Second year students had to decide on what new classes they'd like to take for their third year. They now had to add 2 or more electives to their class schedule. There was Divinations, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, and Muggle Studies.
Matthew and Rory were up in their dormitory packing for the ride back home for summer break. "What are you signing up for next term?" Matt asked Rory.
"Well, I'm very interested in Muggle Studies and Care For Magical Creatures. Also, Amy's taking Divinations so I've signed up for that one too." Rory replied. Even though Rory personally found reading crystal balls and tea leaves to be a bit of a joke, he signed up for the class to be with Amy.
"Sounds great, that's all the classes I'm taking!" Matthew answered as if he'd signed up already. He'd been waiting to see what his friends had chosen before making up his mind. "I assume Amy won't be taking Muggle Studies?"
"No, she thought it would be weird." Rory sighed. "I guess she's right though. I mean, imagine a class dedicated to studying you. Must feel a bit odd."
"Yeah... must be strange..." Matt replied. "I'm muggle on my mom's side but I never got to know her, maybe Muggle Studies will be a good class."
"Guys!" Mickey Smith ran into their dormitory half out of breath. "School's out party in the forest starting now!"
"Isn't it just going to be a bunch of 6th and 7th years getting drunk in the woods?" Rory rolled his eyes. "There's no way we're going to that. We're a bunch of 2nd years Hufflepuffs, they'll just kick us out."
"Your girls already there with Melody and all her friends." Mickey scoffed. "Besides, they don't own the forest so they can't just kick us out."
"It's the forbidden forest, we should all be getting kicked out." Matt laughed. "But I am interested in seeing what sort of shenanigans everyone's going to get up to."
"Right so let's go. Sun's about to set so the sooner we get out of here the less chance we have of getting lost in the dark." Mickey ran out the door with Matt while Rory reluctantly followed. At least he knew Amy would be there.
Looking around Rory saw a box of Weasley's Wildfire Whizbangs next to a box filled with bottles of Firewhiskey. "Why do I let you drag me into these things?" He whispered to Matt as they walked past a group of intimidating looking 7th year boys.
"I didn't twist your arm." Matt chuckled. "I think we all know why you decided to come." He pointed to Amelia standing around Melody and her Slytherin gang. Rory put on a brave face and walked over towards them, even though the older kids made him nervous.
"Rory!" Amy noticed him and gave him a hug. "Look at this" She opened her mouth and her tongue glowed in the dark. She handed Rory a pack of Wakefield's Glow in the Dark Gum. "Reminds me of this one time I put a glow stick in my mouth but I accidentally bit it and it broke in my mouth so I had that glow liquid in my mouth and it turned my tongue and lips all glow in the dark for like an hour but it tasted horrible!" Amy laughed. "I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to ingest that."
"What's a glow stick?" Rory asked.
"Whatever, maybe you'll learn about it in you muggle studies class." Amy rolled her eyes.
Rory noticed Owen and Jack were taking shots of firewhiskey and starting to get a bit rowdy. "Don't you think we should go find Matt and Mickey?" Rory whispered to her.
"Aww come on!" Amy groaned. "Don't be such a baby." Suddenly the sound of an explosion turned them all around to see a huge glowing ball of colorful fireworks bursting through the trees. Someone had dropped the firewhiskey all over the Wildfire Wizbangs. Kids ran past them back to the castle screaming.
"Whooo! Awesome!" Melody yelled excitedly as the fire spread. While River, Owen and Jack laughed at the scared children running past.
"Is this funny? What is wrong with you people?!" Rory yelled over the roar of the fireworks. Amy simply stood entranced by it all, curious to see what would come next. It came to be a giant dragon made of orange fireworks. It was racing straight towards them. Everyone was screaming excitedly except Rory who was screaming out of sheer terror. The dragon erupted with a bang right in front of them, leaving them all covered in soot. "We're dead, aren't we?" Rory checked himself to make sure no extremities had gone missing. "We almost died!"
"I know, right!" Amy yelled excitedly and kissed Rory with a passion like he'd never felt before.
Headmistress McGonagall's voice could be heard through the forest with an amplifying charm, as if she really needed one. "All students to their dormitories at once! All those responsible for the forest fire will be caught and dealt with accordingly!"
"Run!" Matthew Smith went running fast them and the rest of the group quickly followed.
The gang all ran into an empty corridor. The Slytherins all patted each other's soot covered clothing as they snickered while Rory looked at Matt angrily. "This was all you, wasn't it?" Rory rolled his eyes. "Tell me this wasn't you."
Mickey Smith looked at Matt and back at Rory and back at Matt again with a very worried look on his face. He backed away slowly. Matthew tried to cover his tracks. "You see, how it happened was... It wasn't my fault..."
"Oh, my god!" Rory threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "There are animals in those woods right now that you nearly set on fire. You know how illegal it is to kill a unicorn?!"
"What do you think fire roaster unicorn tastes like?" Owen asked with a devilish smile.
"You are demented." Rory looked at Owen in disgust.
"Sorry about Owen, we're getting him checked." Melody stepped in. "Deep down he's a good boy, isn't that right, Owen?"
"Umm... no..." Owen replied. He ruffled Melody's braids and chuckled. "But thanks for believing in me, Mels"