Chapter Ten

Harry Potter lay awake at 11:00 P.M. on July 30th. His birthday was tomorrow, in which he would turn 15. He would be at the Dursley's, but he wasn't. His first birthday at Hogwarts.

He looked over to Ron, who was peacefully sleeping. Dean and Seamus, too, were sleeping soundly in their own beds. Harry couldn't sleep, so he decided to go down to the Common Room and see if anyone was still awake.

He saw Alex, who, he realized, didn't really have a bed. Neville's bed was open, but he refused to sleep in anyone else's bed. He was in front of the fire, asleep as well.

Agh, everyone is sleeping! If only I could possibly fall asleep somehow! Harry thought, looking around at the empty Common Room. He decided to actually finish his homework, with was really extra credit. If he did finish it, he wouldn't have to do as much homework in his real 5th year at Hogwarts.

He sat in a fluffy chair reading Hogwarts, A History until he realized it was 11:58. He would be 15 in 2 minutes. He stared at the clock on the ceiling, for it was a magical clock, and every night would be somewhere else in the room.

Tick, tick, tick. The second hand seemed to move so slowly, he thought. He was suddenly wide-awake as an owl flew into the Common Room from the upstairs dormitory. At once he knew it was Pigwidgeon, Ron's owl.

A note was attached to it, along with a box wrapped in deep scarlet. Another present had fallen off his leg as he ran into the wall, for he was a weak owl.

The note was from both Hermione and Ron. It was rolled up in spare parchment, and Harry unraveled it. It read:
Happy birthday, Harry! Hope you like our presents! We had to send it with the owl, just to make it seem like every other year! But I fear Pig would fall or something, so be careful. Hermione's present is supposed to be there too, do you see it? It's wrapped in gold, and mine is in scarlet. Colorful! Enjoy! I told Pig to give this to you at exactly midnight. Hope he did!

Hermione and Ron

Harry decided to open Hermione's first, and as he carefully unwrapped the gold colored paper, he didn't see what it was. It fell out, and made a loud bang, at which awoke Alex.

"Ah! Oh Harry, it's you..." He mumbled but fell asleep instantly. Harry shrugged and picked up the object that had fallen on the floor. He stared at it, wordless, until he decided to open it.

It was a box, covered with pictures of broomsticks and snitches. As he opened it, a mini snitch flew out of it. He stared at it in awe, and looked to the note and other object in the box. He looked at the note, and it said:

Harry! Be careful, it's a charmed snitch. It will fly around you till you make it stop with the special wand! It's included in the package, in the shape of a broomstick. Just point it at it and say "Stopperculus" and it will go back to the box! I know it's a dumb present, but, well I forgot about your birthday, and I had short notice. I'm sorry, do you like it?

Hermione

Harry smiled, pulled out the broomstick-wand and pointed it at the snitch, or where it was a second ago. He gave up on trying to follow it and just mumbled "stopperculus" and, to his bewilderment, flew back into the box.

He now turned to Ron's present, which was smaller. He unwrapped it, and out fell a mini sculpture of Harry on his broomstick flying around a dragon, which was trying to burn him. It was a moving sculpture, of course, so he was circling around and around and around, dodging here and there, not following the same path twice. He could stare at it forever, and the characters seemed as if they never tire.

Ron also included a piece of chocolate at which Harry ate, savoring its flavor. He instantly fell asleep for the remainder of the night.

"Harry! Wake up! You're going to be late, and Prof-" Hermione was shaking him angrily, late for her classes too. Harry fumbled for his glasses, grabbed his books, and ran to the dungeons, Hermione close behind him.

"Ron had left, saying he didn't care. He was in a rather bad mood, I thought.." Hermione trailed off, mumbling words under her breath. Harry paid no attention, however, for he had walked into Snape's Dungeon, and was slowly walking towards his seat. The whole class was staring at them, and Snape's mouth was curling into a greedy smile.

"So, we're late. 10 points from Gryffindor, I do believe..We were just adding dragon scales to a potion that would.." Snape mumbled on about another boring potion, while Harry pulled out his birthday presents. They had sat next to Ron, who was nearly asleep.

Harry looked at Hermione's present, and nudged her in her side. She motioned him to get to work, until he nudged her again.

"What?!" She screeched in a whisper, looking at him with angry eyes. Her cauldron was bubbling a slight blue color mixed with green. She absentmindedly stirred it, as Harry was sloshing his around, even though he knew he didn't do it right. His was yellow and red.

"Hermione, how do you start the snitch..?" He asked, his voice drawing quieter, for Malfoy was looking at him suspiciously.

"Oh, yeah. Say "gogogoeruni." Yeah, I know it's dumb, but that's what the instructions said..." She trailed off yet again for Snape was examining her cauldron.

"Potter! You didn't add four scales, did you? I specifically said only three! Four scales would make it--" He was cut off, however, by a loud bang and suddenly everybody within 3 meters of Harry was splashed with a yellowy substance.

"Explode." Snape finished his own sentence, his greasy hair full of red/yellow gunk. Hermione was giggling furiously, laughing at Ron. His hair was full of the slime, and he had gotten the red part of it. His hair was now brighter than usual, and the substance dripping from his ears. He was also laughing uncontrollably.

"Settle down! Now, what Potter has done, is make his potion explode. What would have been a perfect substance of.." He began to scratch his face frantically.

"Argh! Potter! You created an itching potion! What else did you add?!" Snape screamed, and ran out of the dungeons towards Madam Pomfrey. The Gryffindor students were huddled up with laughter, and the Slytherin students were sulking around.

"Perfect time!" Malfoy exclaimed, and stood up, walking towards the secret cabinets of Snape's dungeon.

"Malfoy, are you crazy? You'll get killed, and lose points!" Pansy Parkinson replied, her squeaky voice making Ron want to strangle her.

"No, I'm just going to look!" He walked in the back, and pulled out a jar with a moving object in some moldy water.

"Ha! What is this?" He mumbled walking around the room, until he stopped at Harry's desk. Hermione rolled her eyes as Harry groaned.

"Oh! Here's the tag.. Why, it's an animal! A mini slug!" He yelled, suddenly opening the jar and throwing it at Hermione. She screamed and Ron threw his potion at Malfoy, which in turn, made Goyle throw his potion at Harry, creating a chain reaction throughout the students.

"What is going on here?!" McGonagall's voice was high and screechy, as she entered the room. Hermione was screaming, for the slug was sticking to her back, and sucking out her blood like a leech.

"Potter, take Granger down to the nurse's room! Immediately!" She yelled, and Harry dragged Hermione out into the vestibule. As he entered the corridor to the nurse's office, he could still hear McGonagall's yells at Malfoy, for it seems Dean had told her he began the mess.

Snape was sitting on the bed in the nurse's room, covered in red bumps, and scratching ferociously.

"Why aren't you in class?! And what is that infernal racket coming from the dungeons? Potter, if I could I would kick you out of my class.." He mumbled off under his breath, and began scratching again, until Madam Pomfrey entered the room.

"Enough scratching, professor! You'll only make it more itchy! Don't spread a rash! Argh..!" She mumbled, and went into the back area of the room, leaving Snape in a horrible mood, while Hermione shivered at the slug, which was now on her arm. Harry was staring at the wall, until Dumbledore walked in.

"A word, Professor..?" He said, mumbling, his voice filled with what seemed like distress.