Child of Hogwarts: Part I

Chapter Sixteen - Wood, Whispers, and Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Wood, Whispers, and Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile

Harry's first day of term started off very badly. He'd been up half the night, struggling with the old nightmares again. After he'd woken Ron the first time, he'd set a silencing charm around the bed. It worked to some extent, as it did stop him waking the others when he screamed himself to consciousness a second, and then a third, time... but the charm also kept him from hearing the boys wake up in the morning and start getting ready for the day. By the time Ron thought to rouse him, Harry was already running late. He'd had to leave the dormitory with his hair still dripping from the shower and his eyes gritty with sleep, in order to stand a chance at making breakfast in the Great Hall.

When he and Ron ran in, they discovered Hermione already seated at the table, one of the glossy Lockhart books propped open in front of her. She greeted them in a snippy tone, clearly still cross with them over their unorthodox arrival. To make matters worse, Ron received a howler over his eggs. Harry hadn't known, initially, why everyone was eying the scarlet letter like a bomb about to explode, but he learned quite soon that it was, in essence.

The letter was not written at all, but some sort of packaged version of Mrs Weasley's tirade against her son. Her magnified voice boomed a lecture for the entire hall to hear, and Harry cringed lower and lower in his chair, coming to level with the table top as his name finally surfaced in the rant. His guilt and shame mounted exponentially, especially when Mrs Weasley mentioned that Arthur was facing an inquiry at work. It was all their fault... and after everything the Weasleys had done for him his summer... Harry wished he could have sunk straight through the floor and out of sight.

Somehow, he managed to keep his head in double Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall was a little cool toward him at first, but she warmed considerably when he successfully managed to transfigure his water beetle on his first attempt. Ron, who was having great difficulties with his damaged and spell-o-taped wand, did not fare nearly as well. While Harry and Hermione mastered the spell quickly, Ron merely sent his water beetle flying spectacularly across the classroom, where it smashed with an audible squelch into the back of Lavender Brown's head.

Parvati Patil squealed in terror and disgust, pointing at her friend's plait in horror, and both girls spent the greater part of the next five minutes hopping around in panic – Lavender screeching about the bug guts in her hair and Parvati swearing she couldn't help her remove them, because the sight of dead things made her feel ill. Professor McGonagall finally managed to vanish the mess herself and send both girls back to their seats, before deducting ten points from Ron. He was very unhappy by the end of the lesson.

'Never going to work again, this thing,' he moaned, holding the wand up hopelessly as the trio made their way out of the Transfiguration classroom at the bell.

Hermione and Harry remained silent – both thought Ron was probably right.

'I'll see you guys later,' Harry said, as they reached the turn for the corridor to the Fat Lady.

'Aren't you coming back to the common room for break, Harry?' Hermione asked, looking confused. She had, mercifully, forgiven him and Ron after the memorable Howler had said its piece, apparently assured they had been adequately dressed down. Harry shook his head.

'No – got that meeting with Dumbledore.'

Ron grimaced sympathetically. 'Good luck, mate,' he said, giving Harry a pat on the shoulder like he was headed for the gallows. 'At least he didn't send you a howler.'