Percy gets to his desk for the morning, only to see one sight he can't quite believe - a Snowy Owl sitting on his desk, a bright red envelope laying there in front of her. And, unfortunately, he recognizes that Snowy Owl. "Hedwig?!"
The bird - which he's secretly been jealous of ever since meeting her, since she's so much more dignified than Errol ever was - gives him the foulest look imaginable at the recognition in his voice and clacks her beak angrily at him. When he reaches out to pet her, something he'd never admit to wanting to do but has wanted to do since he saw Bloom cuddle with her so affectionately back before her and Ron's second year started when she was at the Burrow, she nearly takes off his finger. As it is, she draws blood. The letter in front of her starts vibrating, like the angrier of the Howlers sometimes do - particularly the ones with a very long letter to shriek…err, howl.
If I try to incinerate it, there's every chance it'll get worse. If I open it…why in the world would Bloom Potter send me a Howler? After a minute, he thinks of why - the letter he sent Ron, seems she saw it.
Hedwig takes off as soon as he picks up the Howler, flying out after smacking him over the back of the head with her wing - great, even that attention-seeking brat's bird is angry with him.
How bad could one Howler be? As if Potter has any real basis for any arguments she might make. It probably isn't even that loud. Its not like he has much choice anyway - there's almost no stopping a Howler, not unless your more powerful than the sender and the Charms on the Howler combined.
He sits down in his chair and opens it, and the letter flies up in his face and screams at the top of its magical lungs "PERCY WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO TELL RON WHO AND WHO NOT TO BE FRIENDS WITH?! ESPECIALLY AFTER YOU ABANDONED YOUR FAMILY, YOU UNGRATEFUL ARSE! IF I HAD A FAMILY A FOURTH AS AMAZING AS YOURS, I'D HOLD ONTO THEM WITH EVERYTHING I HAD! YOU THINK THEY'RE WORTH NOTHING? THEY'RE WORTH EVERYTHING IN THIS WORLD, AND YOU HAD THE GALL TO THROW THEM AWAY LIKE THEY'RE UTTER TRASH!" It's louder than any Howler Molly ever sent the Twins or Ron, its practically spitting fire in his face - literally.
Thirty minutes later, he's still getting reamed out by what everyone's calling 'the Howler from Hell' and there's quite the crowd gathered. Including Arthur Weasley, who can't find it in him to feel too mad or much pity for Percy at this point - he clearly made his bed, and now he has to lie in it. He's still sitting in his chair, white-faced as he gets several strips torn from his hide by a Howler - the loudest Howler anyone there can actually remember ever getting, to be entirely honest.
An hour after the Howler from Hell was opened, it finally stops its ranting and gives Percy a raspberry before literally exploding into confetti - most just tear themselves up, this one quite literally exploded into a rain of confetti that's now plastered all over Percy.
Ron and Hermione are glancing at Bloom every now and again - she looks way too pleased with herself to not have done something. Something magical, maybe - a breakthrough in Transmutation? She's been going through that book, but hasn't gotten to try anything just yet - mainly because she's been practicing the list of Charms Professor Flitwick gave her with her brunette roommate, which hasn't left a whole lot of time for anything else since they tend to need Lavender to tell them when its time for dinner when they get into it.
Bloom gives them a grin when they ask, and says "Gave an arrogant prat a piece of my mind and then some. Ron, my condolences on how Percy's turned out."
Ron snorts, and says "Thanks, much appreciated. He's a big suck-up to authority, always has been really."
Fred and George sit down, and one of them asks "What's the topic of conversation?"
"Brother dearest. Percy and his fat ego."
They both snort, and Fred asks "How'd you put the prat in his place, Bloom? I'd dearly love to know."
"So would I. What'd you do?"
Bloom smirks, and says "Sent him a Howler. Which I…enhanced a bit."
Fred and George snort, Ron nearly chokes, and Hermione grins and asks "'Enhanced' how?"
Bloom gives them a wounded innocence look that doesn't fool them for an instant, and says "All I did was turn up the volume a bit. You make it sound like I filled it with fire or something." Though, I did spell it to explode into confetti…
The thought makes her snicker, and one of the twins says "Busted, Bloom."
Bloom shrugs, and says "That's all I did to the Howler itself, guys. Turned the volume up."
Ron adds "And up, and up, and up, right?"
Bloom tries to hold back her laughter, then breaks and starts giggling as she nods her head. Hermione starts laughing as well, and soon all five of them are laughing away. Right up until there's the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them.
"What, exactly, is so funny, students?" They all turn to see Umbridge standing there, a sickly sweet smile on her face and a clipboard and a quill in her hands. And a predatory look for Bloom on her face.
Bloom gives her a smile that's more a baring of her teeth, and says "A letter I sent, Professor. Nothing you need to concern yourself with." Umbridge looks like she's about to retort something, but Bloom tilts her head and asks "Is there something wrong with your arm, Professor? The way your holding the clipboard…" Underneath the table, she clicks her fingers together and fire starts dancing between them.
Umbridge loses the sneer and goes a pasty white, then hurries away without a word. They all watch the pink-clad woman leave, and Ron says "Whatever it is you did, she's been going back and forth between hating and fearing you."
Bloom shrugs, and says "Sometimes, that's all you can get. I'm not going to deny that. I know it all too well to do so."
Bloom gets into the room Professors McGonagall and Flitwick told her to go, and finds them both waiting there with expressions of mixed pride and curiosity. McGonagall asks "Have you gone through the lists we provided you, Miss Potter?"
Bloom nods eagerly, and says "Yes, Professor. I actually know most of them, believe it or not. Yours to, Professor Flitwick."
Both Professors blink in shock, and Flitwick asks "How?! And why, for Merlin's sake, didn't that Hat put you in Ravenclaw then?!"
Bloom shrugs, and says "I started going in-depth with Charms in my third year. Due to all the Dementors, you see. Same with Defense and Transfiguration. Year Four didn't exactly discourage me, seeing as each of the tasks could have killed any of the four Champions easily."
The many nights she spent last year looking for Transfiguration spells she could quickly learn to turn a dragon into something relatively harmless can attest to that.
Bloom shrugs, and adds "And, the past two summers, I've had all day every day to read to my heart's content. I read spellbooks. And Potions books, but I haven't gotten the chance to try any of them."
Professor Flitwick starts snickering, then giggling, then hysterically laughing until he's on the floor. Professor McGonagall's lips are twitching as well, which is as close to laughing as Bloom's ever seen the strict professor.
McGonagall conjures up a few targets, and Professor Flitwick says "Let's begin, then! Once this is done, and we deem you ready to take a N.E.W.T. I'd be more than happy to take you on as a dueling apprentice."
Bloom grins, then says "I'd be honored, Professor."
About two hours and more intense spellcasting than Bloom can remember doing in the entirety of a year at Hogwarts before, Bloom walks out with Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick's approval to take her N.E.W.T.s for their course - which, quite probably, will require a Time-Turner to manage while keeping Dumbledore and Umbridge in the dark.
"Potter, detention. After dinner, tonight."
The entire Potions class stares at Professor Snape in utter shock - Bloom almost never gets detention, she's one of the best brewers because she's so good at preparing ingredients and multitasking, and she hadn't done anything wrong. Only Bloom doesn't seem confused - in fact, she seems happy about the detention.
About an hour before Curfew, Bloom walks into the Gryffindor Common Room smelling of several different potions - including one that has everyone drooling. At the glazed-over looks, she shakes her head and mutters "He just had to test me on Amortentia, didn't he? And make it the last one?"
Hermione walks over, asking "How'd it go? What'd he have you do?"
Bloom grins, and says "Brew potions. I memorized the instructions, so all I had to do was multitask. After that…just like a mix of chemistry and cooking."
Hermione shrugs, and says "Not inaccurate. But…why do you smell like mown grass, new parchment, and-"
Bloom takes a large step back, and says "Amortentia, 'Mione. It might've been a bit of revenge, or a Potions-themed prank from our Professor. It was the last one he had me brew, and I'm in desperate need of a shower before some people lose their minds and try to jump me."
She gives Cormac McLaggen a stink eye at that part, and he edges away and says "It was last year, Potter! Can't blame me for trying…"
Bloom fixes him with a serious look, and says "Yes, yes I can. And nobody could blame me if I did more than Stun you."
Snape looks at the three Potions he had Bloom Potter brew - they're more than passable, not Potions Master quality or anything but would get an O from him nonetheless.
Potter is full of surprises. First, she pops up with the detail that she's ADOPTED, then she says she was raised by Petunia - how she turned out nearly as good as she did, then, is a miracle I didn't think even magic could pull off, as Lily and I agreed her sister was in no way, shape, or form fit to raise a magical child - THEN she up and disappears completely effectively. And all that was before learning she's a member of what is practically a LEGENDARY family in the Wizarding World's records. The Fyres. Her stubborn streak makes a lot more sense now…as does the fire-related incidents that've been happening ever since she started attending. If the Wizarding World ever learned of that particular part of their celebrity's identity…there'd be a bloodbath between families to have her marry their heir. Strong as or even stronger than Merlin, able to perform miraculous feats of magic, and almost overwhelmingly difficult to kill thanks to their nigh-on unheard-of magical healing rate. Ooh, Voldemort, you're a dead man walking. The blood you took from her may well kill you from the inside if she chooses to ignite the magic in it.
Something the Dark Lord would really have wanted to know before Potter's blood was used in a Regeneration Potion - her magic is in every bit of her, including her blood. No real wonder why she doesn't dare take any potions - allergies, she called it back in her first year. That'd be one explosive reaction.
The Dragon Flame is said to have created the Magical Dimension, and been the source of all their magics. Most changed, mutated for lack of a better term, resulting in the multitude of different kinds of magics and Fairies and Witches that can be found in the universe. The Dragon Flame's power, though, that remained pure and original…and powerful, much more so than the rest.
So the legends say, anyway.
The power is supposedly so great that its locked away from the Holder's subconscious for their own wellbeing unless its needed for survival - that kind of power could easily burn a person out if they can't regulate it. And, if that happened…well, its never happened yet, but all the accounts agree it would be catastrophic. So, the little detail that Bloom Potter had access to this power, and its Healing abilities, since she was six…is far more than worrying.
Dumbledore should be less worried about her going dark and more worried about her going supernova on the entire planet if pushed too far.
As to the Potions, and the NEWT credit she's looking to earn under Dumbledore and Umbridge's noses, if she brews like this for the rest of the Potions he's planning on testing her on, she'll get his credit easily.
He absentmindedly rubs the Mark on his arm, which is still tingling slightly painfully due to exposure to Potter's magic - he's going to have to ask her to remove it at the end of the last 'detention' he has with her. He's wanted to be free of the madman for years, and she's his chance at that. And, once its off and the school year is over, Dumbledore is down a Potions Professor and a spy - he figures that, between teaching students how to brew without letting even a single one die on his watch for the past decade and a half, all the Cruciatus he's been under recently, and the sudden increase in pressure to find a way to get Bloom Potter out of the way, he's paid his debt.
And that's not even counting the times he's saved Potter's life - though, they're remarkably few considering the danger she manages to get herself into. She's extraordinarily hard to kill, after all.
AN: Hey, everyone! The next chapter is up! I figured I'd post it now, since I'm getting my wisdom teeth taken out tomorrow - meaning I probably won't be in the mood for much of anything besides cold ice cream tomorrow, no offense to any of my readers.
I found the letter Percy sent to Ron about Harry by accident, honestly - its been years since I read the books, and it isn't in the movie - and figured I just had to have Bloom react to it. Percy's a stuck-up prick that needs a big attitude adjustment, at least in my opinion, and I really can't see Bloom taking it too well.
Anyway, enjoy! More chapters coming soon! Up next: The first meeting of 'Guardians of Hogwarts'!