Ternion || Oliver Wood

Chapter 54

The Lake of Wonders and The Switched Robes

                It had been the worst weeks of my entire life, ever since Dolores UmBITCH became the headmistress, nothing really looked at sound fun anymore. She even cancelled Quidditch which made Oliver furious of course. I think he almost killed her, what three to five times?

                  In Umbridge's first day of being a headmistress, the Twins had played a trick on her which sent Hogwarts in a bang, A LITERAL BANG!

                 Dragons comprised entirely of green-and-gold sparks were soaring up and down the corridors, emitting loud fiery blasts and bangs as they went. Shocking-pink Catherine wheels five feet in diameter were whizzing lethally through the air like so many flying saucers. Rockets with long tails of brilliant silver stars were ricocheting off the walls. Sparklers were writing swearwords in midair of their own accord. Firecrackers were exploding like mines everywhere I looked and instead of burning themselves out, fading from sight, or fizzling to a halt, there  pyrotechnical miracles seemed to be gaining in energy and momentum the longer we watched.

                  Filch and Umbridge were standing, apparently transfixed with horror, halfway down the stairs. As I watched, one of the larger Catherine wheels seemed to decide that what it needed was more room to maneuver; it whirled toward Umbridge and Filch with a sinister wheeeeeeeeee. Both adults yelled with fright and ducked and it soared straight out of the window behind them and off across the grounds. Meanwhile, several of the dragons and a large purple bat that was smoking ominously took advantage of the open door at the end of the corridor to escape toward the second floor.

                  "Hurry, Filch, hurry!" shrieked Umbridge. "They'll be all over the school unless we do something — Stupefy!" she casted and a jet of red light shot out of the end of her wand and hit one of the rockets. Instead of freezing in midair, it exploded with such force that it blasted a hole in a painting of a soppy-looking witch in the middle of a meadow — she ran for it just in time, reappearing seconds later squashed into the painting next door, where a couple of wizards playing cards stood up hastily to make room for her.

                 "Don't stun them, Filch!" Umbridge shouted angrily, for all the world as though it had been his suggestion

                "Right you are, Headmistress!" wheezed Filch, who was a Squid and could no more have stunned the fireworks than swallowed them. He dashed to a nearby cupboard, pulled out a broom and began swatting at the fireworks in midair but within seconds, the head of the broom was already ablaze.

                 I was laughing the whole time as I watched them suffer, I ducked down low, ran to a door I knew was concealed behind a tapestry a little way along the corridor and slipped through it to find Fred and George hiding just behind it, listening to Umbridge's and Filch's yells and quaking with suppressed mirth.

                "Nice one," I said quietly while grinning, "Very impressive...You'll put Dr. Filibuster out of business, no problem..." I added as I laughed.

                "Cheers," whispered George, while wiping tears of laughter from his face. "Oh, I hope she tries Vanishing them next...They multiply by ten every time you try..." he said and we all laughed even harder.

               The fireworks continued to burn and to spread all over the school that afternoon. Though they caused plenty of disruption, particularly the firecrackers, the other teachers did not seem to mind them very much.