𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐇 ── harry potter

iv | back to hogwarts

ACT II — CHAPTER IV
Bᴀᴄᴋ Tᴏ Hᴏɢᴡᴀʀᴛs

⊱ ────── 𖥔 ✶ 𖥔 ────── ⊰

The morning of the first day of classes, Quinn was rudely awoken by Morag, who was shaking her and screaming in her ear, "Did you hear what your crazy friends did!"

Contrary to Quinn and Hermione's belief, Harry and Ron were, in fact, stupid enough to miss the train. Instead of waiting for help like any sane person would, those idiots decided to take it upon themselves to find their own way to school, which was by stealing Ron's father's flying car. They flew from King's Cross to Hogwarts, being seen by dozens of muggles in the process. And, to top it all off, they crashed into the Whomping Willow, a historic tree just outside of the castle.

Harry and Ron had arrived not long after the Start-of-Term Feast ended, and the news of how they arrived spread like wildfire, which is how Morag ended up shaking Quinn awake at seven in the morning.

When Quinn entered the Great Hall and saw Harry and Ron sitting across from Hermione at the Gryffindor table, she marched over to the two of them and smacked them both on the back of their heads.

"Blimey, Quinn! What was that for?" Ron cried, rubbing the back of his head. Harry was also rubbing his, grimacing as he stared up at her.

"That was for being the densest people I have ever met!" Quinn answered, "I swear, there is not a single thought behind either of your eyes."

Quinn walked around the table and sat herself between Hermione and Neville Longbottom. Hermione was nose-deep in a copy of Voyages with Vampires, so Quinn gave a quick greeting to Neville, who smiled at her.

"Mail's due any minute — I think Gran's sending a few things I forgot," Neville told her. Quinn stared up at the ceiling and, sure enough, not even fifteen seconds later a hundred or so owls flew in, circling the hall and dropping letters and packages into the student body.

A big, lumpy package bounced off Neville's head, followed by something large and gray falling into Hermione's jug, spraying the five of them with milk and feathers.

"Errol!" Ron said, pulling the disheveled owl out by its feet. Errol slumped down, unconscious, onto the table, his legs in the air and a damp red envelope in its beak. Quinn's eyes widened upon seeing it, her jaw dropping slightly.

"Oh, no," Ron gasped.

"It's all right, he's still alive," Hermione said, prodding Errol gently with the tip of her finger.

"He's not worried about the owl, he's worried about that," Quinn said, pointing at the Howler. Quinn, Ron, and Neville all stared at it as if it would get up and strangle them, while Harry and Hermione stared at them as if they were insane.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked.

"She's — she's sent me a Howler," Ron managed to stutter out, his voice faint.

"You'd better open it, Ron," Neville whispered, timidly, "It'll be worse if you don't. My gran sent me one once, and I ignored it and —" he gulped, "it was horrible."

"What's a Howler?" Harry asked. No one paid him any mind.

"You should just open it," Quinn said, "Better sooner than later. It'll just bug you all day if you don't."

Ron reached out a shaking hand, eased the envelope from Errol's break, and slit it open. Quinn covered her ears, bracing herself, and Neville full-on stuffed his fingers in his ears. Not even a second later, a roar of sound filled the Great Hall, a roar so loud that it was probably shaking the stone walls.