The Slytherin Mudblood: Book 2

Chapter 6

MORONS, MANDRAKES, AND MAYHEM

I awoke to the sound of Pansy heavily snoring. She sounded like a troll and a goblin fighting to the death. It was six-thirty, in the morning! I stumbled out of bed and had a good and long yawn. I got dressed, put on my school robes, straightened my tie, and put on my Slytherin tie accessories. I grabbed my books and headed straight for the Great Hall. 

The great wide doors opened in my presence. I walked in to find no one. The Great Hall was in utter silence, not a peep or a tap was made. I walked in and practically slammed my books down because I was still tired. I sat down and read through One Hundred Magical Herbs and Fungi and a small bit of second-year potions recipes in Magical Drafts and Potions.

As time flew by, child after child came into the Great Hall. When everyone was in the Great Hall, I shoved my books aside and the feast began. I had two pieces of french toast and a few pieces of bacon. I put my plate aside and continued studying. I was able to read the first chapters of Gilderoy Lockhart's "Magical Me" book. I was rather confused most of the time because I didn't understand the actions Gilderoy performed to defeat the monsters, even in his adventure stories. I was interrupted by the loudest shout I had ever heard, "RONALD WEASLEY!!!" It shouted, it had to be his mother! Everyone hushed to listen to the letter, saying it was a howler.

"HOW DARE YOU STEAL YOUR FATHER'S CAR!!! I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED!!! YOUR FATHER IS NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, AND IT IS ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT!!! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!!!"

She said something else, but was too small to hear. The Great Hall burst into laughter, I nearly choked on my food. Daphne and I nearly died at the amount of embarrassment Ron must've felt having the whole Great Hall hear that. Eventually, the laughter died down and everyone separated to go to their classes. I grabbed my books and headed off to my first class of the day, Charms!

Nothing special was taught the first day as it was mostly review from last year, however we practiced shrinking and enlarging charms, Engorgio and Reducio. I managed to perfectly enlarge and shrink a green apple. It turned from a normal sized apple, to a marble sized apple, to a bowling ball sized apple, and back to normal size. 

In potions, we were instructed to memorize basic fire-protection potions. I memorized the instructions in under ten minutes, much to Draco and Hermione's dismay. Normally, they were the first one's finished as they always battled for top of the class. Now onto, Herbology!

Herbology class was located on another side of the school. There were nine, long greenhouses filled with exotic, magical plants. Today, we worked in Greenhouse Three. We stood in line around a long table filled to the edge with flower pots. They had big leaves sprouting from it that moved ever so slowly as if they were alive. Professor Sprout was the Herbology teacher, she was a short and heavy witch with gray curly hair, and a tall dirty pointed hat and light brown robes as if covered in dirt. She stepped lively inside the greenhouse and said, "Morning Everyone!" Nobody noticed so she tapped her wand on the table loudly, "Good Morning, Everyone!"

"Good Morning, Professor Sprout!" Everyone greeted her in unison.

"Welcome to Greenhouse Three second-years! Gather round, everyone!" She ushered everyone to step closer to the pots. "Today, we're going to re-pot mandrakes!"

She lifted a large pot in front of her to demonstrate, "Who here, can tell me the properties of the mandrake root?"

I shot up my hand, but she called on Hermione to answer. She spoke like it was right out of the textbook, "Mandrake, or mandragora, is used to return those who have been petrified, to their original state. It's also quite dangerous. The Mandrake's cry is fatal to anyone who hears it."

"Excellent, ten points to Gryffindor!" She cheered. Everyone else groaned. "Now, our Mandrakes are still only seedlings, their cries won't kill you yet. But they could knock you out for hours, which is why I have given you all earmuffs for auditory protection. So, could you please put them on? Right away, quickly!"

Everyone fumbled for a pair of earmuffs, that weren't pink, that lay on the table next to the pots. I grabbed one immediately and put them on, making sure they were snug. Draco snickered because I looked funny wearing pink, girly earmuffs. I patted them against my ears tightly to ensure maximum silence.

"Flaps tight down and watch me closely!" She instructed as she demonstrated, "You grasp your Mandrake firmly, you pull it sharply out of the pot!"

As she pulled on the leaves, an ear-splitting scream came from the Mandrake. Everyone covered their ears as the cry was much louder than expected. The mandrake was a dirty creature that looked like a disgusting and wrinkly baby with roots for arms, legs, and hair.

She continued, "Got it? And now, you dunk it down into the other pot, and pour a little sprinkling of soil to keep it warm!"

She tried to speak loudly so everyone could still hear her over the crying. Once she was finished, a boy dropped to the ground, probably in agony or something. Professor Sprout sighed, "Longbottom's been neglecting his earmuffs."

It was Neville Longbottom, the clumsy Gryffindor kid. Another Gryffindor piped up, Seamus Finnigan. "No, Ma'am. He's just fainted."

"Yes, well, just leave him there," she neglected, continuing with the lesson. "Right, on we go! Plenty of pots to go around. Grasp you mandrake!"

I reached into the pot to get a large firm grip on the base of the Mandrake. And on her orders, "And pull it up!" I yanked up the mandrake and the room filled with the cries of around thirty mandrake seedlings. Draco thought it would be a funny idea to put his finger in its mouth. Bad idea,  as it bit down almost engulfing his finger. He managed to get it free scowling, and me laughing at him. We shoved the mandrakes into the new pots and filled them with soil.

After that, we headed off to transfiguration with Professor McGonagall, where we turned beetles into buttons. I successfully managed to complete the spell on my second attempt, my first caused the beetle to change to a maroon color. Ron, who sat behind me, kept blowing up his beetle, similar to Seamus. His wand was broken and he had tried to use Spellotape, but it was beyond repair.

After that, was lunch, where I had sandwiches and pumpkin juice to eat. Instead of talking to anybody, I buried my nose in Holiday with Hags and Traveling with Trolls. I tried to finish reading all the books by Gilderoy Lockhart before Defense Against the Dark Arts class had begun in the afternoon. I was practically speed-reading through everything that I had managed to also get through Voyages with Vampires. As I was reading, flashes were made behind me, reflecting off the wall. I turned around to see a little Gryffindor boy was taking pictures of Harry. He probably finds him famous and must get a picture with him, "Hi, Harry! I'm Colin Creevey, I'm in Gryffindor too! I would love a signed photo!"

He stood there really excited, taking even more pictures. Then, Draco piped up, "Signed photos? You're giving out signed photos, Potter?" He snickered, "Everyone line up! Harry Potter is giving out signed photos!"

"No, I'm not!" Harry shouted, "Shut up, Malfoy!"

Draco looked at me expecting me to say something back at Harry, but instead I just laughed clutching my mouth basically telling him, you're on your own dude.

"You're just jealous!" Colin shouted.

"Jealous?" Draco asked. "Of what? I don't want a foul scar right across my head, thanks. I don't think getting your head cut open makes you that special, myself." Crabbe and Goyle snickered.

"Eat slugs, Malfoy!" Ron said, standing up for Harry.

"Careful Weasley," Draco minded.

Before Ron could do anything to Draco, Gilderoy came striding in to break up the fight. We had gone our separate ways sniggering as of what just happened. After that, we headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts.