Sinners and Serpents {g.w.}

Chapter 32

a/n: i think we're approaching the beginning of the end (possibly; i havent even outlined the next chapter lol) but thinking about ending this story makes me so so sad lol i hope you all enjoy the chapter! still suffering from major writers block but life goes on, eh?

It was quite impressive, really, the way in which karma repeatedly continued to scatter bad fortune in your path. In the span of a single week, you'd been on the receiving end of a handful of unfortunate experiences, all of which had been incredibly unpleasant, but none of those came close to the amount of shit you were in as Crabbe and Goyle led the remaining members of Dumbledore's Army down to the Great Hall.

The group was silent with only the sound of their anxious footsteps bouncing around the corridors breaking the heavy stillness of the air. George's hand had found yours minutes ago, something you were rather thankful for, because it made you feel grounded. Still, your heart felt like it was banging on your chest like a prisoner begging for escape and you knew your palm must've felt disgustingly sweaty against George's.

Crabbe and Goyle were walking like they'd just received the goddamn Nobel prize or some prestigious award like that, their shoulders pushed back and their chins high in the air as if they were on a noble quest and not an assignment from a bitter old toad with control issues. Selfish as it may have been, you could only manage to think about the consequences you were about to be handed. Not just by Umbridge; that, you didn't really care about. No, it was the reaction from your parents you were afraid of, for there was no damn way they weren't going to hear about this from either Malfoy or Umbridge herself.

The rest of the D.A. would likely escape with some brutal detentions and long, sleepless nights, but they would survive. You, however, were in so much trouble that the very thought of it felt suffocating. Not only had your parents instructed you to stay away from your Gryffindor friends, but you were also (involuntarily) a member of the Inquisitorial Squad, and you had failed to report any of the D.A.'s activities to Professor Umbridge.

To put it mildly, you were fucked.

The Great Hall was empty- dinner wasn't going to start for another two hours. Crabbe and Goyle shut the large doors behind them, standing in front of them with their arms crossed like two poor imitations of royal guards. The air felt thick and stifling, anxiety and terror practically palpable as everyone waited with bated breath for Umbridge to appear and dole out their sentences.

George tugged you further towards the towering glass windows that cast light over the room from the end of the Great Hall. With a hushed voice, he whispered, "Do you really think Umbridge is thick enough to believe Dumbledore put us up to this?"

Worrying your bottom lip between your front teeth, you shrugged. "I don't know, honestly. She seems desperate enough for Fudge's approval to follow any sort of lead, no matter how nonsensical it may be. I'm just wondering what Dumbledore is going to say when she goes to him about all this."

"He'll deny it. Of course he will. Harry may be his favorite, but there's no way he would cover this up for us just to get us out of detention, would he? Fudge would force him to leave the school. I can almost guarantee it," George replied, his eyes darting around nervously.

Letting out a shaky sigh, you said, "Merlin, we're fucked, aren't we?"

George snorted loudly, the sound echoing around the mostly-empty space. Crabbe and Goyle narrowed their eyes at him, but George paid them no mind. "Oh, Scales, ever the observer, aren't you?"