My heart skipped a beat as the photo came to life. There we were, Jacob and I, jumping up and down and grinning at Mom. She must have thought it was because we were excited. Mischievous, giggling, and making silly faces at each other. Little did she...
"I don't know," he said, and then shrugged. "Sometimes I think if nobody spoke to me, I'd never speak again."
— Alice Oseman, "Radio Silence"
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"Is there anything you'd like to say, young ladies?"
Tonks hunched her shoulders, Ro nervously twisted her skirt, and I stood aside, trying to gauge what the professors were already aware of and what remained a mystery.
Had they found any evidence? It seemed highly improbable; last night, we meticulously scoured the Library for trees, singing frogs, and forest fireflies, but found nothing, absolutely nothing. Could we have overlooked a thing? Maybe an Augurey or a Unicorn cleverly hid among the bookshelves?
"Not much, Professor."
Flitwick arched an eyebrow, and Madam Pince let out an indignant gasp. She puffed up her cheeks comically like a toad. Clearly, yesterday's forest frenzy had left quite an impression on her.
"Swamp!" Madam Pince finally exclaimed. Then, as if realizing the impropriety of her outburst, she shushed herself. Sh-h! Then she shushed herself again — perhaps for shushing herself. And then again, and once more...
"Miss Snyde," Flitwick chimed in diplomatically, "and Miss Murk reported to Professor Snape that they saw you in the Library after the break-in. According to them, you turned the Library into a forest!"
Professor Sprout shook her head, almost disapprovingly, but there was a sadness in her eyes that suggested she wouldn't have minded seeing the Library transformed. Would she have appreciated the bookshelves turning into fir trees? Or the inkwells sprouting flowers? Or the ivy engulfing the ceiling? Or...
"Swamp!" Madam Pince exclaimed once again. Her whole body trembled, and Sprout gently patted her on the shoulder. The sight was ludicrous, considering their stark difference in height.
For a moment, I glanced at Ro and Tonks. What was our next move? I let out a heavy sigh. The silver lining was that our other friends weren't ensnared in the teachers' questioning.
"It's not true!" Tonks interjected, avoiding eye contact with the librarian to evade any of her thunderous glares. "The entire school knows that Merula and Mia are at odds. They surely have a motive to frame us!"
"Even after being spotted by Madam Pince?" McGonagall repeated sternly. She had been silent until now, listening to our fragmented explanations. "Miss Tonks, you were specifically seen conjuring a Transfiguration ornament, and Miss Khanna, you rather unceremoniously sent Madam Pince unconscious with a young Mandrake."
Rowan guiltily cast her eyes down, not daring to argue. Tonks, however, was on the offensive, like a firecracker. I glanced at my friends and then at Professor Flitwick, who appeared to be waiting for something. To be honest, I had a plan, but... well, let's just say it wasn't perfect.
