The next month passed without incident, except for my transformation. In a few days, I was back to normal just in time for Halloween. It was hard to believe that I had been at school for almost two months. Uncle Remus finally wrote to me, letting me know how he was doing, especially after the full moon, and what he was up to. He was searching for a job. I wrote back, telling him all about school, and about Fred and George.
On Halloween morning I woke up slowly. The smell of baking pumpkin wafted through the corridors. In Charms, Professor Flitwick announced that he though we were ready to start making objects fly, something I had been dying to do. He put the class into pairs to practice. My partner was Dean.
"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" Professor Flitwick squeaked, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the words properly is very important, too--never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."
It wasn't that hard. Swish, flick, and "Wingardium Leviosa!" and my feather was floating a few feet above my desk.
"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"
I snapped my head up to see that Hermione's feather was floating just slightly higher than mine down the row.
"Professor Flitwick, Annabelle--" Dean started to defend me before I cut him off.
"It's fine, Dean. Don't worry about it," I said with a slightly forced smile.
As I pushed my way through the crowded corridor after class, I struggled to hold back my tears. I hurried to the bathroom where I shut myself into a stall and cried quietly. After a short while, I heard the door open again and a soft sniffling. However, I didn't worry myself about who it was because I didn't want to have to deal with somebody else's feelings on top of my own.
Harry's POV
Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seem all afternoon. Actually, I hadn't seen Annabelle either, not since Charms. On the way to dinner in the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, I overheard Parvati Patil telling Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone. This piece of information made Ron look awkward, but the moment we entered the Great Hall, the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of my mind.
A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.
"Harry." I heard Fred and George Weasley say my name.
"Yes?" I questioned.
"Have you seen Annabelle?" Fred asked.
"We heard she was crying in a bathroom," George said.
"No, I haven't seen her since Charms," I replied, getting worried.
The twins looked worried and opened their mouths when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll--in the dungeons--thought you ought to know."
He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.
There was an uproar. It took several purple fireworks exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.
"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately."
Percy was in his element.
YOU ARE READING
Sun and Stars *Improved*
Fanfiction"I just feel so lonely, all the time. And I want it to end." Annabelle Potter had lived a normal life for eleven years. Well, as normal as you can when you're a werewolf. But everything she's ever known gets turned upside down when she gets her let...
