Harry Potter 05 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

that would be ridiculous … it would completely undermine the prefect system.’
    But Harry, Ron and Hermione had turned automatically towards the giant hour-glasses set in niches along the wall behind them, which recorded the house-points. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had been neck and neck in the lead that morning. Even as they watched, stones flew upwards, reducing the amounts in the lower bulbs. In fact, the only glass that seemed unchanged was the emerald-filled one of Slytherin.
    ‘Noticed, have you?’ said Fred’s voice.
    He and George had just come down the marble staircase and joined Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ernie in front of the hourglasses.
    ‘Malfoy just docked us all about fifty points,’ said Harry furiously, as they watched several more stones fly upwards from the Gryffindor hour-glass.
    ‘Yeah, Montague tried to do us during break,’ said George.
    ‘What do you mean, “tried”?’ said Ron quickly.
    ‘He never managed to get all the words out,’ said Fred, ‘due to the fact that we forced him head-first into that Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor.’
    Hermione looked very shocked.
    ‘But you’ll get into terrible trouble!’
    ‘Not until Montague reappears, and that could take weeks, I dunno where we sent him,’ said Fred coolly. ‘Anyway … we’ve decided we don’t care about getting into trouble any more.’
    ‘Have you ever?’ asked Hermione.
    ‘Course we have,’ said George. ‘Never been expelled, have we?’
    ‘We’ve always known where to draw the line,’ said Fred.
    ‘We might have put a toe across it occasionally,’ said George.
    ‘But we’ve always stopped short of causing real mayhem,’ said Fred.
    ‘But now?’ said Ron tentatively.
    ‘Well, now –’ said George.
    ‘– what with Dumbledore gone –’ said Fred.
    ‘– we reckon a bit of mayhem –’ said George.
    ‘– is exactly what our dear new Head deserves,’ said Fred.
    ‘You mustn’t!’ whispered Hermione. ‘You really mustn’t! She’d love a reason to expel you!’
    ‘You don’t get it, Hermione, do you?’ said Fred, smiling at her. ‘We don’t care about staying any more. We’d walk out right now if we weren’t determined to do our bit for Dumbledore first. So, anyway,’ he checked his watch, ‘phase one is about to begin. I’d get in the Great Hall for lunch, if I were you, that way the teachers will see you can’t have had anything to do with it.’
    ‘Anything to do with what?’ said Hermione anxiously.
    ‘You’ll see,’ said George. ‘Run along, now.’
    Fred and George turned away and disappeared into the swelling crowd descending the stairs towards lunch. Looking highly disconcerted, Ernie muttered something about unfinished Transfiguration homework and scurried away.
    ‘I think we should get out of here, you know,’ said Hermione nervously. ‘Just in case …’
    ‘Yeah, all right,’ said Ron, and the three of them moved towards the doors to the Great Hall, but Harry had barely glimpsed the day’s ceiling of scudding white clouds when somebody tapped him on the shoulder and, turning, he found himself almost nose-to-nose with Filch the caretaker. He took several hasty steps backwards; Filch was best viewed at a distance.
    ‘The Headmistress would like to see you, Potter,’ he leered.
    ‘I didn’t do it,’ said Harry stupidly, thinking of whatever Fred and George were planning. Filch’s jowls wobbled with silent laughter.
    ‘Guilty conscience, eh?’ he wheezed. ‘Follow me.’
    Harry glanced back at Ron and Hermione, who were both looking worried. He shrugged, and followed Filch back into the Entrance Hall, against the tide of hungry students.
    Filch seemed to be in an extremely good mood; he hummed creakily under his breath as they climbed the marble staircase. As they reached the first landing he said, ‘Things are changing around here, Potter.’
    ‘I’ve noticed,’ said Harry coldly.
    ‘Yerse … I’ve been telling Dumbledore for years and years he’s too soft with you all,’ said Filch, chuckling nastily. ‘You filthy little beasts would never have dropped Stink Pellets if you’d known I had it in my power to whip you raw, would you, now? Nobody would have thought of throwing Fanged Frisbees down the corridors if I could’ve strung you up by the ankles in my office, would they? But when Educational Decree Number Twenty-nine comes in, Potter, I’ll be allowed to do them things … and she’s asked the Minister to sign an order