The corridor smelled like Stinksap and defiance.
I stood shoulder to shoulder with the Inquisitorial Squad, flanked by Millicent Bulstrode and Warrington, with Crabbe and Goyle towering just behind. The familiar silver pin on my shirt itched like fire.
We were supposed to be proud. Supposed to revel in the control we held over other students. But I felt none of that now. Just... dread, churning deep in my stomach.
The moment I entered the corridor, I knew something was different. There was a charge in the air, a current that made the hairs on my neck rise. Students lined the walls, pressed back as though waiting for a show. And in the center stood Fred and George Weasley, heads held high, grins wicked and bright. Their robes were streaked with green sludge, but they looked like kings.
I spotted Umbridge halfway up the stairs, flushed with satisfaction, lips curled in a smug, cruel smile. Filch hovered beside her, positively vibrating with glee, clinging to some scrap of parchment like it was treasure. He was whispering about whips. My skin crawled.
"So!" Umbridge trilled, triumphant. "So... you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"
"Pretty amusing, yeah," Fred replied, fearless.
And something in my chest broke open.
He didn't even flinch. George, beside him, looked just as composed—two boys who had stared down fear, cruelty, punishment, and said no.
I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. Around me, other Squad members shifted forward as if anticipating the takedown. I didn't move. My feet felt frozen to the stone.
Then Fred turned to his twin and said it.
"I think we've outgrown full-time education."
I forgot how to breathe.
They summoned their brooms with a single spell. I heard the crash in the distance, the echo of chains rattling against stone. Umbridge screeched behind me, and Filch's gleeful expression crumpled in slow horror.
The brooms shot down the corridor with terrifying speed. One still trailed the chain Umbridge had used to bind it, the metal clanking along the floor in protest. They landed perfectly in front of the twins.
They didn't even hesitate.
Fred and George swung onto their brooms like they were simply heading out for a casual evening flight. The chaos around them only made the moment more unreal.
"If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley—Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes!" Fred called out, voice loud and clear.
The cheers that erupted shook the corridor. I glanced around and realized that the faces I'd come to associate with fear, exhaustion, silence—were now wide-eyed, smiling, alive.
"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," George added, pointing to Umbridge.
Beside me, Millicent made a faint sound—maybe a protest—but even she didn't move. None of us did.
"STOP THEM!" Umbridge shrieked, but it was far too late.
Fred and George kicked off. The air rushed as they soared fifteen feet into the sky, hovering just beneath the ceiling. Fred turned to Peeves—who hovered nearby, looking gleeful—and called out, "Give her hell from us, Peeves."
Peeves saluted.
And just like that, the twins wheeled around and flew straight through the open front doors, vanishing into the golden light of the setting sun like heroes from a legend.
YOU ARE READING
human again / hp.
Fanfiction"I already forgave you, so why can't you forgive yourself?" She's a Malfoy. He's a Potter. Celeste Malfoy has always walked a fine line between the world she was born into and the one she chose for herself. At Hogwarts, nothing is simple. Not friend...
