Fred and George despised Umbridge's class. A week into classes had proven that this school year was going to be dark. After Harry had received detention every night the previous week, Fred and George decided to lie low. Angelina would have certainly killed them if they got detention. But Umbridge's classes were so dreadfully boring. All they did was sit there and read the dullest book ever written. Fred and George decided it was time to fix that. Besides, they needed some place to work on their inventions, Umbridge's class seemed the most fitting.
Fred and George were the last to arrive for class and happily took seats in the back of the room.
"Good morning, class!" Umbridge said in false cheer.
"Good morning, Professor Umbridge," chanted the class.
"Wonderful. Wands away and books out, please." Fred was certain this was becoming her favorite thing to say. "We will be following a Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please."
Fred tuned out the rest of the lesson. He and George knew better than to challenge her, like Harry did. As the students read the textbook Fred and George decided it was time to entertain the class.
Fred tossed a box of fireworks into the middle of the room and sent a Stunning Spell at it. Immediately, it exploded, sending fireworks of greens and oranges dancing across the ceiling. The fireworks were loud and demanded attention that the bored class was all too willing to give. The class clapped and whistled until the last firework had disappeared.
Professor Umbridge, though, was not amused. "Which one of you threw it?" Fred glanced at Angelina Johnson, who was sitting in the front of the classroom. She was glaring at them. No doubt they would be receiving detention for the fireworks. Harry had already received detention for crossing Umbridge, ruining Quidditch practice for Angelina. Fred sighed.
"I did," he told her.
"And why, Mr. Weasley, did you see fit to set off fireworks in my classroom?"
"Well, I reckoned anythin' would be better than sitting here reading about stuff instead of actually learning it."
"Perhaps you are not reading the text carefully, Mr. Weasley."
"Reading about something isn't going to make you put it into effect, Professor. Reading in Defense Against the Dark Arts isn't going to teach us anything. We have to actually practice it. In case-"
"In case of what, Mr. Weasley," Umbridge said in false sweetness. Fred glanced at Angelina again. Harry had given this same speech the week before and all it got him was detention for a week. He couldn't talk at this woman. He was smarter than that.
"Nothing, Professor," mumbled Fred. "But I stand with Harry. If he says You-Know-Who is back, then he is."
"10 points from Gryffindor, Mr. Weasley, and detention this evening. Five o'clock. My office." Angelina's head fell to the desk in exasperation.
-----
Fred was glad George didn't have detention with him. Angelina nearly hexed him for what he had done in Umbridge's class. Thankfully, it was just one detention, whereas Harry had detention for every night that week and would be missing the Keeper tryouts.
"Sit down, Mr. Weasley," Umbridge called when he entered. He took a seat at one of the numerous desks in the classroom. Harry entered then, too, but was ushered into Umbridge's office away from Fred. Umbridge knew to keep them apart. "You will be writing lines."
"I didn't bring a quill," Fred told her.
"Oh, that's quite alright. You'll be using a special one of mine." She handed him a long, thin black quill with an unusually sharp point and some parchment. "I want you to write 'I must not cause trouble'," she told him.
"You haven't given me any ink," he reminded her.
"Oh, you won't need any ink." There was laughter in her voice.
"How many times do you want me to write it?"
"Oh, as long as it takes for the message to sink in. Off you go."
I must not cause trouble. Fred wrote. He wasn't expecting the pain that appeared on the back of his right hand. The letters he had written appeared on the page in shining red ink. Strange. Fred started again, but at the pain looked down at his hand again. The words he had been writing appeared on the back of his hand. I must not cause trouble.
That evil woman, Fred thought. This form of punishment could not be legal. He stopped writing and stared at his hand, knowing he would go straight to McGonagall after this. "Yes?" Umbridge, her mouth wide with a smile. He hated her.
"This can't be legal," he told her. "You'll be fired for this."
"Mr. Weasley," she said sweetly, "you are mistaken. You see, I have the backing of the Ministry. One word from me and the state of your father's job could be easily changed."
"You're threatening to sack my father," Fred said through his teeth. He was trying very hard to keep his temper in check.
"His job is already unnecessary in the Ministry."
"My father would rather me stand up for what's right than him keep his job." Even as Fred said it, he knew it was true. But he knew, in the end, he would listen to Umbridge. His family couldn't afford for Mr. Weasley to lose his job.
"Would you like to find out?" challenged Umbridge.
He looked down at the parchment. He could do this. He could write these lines into his hand for his family. He would do anything for his family. So, he wrote. I must not cause trouble. I must not cause trouble. I must not cause trouble.
Hours later, his hand was stinging painfully. He glanced down at it. The cut had healed, thankfully, but the skin around it was raw.
"Hand," demanded Umbridge. He extended it to her. She grazed the wound with her thick, stubby fingers. "Do you understand, Mr. Weasley? Tell me what you have learned."
"I must not cause trouble, Professor Umbridge," he told her, giving her the answer that she wanted.
"Good. You may go."
Fred left her office without another word, racing to Gryffindor Tower.
-----
Hermione was awake in Gryffindor Tower. She was determined to help the enslaved house elves. Almost every night since the start of term, after finishing her homework, she would knit hats, scarves, and socks for the house elves. She would leave them miscellaneously throughout the Tower, hoping that the clothes she made would help the house elves.
She was knitting the night Fred had detention and was the only one in the Common Room when he entered, clutching his hand to himself. He looked tired and the usual smile she saw on his face was gone.
"Hello, Fred," she greeted. He glanced at her, as if just noticing she was sitting on the couch before the fire.
"Oh, hello, Hermione." Hermione. He called her Hermione, not Granger. She frowned.
"What's wrong with your hand?" He sighed.
"It's nothing, go back to your work." He started walking towards the dormitories. She jumped off the couch, and pulled his hand out. "Granger-"
"What is this, Fred?" she wanted to know.
"I had detention with Umbridge," he said simply.
"'I must not cause trouble'," she read. "You need to talk to Dumbledore about this."
"I can't. And you can't either. She threatened my dad's job, Hermione. Promise me you won't tell anyone."
"Fred-"
"Promise me." She sighed and nodded.
"Wait here." She disappeared into her dormitory for a moment, only to return quickly with a small bowl of yellowish liquid. "Sit down," she ordered. Giving up, he took a seat on the couch. She placed the bowl on her lap, and taking Fred's hand, placed it in the solution. Fred breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Hermione," he said gratefully. "What is it?"
"It's a solution of strained and pickled murtlap tentacles." He raised an eyebrow at her, wondering how she knew of this solution. "I've taken to reading other materials in Defense Against the Dark Arts. I figured I might as well use that time profitably." He smiled at her.
"You really are the brightest witch of your age or any age for that matter." She blushed slightly at the compliment. He liked making her blush. Gently, he withdrew his hand from the solution. It was still a nasty scar, but the pain was starting to subside. He stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow. Breakfast, yes?" She nodded. Though many things were going to change that year, one thing wouldn't. Breakfasts with Fred and George. "You know. I don't know how he did it."
"Who?"
"Harry. How did he put up with this all week?" Upon seeing the look on her face, Fred realized that Harry hadn't told her what happened in detentions with Dolores Umbridge. "Good night, Granger."
"Good night, Fred."
-----
Fred had an idea. One that he wasn't quite ready to share with anyone just yet. He was thinking about what Hermione had said about using the time in Umbridge's class profitably. He couldn't imagine anything that woman teaching to be profitable of itself. He always wanted to escape during boring classes like that.
And that's what he was going to do. Provide some sort of way that the students could escape class for a minutes before returning to the dullness that was school. A few weeks had passed since the detention he'd had with Umbridge. He and George were too busy focusing on Quidditch to cause anymore trouble with the woman. Ron was the new Keeper, he wasn't terribly dreadful, he just couldn't save anything if people were watching him.
"What are you working on?" Hermione asked Fred as she took the seat beside him at breakfast.
"Nothing you need to worry yourself over," he told her. Hermione opened her mouth to refute, but before she could say anything, she was interrupted.
"Save your breath, Granger," said George. "He hasn't even told me yet." She frowned. Just then, a copy of the Daily Prophet fell before her.
"Ministry Seeks Educational Reform Dolores Umbridge Appointed First-Ever 'High-Inquisitor'," Hermione read the headline.
"High Inquisitor?" Harry said. "What does that mean?"
"In a surprise move last night the Ministry of Magic passed new legislation giving itself an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 'The Minister has been growing uneasy about goings-on at Hogwarts for some time,' said Junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley. 'He is now responding to concerns voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve'."
"Did they include that he's also the world's biggest prat and he wouldn't know what parents want if it hit him in the face," Fred said angrily.
"We could try hitting him in the face," suggested George.
"This is not the first time in recent weeks Fudge has used new laws to effect improvements at the Wizarding School. As recently as August 30th Education Decree Twenty-two was passed, to ensure that, in the event of the current headmaster being unable to provide a candidate for a teaching post, the Ministry should select an appropriate person."
"But they didn't," Ron murmured. "They gave us Umbridge. Not an appropriate person." Fred had to agree, thinking about the scar on his hand.
"'That's how Dolores Umbridge came to be appointed to the teaching staff at Hogwarts,' said Weasley last night. 'Dumbledore couldn't find anyone, so the Minister put in Umbridge and of course, she's been an immediate success-'"
"What!" cried Fred, George, Ron, and Harry together.
"Wait, there's more," Hermione said grimly.
"'-an immediate success, totally revolutionizing the teaching of Defense Against the Dark Arts and providing the Minister with on-the-ground feedback about what's really happening at Hogwarts.' It is this last function that the Ministry has now formalized with the passing of the Educational Decree Twenty-three, which creates the new position of 'Hogwarts High Inquisitor.'"
"I can't believe this," Fred said, when Hermione finished reading the article.
"Well, now we know how we ended up with Umbridge! Fudge passed this 'Educational Decree' and forced her on us! Now he's given her the power to inspect other teachers! I can't believe this! It's outrageous!"
"I don't understand," Ginny said, hearing the end of their conversation and joining in. "How could Dumbledore allow this? What does this mean?"
"It means," said Fred, "things are about to get very dark at Hogwarts. And there's nothing we can do to stop it."