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It's Worse Than You Think

"Now that we have all finished our meals, I would like to make a few announcements."

Professor Dumbledore stood serenely in front of the Head Table in the Great Hall and smiled at the students. He always seemed nice enough, but Daphne Greengrass knew that her opinion was rare among Slytherins. It was just that … well, he tended to be more than a little eccentric. As long as no one was in danger of dying, there wasn't anything wrong with a little peculiarity, of course.

It was just frustrating to deal with constantly.

I swear to Merlin, she thought, looking up at the Headmaster, if these giant lizards are his idea of fun or some inane adventure, I'm going to hurt him.

After seeing the new … residents of Hogwarts, she had lost her appetite and had been feeling out of sorts. As the Headmaster began to speak, however, she grew a little more focused and sat up straighter in her seat — the only outward sign of interest her Slytherin nature allowed.

Daphne needn't have worried that anyone would notice her reaction, however, as it seemed she wasn't the only one curious about what Dumbledore would say. Low whispers broke out across the Great Hall, as friends began anxiously looking to the Head Table. She noticed Granger and Potter whispering fervently to Weasley.

Probably explaining something about the lizards, she reasoned. She hated thinking this, even to herself, but maybe Muggles were more familiar with these creatures than wizards were.

"Two Galleons that he completely ignores the giant lizard creatures."

Daphne smiled, as her friend Tracey leaned over and whispered in her ear. She subtly shook her head in response.

Over the years, it had become something of a tradition for the two Slytherin girls to bet on the Sorting and welcoming announcements. It was always fun to see if they could guess where the new students would go and what interesting things Dumbledore would do or announce — because something always happened. That much was at least guaranteed.

"He has to say something," she whispered back. "This is too big to ignore. No bet."

Dumbledore cleared his throat and quiet once again descended over the Hall.

"First, as always, there is no magic allowed in the corridors. There is also a list of banned items on the door of Mister Filch's office. And, a reminder for both new and old students—" Daphne noticed that he pointedly stared in the direction of the Gryffindor table at this statement "—the Forbidden Forest is strictly that: forbidden."

Daphne rolled her eyes. She noticed that she wasn't they only one. Even Granger looked a tad impatient! They all already knew this. What about the lizards?

"And now for the big announcement," Dumbledore said, as whispers once again broke out across the four House tables.

Finally! she thought.

"There will not be any Quidditch this year, as—"

Daphne felt her eye twitch. Or maybe not…

"What?!" exclaimed one of the Weasley twins. "Why not? You must be joking!"

Tracey once again leaned over to Daphne.

"It probably has something to do with giant flying lizards that would pluck players out of the air," she loudly whispered in a sarcastic tone. Daphne smirked and Blaise — who was sitting across from them — had also apparently heard her. He snorted, a small smile forming on his lips.

"No, Mister Weasley, I can assure you I am not," Dumbledore replied genially. "Though I did hear an outstanding joke this summer—"

"Is it about a giant lizard?" Tracey whispered sassily.

Daphne held a hand up to cover to cover her grin, while Blaise shook with silently laughter.

"—about a hag, a vampire, and a werewolf in a pub…" His explanation died off at Professor McGonagall's pointed cough and glare.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Tracey whispered. "Am I hung up on lizards? I can't imagine why… It must be a phase."

Daphne let out a giggle at her friend's antics. A Ravenclaw student at the next table — a second year, judging by his age — heard her and looked over in surprise. She immediately schooled her features back to her more icy, neutral expression, before quietly giving him a withering glare. He shrunk back and looked down at his plate.

That's right. Run along, little Claw, she thought with satisfaction.

"Yes, sorry," Dumbledore continued. "As I was saying: There will be no Quidditch this year, as Hogwarts will be playing host to the Triwizard Tournament!"

Excited whispers erupted across the Hall, but Daphne wasn't listening to his explanation. His announcement — a surprise to her, though Malfoy down the table seemed too smug to not have known prior to this — was not enough to distract her. She looked down, wrapped up in her own thoughts.

Dumbledore had officially crossed a line. Sure, it hadn't been smart to put a Cerberus in a school filled with children, but that hadn't really involved her. And yeah, maybe hiring Lockhart had been a dumb decision. But from what she had overheard, he hadn't had a ton of options. The Dementors last year could also be excused — barely — due to Black's breakout and subsequent break-ins.

Giant lizards, however, was a whole new level of ridiculous, and it really irritated her that it wasn't the first thing that he had announced.

"The visiting schools will be here in October, and the selection of the three Champions will be held on Halloween. Now, you all have a big day tomorrow! Off to bed!" Dumbledore said, apparently finishing his speech.

"Dumbledore! The dinosaurs!" Professor Sprout practically shrieked.

"Oh, yes," he replied easily, as if it was an incredibly minor thing he forgot. "Over the summer, there was a strange burst of magical energy that brought dinosaurs into our world. Please do not feed them. The ones that are carnivorous have been enclosed in the strongest wards available — no expense has been spared."

"We're all going to die," Tracey whispered in a horrified voice. Daphne couldn't help but agree.

"Really," the Headmaster continued, his eyes twinkling, "just think of this as one big adventure!"

Daphne glared at Dumbledore, his twinkling eyes and grandfatherly nature no longer seemed very nice.

'Adventure'?! Morgana, I'm going to kill him.

Prompt (Jurassic Fever — The Golden Snitch): Compsognathus: For anyone who has seen the second Jurassic Park movie, you would probably remember those very little carnivorous dinosaurs that attacked the young girl in the beginning. They appeared cute at first, but quickly became annoying. Write about a character who appears nice and interesting, but quickly becomes annoying/ irritating. Additional Prompts: (word) adventure.

Word count (not including title and author's notes): 1040