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THE NEXT MORNING was relatively quiet.
Emmalina and Hermione had the opportunity to talk all about what the boys had done the night before -- how reckless and stupid it was. The talk helped Emmalina calm down; she silently thanked Narayan that the boys were safe — and hadn't been expelled. But as the words flowed, Hermione's emotions seemed to churn like a storm on the horizon. With each memory of the boys' recklessness, her anger simmered and intensified, a fiery passion igniting in her chest.
Hence, the stiff "Good Morning" Hermione had wished the boys as they sat for breakfast, having a copy of Voyages with Vampires propped open against a milk jug.
"Um, toast?" Emmalina offered to slide the plate toward Harry.
Harry gratefully accepted, both of the boys glancing nervously at Hermione.
The four long house tables were laden with tureens of porridge, plates of kippers, mountains of toast, and dishes of eggs and bacon, beneath the enchanted ceiling (today, a dull, cloudy grey).
"Mail's due any minute - I think Gran's sending a few things I forgot," Neville spoke up.
Emmalina had just finished her food when, sure enough, there was a rushing sound overhead and a hundred or so owls streamed in, circling the hall and dropping letters and packages into the chattering crowd. A big, lumpy package bounced off Neville's head and, a second later, something large and grey fell into Hermione's jug, spraying them all with milk and feathers.
"Ugh," Emmalina groaned, face twisting into annoyance as she swatted the feathers away.
"You look like an eagle who got into a fight," Ron chuckled mockingly.
Emmalina narrowed her eyes at Ron, punching him in the arm. She ignored his cry of pain, grabbing another piece of toast to have.
"Errol!" said Ron, pulling the bedraggled owl out by the feet. Errol slumped, Unconscious, onto the table, his legs in the air and a damp red envelope in his beak.
"Oh, no -" Ron gasped.
"It's all right, he's still alive," said Hermione, prodding Errol gently with the tip of her finger.
"It's not that-it's that ."
Ron was pointing at the red envelope. It looked quite ordinary to Harry, Hermione and Emmalina but Ron and Neville were both looking at it as though they expected it to explode.
"What's the matter?" said Harry.
"She's - she's sent me a Howler," said Ron faintly.
"You'd better open it, Ron," said Neville in a timid whisper. "It'll be worse if you don't. My gran sent me one once, and I ignored it and" - he gulped -"it was horrible.
