Roses and Riots | f. weasley

Chapter 43: The Departure

Emilia spent the two weeks of Easter holidays studying for her NEWTs with Hermione who was studying for her OWLs, and her friends from her house.

"I can't believe we only have two months left at school," Beth said with a sigh one evening.

"I know, it'll be so weird not seeing you guys everyday," Alicia said, and Katie nodded sadly.

"You all better keep in touch, or else," Angelina said, raising a dark eyebrow.

"Duh, you can't get rid of us that easily," Emilia said with a grin. She turned to Hermione whose face was practically buried in her Potions book.

"You okay?" she asked.

Hermione sighed, "yes, I just have so much to learn by June."

Emilia chuckled, "relax, Hermione. You'll be fine."

"You're right, I'm just stressing myself out," Hermione said, nodding, "how are you feeling for your exams?"

Emilia gestured to the pile of books in front of her, "if there was a way for me to absorb all of this knowledge into my brain, I would do it."

Hermione laughed and then her eyes travelled across the library, "even the twins are studying."

Emilia followed her gaze to a desk between bookshelves where the twins were whispering animatedly to each other and writing in several notebooks.

Emilia had a feeling they weren't studying for their exams, that their minds were already far away and focused instead on the shop they'd open when school was finished. She just wished they'd prioritise a bit because she knew how capable they were of doing well in their exams, they just didn't want to.

But she had become used to the fact that the twins would always do what they liked.

—

Days later the twins found a first year crying and clutching his hand, having just come out of detention with Umbridge. They sat with him, and tried to cheer him up, until the little boy was smiling again.

Harry had just ran out of his Occlumency lesson with Snape. He'd caused the spell to backfire, and instead of Snape trying to break into his memories, Harry saw into his. What he'd seen had left him shaken, he'd seen a memory of James and Sirius pranking Snape by suspending him in the air in front of a crowd and laughing at him.

The image of that had left him feeling sick to his stomach, and he all but ran out of the potions classroom in the dungeon to the courtyard, where he found Fred and George with a first year.

He walked over to them quietly, and he heard them cheering the boy up and assuring him that the marks on his hand would heal, just like theirs had. Before Harry could speak, the familiar sound of a high pitched cough down the corridor caught their attention.

Umbridge stood there, looking sickeningly pleased with herself, and Fred and George stood up from the bench they were on, Fred moving to stand in front of the upset first-year boy and next to Harry.

"As I told you once before, Mr Potter, naughty children deserve to be punished," Umbridge said sweetly, and Harry just stared at her as she left.

Fred narrowed his eyes in the direction she'd walked in, "you know, George. I always felt our futures lay outside the world of academic achievement."

George smiled knowingly, "Fred, I've been thinking exactly the same thing."

They had made up their minds about their future, and now they had to break the news to Emilia.

—

Everything that followed happened very quickly, and Emilia stood on the Grand Staircase in shock as a horrid substance that looked like Stinksap spread down the corridor on the second floor.