CAREER ADVICE

   All fifth years will be required to attend a short meeting with their Head of House during the first week of the Summer term, in which they will be given the opportunity to discuss their future careers. Times of individual appointments are listed below.

   I ate the Easter Egg Mrs Weasley gave the others to give me for Easter break. I hadn't hung out much with the others during this time, occasionally Hermione in the Library. Harry's been awfully quiet whenever I'm around lately, making it harder for me to concentrate when all I could think about is if I've done something to offend him. Perhaps I should ask Hermione.. No, I need to focus on what to choose for a career, I can't believe I've never thought of anything- Still can't think of anything! I don't normally do last minute work like this but, the announcement took me by complete surprised. And what information they had available was proving useless.

   Eventually the time came, and I was forced to Professor Snape's office, my eyes landing on Umbridge who sat on the sidelines with a front view spot.

"If you would today, Ripley." Snape gestures to the seat opposite of his, not liking how close the toadish woman was over our shoulders. My hands clenched the parchments in my hands, scolding myself for showing nervousness in front of her.

"We're here to talk over any career ideas you might have, and to help you decide which subjects you should continue into sixth and seventh years. Have you had any thoughts about what you would like to do after you leave Hogwarts?" I sit ridgedly as Snape gets right to it, Umbridge trying to peak at the work in my hands. Honestly they were useless, information from what they provided, some choices I wasn't totally convinced of. I open my mouth but nothing comes at first. I look down at the pages, trying to decide on one.

"Um, well- I've always found potions- Or Herbology to be fascinating..! Or, I suppose maybe-" Umbridge hums with condensention.

"You haven't got a clue, have you?! Oh, what have you been doing all this time?!" I ignore her shrill voice as the Professor sighs.

"Are those careers you actually, want to persue..?" I think on it, shrugging hesitantly.

"I don't know.. I've never given it thought until now, and I didn't have enough time to research what I-" Umbridge cuts us off once again, only rattling me more.

"Research?! This is something you've should have been thinking of since childhood- Has your mother taught you nothing?!" I feel myself growing flustered.

"She taught me plenty, I'm just.. not sure-.." She gives a haughty laugh.

"Just what has your mother been teaching you this whole time? Surely if she had been doing a better job, she wouldn't have raised such a im-" I slam up from the desk, hands on the table as I tried to grip myself back to reality.

"Don't disrespect my-!" I freeze, something in me knowing I was going to say something other than mother.

"Your what.. exactly?" Umbridge, who had recoiled from my action, dared push the limits. I shook my head, composing myself.

"Mother. My mother. She did what she could. Then she got sick, it's not her fault." I mumble tersely as I take a seat, eyes neglecting to meet either and instead focused on the desk before me where my papers lie.

"If you two are done.. We'll save this for another time. For now I'll put your focus on Herbology, which in turns means your focus would be on potions as well. I'm assuming you'd like to remain in.. Muggle studies in future years?" He inquired with a raised lip. I nod stiffly, still refusing to meet eyes as something in me stirred. I wanted nothing more than for this woman to disappear. Gone, Vanish.. Something demanded respect, to be respected. She needs to know her place, which was below-

"-is that understood?!" My eyes snapped up to Snape, not realizing how much I had spaced. I worked myself up it seems, chest still in a slight heave from her getting me going. I eyed the woman with narrowed brows, standing from my seat promptly.

"Understood, Sir." I give a cordial nod, taking my leave.

   Viper exited the room and rushed in a flurry to her next class, Ancient Rune. She was ruffled to say the least, Harry could see it as he slumped to his own career consultation. Had Snape been really bad? No. He'd find out rather quickly what made their appointments so dreadful.

   And he did. Umbridge made it nearly impossible, but it also made him much more determined too. Still heated.. He wanted more than anything than to sneak into her office and talk to Sirius. He had so many questions. He needed answers. But the risk was great if he were to be caught. And his friends knew that, Hermione riding him not to do it. Viper watched as class end and Harry ran off with Hermione trying to stop them. Just then, the chaos George and Fred had planned had started to garner Umbridge's attention.

   Harry used his godfather's knife and his father's invisible cloak and snuck his way into Umbridge's office, using her fireplace to connect the older male. Instead of him answering, it was Lupin, who ushered to retrieve the male being requested.

"What is it? Are you all right? Do you need help?"

"No, it's nothing like that.. I just wanted to talk.. about my dad.." Harry knew he had to hurry, but he also knew he couldn't pile everything on to him at once. He explained what he had saw in the pensieve, leaving out the girl for now.

"I wouldn't like you to judge your father on what you saw there, Harry. He was only fifteen-"

"I'm fifteen!" Harry retorts solidly.

"Look, Harry, James and Snape hated each other from the moment they set eyes on each other, it was just one of those things, you can understand that, can't you? I think James was everything Snape wanted to be- He was popular, he was good at Quidditch, good at pretty much everything. And Snape was just this little oddball who was up to his eyes in the Dark Arts and James- Whatever else he may have appeared you, Harry — always hated the Dark Arts."

"Yeah, but he just attacked Snape for no good reason, just because- well, just because you said you were bored." Sirius recalled, greatly. To be honest he was starting to grow worried just what his godson saw. It was making him sweat, something his friend took note of. Smelling his nervousness.

"I'm not proud of it.." He comments tersely.

"Look, Harry, what you've got to understand is that your father and Sirius were the best in the school at whatever they did, everyone thought they were the height of cool- if they sometimes got a bit carried away-" Lupin tried to help his friend out, even if poorly.

"If we were sometimes arrogant little berks, you mean." Sirius helps.

"He kept messing up his hair." Harry points out.

"I'd forgotten he used to do that," said Sirius affectionately.

"Was he playing with the Snitch?" Lupin asked eagerly.

"Yeah.. Well.. I thought he was a bit of an idiot." Harry says after a moment of the two older males reminiscing on the past.

"Of course, he was a bit of an idiot! We were all idiots! Well, not Moony so much-.." Sirius scoffed, causing Lupin to shake his head.

"Did I ever tell you to lay off Snape? Did I ever have the guts to tell you I thought you were out of order?" Lupin says in self shame.

"Yeah, well, you made us feel ashamed of ourselves sometimes.. That was something.." Sirius sulks.

"And, he kept looking over at the girls by the lake, hoping they were watching him!" Harry raves at his father's past behavior, wishing he could scold him himself.

"Oh, well, he always made a fool of himself whenever Lily was around. He couldn't stop himself showing off whenever he got near her." Sirius gives a shrug.

"How come she married him? She hated him!" He exclaims bewildered.

"Nah, she didn't. She started going out with him in seventh year." Lupin informs.

"Once James had deflated his head a bit." Sirius adds additionally.

 "And stopped hexing people just for the fun of it." Lupin sighs.

"Even Snape?" Harry questions, almost a sense of knowing as he eyed his godfather hard.

"Well.. Snape was a special case. I mean, he never lost an opportunity to curse James, so you couldn't really expect James to take that lying down, could you?" Lupin defends.

"And my mum was okay with that?" 

"She didn't know too much about it, to tell you the truth. I mean, James didn't take Snape on dates with her and jinx him in front of her, did he?" Sirius frowned at Harry, who was still looking unconvinced.

"Or was it because you wanted him to keep going..?" Harry inquires lowly, the two males pausing.

"Look, your father was the best friend I ever had, and he was a good person. A lot of people are idiots at the age of fifteen. He grew out of it."

"Yeah, okay. I just never thought I'd feel sorry for Snape."

"Now you mention it, how did Snape react when he found you'd seen all this?" Lipid quizzes.

"He told me he'd never teach me Occlumency again, like that's a big disappoint-"

"He WHAT?" Sirius exclaims in ire.

"Are you serious, Harry? He's stopped giving you lessons?" 

"Yeah. But it's okay, I don't care, it's a bit of a relief to tell you the-"

"I'm coming up there to have a word with Snape!" Sirius begins to move, Lupin having to hold him down so he didn't take action.

"If anyone's going to tell Snape it will be me!" Lupin said firmly.

"But Harry, first of all, you're to go back to Snape and tell him that on no account is he to stop giving you lessons-when Dumbledore hears-"

"I can't tell him that, he'd kill me! You didn't see him when we got out of the Pensieve..!"

"Harry, there is nothing so important as you learning Occlumency! Do you understand me? Nothing!" Harry faltered for a moment, his face twisting as he couldn't hold it any longer.

"I saw Viper too..! I, I think that's why he's so mad.." The men falter, one recovering before the other.

"Vipe- Viper..? Harry, I think perhaps you-" Harry shook his head at Lupins dismissal.

"No, no, it was her! She looked just like her! She turned my dad's glasses into a snake-! And you stopped him from-" Sirius balled his fist, giving them a rough shake in place.

"That's not-..! It's not.. her, Harry.. The girl you saw.. She's gone. And she died a long time ago." Harry was left shocked.

"Died..? But, but she's right here! She sounded like her, looks like her..! How, why isn't she your age?! Why is sh-" Lupin could smell his friend's distress.

"Harry..! The girl you saw.. Her name was Voluspa.. She, she died, trying to protect Severus and your parents. Nobody's seen her since she faced her f-" Sirius turned to his friend sharply, who realized he was saying to much.

"What? After she what..?" The two males have a silent conversation, their looks intense with silent words.

"Her father was He-.. who-must-not-be-named. She wasn't apart of the order but, she was friends with your mother, Harry. She was a good person.." Lupin says with a heavy heart. Harry got why Sirius would look at the girl like he had, to have someone look so eerily similar. But was it just coincidence?

"I don't.. But she looks.. just like her.." The two give a faint nod.

"It's uncanny.. But the girl from the pensieve is.. just that. A memory, Harry." Harry thought he heard footsteps nearby, out of it with befuddlement.

"Is she.. related..?" Lupin shook his head as Sirius continued to loose himself.

"No. She doesn't seem to have any connected to either Voluspa or.. him.." Harry grew more aware as he heard footsteps again, closer, pulling himself from his mystify to focus.

"Is that Kreacher coming downstairs?" Harry inquired with a slight worry.

"No. It must be somebody your end.." Lupin answers as Sirius keeps himself hanging by just a thread.

"I'd better go!" Harry pulls himself from the fireplace with hast and threw the invincible cloak back on. Just as he had, Filch enters the room, grabbing a piece of parchment from the desk after rummaging and holding it dear to him.

"Approval for Whipping.. Approval for Whipping.. I can do it at last.. They've had it coming to them for years.." He gets an extra skip in his step as he scurried off, Harry following after him still invincible.

   Once safe he pulls the cloak off, slipping into the crowd. Seemingly the whole school assembled.

"So..So, you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?" Harry sees Fred and George being cornered, knowing now was the time it was to go down.

"Pretty amusing, yeah." Fred practically shrugs.

"I've got the form, Headmistress. I've got the form and I've got the whips waiting.. Oh, let me do it now.." Filch begs ecstatically.

"Very good, Argus. You two are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school." She leers down at the two boys, happy to have fresh victims to discipline.

"You know what? I don't think we are." Fred stands stoutly, turning to his twin brother.

"George, I think we've outgrown full-time education." He declares.

"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself." George nods lightly.

"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?" Fred inquires.

"Definitely."

"Accio Brooms!" The boys called for their brooms, the brooms ruthlessly pulling themselves from the Headmaster's wall and recklessly making their way to their rightful owners.

"We won't be seeing you." Fred states as he grabs hold of his broom, beginning to board it when he stops himself.

"Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch." George says bitterly as he mounts his broom. Whilst he says this to Umbridge, Fred takes notice of a girl clapping for them, he grins, taking a bow before her to conclude his performance. He begins to get on his broom now as she waves, Fred turning back to the crowd.

"If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley- Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Our new premises!"

"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat." George adds scornfully, pointing at Professor Umbridge.

"STOP THEM!" Umbridge demands, but not many make a move to stop them. Only the Inquisitorial Squad, but they were to take as Fred and George take off before they could close in on them.

"Give her hell for us, Peeves." Fred calls, the apperation saluting the boys.