's office.
With the help of Fred and George causing a distraction and a knife that picks lock from Sirius to Harry, the duo was able to make it into the office.
"Number twelve, Grimmauld Place!" Harry said loudly and clearly.
Nova's job was to keep watch, making sure Harry wasn't caught. This meant she couldn't see her dads, but that didn't matter. She had her box.
It was one of the most curious sensations he had ever experienced; he had traveled by Floo powder before, of course, but then it had been his entire body that had spun around and around in the flames through the network of Wizarding fireplaces that stretched over the country: This time, his knees remained firm upon the cold floor of Umbridge'soffice, and only his head hurtled through the emerald fire. . . .
And then, abruptly as it had begun, the spinning stopped. Feeling rather sick and as though he was wearing an exceptionally hot muffled around his head, Harry opened his eyes to find that he was looking up out of the kitchen fireplace at the long, wooden table, where a man sat poring over a piece of parchment.
"Sirius?"The man jumped and looked around.
It was not Sirius, but Remus.
"Harry!" he said, looking thoroughly shocked. "What are you —what's happened, is everything all right?"
"Yeah," said Harry. "I just wondered — I mean, I just fancied a —a chat with Sirius."
"I'll call him," said Lupin, getting to his feet, still looking perplexed."He went upstairs to look for Kreacher, he seems to be hiding in the attic again. . . ."
And Harry saw Remus hurry out of the kitchen. Now he was left with nothing to look at but the chair and table legs. He wondered why Sirius had never mentioned how very uncomfortable it was to speak out of the fire — his knees were already objecting painfully to their prolonged contact with Umbridge's hard stone floor.
Remus returned with Sirius at his heels moments later.
"What is it?" said Sirius urgently, sweeping his long dark hair out of his eyes and dropping to the ground in front of the fire, so that he and Harry were on a level; Remus knelt down too, looking very concerned. "Are you all right? Do you need help?"
"No," said Harry, "it's nothing like that. . . . I just wanted to talk. . . about my dad. . . ."
They exchanged a look of great surprise, but Harry did not have time to feel awkward or embarrassed; his knees were becoming sorer by the second, and he guessed that five minutes had already passed from the start of the diversion — George had only guaranteed him twenty. He, therefore, plunged immediately into the story of what he had seen in the Pensieve.
When he had finished, neither Sirius nor Remu spoke for a moment. Then Lupin said quietly, "I wouldn't like you to judge your father on what you saw there, Harry. He was only fifteen —"
"I'm fifteen!" said Harry heatedly.
"Look, Harry," said Sirius placatingly, "James and Snape hated each other from the moment they set eyes on each other, it was just one of those things, you can understand that, can't you? I think James was everything Snape wanted to be — he was popular, he was good at Quidditch, good at pretty much everything. And Snape was just this little oddball who was up to his eyes in the Dark Arts and James —whatever else he may have appeared to you, Harry — always hated the Dark Arts."
"Yeah," said Harry, "but he just attacked Snape for no good reason, just because — well, just because you said you were bored," he finished with a slightly apologetic note in his voice.
"I'm not proud of it," said Sirius quickly. Remus looked sideways at Sirius and then said, "Look, Harry, what you've got to understand is that your father and Sirius were the best in the school at whatever they did — everyone thought they were the height of cool — if they sometimes got a bit carried away —"
"If we were sometimes arrogant little berks, you mean," said Sirius. Remus smiled.
"He kept messing up his hair," said Harry in a pained voice.
Sirius and Remus laughed.
"I'd forgotten he used to do that," said Sirius affectionately.
"Was he playing with the Snitch?" said Remus eagerly.
"Yeah," said Harry, watching uncomprehendingly as Sirius and Remus beamed reminiscently. "Well . . . I thought he was a bit of an idiot."
"Of course he was a bit of an idiot!" said Sirius bracingly. "We were all idiots! Well — not Moony so much," he said fairly, looking at Remus, but he shook his head.
"Did I ever tell you to lay off Snape?" he said. "Did I ever have the guts to tell you I thought you were out of order?"
"Yeah, well," said Sirius, "you made us feel ashamed of ourselves sometimes. . . . That was something. . . ."
"And," said Harry doggedly, determined to say everything that was on his mind now he was here, "he kept looking over at the girls by the lake, hoping they were watching him!"
"Oh, well, he always made a fool of himself whenever Lily was around," said Sirius, shrugging. "He couldn't stop himself showing off whenever he got near her."
"How come she married him?" Harry asked miserably. "She hated him!"
"Nah, she didn't," said Sirius.
"She started going out with him in seventh year," said Remu.
"Once James had deflated his head a bit," said Sirius.
"And stopped hexing people just for the fun of it," said Remus.
"Even Snape?" said Harry.
"Well," said Remus slowly, "Snape was a special case. I mean, he never lost an opportunity to curse James, so you couldn't really expect James to take that lying down, could you?"
"And my mum was okay with that?"
"She didn't know too much about it, to tell you the truth," said Sirius. "I mean, James didn't take Snape on dates with her and jinx him in front of her, did he?"
Sirius frowned at Harry, who was still looking unconvinced.
Nova poked her head into the fire.
"Wassup, Padres?" Nova questioned with a grin.
"'Ello, Lion!" Remus greeted with a grin.
"No children yet?" Sirius asked, causing both teenagers to flush.
"Da!" Nova objected. "Stop!"
Both men laughed heartily.
"Anyways, we are running low on time," Nova told Harry. "Also, Harry, listen. Uncle Prongs was a great man. He regretted how he treated Snape, he told me as such. That shows development. Besides, they had a rivalry. I'm sure if you asked her father or even saw a memory of his, you'd see Snape hex him."
"Look," he said, "your father was the best friend I ever had, and he was a good person. A lot of people are idiots at the age of fifteen. He grew out of it."
"Yeah, okay," said Harry heavily. "I just never thought I'd feel sorry for Snape."
"I don't. The bitch is a fucking bastard." Nova growled. "He bullies children for no reason."
"Now you mention it," said Remus as he ignored Nova's statement. A faint crease between his eyebrows, "how did Snape react when he found you'd seen all this?"
"He told me he'd never teach me Occlumency again," said Harryindifferently, "like that's a big disappoint —"
"He WHAT?" shouted Sirius, causing Harry to jump and inhale a mouthful of ashes.
"Merlin, Da! You got vocals to rival Granny Greatest!" Nova groaned.
"Are you serious, Harry?" said Remus quickly.
"No, I am," Sirius said at the same time Nova said, "No, he is."
"He's stopped giving you lessons?" Remus asked, ignoring his illegal husband and daughter.
"Yeah," said Harry, surprised at what he considered a great overreaction. "But it's okay, I don't care, it's a bit of a relief to tell you the —"
"I'm coming up there to have a word with Snape!" said Sirius forcefully and he actually made to stand up, but Reus wrenched him back down again.
"If anyone's going to tell Snape it will be me!" he said firmly. "ButHarry, first of all, you're to go back to Snape and tell him that on no account is he to stop giving you lessons — when Dumbledore hears —"
"I can't tell him that, he'd kill me!" said Harry, outraged. " see him when we got out of the Pensieve —"
"Harry, there is nothing so important as you learning Occlumency!" said Remus sternly. "Do you understand me? Nothing!"
"Okay, okay," said Harry, thoroughly discomposed, not to mention annoyed. "I'll . . . I'll try and say something to him. . . . But it won't be . . ." He fell silent. He could hear distant footsteps."Is that Kreacher coming downstairs?"
"No," said Sirius, glancing behind him. "It must be somebody your end . . ."
Harry's heart skipped several beats.
"We need to go! Now!" Nova hissed. "I don't feel like getting warts from slapping the toad today."
Harry dived for the Invisibility Cloak and had just managed to pull it back over himself and Nova when Filch burst into the office. He looked absolutely delighted about something and was talking to himself feverishly as he crossed the room, pulled open a drawer in Umbridge'sdesk, and began rifling through the papers inside it.
"Approval for Whipping . . . Approval for Whipping . . . I can do it at last. . . . They've had it coming to them for years. . . ."
He pulled out a piece of parchment, kissed it, then shuffled rapidly back out of the door, clutching it to his chest.
Harry and Nova leaped to their feet and, making sure that they had Harry's bag and the invisibility Cloak was completely covering him, Harry wrenched open the door and hurried out of the office after Filch, who was hobbling along faster than Harry had ever seen him go.
One landing down from Umbridge's office and Harry thought it was safe to become visible again; he pulled off the cloak, shoved it in his bag, and hurried onward. There was a great deal of shouting and movement coming from the entrance hall. Together they ran down the marble staircase and found what looked like most of the school assembled there.
It was just like the night when Trelawney had been sacked. Students were standing all around the walls in a great ring (some of them, Nova noticed, covered in a substance that looked very like Stinksap); teachers and ghosts were also in the crowd. Prominent among the onlookers were members of the Inquisitorial Squad, who were all looking exceptionally pleased with themselves, and Peeves, who was bobbing overhead, gazed down upon Fred and George, who stood in the middle of the floor with the unmistakable look of two people who had just been cornered.
"So!" said Umbridge triumphantly, whom Nova realized was standing just a few stairs in front of him, once more looking down upon her prey. "So . . . you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"
"Pretty amusing, yeah," said Fred, looking back up at her without the slightest sign of fear.
Filch elbowed his way closer to Umbridge, almost crying with happiness.
"I've got the form, Headmistress," he said hoarsely, waving the piece of parchment Harry had just seen him take from her desk. "I've got the form and I've got the whips waiting. . . . Oh, let me do it now. . . ."
"Very good, Argus," she said. "You two," she went on, gazing down at Fred and George, "are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school."
"You know what?" said Fred. "I don't think we are."
He turned to his twin.
"George," said Fred, "I think we've outgrown full-time education."
"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," said George lightly.
"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?" asked Fred.
"Definitely," said George.
And before Umbridge could say a word, they raised their wands and said together, "Accio Brooms!"
A loud crash somewhere in the distance. Looking to his left he ducked just in time — Fred and George's broomsticks, one still trailing the heavy chain and iron peg with which Umbridgehad fastened them to the wall, were hurtling along the corridor toward their owners. They turned left, streaked down the stairs, and stopped sharply in front of the twins, the chain clattering loudly on the flagged 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," said George, mounting his own. Fred looked around at the assembled students, and at the silent, watchful crowd.
"If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley — Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes," he said in a loud voice. "Our new premises!"
"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," added George, pointing at Professor Umbridge.
"STOP THEM!" shrieked Umbridge, but it was too late. As the Inquisitorial Squad closed in, Fred and George kicked off from the floor, shooting fifteen feet into the air, 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."
And Peeves, whom Harry had never seen take an order from a student before (other than Nova), swept his belled hat from his head and sprang to a salute as Fred and George wheeled about to tumultuous applause from the students below and sped out of the open front doors into the glorious sunset.
In heaven, everyone cheered them on with the most enthusiasm any of them used in my months.
Author's Note:
I tested negative for strep, the flu, and COVID. However, I am sick with a virus.
Basically, I am dizzy and get tired easily. I have a very sore throat and my sinuses are all over the place.
Thank you for everyone's concerns, but I'll be alright.