Bella and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Chapter Sixteen

A/N:

I have made an Instagram account for my Wattpad page. It hasn't got anything on it as of yet but there you will be able to find sneak peaks, update schedules and you will be able to message me with any questions you may have. I will do follow sprees once a month and interact with you guys more. Go ahead and follow me if you like, the picture attached is my profile or to make it easier my username is: fan_girl_dreamerx.

Many thanks and enjoy this chapter. 

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Ron was still in a bad mood with Hermione the next day. He barely talked to her all through Herbology, even though, he, me, Harry and Hermione were working together on the same Puffapod. It got every awkward quickly. 

"How's Scabbers?" Hermione asked timidly, as we stripped fat pink pods from the plants and emptied the shining beans into a wooden pail.

"He's hiding at the bottom of my bed, shaking," Ron told her angrily, missing the pail and scattering beans over the greenhouse floor. I sighed. 

"Careful, Weasley, careful!" Professor Sprout cried, as the beans burst into bloom before our very eyes. 

We had Transfiguration next. I looked at Harry and he nodded. He decided that we should ask Professor McGonagall after the lesson whether or not we could go into Hogsmeade with the rest. We joined the queue outside the classroom, and I was wondering if she would let us go. I was distracted, however, bu a disturbance at the front of the line. 

Lavender Brown seemed to be crying. Parvati had her arm around her and was explaining something to Seamus and Dean, who were looking very serious. 

"What's the matter, Lavender?" I asked anxiously, as myself, Harry, Hermione, and Ron went to join the group. 

"She got a letter from home this morning," Parvati whispered. "It's her rabbit, Blinky. He's been killed by a fox"

"Oh," Hermione said. "I'm sorry Lavender"

"I should have known!" Lavender said tragically. "You know what day it is?"

"Er-"

"The sixteenth of October! 'That thing you're dreading, it will happen on the sixteenth of October!' Remember? She was right, she was right!"

The whole class was gathered around Lavender now. Seamus shook his head seriously. I hesitated, then said, "You - you were dreading Blinky being killed by a fox?"

"Well, not necessarily by a fox," Lavender said, looking up at me with streaming eyes, "but I was obviously dreading him dying, wasn't I?"

"Oh," Hermione said. She paused. Then - 

"Was Blinky an old rabbit?"

"N-no!" Lavender sobbed. "H-he was only a baby!"

Parvati tightened her arm around Lavender's shoulders. 

"But then, why would you dread him dying?" Hermione asked. 

Parvati glared at her.

"Well, look at it logically," Hermione said, turning to the rest of the group. "I mean, Blinky didn't even die today, did he, Lavender just go the news today - " Lavender wailed loudly " - and she can't have been dreading it because it's come as a real shock-"

"Don't mind Hermione, Lavender," Ron said loudly, "she doesn't think other people's pets matter very much"

I glared at him and debated whether or not to slap him but Professor McGonagall opened the door at that moment. Which was lucky. Ron wasn't going to get slapped and the way Ron and Hermione were looking at one another, it's lucky a fight didn't break out between them both. When we entered the class, Ron sat next to Harry and Hermione sat next to me and didn't speak to one another throughout the lesson.

So basically it went Ron, Harry, me then Hermione. 

It was very awkward.

I still hadn't decided what I was going to say to Professor McGonagall when the bell rang at the end of the lesson, and I could tell Harry hadn't either. But it was she who brought up the subject of Hogsmeade first.

"One moment please!" she called, as the class made to leave. "As you're all in my house, you should hand the Hogsmeade permission forms to me before Halloween. No form, no visiting the village, so don't forget!"

Neville put up his hand.

"Please, Professor, I - I think I've lost-"

"Your grandmother sent yours to me directly, Longbottom," McGonagall said. "She seemed to think it was safer. Well, that all, you may leave"

"Ask her now," Ron hissed at me and Harry. 

"Oh, but-" Hermione began. 

"Go for it," Ron said stubbornly.

We waited for the rest of the class to disappear, then headed nervously for Professor McGonagall's desk. 

"Yes, Potter, Swan?"

Harry took a deep breath. I was frozen on the spot. 

"Professor, my aunt and uncle - er - forgot to sign my form," Harry said. 

McGonagall looked over her square spectacles at us but didn't say anything. 

"So - er - d'you think it would be all right - I mean, will it be OK if I - if I go to Hogsmeade"

"Me too," I squeaked. 

Professor McGonagall looked down and began shuffling papers on her desk. 

"I'm afraid not," she said. "You heard what I said. No form, no visiting the village. That's the rule"

I had a form. I was just told not to go. Bummer. 

"But - Professor, my aunt and uncle - you know, they're Muggles, they don't really understand about - about Hogwarts forms and stuff," Harry said, while Ron egged him on with vigorous nods. "If you said we could go-"

"But I don't say so," McGonagall said, standing up and piling her papers neatly into a drawer. "The form clearly states that the parent or guardian must give permission. "She turned to look at us, with an odd expression on her face. Was it pity? "I'm sorry, but that's my final word. You had better hurry, or you'll be late for your next lesson"

*

Bummer. There was nothing to be done. Ron called Professor McGonagall a lot of names that greatly annoyed Hermione; Hermione assumed an 'all for the best' expression that made Ron even angrier, and myself and Harry had to endure everyone in the class talking loudly and happily about what they were going to do first, once they got into Hogsmeade. 

"There's always the feast," Ron said, in an effort to cheer us up. "You know, the Halloween feast, in the evening"

"Yeah," Harry said gloomily.

"Great," I said just as gloomily.

The Halloween feast was always good, but it would taste a lot better if I was coming to it after a day in Hogsmeade with everyone else. Nothing anyone said to me made me feel any better about being left behind. Dean Thomas, who was very good with a quill, had offered to forge Harry's uncle's signature on the form, but Harry had already told McGonagall he hadn't signed, that was no good. Ron half-heartedly suggested that we take the Invisibility Cloak, but Hermione stamped on that one, reminding Ron what Dumbledore had told us about the Dementors being able to see through them. Percy had what wee possibly the least helpful words of comfort. 

"They make a fuss about Hogsmeade, but I assure you, it's not all it's cracked up to be," he said seriously. "All right the sweetshop's rather good, but Zonko's Joke Shop's frankly dangerous, and yes, the Shrieking Shack's always worth a visit, but really, apart from that, you're not missing anything"

Well. That made me want to go even more.

At least I'm with Harry though.