The Ambitions Of Rebekah Potter

Chapter Fifty Four

By the time the Care of Creatures lesson started, Rebekah was already bored. She already had her Muggle Studies lesson today, and she just wanted the day to be finished.

"I mean, what do they do?" Draco glared at the disgusting abominations that were Blast-Ended Skrewts. "What is the point of them?"

"Tha's next lesson, Malfoy. Yer jus' feedin' 'em today. Now, yeh'll wan' ter try 'em on a few diff'rent things — I've never had 'em before, not sure what they'll go fer — I got ant eggs an' frog livers an' a bit o' grass snake — just try 'em out with a bit of each."

Rebekah stepped back from the crates with Pansy. She shoved the boys in front to allow them to feed the creatures. Hagrid saw this, kinda concerned by her actions. He knew that she should have been happy about new animals.

"What's Wron', 'Bekah?" He asked, standing behind her.

"You know I love animals, Hagrid," Rebekah said loudly as the Blast-Ended Skrewts rumbled in the crates. She pointed at them. "But even I won't go near these."

"...I reckon they're the males," Hagrid mumbled under his breath. "The females have got sorta sucker things on their bellies. . . . I think they might be ter suck blood."

"I can certainly see why we're trying to keep them alive," Draco rolled his eyes. "Who wouldn't want pets that can burn, sting, and bite all at once?"

Theodore snorted before shucking a liver at him.

"Just because they're not very pretty, it doesn't mean they're not useful," Hermione snapped. "Dragon blood's amazingly magical, but you wouldn't want a dragon for a pet, would you?"

"Kinda like you, Granger. Maybe not the useful bit. Can't be too careful these days,"

Hermione scrunched her nose up in rage and turned to Rebekah, almost signalling for the girl to rein her friends in. Rebekah snorted and also rolled her eyes, ignoring the Gryffindor's demand.

In Divination, Rebekah had the textbook wedged up on the table with another, smaller book hidden. As usual, the lesson was boring and Rebekah had to resort to doing something to keep her mind occupied for the whole thing.

Daphne jabbed her in the ribs. Rebekah looked up to see Professor Trelawny talking to her.

"...clearly born under the baleful influence of Saturn," She mumbled as she realised Rebekah wasn't gladdened by the news. "I was saying that Saturn was surely in a position of power in the heavens at the moment of your birth. . . . Your dark hair . . . your mean stature . . . tragic losses so young in life . . . I think I am right in saying, my dear, that you were born in midwinter?"

"I was born in July," Rebekah blinked.

Rebekah regretted taking this class now. Why would Trelawney think she was born in winter? With an ill-placed comment, Ron Weasley made Trelawney give everyone a lengthy essay to write that was due on Monday.

Arithmancy was like normal, not very interesting but enough to keep everyone's attention on their work.

FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC

It seems as though the Ministry of Magic's troubles are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its witches, the Ministry was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.

Arnold Weasley, who was charged with possession of a flying car two years ago, was yesterday involved in a tussle with several Muggle law-keepers ("policemen") over a number of highly aggressive dustbins. Mr Weasley appears to have rushed to the aid of "Mad-Eye" Moody, the aged ex-Auror who retired from the Ministry when no longer able to tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder. Unsurprisingly, Mr Weasley found, upon arrival at Mr Moody's heavily guarded house, that Mr Moody had once again raised a false alarm. Mr Weasley was forced to modify several memories before he could escape from the policemen but refused to answer Daily Prophet questions about why he had involved the Ministry in such an undignified and potentially embarrassing scene.