Careers Advice

• Hermione asks why Harry doesn't have Occlumency lessons anymore.
• Harry claims that it's because Snape thinks he "can carry on by [himself] now that [he's] got the basics" (29.2).
• Harry can't stop thinking about this new, unflattering picture he's getting of his dad.
• Harry also can't stop wondering how his mother ever learned to love his dad when "she had clearly loathed James" (29.29).
• Ginny comes to see Harry after Quidditch practice.
• She gives him an Easter egg from Mrs. Weasley.
• Harry is humiliated to realize that he is starting to tear up.
• Ginny asks if he's okay.
• The thing is, Harry really wants to talk to Sirius.
• Ginny says she'll put her mind to it.
• With OWLs coming up, all of the fifth years also have to attend mandatory career meetings with their Heads of House.
• Harry's appointment is during Divination class the following day.
• Fred and George approach Harry in the Gryffindor Common Room that evening.
• Ginny has mentioned to them that Harry would like to get in touch with Sirius.
• Fred and George tell Harry that they would be happy to provide a diversion the next day to distract Professor Umbridge.
• Hermione points out that a diversion won't matter – Professor Umbridge is keeping all of the fireplaces and owls strictly under watch.
• Fred and George have thought of that, too: the only fireplace Professor Umbridge won't have under surveillance will be her own.
• Harry can use Fred and George's diversion to get into Professor Umbridge's office and use her fireplace to Firecall Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.
• Hermione spends the whole of the following day trying to persuade Harry not to break into Professor Umbridge's office.
• Harry has his first Potions class with Professor Snape since he looked into Dumbledore's Pensieve and saw Snape's worst memory.
• Professor Snape decides to ignore Harry, which is actually better than his usual pattern of outright mockery.
• Draco breaks Harry's potion container, so Harry gets a zero for his potion even though he thought he had made it properly this time.
• Harry is in such a foul mood thanks to Potions class that he almost forgets his career appointment with Professor McGonagall.
• When Harry gets to his career meeting, he sees that it's not just Professor McGonagall. Professor Umbridge is also there with a clipboard.
• Harry tells Professor McGonagall he wants to be an Auror.
• Professor McGonagall begins giving advice: "You'll need top grades for that [...] They ask for a minimum of five NEWTs, and nothing under ‛Exceeds Expectations' grade, I see. Then you would be required to undergo a stringent series of character and aptitude tests at the Auror office" (29.114).
• Professor Umbridge gives a little cough.
• Professor McGonagall ignores her and continues with her advice.
• Professor Umbridge keeps coughing to interrupt her, and finally, Professor McGonagall offers her a cough drop.
• Professor Umbridge comments, "I was just wondering whether Mr. Potter has quite the temperament for an Auror?" (29.125).
• Professor McGonagall ignores her once more.
• At last, Professor Umbridge provokes Professor McGonagall into saying that Harry "has achieved high marks in all Defense Against the Dark Arts tests set by a competent teacher" (29.135).
• At this jab at her competence, Professor Umbridge looks extremely angry.
• She tells Harry and Professor McGonagall that "this boy has as much chance of becoming an Auror as Dumbledore has of ever returning to this school" (29.142).
• Professor McGonagall interprets this as "a very good chance, then" (29.143).
• This fight ends with Professor Umbridge swearing Harry will never work for the Ministry of Magic and Professor McGonagall promising Harry that she will not rest until he becomes an Auror.
• At 5:00, when the twins' diversion is supposed to start, Harry grabs his invisibility cloak and the knife Sirius gave him that can open any lock.
• He rushes into Professor Umbridge's office and Firecalls Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.
• He finds Lupin and Sirius both at home.
• Harry asks them about Professor Snape's memory: "he just attacked Snape for no good reason, just because – well, just because you said you were bored" (29.193).
• Both Lupin and Sirius assure Harry that it was just a phase James was going through: yeah, he was an arrogant jerk, but he was fifteen.
• James got over it in a couple of years and started dating Lily.
• Harry still feels unconvinced at this news.
• Lupin asks how Professor Snape responded to Harry's Pensieve discoveries.
• Lupin and Sirius both freak out and insist that Harry must continue with his Occlumency lessons.
• Lupin tells him, "Harry, there is nothing so important as you learning Occlumency [...] Do you understand me? Nothing!" (29.228).
• Harry is annoyed, but agrees.
• Harry hears a rustle on his side of the fire and rushes back to Professor Umbridge's office.
• He's there just in time to throw on his Invisibility Cloak before Filch comes in.
• Filch is looking for an "Approval for Whipping" (29.237) form. He's been waiting for years to be allowed to whip the students, and at last he thinks he's going to be able to do it.
• Harry rushes past Filch down to the Entrance Hall to see what's going on.
• There is a huge crowd collected in a circle around Fred and George.
• Professor Umbridge shouts, "So – you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?" (29.243).
• Fred and George turn to each other and agree, "I think we've outgrown full-time education" (29.249).
• They both call their brooms (using the Accio spell), jump on them, and shout, "We won't be seeing you" (29.256).
• They announce that Weasley's Wizard Wheezes have new premises – number ninety-three, Diagon Alley – and they'll give "special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat" (29.260).
• Even though Professor Umbridge tries to catch them, she and the Inquisitorial Squad are too slow.
• Fred tells Peeves the Poltergeist to give Professor Umbridge hell.
• Peeves salutes and the students applaud as Fred and George ditch Hogwarts.

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