𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 | 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿

Curse Frights & Elf Rights

CHAPTER FIVE:

Third Person P.O.V.:

The storm had blown itself out by the following morning, though the ceiling in the Great Hall was still gloomy; heavy clouds of pewter gray swirled overhead as Charlie, Harry, Ron, and Hermione examined their new course schedules at breakfast.

"Today's not bad... outside all morning," said Ron, who was running his finger down the Monday column of his schedule. "Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and Care of Magical Creatures... damn it, we're still with the Slytherins...."

"Double Divination this afternoon," Harry groaned, looking down; it his least favorite subject, apart from Potions.

"You should have given it up like Charlie and I did," said Hermione briskly, buttering herself some toast. "Then you'd be doing something sensible like Arithmancy."

Charlie's ears had perked up, it had been the first time since the previous evening that Hermione had openly said his name; she was pretty silent after dinner, and basically rushed to bed after they got back to the common room.

Grateful that she wasn't mad at him like he had thought, Charlie decided to see if she'd be willing to further engage in a conversation with him directly.

"You're eating again, I see," he said with a small smile, watching Hermione add liberal amounts of jam to her toast too.

"I've decided there are better ways of making a stand about elf rights," said Hermione, refraining from making direct eye contact with Charlie.

"Yeah... and you were hungry," said Ron, grinning.

There was a sudden rustling noise above them, and a hundred owls came soaring through the open windows carrying the morning mail. Instinctively, Harry looked up, but there was no sign of white among the mass of brown and gray. The owls circled the tables, looking for the people to whom their letters and packages were addressed.

Charlie raised a brow towards Harry before whispering, "Still nothing from Sirius?"

The boy with glasses shook his head slightly and stared back down into his porridge with a small sulking expression.

---------------

The next couple of days seemed to pass by in a blur. In Herbology, Professor Sprout introduced Bubotubers, which apparently had contained a pus that was essential in the remedy for acne. Hagrid had brought out Blast-Ended Skrewts in Care of Magical Creatures; imagine the disgust when after dealing with pus, the students were forced to feed the small, mischievous beasts frog livers...

Charlie had Arithmancy with Hermione, as expected, but the class could not have been anymore awkward given the fact that they had barely spoken, which was quite obviously a result of the revelation that the Beauxbatons were coming to Hogwarts. However, it couldn't have been worse than Harry and Ron's experience with Divination - apparently Ron had made a cheeky comment about the planet, Uranus that sent Trelawney on a warpath, so she assigned homework that was destined to take days.

"Miserable old bat," said Ron bitterly as they joined the crowds descending the staircases back to the Great Hall and dinner. "That'll take all weekend, that will..."

"Lots of homework?" said Hermione brightly, as she and Charlie caught up with them. "Professor Vector didn't give us any at all!"

"Well, good for Professor Vector," said Ron moodily.

They reached the entrance hall, which was packed with people queuing for dinner. They had just joined the end of the line, when a loud voice rang out behind them.