Harry Potter and The Jade Dragon

(PART TWO) Chapter 16 ~ Back At Hogwarts

Harry was lounging on one of the squashy armchairs in the Gryffindor common room, drinking his fourth bottle of butterbeer. It had been morning when he, Ron and Hermione had arrived back at Hogwarts, and the Gryffindors had taken their return as an excuse to throw a small party. The evening had been a most satisfactory one, spent recounting their exploits in China.

The remnants of the party now lay all about them; empty beer bottles were scattered around various parts of the room, half-eaten goodies (smuggled in from Honeydukes) lay on the table, while several unopened bottles of pumpkin juice stood on the floor.

Most of the Gryffindors had gone to bed, leaving only the students in Harry's year who had volunteered to clean up the mess. Ron was sitting next to Harry, Summoning empty beer bottles to himself and placing them in a large bucket. Hermione, who had been the only one to bring a camera to Tian-Long, was packing her photographs away. She appeared to have just remembered something, for there was a slightly worried expression on her face.

"Whassup?" said Harry, looking lazily at her.

"Crabbe and Goyle," said Hermione seriously, "Professor McGonagall told me, when I went to hand in my homework, that they've been suspended from the exchange programme as well."

"They have?" said Ron, his face brightening. "No kidding?"

Hermione frowned at him.

"What's the problem, Hermione," said Harry, stretching and tossing his empty bottle into Ron's bucket, "it's an all-round victory for us – we've managed to get rid of all three of 'em : Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy."

"Well, yes, but don't you see," said Hermione impatiently, "that only leaves three Hogwarts students in the exchange class...it's disgraceful. The programme is to let the Chinese students interact with the British students...it won't be a proper exchange programme, if there are so few of us."

"Oh, didn't McGonagall tell you?" said Dean, who had overheard. "The rest of our class have been roped into the programme as well."

"What?" The three of them turned to look at him.

"We've still got our usual classes," said Seamus, who was with Dean, "but McGonagall told us before you came back that we're to attend the exchange classes as well. Not all of them, but she said that at least three of us have to attend each class, to make up for the three missing Hogwarts students. We have to decide among ourselves who's to attend what."

"Well, some of that is easily solved," said Ron. "Parvati and Lavendar definitely won't mind having an extra Divination lesson or two."

"And Defence Against the Dark Arts, that's alright too," said Harry.

"But...who wants to volunteer for Potions?" said Dean, casting a sly glance at Neville, who was nearby, listening.

Neville, however, shocked them by saying, "I'll attend Potions – for the first month, anyway."

All of them goggled at him in surprise. Neville, seeing this, went pink.

"Neville, are you all right?" said Ron at last, breaking the stunned silence. "I mean, you're not delirious with fever or anything, are you?"

Neville went pinker, then gave them a sheepish grin. He didn't elaborate further, though, but got to his feet and said, "I'm going to bed."

He started going up the spiral staircase to the boys' dormitory, still grinning. The rest watched him, mystified.