Amelia Potter and the Chamber of Secrets PART 1

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After that they didn't have much chance to talk. Their earmuffs were back on and they needed to concentrate on the Mandrakes. Professor Sprout had made it look extremely easy, but it wasn't. The Mandrakes didn't like coming out of the earth, but didn't seem to want to go back into it either. They squirmed, kicked, flailed their sharp little fists and gnashed their teeth; Harry spent ten whole minutes trying to squash a particularly fat one into a pot.

'Oh shut up!' Amelia snapped though no one could hear her. She brutally shoved the Mandrake into a pot and pinned it down with one hand well she piled dirt onto the Mandrake.  Amelia cursed under her breath. Justin stared at her in shock and horror. 'What you looking at?" Amelia barked Justin who Amelia gussed could read lips quickly went back to his own work

By the end of the class, Harry, like everyone else, was sweaty, aching and covered in earth. They traipsed back to the castle for a quick wash and then the Gryffindors hurried off to Transfiguration.

Professor McGonagall's classes were always hard work, but today was especially difficult. Everything Harry had learned last year seemed to have leaked out of his head during the summer. He was supposed to be turning a beetle into a button, but all he managed to do was give his beetle a lot of exercise as it scuttled over the desk top avoiding his wand.

Ron was having far worse problems. He had patched up his wand with some borrowed Spellotape, but it seemed to be damaged beyond repair. It kept crackling and sparking at odd moments, and every time Ron tried to transfigure his beetle it engulfed him in thick grey smoke which smelled of rotten eggs. Unable to see what he was doing, Ron accidentally squashed his beetle with his elbow and had to ask for a new one. Professor McGonagall wasn't pleased.

Amelia was refusing to participate in this saying that it was animal cruelty if they weren't going to get turned back. She was wearing a pair of stolen earmuffs to bloke out the beetles screaming. Professor McGonagall had said she would turn them all back to get Amelia to do her work then muttered something about not getting paid enough.

Harry was relieved to hear the lunch bell. His brain felt like a wrung sponge. Everyone filed out of the classroom except him and Ron, who was whacking his wand furiously on the desk.

'Stupid ... useless ... thing ...'

'Write home for another one,' Harry suggested, as the wand let off a volley of bangs like a firecracker.

'Oh yeah, and get another Howler back,' said Ron, stuffing the now hissing wand into his bag. 'It's your own fault your wand got snapped –'

They went down to lunch, where Ron's mood was not improved by Hermione showing them the handful of perfect coat buttons she had produced in Transfiguration. Amelia hounded Hermione about animal cruelty till she gave in and turned the beetles back.

'What've we got this afternoon?' said Harry, hastily changing the subject.

'Defence Against the Dark Arts,' said Hermione at once.

Amelia groaned.