CHAPTER SEVEN: Jenny makes an enemy!

"That would have been interesting." Martin said, when Jenny and I finished relating the tale of the ghost's council. I was surprised to note that his voice sounded jealous. We were all trooping across the grounds to the greenhouses behind the castle where herbology was held. I was trying to ignore the loud rumblings in my stomach reminding me that I had missed breakfast.

"Interesting is one way to put it." Jenny replied. "It was really well organised, like a proper meeting, and I get the feeling they hold it often."

"I wish I had of been there!" Martin said, enviously.

"Well at least you got breakfast." I grumbled. "What was it Henry?"

Henry was walking near us and trying not to listen in on the conversation, but he heard the word "breakfast" and answered. "I had pancakes-stacks of them, but there was also bacon, eggs, sausages, tomatoes, yogurt, cereal, treacle-"

"Alright, alright." I groaned, sorry I'd even asked.

"So, you don't know who Merlin is then?" Martin asked Jenny, who shook her head. But we'd now reached the greenhouses, and couldn't discuss it further. For this class as well we were with the Slytherin house, and I saw Alforth shoot them all dirty looks as he sullenly took his place by us.

"Hello class, and welcome to herbology." Said an old, dumpy witch. "My name is Professor Sprout and I've been teaching herbology here at Hogwarts for nearly forty years. Let me tell you a little about herbology. I believe you've had your first potions lesson?" We all nodded. "Well here we learn about some of the ingredients you'll be using in potions. We'll learn about how to grow them, look after them, manufacture them, what potions they're used in, and the consequences of them."

One of the Slytherin's put up their hand, and the Professor looked at them questioningly. "Yes?"

"We're just curious.." The Slytherin said. "Were you the teacher who gave the potions master the wrong ingredients when my parents were here? They told me all about it- two students were killed and others pretty sick. I mean, if that was you I don't know that I really want you 'teaching' me." She smirked at the look on the Professor's face. The old witch had gone quite pale now.

"Perhaps you should get your facts straight before you start spewing out garbage!" Jenny snapped at the girl.

"I'm sorry? My parents weren't lying about the students getting ill, were they Professor Sprout?" The girl asked nastily.

The Professor shook her head, and the Slytherin girl smirked, and leant back in her seat, arms folded across her chest.

"What's she talking about?" Martin whispered to me.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I think Jenny knows."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" He replied.

"The reason for the incident was not Professor Sprout's fault." Jenny said angrily. "The people who delivered the Pstaels Seeds didn't put the right dates on the seeds, and therefore Professor Sprout can't be blamed for planting them before they were meant to be planted. Maybe before you go round accusing innocent people of things you should actually know what you're talking about!"

The Slytherin girl frowned and said nothing.

Professor Sprout, still looking pale, asked us to read the first ten pages of our textbook on basic herbs and then answer the questions at the end.

"Not a very good lesson is it?" I heard the Slytherin girl whisper to her friends. "If she's just going to give us pages to read."

The Professor heard, and I saw her face go red.

"She's probably just flustered." I whispered to Martin.

Jenny overheard. "She must be, because Mum used to like herbology."

After the lesson ended and we were working back towards the castle the Slytherin girl pointed at Jenny and whispered something to her friends, who all started laughing. "Some people," the Slytherin girl said. "Are too big for their britches if you ask me."

'Funny,' I thought. 'I didn't hear anyone ask you!' But I didn't speak up and say it! But the look on the Slytherin girl's face concerned me. She didn't look like she was at all impressed about Jenny showing her up in class, and she didn't look like the type of person who would let something like that lie without trying to get her revenge.

I saw Jenny lift her head higher, and keep walking. Clearly she didn't care at all about the girl! Behind us Alforth dragged his feet, looking thoroughly unhappy.

"I feel sorry for him. He hasn't smiled yet!" I said, nodding in Alforth's direction.

"Sorry for him?" Martin said, shocked. "You've got to be kidding. He gets everything he deserves the whining, moaning little toad! You've heard about the Malfoy's Sam, they're all bad news!"

"Maybe he's different-after all why else would the sorting hat have put him in with us?" I asked.

"I don't know, maybe it made a mistake." Martin said, shrugging. "And you know what Sam, I don't care. After his complaining the first night I don't care. You heard him-he hates us!"

I shrugged too. "Maybe." I said, but I made a mental note to try and make Alforth feel a little more at home. Jenny was walking in front of us, and I saw Martin glance at her.

"Is there anything she doesn't know?" He asked.

"I don't think so." I admitted. "She's pretty smart. But her Mum was like a genius. Uncle Ron, on the other hand, is completely different. I've often wondered whether or not she actually has any of him in her."

*****

"Welcome to Charms class. I'm Professor Horing, and I hope you'll all enjoy this class. It's my aim to make this class the most interesting class you'll attend here at Hogwarts." The professor explained. He was only fairly young, at least for a professor and I noticed a few of the girls in the class looking at him with smiles on their faces. This time we were with the Hufflepuffs. Here he whipped out his wand, and charmed up a love heart shaped cushion which he gave to one of the girls closest to him, who promptly turned red and giggled.

"You've got to be kidding." Martin whispered to me.

"Now, can anyone tell me what charm we use to make objects levitate?" The Professor asked.

Jenny's hand flew into the air, but so did every other girl in the room.

"Yes?" The Professor asked one of the girls from Hufflepuff.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" The girl said.

"Very good, ten points to Hufflepuff." The Professor said. "Now class today we are going to try and make our papers levitate."

Soon the room was filled with wand waving and "Wingardium Leviosa". At the end of the lesson Jenny was the only one who was able to make the paper float at all, and this earnt her a huge beaming smile from the Professor, who declared his pleasure and awarded her ten points for Gryffindoor. Jenny went red with embarrassment and smiled at the Professor with a lovesick expression.

"Next thing you know he'll be awarding kisses or something equally disgusting." Alex said to us in a low voice.

Martin snorted. I didn't say anything because I was frowning at Jenny's behavior. How could someone so smart be so dumb?

*****

"I can't wait for flying lessons after lunch." Martin said, and Alex nodded enthusiastically.

"It just sucks that we can't bring our own brooms and have to use the old school ones!" Henry complained.

I glanced at Alforth out of the corner of my eye then because I'd heard him complaining to his father on the platform in London about exactly the same thing. But he didn't seem to be listening to the conversation.

For my own part I was too busy eating to talk-after skipping breakfast I was starved!

"He was so cute!" Kathy was saying.

"I know!" Alana said. "I'm going to make sure I do all my homework so he asks me and I get it right! You already know all the answers you lucky thing!" She addressed Jenny here.

Jenny smiled. "Well not everything exactly." She said modestly.

"Listen to them. Barmy the lot of them." Martin said, shaking his head. "I bet they're more excited by Horing than flying lessons!"

I smiled through my full mouth. I was looking forward to flying lessons very much. In my mind I saw myself flying through the air my eyes narrowed in concentration as I stare at the snitch. I urge my broom to go faster, and I see out of the corner of my eye my opponent gaining on me. He's seen the snitch about the same time as me! He's gaining on me even more as I gain on the snitch, and then suddenly it's there. Right in front of me. I reach out and grab it, and then I hold it high into the air as the crowd in the stadium explode. "AND SAM POTTER HAS GOT THE SNITCH! ENGLAND HAVE WON THE WORLD CUP!" The announcer cries. And in the stands my parents are so proud, especially Dad since he knows what it's all about, having been the youngest seeker in a century on the Gryffindoor house team, and then playing for England until he injured his knee!

Greg leant over to us. "Hey Sam, thinking about emulating the feats of your Dad?" He asked.

I laughed, a little embarrassed at having been caught out.

"I wish I could fly like your Dad." Henry said leaning over to me. "Dad told me about how he got his rememberall back from Malfoy when they were at school here. Dad spoke about your Dad a lot. I think he really admires him!"

We finished up with our lunch about then, and then we headed out to the area where we would have our first flying lesson. Of course most of us had been flying around our gardens and homes for years, even though technically we weren't allowed to until we'd been to school and learnt the basics! Nonetheless we were very excited about it.