PHANTOM FIGURES | harry potter

46. wand weighing

     Aspen was lucky it was Sunday the next morning. At first when she woke up, she freaked out because she was in her Windsor bedroom, not her Ravenclaw dormitory. She also wondered why she felt so worried until the memories of the previous night washed over her.

     There was also a bathroom where Aspen slept so she freshened up inside it before heading toward the kitchens. She was not in the mood to eat breakfast with the rest of the school. Would they stare at her? Would they be happy she was just put into this dangerous tournament?

     When she arrived in the kitchens, Jasmine was already there waiting for her with a piece of toast and a croissant. Aspen opened her mouth to explain everything but was stopped when the Hufflepuff said, "I know you didn't enter yourself. We're meeting Harry and Hermione by the lake. Let's go."

     They ignored everyone they passed as they made their way toward the lake where Harry and Hermione were already sitting. When they arrived, Harry told Aspen that Hermione already knew everything that happened once they each left their House tables; he repeated it all to Jasmine as the Ravenclaw ate her breakfast.

     "Have either of you seen Ron?" Harry asked when he was finished.

     Hermione hesitated.

     "Erm... yes... he was at breakfast," she said vaguely.

     "Does he still think I entered myself?"

     "He thinks you entered yourself?"

     "Well... no, I don't think so... not really," said Hermione awkwardly.

     "What's that supposed to mean, 'not really'?"

     "Oh, Harry, isn't it obvious?" Hermione said despairing. "He's jealous!"

     "Jealous?" Harry repeated incredulously. "Jealous of what? He wants to make a prat of himself in front of the whole school, does he?"

     "Look," said Hermione patiently, "it's always you who gets all the attention, you know it is. I know it's not your fault," she added quickly, seeing Harry open his mouth furiously. "I know you don't ask for it... but - well - you know, Ron's got all those brothers to compete against at home, and you're his best friend, and you're really famous - he's always shunted to one side when people see you, and he puts up with it, and he never mentions it, but I suppose this is just one time too many..."

     "Great," said Harry bitterly. "Really great. Tell him from me he can swap with me anytime he wants. Tell him from me he's welcome to it... People gawping at my forehead everywhere I go..."

     "I'm not telling him anything," Hermione said shortly. "Tell him yourself. It's the only way to sort this out."

     "I'm not running around after him trying to make him grow up!" Harry said, so loudly that several owls in a nearby tree took flight in alarm. "Maybe he'll believe I'm not enjoying myself once I've got my neck broken or-"

     "Shut up!" Aspen interrupted him, she had had enough. "Don't say things like that. It's not funny."

     "You know what we've got to do, don't you?" said Hermione, breaking the tension between the two. "Straight away, the moment we get back to the castle?"

     "Yeah, give Ron a good kick up the-"

     "Write to Sirius. You've got to tell him what's happened. He asked you to keep him posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts... It's almost as if he expected something like this to happen. I brought some parchment and a quill out with me-"