SNAKES OF THE STORM
Chapter One
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does
"Quiet, quiet! I have an announcement to make!" Albus Dumbledore called. "Any pupils currently failing Muggle Studies (a now mandatory subject), will be required to go on a trip. You will be staying with Harry Potter's aunt, uncle and cousin, the Dursleys for a month."
There was a huge babble of noise and many screeching's and wailings at this. Especially from Ron; who knew that he had probably failed the subject.
"I will now read out the names of the students who are currently failing muggle studies and will be going to stay with the Dursleys.
Lavender Brown
Cho Chang
Vincent Crabbe
Gregory Goyle
Neville Longbottom
Luna Lovegood
Draco Malfoy
Pansy Parkinson
Padma Patil
Parvarti Patil
Fred Weasley
George Weasley
Ginny Weasley
Ronald Weasley
I would also like Harry Potter and Hermione Granger to accompany them, although they are not currently failing Muggle Studies. If you are one of these children, please begin packing immediately as you will be leaving straight after lunch tomorrow."
Upstairs in their dormitory, Harry and Ron were busy shoving and squashing their belongings into their trunks, muttering under their breath.
"Why do we have to go and stay with the Dursleys anyway? Couldn't we have just gone and slept in a tent with muggle butterflies or something? That'd qualify wouldn't it?" asked Ron.
"I dunno, maybe they thought it would be a good way for Hogwarts students to bond with my relatives or for wizards to become friends with muggles," Harry replied.
"Well I don't think I'll be making friends with Dudley!" Ron laughed.
"It'd be hard, he'd probably run away screaming with his hands clamped tightly over his bottom the second you walked through the door!" Harry said, referring to the time when Hagrid had caused a pig's tail to emerge from Dudley's bottom. He had been afraid of wizards ever since.
Ron let out a snort of laughter, and soon they were both doubling over, tears pouring down their cheeks.
Later in the common room that night, a large gaggle of students were gathered around the notice board. Eventually, Harry, Ron and Hermione pushed their way through the sea of people to read the room list:
Room one
Harry Potter
Ronald Weasley
Gregory Goyle
Draco Malfoy
Room Two
Fred Weasley
George Weasley
Neville Longbottom
Vincent Crabbe
Room Three
Parvarti Patil
Cho Chang
Lavender Brown
Padma Patil
Room Four
Pansy Parkinson
Ginny Weasley
Hermione Granger
Luna Lovegood
After lunch the next day, the children who had failed Muggle Studies, along with Harry and Hermione, gathered in the great hall with their trunks.
"The ministry has just informed me that due to the safety breach of code 2341, you will not be allowed to perform any kind of magic while at the Dursleys house. I will be confiscating everyone's wands now and you will not have them back until your one month's stay is over." Dumbledore announced.
"What? No magic for a month!" Ron cried.
"I don't think I'll survive!" Malfoy said.
"We won't stand for it!" George yelled.
"Rules for schools are tools for fools!" Fred recited.
"Silence!" Dumbledore cried.
A hush fell over the the students stopped talking at once. "Accio the wand of Cho Chang." He said. "Accio the wand of Vincent Crabbe." Dumbledore summoned the wands one by one until only Harry and Hermione were left. "Accio the wand of Hermione Granger. Accio the wand of Harry Potter."
"You will be travelling by the Hogwarts Express to Kings Cross, where you can take the Knight Bus you to Number four, privet drive. Please grab hold of your trunks and follow me."
They arrived at Hogsmeade station within ten minutes, where the scarlet steam engine was waiting, smoke billowing out of the funnel.
"Good luck and I hope you all enjoy your stay!" Dumbledore called to them.
They boarded the train and Harry, Ron and Hermione sat down in an empty carriage together.
"Why are you even coming Hermione? I mean I can understand Harry coming, because they're his aunt and uncle" Ron asked.
"Not that I even want to be rel-..." Harry began.
"I don't know Ron. Possibly because I am muggle born?" Hermione replied, cutting Harry short .
"Right." said Ron.
"I can't believe I have to share a room with Pansy Parkinson of all people!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Trust me; we've got the worst people in our room: Malfoy and Goyle." Harry assured her.
"Well I know one thing: sparks will defiantly fly! What with you two sharing a room with Malfoy and Goyle and me sharing a room with Pansy Parkinson. This whole staying with the Dursleys idea is crazy!" Hermione said in exsaparation.
"I still can't believe we're not allowed to use magic," Ron complained, as a sudden clanging began outside their carriage door. When Harry opened the door, he saw the Food Trolley, pushed by the plump, jolly witch. "Anything from the trolley dears?" she asked them.
"I'll have six chocolate frogs and a packet of every flavour bens please," Hermione said, handing over the money.
"Nothing for me," Ron told her.
"And would you like anything?" she asked Harry.
"Yes please, a liquorice wand, three pumpkin pasties, three chocolate frogs and a cauldron cake." He said.
"My goodness!" she exclaimed, handing him his purchases. "Hungry are you?" Harry laughed, as she walked away, the bell on her trolley clanging as loud as ever.
"Everyone help themselves to my sweets and snacks." Harry said.
"Same goes for me!" Hermione grinned, as they indulged into the tasty treats.
It was dark by the time they reached Kings Cross station. The students grabbed their luggage and then gathered on the platform. "Dumbledore said the Knight bus would be waiting for us, so let's walk over to the road," Hermione suggested.
"Okay. Everyone follow me and stick together!" called Harry.
"Since when were you the boss?" Malfoy questioned with a smirk.
"Shut up Malfoy!" Ron shouted.
Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle followed the rest of the group, though half heartedly. When they reached the curb, Harry thrust out his right arm. With a flash and a small bang, the purple triple decker Knight Bus appeared. "Welcome to the Knight bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike and I will be your conductor this evening," a purple uniformed conductor informed them. He was eighteen or nineteen at most, with large, protruding ears and quite a few pimples. "Where to?" he asked.
"Number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey; please," Harry told him.
"How many?" Stan questioned.
"One, two, three... sixteen," Harry replied, doing a quick headcount.
"That'll be eleven sickles each please," he said, stretching out his hand to collect the money. One by one they all forked over their eleven sickles and walked through the doorway.
The Knight bus was empty except for an old woman wearing a green shawl, busy knitting a scarf that was trailing on the dirty floor.
Harry's stomach lurched as they rounded a corner. He was glad that Privet drive was relatively close to Kings Cross.
After a wild bus ride, the sixteen Hogwarts pupils stood outside Mr and Mrs Dursley's house. Harry leant on the doorbell; and after a few minutes Uncle Vernon finally came to the door. He shouted to Aunt Petunia over his shoulder: "Petunia, Harry and his freak friends are here!"
"Well, let them in then!" she replied. Uncle Vernon opened the door and motioned for them all to come in. Harry wondered how much money Dumbledore had had to bribe Uncle Vernon and decided to investigate the next day.
They were all slightly cramped as there were so many of them, but no one dared to complain. "Right, now we need to go through a few rules," Uncle Vernon began, as he rolled out a piece of paper almost a metre long. "Number one: you will not speak to us, number two: you will not ask questions, number three you will not bother us..." It went on for ages (finishing with 'number four hundred and twenty seven: you will not talk about your abnormalities in front of us or the neighbours'). Padma Patil had actually fallen asleep, her head lolling against Parvati's shoulder.
When he had finished reading out the rules, Uncle Vernon allowed them to go upstairs to bed. Harry and Ron fell aleep fully clothed, too tired to care then that they were sharing a room with Malfoy and Goyle.