Chapter Twenty-Four: The Grand Exit
Lately, it was a rare occasion those days to see Harish in the library—even rarer for the twins to be there as well—but that was where they could be found. They had just received a letter informing them that the joke shop was ready for business. At that, they left the common room and found a quiet place to plan—the library.
Hermione, Draco, and Daphne sat at a table nearby. The fifth years were studying for their OWL's, and Hermione had even made three calendars that were color-coded according to subject. Ginny joined them after nearly half-an-hour.
"This just arrived," she said, placing a parcel in the center of the table. "It just got through Umbridge's screening process…"
It had clearly been unwrapped and carelessly rewrapped, and there was a scribbled note across it in red ink, reading INSPECTED AND PASSED BY THE HOGWARTS HIGH INQUIOSITOR.
"It's Easter eggs from Mum," she continued. "I've got one for each of you."
She handed them each handsome chocolate eggs, and Harish did not fail to notice that Draco's was smaller than the rest. It seemed the small fact did not escape Draco attention either, but he accepted it without a word. Instead, he unwrapped it slowly and took a bite.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?"
Everyone except Draco and Ginny quickly shoved their eggs in their pockets, bags, or (in Fred's case) inside the nearest book.
"Oh damn," Ginny whispered, jumping to her feet. "I forgot—"
Madam Pince was swooping down on them, her shriveled face contorted with rage.
"Chocolate in the library!" she screamed. "Out—out—OUT!"
And Draco covered his face and ran after Ginny she caused his books, bag, and ink bottle to whack them over the head repeatedly.
As the days progressed, the entire castle was busier than ever. The fifth years were preparing for their OWL's and receiving career advice, the seventh years were preparing for their NEWT's and were attending career fairs, and everyone else were preparing for their end-of-the-year exams. Even Harish and the twins were busy, though they were planning an escape and had abandoned any school work.
Harish, of course, wanted to inform Sirius of what was going on, but there was no way of talking to him—not since Umbridge had almost caught him in the fire in the Slytherin common room. To this, the twins had responded:
"We reckon we found a way to let you talk to Sirius," Fred said, walking up to Harish as he sat in between Daphne and Hermione.
"What?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Oh, I just wanted to inform him—"
"Don't be ridiculous," Hermione interrupted Harish. "With Umbridge groping in fires and frisking owls?"
"Well we found a way around that," George replied, stretching with a smile. "It's a simple matter of causing a diversion—"
"Now," Fred said. "You might have noticed that we have been rather quiet on the mayhem front during the holidays?"
"What was the point, we asked ourselves, in interrupting leisure time?" George continued. "No point at all, we answered ourselves. And of course, we'd have messed with people's studying too—"
"Which would be the last thing we'd want to do."
Fred gave Hermione a sanctimonious nod, who looked taken aback by his thoughtfulness.
"But it's business as usual from tomorrow," Fred continued briskly. "And if we are going to cause a bit of an uproar, why not do it so Harish can talk to Sirius? We'd be shooting two pixies with one stone."
"Yes, but still," Hermione said with the air of explaining something very simple to a child, "even if you do cause a diversion, how is Harish supposed to use the floo network?"
"Umbridge's office," Harish replied quietly.
Daphne, who had been listening to their conversation, looked very worried at that.
"Are you insane?" she asked.
"I don't think so," Harish replied with a shrug.
"And how are you going to get in there in the first place?" Hermione asked.
"Sirius's knife," he replied.
"Excuse me?"
"Christmas before last Sirius gave me a knife that will open any lock," Harish explained. "So even if she's bewitched the door to where Alohamora will not work, which she most likely has—"
"Fine, fine," Hermione huffed. "If you want to be caught and have who-knows-what done to you, be my guest."
"Believe me," Harish said lowly, "I will not get caught."
The next morning, he woke early, feeling excited. After lying in bed for a few minutes, thinking about the day ahead, Harish got up and silently dressed before moving out of the dormitory to sit by the fire. Once the twins were up, the three went down to breakfast together.
It was very difficult to concentrate on any class. It did not help that, being a Monday, they had Transfiguration, which was one of the few classes that required all attention. Finally classes ended and the trio went their separate ways; the twins went towards Gregory the Swarmy's corridor to prepare for their diversion and Harish went down to the dormitories to grab his cloak and Sirius's knife.
Then, the young man put on the cloak and headed straight for Umbridge's office. Screams and yells reverberated overhead and people were exiting classrooms all around Harish were stopping in their tracks and looking up at the ceiling. As he mounted the long staircase, Umbridge came pelting out of her classroom as fast as her short legs would carry her. Pulling out her wand, she hurried off in the opposite direction.
Harish inserted the blade of the magical knife into the keyhole and moved it gently around, then withdrew it. There was a tiny click, and the door swung open. He ducked inside the office, closed the door behind him, and looked around.
It was empty: nothing was moving except the horrible kittens on the plates continuing to frolic on the wall above three broomsticks, which were chained and padlocked to the wall. Harish paused and stared at them, realizing with a jolt that they belonged to him and the twins.
Harish pulled off the Cloak and, striding over to the fireplace, found a small box containing glittering Floo powder. He crouched down in front of the empty grate, stuck his head into the fireplace, and threw a pinch of powder onto the logs below him. At once, they exploded into emerald-green flames.
"Slytherin Manor!" Harish said clearly, closing his eyes as the fireplace spun around him.
He opened them again at the sound of a surprised voice.
"Harry!"
It was Sirius, leaping off of a couch in the sitting room. He dropped the copy of the Prophet he had been reading and slid onto the floor in front of the green flames.
"Is my father around?" Harish asked.
"He's in a meeting," Sirius replied. "I don't understand. Why have you come? Isn't Umbridge monitoring the floo system?"
"Umbridge has no idea I'm talking to you."
"You're sure?"
"Oh, I am sure," Harish said with a smile. "I'm flooing from her office. The twins are making a diversion up on the floor above—I expect I won't have much longer—" Sirius let out a bark of laughter. "Anyway, I wanted you to know that after today, the three of us will no longer be at Hogwarts. We have premises in Diagon Alley for the joke shop and are intending to have it ready by summer."
"You're leaving school?" Sirius asked incredulously.
Harish nodded.
"And I would appreciate it if you don't tell my father for now unless he asks you directly."
Sirius nodded sincerely.
"Thanks," Harish replied before pulling his head out of the fire.
The young man donned the cloak again and ran from the room. Once he had reached the landing below Umbridge's office, the dark haired teen deemed it safe to pull the cloak off again. Hearing a great deal of shouting coming from the Entrance Hall, Harish made his way down the rest of the marble staircase to find most of the school assembled there.
It was just like the night when Trelawney had been sacked. Students were standing all around the walls in a great ring (and some of them were covered in a substance that resembled Stinksap greatly); teachers and ghosts were also in the crowd. Prominent in the crowd were two figures; Dumbledore, tall and thin, and Umbridge, short and squat. Both were facing opposite of Harish. In the center of it all were Fred and George, who had the unmistakable look of two people who had just been cornered.
Harish joined the crowd at the foot of the stairs and edged through the circle to where he could see Dumbledore and Umbridge better. Dumbledore's eyes were no longer twinkling. He seemed to tower over the twins. On the other hand, Umbridge looked flustered and annoyed. She had her wand out and pointed at them.
"So!" she said triumphantly. "So…you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"
"Pretty amusing, yeah," Fred said, not seeming to be the least bit frightened of either of them.
"Do you understand what this means?" Dumbledore asked. "I am no longer willing to tolerate your behavior. You will have to be punished."
Harish finally pushed his way through the crowd and joined the twins.
"Great, you're here," George said.
Harish turned to address the school.
"They will not be punished," he said. "I rather feel we have outgrown full-time education."
Whispers rippled throughout the crowd. Umbridge looked furious.
"Ready, Fred?" Harish asked, turning to Fred. "Ready, George?"
Both redheads nodded and the three of them raised their wands together and cried, "Accio Brooms!"
There was a loud crash in the distance. A group of students were forced to duck as the three broomsticks, one still trailing the heavy chain and iron peg Umbridge has used to fasten them to the wall, hurtled towards their owners. They stopped sharply in front of them, the chain clattering loudly on the flagged stone floor.
"We won't be seeing you," Fred announced, swinging his leg over his broomstick.
"Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch," George added as he and Harish mounted their own brooms.
Harish looked around at the assembled students, and at the silent, watchful crowd.
"If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley—Weasley and Company," he said. "Our new premises!"
"STOP THEM!" Umbridge shrieked, but it was too late.
Fred, George, and Harish kicked off from the floor, shooting fifteen feet into the air, the iron peg swinging dangerously below. Fred looked across the hall at the poltergeist bobbing on his level above the crowd.
"Give her hell from us, Peeves."
Peeves swept his belled hat from his head and sprang to a salute as the three young men wheeled about to tumultuous applause from the students below and sped out the open doors into the glorious sunset.