Chapter 10:
"The barrier sealed itself?" Skylar questioned
"It wouldn't let us through, we crashed right into it." Ron nodded
"That's… I thought that was impossible." Skylar muttered "Why on earth did that happen?"
"We don't know."
"So your first instinct was to get in the car and fly it?" Skylar questioned.
The three of them were walking down to the Great Hall together the following morning. Hermione had already left for breakfast but Skylar had been determined to find out what the two boys had gone through. She'd waited for them to come down from the dormitory to the common room to hear about it. The boys should have been able to get onto the train inside, if the barrier to Platform Nine and Three Quarters hadn't sealed itself on them.
"Well… we were going to wait for Mr and Mrs Weasley…" Harry admitted
"Before we remembered the car could fly." Ron added
"You might not have gotten in trouble had you waited. Mum told me there were measures in place for when people missed the train." Skylar confessed
"We thought it'd be cool to land on the grass in the car." Harry shrugged
"And you crashed instead." Skylar shrugged earning annoyed looks form the two boys. She grinned at them both as they entered the Great Hall, where the long House tables were laden with tureens of porridge, plates of kippers, mountains of toast, and dishes of eggs and bacon, be- neath the enchanted ceiling (today, a dull, cloudy grey).
Hermione was sitting at the table, her copy of Voyages with Vampires propped open against a milk jug. She said morning to the three, but there was a stiffness in the word that said she was still disapproving of the way they had arrived the previous night. Neville Longbottom, on the other hand, greeted them cheerfully. Neville was a round-faced and accident-prone boy with the worst memory of anyone Harry had ever met.
"Mail's due any minute — I think Gran's sending a few things I forgot."
Skylar chuckled at him as she pulled some pancakes toward her.
"Sky!" Leon came hurrying towards her as she looked up, Ginny with him as they sat opposite the girl.
"Morning Leon, sleep well?" Skylar asked
"The common room is so cool! And the beds are so comfy!"
"I'm surprised you didn't get lost this morning?" Ron muttered at the two of them, he seemed slightly annoyed, Harry and Ron had gotten lost every morning, to every class for the entire first week.
"Percy showed us." Ginny admitted, she looked slightly grim about this and as her eyes fell on Harry, she was silent again and she looked at Skylar. She smiled encouragingly at them.
"He complained about what you two did the whole way down." Leon rolled his eyes
"Yeah well he gets it from his mother." Skylar said and the three chuckled "Speaking of which, I can't even imagine what she might have done when she found out." the two Weasleys and Rosenwalds all shuddered.
"By the way, you send a letter to mum and dad?" Skylar asked Leon
"Yep, sent Rey off to them." he smiled proudly. "I can't wait for the classes to begin."
"What's with you Rosenwalds and wanting to go to class?" Ron questioned
"Can't hate them if I haven't been." Leon muttered, slightly put out at his question.
"Don't rain on his parade Ron." Skylar snapped as she picked up her fork to dig into her breakfast.
There was then a rushing sound overhead, and a hundred or so owls streamed in, circling the hall and dropping letters and packages into the chattering crowd. A big, lumpy package bounced off Neville's head, a small tawny owl with speckled wings landed before Leon with a letter and, a second later, something large and grey fell into Hermione's jug, spraying them all with milk and feathers.
"Errol!" said Ron, pulling the bedraggled owl out by the feet. Errol slumped, unconscious, onto the table, his legs in the air and a damp red envelope in his beak.
Skylar, Leon and Ginny all noticed it as Ron did.
"Oh, no —" Ron gasped.
"Shoot…" Skylar mumbled looking scared
"It's all right, he's still alive," said Hermione, prodding Errol gently with the tip of her finger.
"It's not that — it's that."
Ron was pointing at the red envelope. Neville, the two Weasleys and Rosenwalds all looked at it as though they expected it to explode.
"I knew she'd be mad…" Skylar whispered
"But not that mad." Leon muttered, his eyes slightly wide.
"What's the matter?" said Harry.
"She's — she's sent me a Howler," said Ron faintly.
"You'd better open it, Ron," said Neville in a timid whisper. "It'll be worse if you don't. My gran sent me one once, and I ignored it and" — he gulped — "it was horrible."
Harry looked from their petrified faces to the red envelope. "What's a Howler?" he said.
"The worst letter a parent can send…" Skylar whispered, gaining a confused look from Harry as the red envelope has started smoking at the corners.
"If you don't open it soon Ron…" Skylar warned
"Open it," Neville urged. "It'll all be over in a few minutes —"
Ron stretched out a shaking hand, eased the envelope from Errol's beak, and slit it open. Skylar, Leon and Neville stuffed their fingers in their ears. A split second later, Harry knew why. He thought for a moment it had exploded; a roar of sound filled the huge hall, shaking dust from the ceiling.
"— STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE —"
Even with her fingers in her ears, Skylar could still hear Mrs. Weasley's yells, a hundred times louder than usual, as it made the plates and spoons rattle on the table. Her voice echoed deafeningly off the stone walls and people throughout the hall were swivelling around to see who had received the Howler. Ron sank so low in his chair that only his crimson forehead could be seen.
"— LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED — ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED — YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME."
A ringing silence fell. Skylar eyed the red envelope as it had dropped from Ron's hand, burst into flames and curled into ashes. She pulled her fingers from her ears as Harry and Ron sat stunned, as though a tidal wave had just passed over them. Leon looked unsure as he removed his fingers too, while some people laughed and, gradually, a babble of talk broke out again.
"I hate howlers." Leon muttered
Hermione closed Voyages with Vampires and looked down at the top of Ron's head.
"Well, I don't know what you expected, Ron, but you —"
"Don't tell me I deserved it," snapped Ron.
Skylar and Leon shared a look and the boy bowed his head and looked at the letter his parents had sent back to him. Harry pushed his porridge away as Skylar took a bite of her pancakes, the lot of them sitting in silence as Professor McGonagall began to walk up the Gryffindor table, handing out the course schedules.
First for the Gryffindor second years was double Herbology. Skylar wished Leon and Ginny a good first day as she got to her feet, before she, Harry, Ron and Hermione left the castle together, crossing the vegetable patch to make for the greenhouses where the magical plants were kept. At least the Howler had done one good thing: Hermione seemed to think the two boys had now been punished enough and was being perfectly friendly again.
"I don't see how your silence is much of a punishment anyway?" Skylar muttered to her, earning a scowl. She just grinned with an innocent shrug.
As they neared the greenhouses they saw the rest of the class standing outside, waiting for Professor Sprout. Harry, Ron, Skylar and Hermione had only just joined them when she came striding into view across the lawn, accompanied by Gilderoy Lockhart. Professor Sprout's arms were full of bandages and Skylar looked at her confused before Harry nudged her and pointed at a tree in the distance, it was a large willow tree, with several of its branches now in slings.
Professor Sprout was a squat little witch who wore a patched hat over her flyaway hair; there was usually a large amount of earth on her clothes and under her fingernails. Gilderoy Lockhart, however, was immaculate in sweeping robes of turquoise, his golden hair shining under a perfectly positioned turquoise hat with gold trimming.
"Oh, hello there!" he called, beaming around at the assembled students. "Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor a Whomping Willow! But I don't want you running away with the idea that I'm better at Herbology than she is! I just happen to have met several of these exotic plants on my travels…"
"He knows how to look after a fighting tree?" Skylar muttered unsurely
"Greenhouse three today, chaps!" said Professor Sprout, who was looking distinctly disgruntled, not at all her usual cheerful self.
There was a murmur of interest. They had only ever worked in greenhouse one before — greenhouse three housed far more interesting and dangerous plants. Professor Sprout took a large key from her belt and unlocked the door. The green house was filled with the smell of damp earth and fertiliser, mingling with the heavy perfume of some giant, umbrella-sized flowers that were dangling from the ceiling. Hermione went in first followed by Ron and Skylar, but Harry was stopped from following.
"Harry! I've been wanting a word — you don't mind if he's a couple of minutes late, do you, Professor Sprout?"
Judging by Professor Sprout's scowl, she did mind, but Lockhart said, "That's the ticket," and closed the greenhouse door in her face.
"Whats with him?" Ron asked
"Something about Harry… think it's cause he's the boy who lived?" Skylar offered as Hermione was busy giving Professor Sprout her complete attention.
"Trying to boost his own status." Ron muttered.
Professor Sprout had situated herself behind a trestle bench in the centre of the greenhouse. About twenty pairs of different-coloured earmuffs were lying on the bench. Harry came in a moment later and moved over to the three, standing between Skylar and Hermione. With him in the class, Professor Sprout said, "We'll be repotting Mandrakes today. Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?"
To nobody's surprise, Hermione's hand was first into the air.
"Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative," said Hermione, sounding as usual as though she had swallowed the textbook. "It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."
"Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor," said Professor Sprout. "The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?"
Hermione's hand shot up again.
"The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it," she said promptly.
"Precisely. Take another ten points," said Professor Sprout. "Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young."
She pointed to a row of deep trays as she spoke, and everyone shuffled forward for a better look. A hundred or so tufty little plants, purplish green in colour, were growing there in rows. Skylar eyed them curiously, she didn't really get what Hermione meant by the plant's 'cry', could plants cry?
"Everyone take a pair of earmuffs," said Professor Sprout.
There was a scramble as everyone tried to seize a pair that wasn't pink and fluffy.
"When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are completely covered," said Professor Sprout. "When it is safe to remove them, I will give you the thumbs-up. Right — earmuffs on."
Skylar put the earmuffs over her head and snapped them over her ears. Every noise was gone as they shut out everything. Professor Sprout put the pink, fluffy pair over her own ears, rolled up the sleeves of her robes, grasped one of the tufty plants firmly, and pulled hard.
Skylar gapped, now she understood how plants could cry. Instead of roots, a small, muddy, and extremely ugly baby popped out of the earth. The leaves were growing right out of his head. He had pale green, mottled skin, and was clearly bawling at the top of his lungs.
Professor Sprout took a large plant pot from under the table and plunged the Mandrake into it, burying him in dark, damp compost until only the tufted leaves were visible. Professor Sprout dusted off her hands, gave them all the thumbs-up, and removed her own earmuffs.
"As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill yet," she said calmly as though she hadn't just pulled a child from a pot. "However, they will knock you out for several hours, and as I'm sure none of you want to miss your first day back, make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while you work. I will attract your attention when it is time to pack up.
"Four or five to a tray — there is a large supply of pots here — compost in the sacks over there — and be careful of the Venomous Tentacula, it's teething."
She gave a sharp slap to a spiky, dark red plant as she spoke, making it draw in the long feelers that had been inching sneakily over her shoulder.
Harry, Skylar, Ron, and Hermione were joined at their tray by a curly-haired Hufflepuff boy.
"Justin Finch-Fletchley," he said brightly, shaking Harry by the hand. "Know who you are, of course, the famous Harry Potter… Skylar Rosenwald, heard about your parents, really talented apparently… And you're Hermione Granger — always top in everything" (Hermione beamed as she had her hand shaken after Skylar's too) "— and Ron Weasley. Wasn't that your flying car?"
Ron didn't smile. The Howler was obviously still on his mind.
"That Lockhart's something, isn't he?" said Justin happily as they began filling their plant pots with dragon dung compost. "Awfully brave chap. Have you read his books? I'd have died of fear if I'd been cornered in a telephone booth by a werewolf, but he stayed cool and — zap — just fantastic."
Skylar rose an eyebrow, she had read some of them, but they all sounded rather farfetched.
"My name was down for Eton, you know. I can't tell you how glad I am I came here instead. Of course, Mother was slightly disappointed, but since I made her read Lockhart's books I think she's begun to see how useful it'll be to have a fully trained wizard in the family…"
After that they didn't have much chance to talk. Their earmuffs were back on and they needed to concentrate on the Mandrakes. Professor Sprout had made it look extremely easy, but it wasn't. The Mandrakes didn't like coming out of the earth, but didn't seem to want to go back into it either. They squirmed, kicked, flailed their sharp little fists, and gnashed their teeth; Harry spent ten whole minutes trying to squash a particularly fat one into a pot as Skylar laughed at him. He flicked some dirt in her face and she blinked at him surprised, earning a laugh from him in return.
By the end of the class, everyone was sweaty, aching, and covered in earth. Everyone traipsed back to the castle for a quick wash and then the Gryffindors hurried off to Transfiguration.