Echo | Harry Potter - George Weasley

Chapter 10: Answers Around Every Corner

Flipping the page in the Charms textbook that she was reading through, Shaye looked up from the paragraph before her and blinked a few times, giving her tired eyes a break. Beside her, Hermione was going over some homework and across the table, Harry was doing the same. Ron, however, was sorting through his wizard card collection. He hadn't even glanced at an assignment in hours.

It had been a few months since the holidays and Shaye hadn't thought about the map or her sister much in the meantime. Similarly, after Hermione had returned to school empty-handed, the four friends had sort of given up on finding out who Nicholas Flamel was. They had been so swamped with classes and homework that they barely had time for anything else anyway.

As Harry's owl Hedwig swooped down from the rafters and landed on a pile of books on the table, Harry looked up from his book as well. "Hi, Hedwig." He reached out to pet the bird.

Hermione smiled at the snowy owl before narrowing her eyes at Ron. "Look at you, playing with your cards. Pathetic!" she scolded him. "We've got final exams coming up soon."

Ron rolled his eyes. "I'm ready. Ask me any question."

"Alright, what are the three most crucial ingredients in a Forgetfulness potion?"

Ron's confident smirk faded fast. "I forgot."

"And what, may I ask, do you plan to do if this comes up in the final exam?"

"Copy off you."

"No, you won't." Hermione scowled. "Besides, according to Professor McGonagall, we're to be given special quills bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell."

Ron gasped. "That's insulting! It's as if they don't trust us!"

Shaye and Harry shared an amused look. "More like they don't trust you," Shaye said matter-of-factly. Harry and Hermione cracked a smile.

"Oh, ha-ha, very funny." Ron opened a new Chocolate Frog box and sighed at the card inside. "Dumbledore again."

Hearing a few muffled laughs, the group of four looked over to see Neville hopping into the Great Hall, his legs stuck together. "Leg-Locker Curse?" Ron frowned.

"Malfoy," Harry said as Neville joined them at the table. 

"You have got to start standing up to people, Neville," Ron told him, looking a little sad for the poor kid. Neville was always getting picked on; especially by Draco and his goons.

Neville whimpered. "How? I can barely stand at all."

Jumping to his feet with a wide grin on his face, Seamus grabbed for his wand. "I'll do the countercurse," he offered.

"No, that's all I need!" Neville refused as he wobbled back and forth, struggling to keep his balance. "You to set my bloody kneecaps on fire!"

Seamus' face turned red with anger and he slammed his wand back down onto the tabletop. "I don't appreciate the insinuation, Longbottom!" he snapped. "Besides, if anyone cared to notice, my eyebrows have completely grown back!"

With that, Seamus gathered his things and stormed off, revealing a bald patch on the back of his head. Even Hermione had to stifle a laugh.

"I found him!" Harry shouted out of nowhere as he held out the Chocolate Frog card of Dumbledore that Ron had just gotten. 

Taking the card from Harry, Ron read aloud what was written on the back. "'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945.'"

"Go on!" Harry encouraged.

"'For the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon blood and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicholas Flamel!'"