Times were dark in Hogwarts. With Dumbledore unable to do anything about Umbridge’s cruel ways and the Ministry’s poor handling of the whole He-who-must-not-be-named situation, little security was left in the large corridors of the magic castles. Even the smallest step out of line, and you were stuck in detention with the old pink hag, writing lines till it was embedded in your hand.

You’d gotten used to the strict routines quite quickly. Having been in Snape’s class every year since your first, it didn’t take long to learn how to keep Professor Umbridge pleased with you-- or as pleased the ribbon-covered woman could be; it seemed she was just an old ball of grumpiness wrapped in pink and an unbearable fake giggle.

Your little brother, however, had slipped up in his Defence Against the Dark Arts class earlier today, earning him detention with Umbridge. You’d only heard of this through one of your brother’s friends, who had told you because they’d heard rumors of the punishment the professor liked to give out.

As you quietly run through one of the many warmly lit corridors in the castle, you hear a soft sobbing and quiet voices, two of them.

"Yeah, it’s going to be fine," says one of the voices in almost a whisper before the second one follows, sounding almost exactly the same as the first one

"Yeah, it’s not as bad as it seems, see. It’s fading already. You can hardly see ours anymore, and the pain stops after a while."

Turning the corner, you see your younger brother—only in his first year—sitting on a bench, his eyes red from crying and his jaw shaking, his right hand clutching his left one tightly. On both sides of him were the well-known red-headed pranksters, George and Fred. They were in your year; you shared some classes with them, although they were rarely anything but disruptive.

You didn’t know they spent most of their nights nowadays comforting the younger students after Umbridge’s cruel detention.

As you round the corner fully, one of the twins looks up; they looked the same, but you think you can recognise him as George.