Darwinism | hp

026: Care of Magical Creatures

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Marilyn woke up so early the next morning, that breakfast had another hour to be served. So, she spend her time wandering the halls, becoming re-acquainted with it. 

There was something so special about the empty corridors, the cold air filling the stone walls, and the fog outside. Marilyn found a nice spot above the moving staircases, towards the headmasters office and trophy room. She climbed up onto a cabinet, and slipped into the small alcove for the window, knees up slightly as her feet rested on the edge of the wall, and looked outside the window at the sprawling castle, rising around her. 

She sat there, watching the clouds move and birds fly. And though people walked past, they didn't seem to notice her, somehow, tucked into her small corner. 

Finally, she looked at her watch, seeing it was half seven, and climbed down, her bookbag already over her shoulder, and made her way down the moving staircase to the Great Hall, students beginning to fill it up, Hermione, Ron and Harry sitting at the table, speaking with Fred and George.

"Here you go, Lynn." Fred handed her her new time-table. "See you took Care of Magical Creatures. Can't say I'm surprised."

"Don't mention it to her." Ron said, as he ate a piece of bacon. "She gets so excited she looks like she might combust."

"I was reading about spontaneous human combustion over the Summer." Hermione said, looking at Marilyn, who had her eyes closed and her hand in a fist. "Not sure how much I believe."

Harry was looking over at the Slytherin table.

"What're you doing, Harris?" Marilyn took a deep breath, and sunk into the chair beside him. She honestly was fairly sure if she thought about Care of Magical Creatures for too long, she probably would burst from excitement, just as Ron said.

"Malfoy." Ron answered, when Harry didn't, and Marilyn saw Malfoy was pretending to faint at the Slytherin table. "George says he almost peed himself when the dementors came to their end of the train."

"Ew."

"Anyway, we'll see how happy he is when we beat him at Quidditch." Fred tried to cheer Harry up. 

Marilyn nodded. "I can throw him out of a pit again."

Harry smiled slightly, and began filling his plate with food as Fred and George sat down nearby, and Marilyn sat at the table, pulling her old binder with a new notebook in it out of her bag, and copying down her lessons. 

"Oh, yes!" Hermione grinned down at her timetable. "We're starting some new subjects today."

"Hermione," Ron looked over her shoulder. "They've messed up your timetable. Look, they've got you down for about ten classes today, there isn't enough time."

"I'll manage. I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

"But, look, Hermione," Ron looked closer at the timetable in her hand, laughing. "See this morning? You're down for Divination at nine o'clock, then under that, Muggle Studies at nine o'clock, and then again, Arithmancy at nine o'clock. I mean, I know you're good, Hermione, but no one's that good. How're you going to be in three places at once?"

"Don't be silly, Ronald," Hermione sighed. "There's no way I'm going to be in three classes at once."

"But-"

"Pass the marmalade."

"But-"

"Oh, for goodness sakes, Ronald, so what if my timetables a little full! I told you, I fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."