MUGGLEBORN

2 | TINKER BELL THE [CORNISH?] PIXIE

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MUGGLEBORN:
CHAPTER TWO
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The welcoming feast from the previous night had left most students exhausted after catching up with old friends and discussing summer's adventures, but Esther was wide awake. It was the start of a new year of learning and after the previous year - in which Harry Potter, a Gryffindor her age, murdered the villainous Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher - Esther was hopeful that this year would be less chaotic so she could focus on her studies.

The Great Hall was filled with the customary breakfast hustle and bustle before classes. Esther took her usual seat next to Amanda at the Hufflepuff table.

"G'morning, Esther." Amanda smiled, and Esther received greetings from numerous surrounding students, which she returned with a grin. The Hufflepuff students have always been very kind to Esther, which she greatly appreciated, especially when members of her own house could be so cruel. It also helped that Amanda had quickly risen through the Hufflepuff social ranks in their first year; she had made friends with nearly everyone in the house.

"What're y'all talkin' about?" Esther asks, picking up her goblet after orange juice appeared within it and taking a sip.

"Harry Potter and Ron Weasley drove a flying car to school!" Justin Finch-Fletchley informed her from across the table, which earned a nod in agreement from Hannah Abbott, who sat next to him.

"A flying car?" Esther exclaimed.

"Yeah. Apparently, they crashed into the Whomping Willow."

"Wow." Esther's eyebrows furrowed, wondering what would possess them to do such a thing like drive a flying car to Hogwarts. She didn't even know that flying cars existed, even in the wizarding world. The idea seemed so futuristic in muggle culture; it was almost amusing. "Were they alright?"

"I don't-"

"-STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY EXPELLED YOU." Esther jumped as a raging voice projected through the great hall, causing Justin to drop his fork, Amanda to nearly choke on her milk, and Hannah to immediately cover her ears with her hands.

"YOU WAIT UNTIL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE-"

Plates and silverware were shaking, and the angry woman's voice echoed off the walls, only growing louder. Amanda nudged Esther, then cocked her head in a motion towards the doors of the Great Hall. Esther nodded, grabbing a banana muffin before following her out of the hall.

"Merlin's pants." Amanda sighed as soon as the yelling grew fainter. When it finally ceased, a bit of laughing could be heard before the students in the Great Hall returned to their usual talkative state.

"What was that?" Esther asked, then nibbled her muffin.

"A howler." The two girls looked behind them, pausing for Terry to catch up. "They're incredibly loud letters that yell at you. They're only used if you're really in deep trouble. My mum threatened to send one if I ever did anything wrong, but thankfully, I don't get out much."

"That's wild," Esther said, yet again amazed by the capabilities of wizards.

"Yeah, sounds like Potter and his friend are in deep trouble." Amanda agreed.

Terry grinned. "Are they ever not?"

Esther giggled, before pulling her schedule out of her bag. "So what've y'all got for classes this morning?"

"Herbology, then charms," Amanda reported.

"Transfiguration, then I've got charms too," said Terry.

"Transfiguration, then Defense Against the Dark Arts." Esther nodded.

"See ya." Amanda twiddled her fingers, her bright yellow nail polish shining. Then she turned and ran off in the direction of the greenhouses, catching up with a few of her fellow Hufflepuff.

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Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall was fairly normal, especially for the start of classes. It wasn't until the Slytherins joined the Gryffindors for Defense Against the Dark Arts that the first day became eventful. The picture-perfect Professor Lockhart was conversing with a clearly frustrated Harry Potter when Esther entered the classroom, while the rest of the students were filling in the seats.

"Me," The professor began, picking up a copy of Travels with Trolls off of a chubby Gryffindor's desk and displaying it to the class. The cover displayed a picture of him, of course, two-dimensionally winking at the class. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class..." He carried on talking about himself and even attempted making a joke now and then, but a dull silence only followed them.

Professor Lockhart even issued a quiz to the class, which Esther turned in with majoritively wrong answers, considering it was filled with questions like "What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color?" instead of actually substantial information.

"And so - to business - " Lockhart finally started the lesson. He lifted a large, covered cage onto his desk. "Be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest of creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm." The professor paused, and Esther found herself holding her breath in anticipation, despite how shallow and unlikable Professor Lockhart seemed. "I must ask you not to scream; it might provoke them."

The class was deadly silent.

"Freshly caught Cornish pixies."

Esther cocked her head. Pixies? Like... Tinker Bell?

However, the beasts within the cage looked nothing like fairytale creatures that Esther recalled her mother reading to her about has a child. The Cornish pixies were around eight inches tall and a shockingly bright blue in color. They began zipping around the cage and babbling with high, shrill voices as soon as the cover had been removed. The sudden burst of action made nearly the entire class jump in their seats.

"Right, then. Let's see what you make of them!" Lockhart announced. Esther's eyes widened as he opened the cage.

Chaos ensued within seconds. Esther dropped to the floor and crawled underneath her desk as soon as several of the pixies shot through the window near her, shattering the nearby area with broken glass. More of the small creatures were pulling at robes, pulling books off of shelves, and throwing various objects across the room. Lockhart endeavored to stun them, but his spells were having no effect. He dove underneath his desk.

The bell rang, and the students dashed towards the exit. Esther saw one of the Gryffindor boys hanging by his robes from the chandelier, but she didn't stop to ponder how the miniscule pixies were able to lift him up to that height.

"What in God's name..." Esther murmured to herself as she leaned against a wall in the hallway to recollect herself after the class of anarchy. Students filled the hall soon enough, and Esther was shortly caught up in the crowd on her way to lunch.

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