Chapter 26- BubbleHeads

Ron and Harry woke up to find themselves encased in what looked to be some form of containment charm.

Ron turned his head and then sat up as he looked around in sheer puzzlement. He pointed his index finger up toward the shimmering enclosure. "Nice bit of charm work guys." he called out hoping that Dean and Seamus wasn't too far away. But no answer came back.

Harry opened his eyes blearily and sighed. It was going to be one of those days. He also sat up and reached out to get his glasses which were beside him on the night table. He then slipped out of bed and stood up. Studying the large bubble they were encased inside, he reached out and poked at it.

SPLAT

To both Ron and Harry's astonishment the bubble burst and drenched both of them with a very strongly scented water.

"Great Merlin's Ghost!" yelled Ron as the water smacked him in the face and soaked his pajamas which stuck to him. "Yeach!" he sputtered then looked over at Harry who was now on his hands and knees groping for his glasses that had fallen off his face and skittered under his bed. He laid out on the floor and reached in under the bed and found his glasses which he withdrew and then got back up.

"Know any good quick drying charms?" he asked sadly as he surveyed his dripping wet pajamas that had managed to pick up some dust particles from underneath his bed.

"Mum has one she uses when doing the laundry." Ron's brow furrowed momentarily. He picked his wand up and then with a quick precise wave he pointed it toward Harry he said "Exaresco" He sighed as he surveyed Harry's appearance. "Well at least you are dry now." then turned the charm on himself.

Thanks to Ron's casting of the charm, Harry's pajamas had instantly dried but looked badly wrinkled and dirty.

"Er..thanks Ron. At least I can get them off now." Harry frowned at the condition his pyjama's were in as he carefully removed them and got his clean dry clothes on and looked at Ron who was already dressed for the day. "I wonder which of our dorm mates played that prank on us."

Ron snorted. "It is more like one of Fred and Georges pranks. I wouldn't put anything past them."

"Your probably right." Harry agreed. "I suppose we better go on down to Hagrids after breakfast.. He might appreciate our help with cleaning up Snuffles...again."

Ron sighed. "It will probably be a wasted effort. That dog will just get dirty again!" Ron shook his head and unconsciously rubbed his index finger on his cheek just under his eye, he pondered, "I know he is really Sirius but I'm beginning to see why Snape pawned him off on you."

"He didn't 'PAWN" Snuffles on me." Harry answered back shortly, "Anyway Snuffles will soon be back to being my Godfather Sirus." He smirked at Ron's look of discomfort. "Just think we won't need to worry about baths. He can look after himself then."

"Oh yeah. I wonder what he is going to say to us about that once he does return to human form." Ron replied drily as they left their room and headed down the stairway to the common room. They both stopped suddenly just after the stairs turned and stared at the bizarre sight. There was assembled quite a few of the inhabitants of Griffindor tower. From Harry's perspective it looked like a convention of Spacemen or as Ron said in a half hearted joking manner , "maybe everyone getting ready to tackle Dark Lake en-masse." They both hesitantly continued down the stairway and looked over the sea of bubbled-headed house-mates for Hermione and Ginny.

The girls were sitting unconcernedly side by side on the couch facing the stairway as if there was nothing untoward going on. The devious smirks upon their faces made both Harry and Ron nervous and that was when Harry remembered what Hermione had yelled after being told about Snuffles needing another bath. He gulped nervously.

Many of the older years had used the bubblehead charm on their heads to filter out the dreadful smells that would have awakened them up from their sound sleeps. The younger years who hadn't learned the charm had been calmly aided by the prefects who had realized what had happened. After all it was common knowledge among the upper years that both Potter and Ron Weasley had earned a detention with the Dungeon Bat which from previous experiences meant some sort of horror.

"There you are." Hermione said sweetly which was really not her normal way of speaking. The innocent smiles that graced both girls faces was a a touch unnerving as both stood up and approached the stairway.

"Well shall we all head to Breakfast?" asked Ginny with a deceptively cheerful lilt in her voice.

"Um, er, Okay!" was all Ron could say as both he and Harry observed the rest of the Griffindors exiting the portrait hole without removing the charms that encased their heads.

Harry paled and gulped. It was obvious that they were going to be 'escorted' to the Great Hall. "Hey come on now why are we the ones being punished for Snuffles actions?" he protested as they walked the rest of the way down the stairs to where the girls where standing.

Hermione and Ginny shook their heads in tandem. "You can cast a bubble head charm upon yourselves too Harry...if you wish. After all you don't want to be the odd man out now do you?"

"Okay...What's going on here?" Harry asked with deepening suspicion. "You can't be mad at us for what happened during the detention with Snape!"

"Yeah!" Ron exploded as he looked squarely at Hermione. " You could have been part of it too if it wasn't for McGonagall."

Instead of replying, the girls unexpectedly started to laugh and then with wry grins they both walked on ahead of the two boys who watched them climb out the portrait hole which remained open.

"I don't know Mate, but this is beginning to feel just a wee bit creepy." Ron said quietly to Harry who was debating whether or not to stay in the tower and miss breakfast in the Great Hall or not. Maybe he could just take his broom and escape... He could take Ron with him and fly out the window and head over to Hagrids hut...

oooooooooooooooooooo

In the end Harry and Ron did as the girls suggested and trudged their way downstairs to the Great Hall because after all they were Griffindors and that meant they had courage. It had been bad enough after the detention itself when the Paintings had insulted them on their way to the tower—Once they entered the Hall- they noticed that not only their house mates had bubblehead charms encasing their heads, everyone did including the teachers and as to not be left out even Filch was wearing some sort of muggle diving gear that had been given him by the Muggle studies Professor who had been deep sea diving with friends during the summer. Mrs Norris was even included as she was floating along beside him in a full body bubble that had been cast by McGonagall.

Meanwhile the Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour had arrived on the school grounds and was heading up to the castle to discuss with the Headmaster matters concerning the escapee Sirius Black and the real betrayer and murderer of James and Lily Potter-Peter Pettigrew. He took mote of the large half giant Hagrid carrying a rather wriggly large black dog who was whining and howling as if in agony toward a large metal tub filled to the brim with warm, strongly scented soapy water.

Hagrid set the struggling animal into the water effectively cutting off the whines and howling as Snuffles gagged on the soapy water that entered his open mouth. Noticing the Minister walking quickly up the pathway, Hagrid called out a welcome even as he raised a soapy arm and waved his hand enthusiastically before returning to scrubbing Snuffles furry hide with a very large handled bath-brush and doggie patterned wash cloth

The Minister acknowledged Hagrids' friendly greeting with a cur nod as his nose wrinkled slightly when a wayward breeze carried a mixture of powerfully sweet and sour scents over to him. He tried to keep breathing shallowly as he quickened his steps and hurried down the pathway and up to the entrance. He wasted no time opening the large Oak doors and entering the Castle.

The sight to befall his eyes was astonishing to say the least. The students and staff were calmly heading into the Great Hall with their heads encased in bubbles. Pursing his mouth in thought he wondered what in Merlin's name was going on. Staring around, he noticed that Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was waiting near the marble staircase to greet him as if it was quite common to have his head encased in what appeared to be a gaily decorated bubble with his beard poking out the bottom.

"Welcome Rufus. It is grand you could take time out from your Ministerial duties to come here to our fine School ." Dumbledore greeted him cheerfully as he raised his hand to grasp the dumbfounded Ministers automatically extended hand. "I'm sure you will appreciate having a bit of breakfast with us before tending to business."