Lemon Grass and Sleep

ONLY THE SECOND DAY

Things were weird, that was apparent as soon as we got back to Hogwarts. First of all, Hagrid was missing with no explanation. Second of all, some witchy toad-faced woman was waiting for us at the professors table during the welcoming feast.

I sat at the Hufflepuff table, John and Jeremy beside me as we looked around in confusion for any answers.

"I heard she's come from the Ministry," John whispered, "Apparently someone at the Gryffindor table said her name is Umbridge."

"What kind of name is that?" Jeremy jeered.

As Dumbledore introduced her, she interrupted him (quite rudely) and went on a long, long, long speech about something or other. The nasally tone in her voice made my mind picture her as a hamster before shutting itself off. The rest of the feast I felt like I was halfway asleep, her speech must have flipped some sort of consciousness switch in my brain that was necessary to function properly. It wasn't like there was much to do, of course, it was Hogwarts Day. So, after the feast us boys just ended up heading back to the common room and sitting around the fire, listening to how everyone's summers went.

"I had the loveliest time," Halla said dreamily, "Thomas, I suddenly understand why you hang out with Fred so much."

My face heated up at her suggestion, but she didn't seem to notice very much at all.

"Ooh, what's that mean?" John asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Jeremy seemed less than enthused at the conversation topic.

"Nothing," she said bashfully, clearly fishing for questions and curiosity.

While prodding and trying to get any juicy information about her little boytoy, the new prefects came over and hushed us, telling us curfew was soon.

"That's right, so get off to bed," Hannah said proudly, her prefect badge glistening in the firelight.

"Yes, off to bed," Ernie tried his hardest to sound intimidating. It wasn't exactly working.

"Alright, alright," Jeremy put his hands up, "We're off."

Halla waived bye as she and Hannah walked off into the girls' hall. The four of us walked down the boys' hall quietly, hearing the buzz of excited students talking each others' ears off about anything and everything. Doors were left open and some rooms had dozens of boys piled up in them to talk to each other. Ernie quickly got off our case when he saw this, of course, and we were free to scurry into our own room.

I noticed the fourth boy who lived in our room still hadn't had his luggage dropped off, and his bed was all neatly made and waiting for him

"Where's he gone?" I asked, gesturing to that corner.

"Ah, Maximilian?" John clarified, "He isn't coming back this year."

"What?" I asked, taken aback. "But it's our seventh year?"

"Yeah, his mum is an avid Daily Prophet reader, though. I bet she got too worried."

I rolled my eyes at the mention of the paper, opening Bell's cage door and letting her free. She hopped around the room giddily, ruffling her feathers and chirping.

"Speaking of which, why are you unpacking, Soot? You go somewhere this summer again?"

"Perhaps the Weasley's?" Jeremy wriggled his eyebrows.

"Perhaps," I repeated bashfully, feeling a whole lot like Halla now.

"I'll be shocked if you guys don't get married straight out of school," John muttered.

"That's if we make it through school," I sighed.

"What do you mean?" Jeremy asked, "You've practically made it to the end."