𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝟐.𝟐𝟏 - 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬

 A few days had passed since the raid of the Room of Requirement and the disbandment of Dumbledore's Army. You still got goosebumps when you remembered that night and the events that preceded it on top of the astronomy tower. It hadn't even been a full twenty-four hours when Filch hammered the newest Educational Decree to the wall outside the Great Hall.

'Educational Decree Number 119,' it read. 'Dolores Jane Umbridge Has Replaced Albus Dumbledore As Head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'

 As you went through your daily classes, you noticed that more and more paintings began disappearing off the castle walls. Not even the ones in the Slytherin common room had been spared. Umbridge feared that students were using them to contact outsiders and spread false information about her leadership abilities as head of the school. 

No more owls came in from your parents or anyone else's and for the first time in centuries, Hogwarts was silent. 

You had just gotten out of your nightly detention with Umbridge. As you walked down the darkened halls, members of the Inquisitorial Squad passed by with a glare. Just like you had suspected, Pansy told everyone about how you 'betrayed' your house and family by conspiring against the Ministry of Magic.

This detention was different from the others because after every other line you wrote, she  instructed you to write a new phrase. 

"Blood traitor," she said with the hint of a giggle. "I think it's quite fitting, don't you?"

Being called that awful name hurt just as bad as the first time. Only this time around, the words pierced your heart just as gravely as they did your hand. Speaking out of turn you could live with. But being branded a traitor to people you didn't even want to be associated with in the first place?

 She had made you write this new phrase over and over until your dominant hand was so numb that you could barely hold the quill. She released you just after midnight and as you left her office, you crossed paths with Cho Chang who was on her way to her own detention. She looked up at you through her eyelashes and darted away quickly before you could greet her properly. She hadn't been on the best of terms with Harry and the rest of Dumbledore's Army since she ratted you out.

You hadn't spoken to anyone but Draco since the raid. You weren't exactly sure what you were supposed to say to the others even if you did find yourself standing face to face any one of them.

In classes, you were silent and kept your head down for the entirety of the lesson. Professor Snape unknowingly blessed you with individual reading assignments in Potions class which gave you an excuse not to speak to Harry who was your assigned partner.

All of a sudden, you came to a crossroads in the corridor. The hall to your right led back to your dorms while the other took you all the way to Gryffindor tower. You looked back and forth between them, biting your lip harshly. Do you return to your room and face ridicule from Pansy and the other girls or make the trip up the ever-changing staircase to barter entrance at Gryffindor tower?

 Overwhelmed with the choices, neither of which you found very enticing, you backed up into a stone bench and sat down, pulling your bag close beside you. Without really meaning to, tears had begun welling up in your eyes and you let them fall freely down your cheeks.

You felt homesick for the Hogwarts before Umbridge. Before Voldemort's indisputable return. Before your parents selfishly devoted their lives to him. You were homesick for the Yule Ball, for Cedric Diggory, and for the entirety of your fourth year. 

"Why is it that whenever we go out after dark we stumble into one of your breakdowns?" a voice piped up out of nowhere. 

 You blinked up through your tears to see none other than the Weasley twins standing before you. Their hands were shoved deep into the pockets of their jeans and they cocked their heads to the side to eye you where you sat.

You shifted uncomfortably under their gaze, crossing and uncrossing your legs. "Why is it that whenever I need a moment alone, you two appear out of thin air?"

 Their shoulders bounced as they shared a chuckle. "Good point," they both smiled, coming forward to sit on either side of you. You were too emotionally exhausted to wonder why they weren't wearing their uniforms or better yet, why they were out after curfew on a cloudy Tuesday night. 

As their laughter quieted, your sniffles filled the sudden silence.

"Hey," said Fred, sitting up to reach into his back pocket. "Just realized that we never gave you a proper Christmas gift."

"Oh," you mumbled, staring at the individual stones in the floor under your feet. "You really don't have to get me anything. Besides, Christmas was ages ago."

"I'm sorry?" George chimed in, resting his arm around the back of your shoulders casually. "Three crates of firecrackers within the span of two years? That's worth something at least."

"Besides," Fred smirked. "This one's got your name on it."

 You furrowed your eyebrows as he pulled his hand back out of his pocket, producing a familiar purple and gold box along with it. Gently, he dropped it into your open hands for you to inspect. It was a Chocolate Frog, the same sweet that he had given you to help comfort you from your meltdown at the Yule Ball last year. 

 You blinked down at it slowly before clutching it close to your chest. "Tha-Thank you," you choked pathetically, the tears beginning to brim in your eyes once more. This time they weren't the product of pain, but of happiness. Both of the twins grinned and swooped in to pull you into a sideways hug.

"Take notes, Georgie," Fred teased. "Chocolate. It gets the ladies every time."

You laughed, finally, and wiped away the rest of your tears with your injured hand. "Let me see that," George tutted, pulling up the long sleeve of your robes to get a better look at your marred skin. "Blimey," he whispered under his breath, eyes wide as he read the scars. It was the furthest expression from joy you had ever seen on one of their faces.

"(Y/N)?"

 The three of you looked up to see Harry standing a few yards away. He too was wearing his casual clothes. Did you miss a meeting about the dress code? 

 As he walked closer, he looked between you and the twins, eyes resting on your hand that was currently in George's lap. "What's happened?"

"What do you think happened, mate?" George asked, lifting up your fresh scars for Harry to see for himself. You turned back to the chocolate frog resting on your lap. Harry stepped closer and crouched down, taking your hand in his. "Blood-traitor?" He read through gritted teeth.

"She said," you hiccuped. "She said that I'm a disgrace to my family's good name. That I'm soiling my life caring about..." 

Half-breeds. Umbridge had told you that you were soiling your life caring about half-breeds. However, it felt wrong to say so out loud, like you were only adding to your punishment. Harry stood back up to his full height, jaw tight. He knew what you meant without you having to explain yourself.

 All four of your heads turned at the sound of a high-strung voice clearing further down the corridor. You jumped where you sat, subconsciously pulling your hand back to your chest. Umbridge was standing in the doorway of a stairwell. Her wand was poised at her side and she looked between you with a satisfied hum.

"As I told you once before, Mr. Potter, naughty children deserve to be punished," her cold, empty, eyes passed over you and you shuddered in your seat. Seemingly content with this reaction, she turned away into the door and disappeared.

Fred and George nudged each other in the shoulder, nodding to where Umbridge had been standing seconds earlier. "You know, George," said Fred. "I've always felt our futures lie outside the world of academic achievement."

 You looked between them, sensing the mischievous possibilities brewing in the air. George smiled widely and folded his arms in thought. 

"Fred, I've been thinking the exact same thing." 

(A/N: I'm blessing you all with a new chapter before I start school tomorrow. I'm trying not to stress about it but...you know. ~Anxiety~ things. They messed up my schedule so woop woop I have to deal with that now. But you guys didn't come here for that. Ya'll want Harry and Draco. I'll probably commit to a few new chapters tonight but who knows. Lemme know if you see any mistakes!)