Chapter 74
The first rays of dawn filtered through the tall arched windows, whose glass was made of the rarest rock crystal. They touched the hand-woven carpet covering the marble floor, then the luxurious leather sofa and mahogany table on which a golden candlestick rested.
The spacious room slowly filled with light, and the magnificent decor sparkled with vibrant colors: a precious-stone chandelier began to shimmer with multicolored lights, while silver wall lamps reflected the reflections and directed them toward a massive sideboard. Rays of sunlight filtered through the glass doors, striking crystal glassware and bottles of fine, collectible liquor, then bouncing off the mirrored cabinet walls and continuing their journey. Soon, they touched a massive, ornate white granite fireplace, whose soft, magical crackling flames lent the room a cozy, homely warmth.
Just then, the flame burst into a bright green flash, and a tall, blond man emerged with a proud gait. His snow-white acromantula silk robe was spotless, as was his expensive, milky-white business suit. Looking around, the man shook his head, causing his long hair to disarray and the haughty, arrogant mask to fall. A very tired and slightly sleepy wizard now stood in the room.
Lucius dropped his expensive robe onto the floor and headed for his favorite sofa, where he sat down with pleasure, stretching his legs. Then, with a wave of his wand, he sent his patent leather slippers scattering across the small living room. Lord Malfoy enjoyed the peace and quiet for a few minutes, then waved his concentrator again, and a bottle of vintage Firewhiskey and a crystal tumbler landed on the carved table before him. Groaning like an old man, the man leaned forward—pouring an expensive and noble drink with magic was highly improper—and filled the glass to the brim. After taking several large gulps, one of the richest and most influential wizards in Wizarding Britain was finally able to relax completely.
– You’ve been… – A stunningly beautiful blonde entered the room, her translucent silk peignoir emphasizing her slender figure and other assets, and her loose hair made her even more attractive.
– Darling, you have no idea… – Lucius stopped short, admiring his beloved wife.
Even though he was tired, the man’s gaze wandered over his wife’s chiseled figure, and a certain desire arose. Then he glanced at the empty Tumblr and sighed sadly. His wife wouldn’t let him near her with the smell of alcohol, and if he insisted, she’d even indulge him in Crucio. This had happened a couple of times, maybe more, early in their relationship. Oh, that Black-ish upbringing, but that was precisely why Lucius loved his wife—so proud, so unapproachable, so principled…
– Darling, what happened that you were called to Hogwarts in the middle of the night? – His wife pulled the man out of his thoughts.
While the weary lord was gathering his thoughts, his beautiful wife approached the sideboard and pulled out a bottle of berry wine. Then, with a wave of her wand, a bowl of fruit and a plate of sliced blue cheese appeared on the table. The aroma of this delicacy finally brought Lucius back to his senses, and he refilled his glass. Alas, no snacks had been prepared for him.
“You remember Scrimgeour’s son, he was at our reception this summer.” Malfoy decided to start from afar, and at the same time collect his thoughts, they were clearly heading somewhere wrong.
“Pfft…” The woman snorted and filled her glass. “That lustful look and that nasty little smirk are hard to forget… I barely restrained myself from grabbing an ice pick and gouging out that brat’s eyes.”
Listening to his wife’s speech, Lucius immediately thought of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Three years ago, they were in France and decided to take a night stroll through the Muggle district of Paris, and a dreamy smile spread across his face. Then, two Muggles approached the noble couple with an extremely indecent proposal. The illustrious lord listened to these worthless creatures and, casting a Muggle-repelling charm on the area, stepped aside so as not to disturb his beloved wife. Narcissa was especially beautiful in her anger. First, the beautiful blonde broke the Muggles’ arms and legs, and the moment when she pulled a dagger from the folds of her dress particularly captured Lucius’s heart. He watched with affection and lust as HIS enraged fury first gouged out the eyes of the unfortunates, then cut out the heart of the first, slit the belly of the second, and began to strangle him with his own intestines. Smeared with the blood of her enemies, with sparks in her hair and glowing eyes, Cissy was especially sexy… As soon as her wife finished, she found herself in her husband’s tight embrace, and then, consumed by passion, they apparated straight to their hotel room. It was one of the most passionate nights of their lives…
The wizard shook his head, driving away the vicious thoughts, and remembered the pressing matters, or rather, Scrimgeour screaming like a banshee, and grinned maliciously.
“In short, on their way to school, someone brutally beat and slashed Lester Scrimgeour and Alan Preece with a cursed blade, right on the Hogwarts Express. Upon arrival in Hogsmeade, their barely alive bodies were found by prefects; the boys miraculously survived…”
“Did they cut you up badly?” Narcissa interrupted her husband. “Did they cut off your skin or remove your internal organs? Maybe there was a blood ritual?”
“No, it’s much worse…” Lucius drained his glass in one gulp and smiled. “They carved nasty words into the boys’ faces, backs, and chests, referring to their…” Malfoy struggled to find the right words. “Unconventional sexual preferences, and on their buttocks they carved a little man throwing something with a shovel into… Right there… You know…”
“The blade was cursed?” The woman waited for an affirmative nod and smiled contentedly. “So the scars will last a lifetime. Someone clearly showed some imagination.”
“Rufus also appreciated the sight of his disfigured son.” Lucius grimaced with distaste. “That soldier flew into a rage and drove thirty of his dogs into the school, and then demanded an immediate investigation! Can you imagine, that worthless thing demanded that ALL the students be interrogated with Veritaserum and the common rooms searched!”
“I always said Scrimgeour was an idiot.” The woman set her glass down on the table. “If his men had laid a finger on my children…”
“The director understands this perfectly well, which is why he summoned Bones and a team of investigators and representatives of the board of trustees,” Lucius hastened to reassure his wife. “Only our appearance brought that idiot to his senses. Then he yelled some more and, having calmed down, allowed Bones’s people to get to work.”
“And how’s it going?” Narcissa leaned back contentedly on the sofa. “Have you found the culprits? Surely someone treated this couple so cruelly.”
“They never found the culprit; looking for traces on the train is useless, you know that yourself. But as for the reasons…” Lucius smiled slyly. “When questioning the prefects, it turned out that the son of a hero of the wizarding war and protector of all Muggle-borns turned out to be a real rapist, sadist, and extortionist! So much dragon shit was uncovered that even the Aurors looked at their superior with disdain! And among the victims were not only Muggle-borns and half-bloods, but also pure-bloods from young families…”
“Somehow I’m not even surprised; I didn’t like this puppy from the start.” Narcissa interrupted her husband and grimaced with distaste. “I take it Scrimgeour is now concerned not with his son’s health, but with how to keep his chair?”
“Exactly. Tomorrow, the DMP investigators will interview all the purebloods who suffered at the hands of Lester Scrimgeour and his gang, of course, in the presence of a committee I’ve appointed, consisting of the school’s management and members of the board of governors.” Lucius smiled contentedly. “And then we’ll determine the amount of compensation. I’ll do everything I can to ensure Scrimgeour’s safe is empty, otherwise his son will go to Azkaban, and he’ll be looking for a new job. Can you imagine, that idiot dared to blame me for what happened?”
– WHAT?! – The woman almost choked on her expensive wine in indignation. – You weren’t even on the Hogwarts Express!
“But it was I, as head of the board of governors, who, as part of optimization and cost-cutting measures, removed the duty teacher from the train. This trip is paid for as a business trip, and thanks to my actions, the school saves a whopping 69 Galleons and 16 Sickles every year! That’s why I delegated these duties to the prefects. Scrimgeour screamed that if there had been a teacher on the train, this wouldn’t have happened, but he forgot that,” Lucius sipped from his glass, “three years ago, he personally signed off on my request to assign Aurors to guard the children during the trip.”
– 69 Galleons? – It seemed that this was the only number Narcissa heard from the entire speech. – Lucius, this is peanuts… Why was it necessary to remove the teacher?
“That amount means nothing to you and me…” The man straightened up and looked wearily at his wife. “The school is in dire straits; the students’ tuition is barely enough to cover basic needs; the board of governors pays for everything else. Did you know that this year the Ministry of Magic allocated a whopping 109 Galleons in subsidies to Hogwarts?! That’s simply ridiculous!”
“Darling, our children study there.” The blonde leaned against her husband. “Besides, funding Hogwarts raises our family’s prestige and influence in society.”
“I know…” Lucius put his arm around the blonde. “But I’m a Malfoy and I’m not used to throwing money around! So I try to save wherever possible. The other council members fully support me. By the way, Greengrass is currently negotiating with Hellsing about milk supplies to the school. The Platinum Bitch kindly agreed to cover all the expenses, and that Muggle promised the highest quality.”
“Darling, are Muggle foods of no use to young wizards or…” The woman’s eyes widened slightly. “Under that Muggle’s farm…”
“Exactly! Henry and I thought it was odd that a simple Muggle could have two powerful magically gifted children at once, even though his wife was a Squib.” Lucius smiled slyly. “So I visited his farm and discovered a rather good magical spring underneath! That’s why his animals don’t get sick and his produce is so good. And considering the fact that he’ll also be able to attend school for free, but that’s not something anyone else should know. The Muggle agreed to sign the necessary papers, and I’ll become an even bigger patron of the Ministry, meaning I’ll get even bigger tax breaks.”
“And we don’t work very closely with that…” Narcissa struggled to find the right words. “Platinum bitch? Other members of the noble families might not understand, not to mention the Dark Lord…” The woman glanced at her husband’s right shoulder.
“Many purebloods do secret business with Muggles, and as for that vile half-blood, I pray to Merlin that he returns while Integra’s daughter is at Hogwarts!” The wizard set down his glass and looked his wife in the eye. “That lunatic will immediately begin a reign of terror, and that’s not only bad for business, but also a danger to the younger generation.”
“I understand.” Narcissa smiled and kissed her husband. “Do you want to eliminate the Dark Lord with someone else’s hands?”
“Exactly, especially since, thanks to my father, I can’t harm him and am obligated to obey.” The wizard sighed heavily. “And then there’s the organization’s treasury… I’ll need another ten years to raise the required amount. And that’s our money! Damn Crouch and Bones! If I knew the name of the one who told them the location of the cache, I would…”
“Darling, let’s not talk about sad things?” The woman took her husband’s hand and smiled; this always had a calming effect on Lucius.
– You’re right, nothing can be changed… – The man’s stomach rumbled invitingly and he looked at his wife. – Darling, what are we having for breakfast?
“I’m planning to have breakfast at Grimmauld Place, Kreacher’s a great cook.” The blonde took a sip from her glass. “I’ll leave my dirty dresses there, will you join me?”
“Thank you for the invitation, but I have to decline. I’m not very welcome there.” Lucius grimaced. “Your cousin still blames me for deciding not to get my hands dirty and sending Dobby to slaughter.”
“And how can we explain why our house-elf ended up at Grimmauld Place? The house’s wards tore it apart, and Potter’s room had to be renovated; house-elf guts are very difficult to clean off the walls.” The woman looked demandingly at her husband. “The Chosen One stuttered for three days afterward!”
“It’s not my problem that a little version of your cousin has grown up so vulnerable,” the blond snorted. “Diana also got covered in a house elf’s blood a week ago when she accidentally killed her, but her expression didn’t even change!”
“It would have been better if she had killed Dobby. Fina was very smart and efficient.” The woman got up from the sofa. “Lucius, we urgently need a couple of smart house-elves!”
“I know, but finding a trained house-elf is extremely difficult. I’ll try talking to Dumbledore today, buy a couple from the school… Hmm… What if…” The wizard thought for a moment, then broke into a satisfied smile. “At the next Wizengamot meeting, I’ll put forward an initiative to create a department dedicated to the education and training of house-elves! And then there won’t be any problems hiring these creatures.”
“Darling, maybe that’s enough?” Narcissa looked wearily at her husband. “Do you even know how many useless departments there are in the ministry? I only recently learned there’s a department for the standardization and promotion of street spittoons. What the hell is that?”
“Exactly! We’ll also create a department to monitor and account for the numbers of other departments! I think we could even create a whole separate division.” The noble lord also rose from the sofa. “I’ll bring this matter up for discussion today with the worthy wizards who make up the board of trustees! I think they’ll approve of my initiatives.”
– Lucius! – The woman even stamped her foot. – Why increase the number of useless mouths in the ministry?
“Narci, my dear, have you seen any new shops or stores in Diagon Alley lately? Or maybe new factories or manufacturing plants have opened in Wizarding Britain in the last ten years?” The blonde shook her head. “But our country’s population grows every year, and there are no jobs. So we have to create jobs for the sake of jobs, and then pay these lazy, talentless people minimum wage. Better that than widespread dissatisfaction with the government…”
“It’s a good thing I’m not interested in politics.” Narcissa smiled and with a wave of her wand returned the bottle of wine to its place; the fruit and cheese also disappeared. “I’m leaving for Grimmauld Place in half an hour and will be visiting until the evening. You can cook for yourself or go to a restaurant.”
– Darling, what about my clothes? – Lucius looked at the cuff of his white shirt and grimaced. – Of course, I have a large wardrobe…
“You had an Excellent Charm, so get your shirt in order. I’m a noble lady, not a servant!” the blonde snapped. “Consider this an additional incentive in your search for a competent house-elf!”
The wife turned on her heel and left the small living room, leaving Lucius alone.
“Maybe I should hire a servant?” the wizard asked himself and immediately shook his head. “Not worth it. If I get a pretty girl, Cissy will strangle her on the first day… I hope the old man won’t refuse…”
With these thoughts in mind, the man followed his wife; he, too, needed to change. Appearing in the same outfit twice in front of noble and respected wizards was a sign of ignorance and disrespect. He also needed somewhere to eat; unfortunately, restaurants were extremely rare in the Wizarding World…
***
The morning of the first day began as usual: Mia and I peeled ourselves apart, nudged a sleeping Elvira, and went down to the living room. To my surprise, a sleepy Justin was joined by a yawning Ron, and the boys were dressed in tracksuits and full of determination.
“What?” Weasley noticed my surprised look. “The counselor at the Union said that a healthy mind resides in a healthy body. We used to go out there for exercise every morning, I didn’t even miss it at home, that’s it!”
– And also… A-a-a! – Finch-Fletchley yawned loudly. – It’s a shame when girls are stronger than you.
– That too! – Ron looked at us stubbornly. – It’s the boys who are supposed to protect, what’s that? – Ginger scratched the back of his head, – the weaker sex, I think.
“I understand you, boys, let’s go.” I nodded to the guys and headed for the exit.
“Weasley, you agreed to this.” Hermione smiled slyly at the red-haired boy.
“We’re not taking you back to Hogwarts,” Elvira said, also deciding to egg the boy on.
“We’ll see about that…” Ron followed us, grumbling. “Who’s going to carry who back…”
Teasing each other and jokingly joking, we quickly descended to the first floor. Approaching the open gates, our group came face to face with two wizards in scarlet robes, blocking the way to the street.
“Are we leaving the crime scene?” one of them said with a sly smile. “Where are you kids going?”
– Now get back to bed! – the second one barked. – There are still almost three hours until breakfast!
– And who are you, exactly? – I looked skeptically at these drunk and unshaven faces. – And by what right do you rule here?
“Girl, are you blind?” the sly, impudent fellow spoke up. “We’re Aurors, and we have orders: don’t let anyone in or out.”
“Dodge, maybe these are those same criminals?” the second one grinned cheerfully. “Let’s search them first, maybe they have dark artifacts under their clothes? Then we’ll throw them in a cell with the scum from Lyutny, they’ll learn some manners there!”
“Uther, shut up! We’re on a mission, after all…” The snide one turned serious and glanced at the Hellsig crest on my chest. “Excuse my partner, we’ve been on our feet for almost a day now. Kids, we really do have orders, so return to the living room.”
– Who ordered it? – Justin looked at the law enforcement officers with interest.
“Scrimgeour!” the Aurors answered in chorus.
“Well, there you go,” Ron grumbled. “I was just starting to exercise, and now this is such a bummer…”
“Weasley, shut up, we’ll sort this out.” Under the Aurors’ surprised looks, I pulled out a dagger and cut my palm, then spattered the stone floor with blood. “We’ll clear this up with the teacher on duty. Only Dumbledore can give orders at this school, not some idiot.”
“You dare insult the Deputy Head of the Auror Office?” One of the wizards stepped forward. “Do you even know…”
“I don’t give a shit, because of you, my friends and I can’t go to morning exercises.” I gave the pair a disgusted look. “You didn’t even introduce yourself, which is a gross violation of Auror regulations. For that alone, I can send you packing!”
“Girl, go ahead and talk, don’t waste your time…” A magic wand appeared in the sardonic man’s hands. “I’ll tie you all up and beat you up, I don’t care who your parents are.”
– What’s going on here? – McGonagall appeared on the stairs. – I ask again, what’s going on here?
Judging by her cute little cap and fluffy slippers, my actions had pulled the dean right out of bed. The woman wrapped her green robe tighter around herself and quickly approached us, glaring at everyone with anger.
“Professor,” I smiled sweetly and looked at McGonagall with my most honest gaze. “These unknown, unpleasant-looking individuals are preventing us from leaving Hogwarts and doing physical exercise. They’re talking about some order from Scrimgeour and threatening to spank us.”
– WHAT? – The woman choked on air in indignation and looked towards the Aurors; the two even took a couple of steps back. – Mister Walton, Mister Kus! What do you think you’re doing?! Who gave you the right to threaten MY students and restrict their freedom?
“Scrimgeour gave us orders!” the sardonic man blurted out. “We’re enslaved people, and this little thing just started being insolent!”
“Has Hogwarts had a new headmaster?” The Aurors shook their heads. “In that case, clear the gates immediately! Only the headmaster can give such orders at a school, not some upstart who thinks he’s a fool!”
“We’ll report everything to management…” The sarcastic one grumbled and stepped aside.
“Even the Minister himself!” The Dean eyed the men angrily. “I’ll have a word with Rufus. You’re a disgrace to the Aurors with your appearance and behavior! Dirty, smelly, unshaven, and rude to boot! Is that what I taught you?”
“Sorry, Professor…” The menacing Aurors turned into mischievous first-years, even lowering their heads. “We didn’t mean to…”
“I believe you,” McGonagall’s voice softened. “There’s a restroom at the end of the corridor, get yourself cleaned up immediately, and you,” the woman looked at us sternly. “Go do your exercises, the weather is fantastic today! That’s it, see you at breakfast!”
The dean turned around on the spot and straightened up, the aurors shuffled towards the restroom, and our company leisurely ran towards the Black Lake.
The weather really was perfect! Running, admiring the expanse of water and the mountain views, was pleasant; the clean mountain air gave me strength and lifted my spirits. Weasley proved very stubborn and kept up our pace, barely managing to hold his right side, but he was almost as fast. We then quickly completed a strength-training program and leisurely strolled to the common room. Seeing Ron red as a boiled lobster, I decided to take pity. I’m not a beast, and I don’t think he’ll be sore tomorrow…
– You… Psychos… Why… Kill yourself like that… – Weasley, breathing heavily, trudged after us. – Tomorrow… I…
– Are you out of breath, hero? – Hermione teased the guy; my friend and I weren’t even out of breath. – Did you see Crabbe and Goyle were studying too?
– I saw… That’s why… Tomorrow… I… Will… Show them…
“Ron, it was hard for me at first too.” Justin patted his friend on the shoulder, causing him to stagger. “But after six months, I got used to it and got into it!”
– Exactly… Psychos…
“But it will come in handy in Quidditch.” I decided to support Weasley. “Stamina is really valuable there, I think.”
“That’s true…” Ron slowly caught his breath. “In 1473, the match between Transylvania and Flanders lasted three whole days and is known as the dirtiest in history! More than two thousand fouls and four players died! The only time it got worse was in 1809, when the championship was held in Russia, when the taiga around the stadium came alive and attacked the spectators! And all because of the Romanian beater Niko Nenad…”
Weasley adopted a lecturing tone and began telling us the story of this undoubtedly great game. He might have remembered potions or transfiguration, but it was genuinely interesting. Before we knew it, we’d reached the common room and then wandered off to our rooms. A contrast shower in the morning really invigorates you for the whole day!
After tidying up and changing, not forgetting to strap on my flak jacket and hang my MP5 on my harness, I went down to the common room with the girls. This time, the spacious room was much more crowded, and we had a hard time finding a free couch. Soon, Percy appeared on the stairs from the boys’ side with a group of first-years. Colin, seeing me, beamed and waved, and I smiled back. It was amusing to watch from the sidelines as the prefects lined up the little ones, checked their appearance, and headed toward the Great Hall. We didn’t linger; after waiting for Ron and Justin, we followed them.
While I devoured my porridge and washed it down with hot tea, I watched the staff table. Scrimgeour and Bones sat next to the professors. The former could rival the Prince in terms of discontent and hatred for those around him, but the head of the DMLE seemed unconcerned, leisurely devouring toast and jam while chatting cheerfully with Madam Sprout. Shortly before the meal ended, a delegation of wizards, led by Lucius Malfoy and a dozen other investigators, easily recognizable by their blue robes, entered the Great Hall.
The head of the board of governors spoke briefly with the headmaster, then nodded to the head of the DMLE. Scully—pardon Bones—rose from the table and headed to her staff. The DMLE staff listened to their leader and silently headed to the house tables, where they began to wake some of the students and lead them away to an unknown destination. Malfoy watched the proceedings with a haughty smile, all the while making sure to chat with his son and daughter. The other adult wizards also tried to exchange a few words with their offspring.
“What’s wrong with them?” Ron glanced sideways at the DMP investigator, who had called a couple of girls from our department to follow him. “Everything seemed fine yesterday.”
“And you don’t know?!” Lavender leaned forward. “Yesterday, someone injured Scrimgeour’s son on the train! Morgan told me, and she found out from Slair, and Diggory told her…”
“Brown, could you be more brief?” Johnson, sitting nearby, poked out an interested face. “Are these guys suspected of what happened?”
“What? Of course not!” The blonde took a deep breath. “It turns out Scrimgeour’s son was doing all sorts of bad things at school and threatening his father to keep his victims quiet! They say his dad was in on it too, and they’d visit Muggleborns and half-bloods together during the holidays, where they’d do their dirty work! So the girls told me, Lord Malfoy found out about it and demanded an investigation! Can you imagine, a former Death Eater standing up for, excuse me, Mudbloods, and demanding punishment for the pureblood son of the Deputy Head of Aurors!”
The Gryffindor table buzzed like a beehive upon hearing this news, with many of the boys casting very unkind glances at the badgers, who, by the way, had a new prefect. I distinctly remember seeing other older students wearing badges yesterday.
“When that bastard leaves the hospital wing, I’ll break his legs…” Wood, sitting next to him, grumbled.
– Better to cut off the dick! – Spinnet slammed her palm on the table.
“And make them eat it!” one of the senior students intervened.
– We need to tie him up and…
– Test our artifacts on him! – The twins didn’t lag behind.
If I were Scrimgeour, I would transfer my son to another school, to avoid it, so to speak.
– Or maybe Malfoy really was under the Imperio? – At the other end of our table, they started discussing a completely different topic.
– No… He was definitely a devourer!
– Why the hell would he stand up for Muggle-borns then?
– How should I know?…
– Malfoy never does anything for no reason!
While listening to the boys, I continued to watch the investigators, as did many others. The officers took away more than ten people, mostly girls. I think Lucius did this deliberately during breakfast to discredit his political opponent as much as possible, and at the same time to show the public how white and fluffy he is. Unlike Dumbledore’s supporters, like Scrimgeour.
“Lavender, are you sure?” Elvira continued her conversation with our chatty scout. “That all the victims?”
“There were probably more victims…” The blonde looked down sadly. “The investigators gathered those who dared to tell; the rest are afraid or ashamed…”
– Scum… – Hermione hissed angrily to my right.
“Everything’s fine.” I took my friend’s hand and looked into her eyes with a smile. “They won’t hurt anyone again.” I mouthed the words.
“I agree.” The brown-haired fury grinned predatorily.
“Those two are up to something again…” Justin muttered quietly.
“Forget it, mate, try sausages with porridge and beans instead,” Ron nudged his friend with his shoulder. “Just mix everything in equal proportions and the taste will be completely different!”
“Do you have to wash it down with pumpkin juice?” Finch-Fletchley looked at the jug with disgust.
– Of course! – Red filled his friend’s glass to the brim. – It’s very healthy and nutritious!
“Enough chatter!” The head girl came up to us and started handing out sheets of parchment. “Let’s sort out the schedule and get to class!”
“Demelza,” I turned to the girl who was paying no attention to the chaos around her and calmly carrying out her duties. “When did the dean give you the schedule?”
– This morning, – the headman looked at me in confusion. – What?
– Couldn’t you have handed it out in the common room? – I looked at several students who, having studied the piece of paper, quickly ran out of the hall.
– Why? – The girl still didn’t understand me.
“So I don’t have to run to the common room for my textbooks!” I stood up and tapped my school bag. “Not everyone can afford a bag with a space-expansion charm! Or do you just enjoy running up and down those stupid stairs?”
– But that’s tradition… It’s not right… – The headman’s face turned like that of a medieval priest who was told that the earth revolves around the sun, and not the other way around. – On the other hand… It saves time… Percy! Come here! I have an idea!
The girl threw a stack of schedules on the table and ran to her partner. It seems that today one of our faculty traditions will change.
“What a great start to the school year!” Ron said, looking at a small scrap of parchment with a satisfied smile. “History of Magic with slugs, then double Herbology with badgers, and then Astronomy in the evening! But tomorrow…” Ginger’s face darkened.
– But the day after tomorrow is Saturday! – Justin decided to cheer up his friend. – And two days off!
– That’s true! We’ll be able to visit Hagrid. – Weasley immediately cheered up.
– Do you all have your textbooks with you? – The friends nodded in unison. – Then let’s go to Binsu.
Our group rose from the table and quickly made our way to the designated classroom, whose doors were open as usual. The boys immediately tossed their bags onto their desks, rested their heads on them, and prepared for bed. Mia and I pulled out our summer potions assignments; we’d definitely have time to rewrite one essay.
– Good morning. Hellsing, Granger, Smith. – While we were laying out our writing utensils, Malfoy and Greengrass approached us from behind.
“Hello, girls and boys.” I turned to the Slytherins and their retinue with a smile. “Diana, you look much better today, Daphne, my dear brooch.”
“Thank you, a good night’s sleep is really helpful.” The blonde nodded with a smile. “This summer, my father gave me access to a restricted area of the library…”
“You don’t have to continue…” I nodded understandingly. “I’ve fallen asleep among the shelves myself several times.”
“I’m glad we share a passion for knowledge.” At that moment, a bell rang and a mumbling ghost appeared from the wall.
“Maybe we should banish him?” Hermione looked at Binns with a predatory smile.
“It’s no use,” Greengrass shook her head. “Father told me that when he was a student, a whole committee came to the school, but he became firmly attached to the source of Hogwarts and became a part of it.”
– The dead one is firmly attached… Ha-ha-ha… – Ron heard this phrase and laughed. – And Greengrass knows how to joke!
“Unlike you, Weasley, I can even think.” Daphne lifted her nose proudly. “We’ll chat later, girls. Otherwise, in the company of these…” The girl glanced sideways at the sleepy boys. “I feel uneasy…”
“You arrogant little snake…” Rom muttered good-naturedly, closing his eyes and burying his head in the bag as if it were a pillow.
I nodded to the Slytherins with a smile and turned back to my parchments. I don’t empathize with any negativity from either the Slytherins or the Weasleys, but they can’t live without this ribbing. It’s almost like a competition to see who can dunk the other the hardest, but the boys maintain a certain level of restraint and don’t resort to outright insults, unlike some. I couldn’t help but glance sideways at my brother, who was sitting at the same desk with Neville and actively conversing with Nott and Zabini. Noticing my glance, the bespectacled boy smirked maliciously, then grimaced demonstratively and turned away—the little git.
I also turned away and concentrated on writing my essay. The Prince would definitely not forgive me for not having homework and would give me detention. Having tea with Filch was certainly fun, but this time could be spent much more productively.
Hmm… What a coincidence, the topic is about using mandrakes in antidotes to common poisons. Was that intentional? If the movies are to be believed, this year we’ll be tending to these perpetually screaming and rather dangerous, yet very useful plants. Well, we’ll find out in an hour…
