Chapter Twenty-One: The Howler

Once Harry and Ron carried their things into the castle, they started up the staircase together while Patches trotted by Harry's side wagging his tail back and forth. "So a house elf shows up in my bedroom and we almost get killed by a tree,.. clearly somebody doesn't want me here this year." Harry said before they were suddenly met with Argus Filch and Mrs. Norris. Patches noticed her and started to growl low inside his throat and Mrs. Norris just simply hissed.

Harry just hoped that his dog would get along a lot better with Cobalt. "Well take a good look lads, this year just might be the last year that you spend in this castle." Filch pointed out. "Your father is waiting for you and Weasley in his office and oh dear you really are in trouble this time." He said first looking over at Harry and then at Ron.

Both boys exchanged worried glances with each other but in the end they knew that there wasn't anything that either one of them could do and that's when Harry scooped Patches up inside his arms and started carrying him to his father's office with Ron following along behind him. Once they entered his office Harry could already tell that his father wasn't pleased with him at all.

That's when suddenly he held up a copy of the Daily Prophet that showed a picture of Harry and Ron flying through the sky in their blue Ford Anglia . "You were seen by no less than seven muggles!" He cried angrily while shoving the paper into their faces as both boys silently wondered to themselves of how they made the newspaper so fast. "Do you have any idea how serious this!? You have risked the exposure of our world! Not to mention the damage you put on a tree that was planted on these grounds before you were born." He told them.

"Honestly Professor Snape, I think that it's done more damage to us." He told him.

"Silence!" Severus shouted. "Now ordinarily your stunt would have gotten you expelled. However, luckily for you your fate isn't up to me to decide since you're both Gryffindors." He told them when suddenly Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall entered the room.

"Well Minerva, what do you suggest?" Dumbledore questioned as he turned over to look at her.

"That we take the appropriate measures." She replied while Harry and Ron just looked back up at her filled with sorrow, guilt, and remorse.

"We'll go get our stuff then." Ron said.

"What are you talking about Mr. Weasley?" She questioned him.

"You're going to expel us aren't you?" He questioned her back before a few moments of silence passed between them as she just simply looked at him.

"Not today Mr. Weasley." She replied as Harry and Ron exchanged grins. "However, I must stress the seriousness of what you have done. I will be writing to your families tonight (meaning both of Ron's parents and Harry's mother since his father already knows) and you will both receive detention. "Now get to bed both of you." She instructed and they started leaving the room together.

"Oh and Harry consider yourself grounded for a month. That means no hanging out with your friends over the weekend and no Qudditch. Is that understood?" His father questioned him as Harry nodded back at him.

"Yes Father." He replied.

"Good, now get to bed." He instructed and Harry left his office without another word.

.…..

The next morning at the Gryffindor table at breakfast Hermione wasn't pleased with either Harry or Ron and smacked them both upside the head. "Ouch!" Harry cried while placing his hands on top of his head.

"Oi! Watch it Hermione!" Ron exclaimed while placing his hands upon his head as well while Ginny just simply giggled as she had recently been sorted into Gryffindor as well.

"Sorry guys but I'm with Hermione on this one." Ginny began. "You should have known better than to fly that car by yourselves." She finished but Ron just simply made an angry face at her.

"Oh yeah!? Well nobody asked for your opinion now did they!" He snapped and that's when suddenly his owl Errol swooped into the room with a red envelope clamped underneath his beak before he expectedly crashed into the table into a bowl of fruit like he normally did and then had his talons raised into the air with the letter between his toes as laughter broke throughout the room.

"The bloody bird's a menace." Ron muttered as Ginny looked over at his letter.

"Uh oh, looks like Mum's sent you a howler." She said as Ron suddenly felt sick to his stomach and his hands shook while he reluctantly started to tear into the envelope since he knew if he left it alone and ignored it, it would explode and only draw more attention.

"RONALD WEASLEY!" He heard his mother's voice bellow as the howler raised into the air and hovered in front of him. "HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR! YOUR FATHER AND I ARE DISGUISTED! YOUR FATHER IS NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!" She yelled as Ron squeaked and nodded his head anxiously before the howler turned to face Ginny. "Oh and Ginny dear congratulations on making Gryffindor your father and I are so proud." It said as Ginny blushed and then the howler turned to face Ron again and blew a raspberry before it started tearing itself apart.

Later on Harry received a normal letter from his mother expressing how deeply disappointed she was in him and that she would talk to him about this during Christmas break. Pretty soon the bell had rung and then it was time for all of the second year Gryffindors to go to potions class together. Harry just secretly hoped and prayed that his father had finished disciplining him last night or he would have a rough morning with him as well.