Chap.12
Disclaimer on opening note.
Students were preparing for the end of term tests, while Ruby began to lose hope. Nothing had come from the research she was doing as the selection of books got smaller and smaller.
Classes were going well except for Defense in which Lockhart kept forgetting to give her a grade. Fred and George kept getting points deducted during Potions. It was very hard not to laugh at their jokes.
Study sessions with Oliver were going well. He was really starting to understand how to get around in Potions. "You see," she tried to explain on a particularly noisy day in the common room.
"Ummm." He clearly wasn't getting it. "Sorry, I'm having a hard time concentrating."
"Maybe we should go to the library."
"No, still too many people. Follow me." They picked up their books and Ruby followed Oliver out. They walked what seemed to be forever upwards.
"Oliver, where are we going?" "Hehe, just wait."
Finally, they arrived at a small door. Oliver opened it to reveal that they were at the top of one of the tallest towers in Hogwarts.
"Whoa."
"Pretty cool, huh? I come here when I need to think." He smiled at her.
"Well I guess it would clear your head."
"So," Oliver said as he sat on the roof, "How do you recommend taking the Potions final?"
"Well, take it slow. Think before you put anything in the caldron. Don't let anything Snape says distract you." Oliver stopped her then.
"Ok, ok, enough about potions. Sit down and breathe." She sat next to him. "I have something for you." He handed her a small package.
"What's this for?"
"Consider it your Christmas/thank you present." Ruby opened the box and found it full of different wizard treats.
"Thank you so much, but it really wasn't necessary. I liked talking to someone, even if it was about school."
"Well next semester we should talk more." They spent the rest of the afternoon up there and didn't come down until dinner.
* * * As Christmas Break drew closer and tests started to wrap up, Ruby spent more time in the library. On the day before break, the only class she had was Potions. Once that test was over, she went and researched through lunch.
"Ruby, I brought you a sandwich from lunch," said Harry.
"Oh it's past lunch?"
"Yeah.' Silence followed. "And."
"What is it Harry," Ruby snapped. "I'm trying to work here."
"You don't have to be so mean. And if you have a curse on you, we could've helped. Here," he slammed a book on the table. "Happy Christmas." He stomped out of the library.
Ruby grabbed the book and started flipping through. She fell upon the chapter called Laughable Curses. The third on the list was the Scherzo Curse. Oh my gosh. She read on, The Scherzo Curse rids happiness from the one affected. To laugh or smile causes devastation. Antidote on page 308. Ruby quickly turned to the antidote, then ran with the book out of the library.
Professor Snape wasn't in his classroom or office. She ran to the faculty lounge and burst through the door, finding McGonagall, Snape, Lockhart, and Dumbledore. Their heads turned towards her as Ruby clutched the book as if it where a lost treasure. She tried to catch her breath.
"What do you need, dear," asked Dumbledore. Snape's eyes locked with Ruby's.
"I.found it.," she huffed. Snape instantly got up and grabbed the book from Ruby.
"308," she said. He turned to the page and read.
"Miss Kennedy, come to my class near the end of second years." He swept out of the room. * * * She came into the second year class and walked up to Snape's desk. He handed her a mueller.
"Grind up this cherry nut." Ruby started working as if her life depended on it. Snape was measuring Maple sap into a caldron full of a strange purple liquid. The class ended and the students filed out of the room, leaving Snape and Ruby alone. He added the ground cherry nut and started shaking the mixture.
"Here," he poured the potion into a silver cup. Ruby took the cup but did not drink immediately drink it. "What's the matter?"
Ruby sighed, "It's too easy."
"No, it's not." Ruby looked as him a little surprised. "It took a very long time to find the antidote. Hard work went into this moment." With that, Ruby drank the potion. A weird gurgle bubbled through her.
"Give it until dinner. It should work by then." They just sat there a while, not doing much. "You may leave, "Snape said.
"I know," Ruby answered," I was just thinking."
"About." "About, well I don't really know," she smiled. Snape looked with his eyes only at the room. Nothing happened.
"What?" asked Ruby.
"Go find Fred and George."
"Why?"
"Just do it."
Ruby left for the common room. When she got there, she found Fred and George playing some sort of game.
"Hey Ruby," They said in unison.
"Hey, what are you up too?"
Both Fred and George grinned at each other. "Well," Fred began, "We can't tell you."
"Yeah." added George.
"Because..," asked Ruby.
"Because, it's our business," said George.
"Oh, well I'll just leave you to your business."
"Thanks," they snickered as she left.
* * *
The Great Hall was very sparse for dinner. Everyone else had left for holidays. But it was a relaxed atmosphere. Harry was still mad at Ruby. He barely acknowledged her presence throughout the meal. As they finished, Fred and George started making stupid jokes.
"So, George.What do you get when you cross an elephant with a rhino?
"What," asked George? Fred didn't get to finish, because Ruby started giggling then, laughing uncontrollably.
"What's so funny," asked Hermione. At this point, all in the hall, including the teachers were staring as Ruby's laughter filled the room. Almost instinctively, Snape and Harry looked around the room. McGonagall came down to Ruby.
"Yes, Miss Kennedy, What is so funny?"
"Elphino," she managed to say. Fred and George looked rather pleased with themselves.
"Excuse me?" McGonagall still didn't get it.
"The joke, a cross between an elephant and a rhino." She was having trouble breathing, she was laughing so hard.
"Calm yourself, Miss Kennedy."
"I'm sorry, it's just," she paused to catch her breath, "I've been waiting to laugh for so long." She was still trying to stifle her giggles. She looked at the front table, at Snape who appeared to be smiling too. McGonagall went back up to the table, a little confused. * * *
"Thanks for the book, Harry. And sorry for snapping at you."
"No problem," he smiled.
"So," Ron asked as they walked back to the tower, "You really were under a curse?"
"Yeah, called the Scherzo Curse."
"That's why things would fall over." started Hermione.
"And you wouldn't laugh at our jokes," concluded George.
"Exactly."
"So we have succeeded in our honorable mission," Fred confidently thrust his fist into the air.
* Long chapter. I like the little scene with Oliver at the beginning of the chapter. I got the joke from my U.S. History teacher. I thought it was stupid enough that it would get her to laugh. I mean really a cross between an elephant and a rhino. What's funnier then that?
Disclaimer on opening note.
Students were preparing for the end of term tests, while Ruby began to lose hope. Nothing had come from the research she was doing as the selection of books got smaller and smaller.
Classes were going well except for Defense in which Lockhart kept forgetting to give her a grade. Fred and George kept getting points deducted during Potions. It was very hard not to laugh at their jokes.
Study sessions with Oliver were going well. He was really starting to understand how to get around in Potions. "You see," she tried to explain on a particularly noisy day in the common room.
"Ummm." He clearly wasn't getting it. "Sorry, I'm having a hard time concentrating."
"Maybe we should go to the library."
"No, still too many people. Follow me." They picked up their books and Ruby followed Oliver out. They walked what seemed to be forever upwards.
"Oliver, where are we going?" "Hehe, just wait."
Finally, they arrived at a small door. Oliver opened it to reveal that they were at the top of one of the tallest towers in Hogwarts.
"Whoa."
"Pretty cool, huh? I come here when I need to think." He smiled at her.
"Well I guess it would clear your head."
"So," Oliver said as he sat on the roof, "How do you recommend taking the Potions final?"
"Well, take it slow. Think before you put anything in the caldron. Don't let anything Snape says distract you." Oliver stopped her then.
"Ok, ok, enough about potions. Sit down and breathe." She sat next to him. "I have something for you." He handed her a small package.
"What's this for?"
"Consider it your Christmas/thank you present." Ruby opened the box and found it full of different wizard treats.
"Thank you so much, but it really wasn't necessary. I liked talking to someone, even if it was about school."
"Well next semester we should talk more." They spent the rest of the afternoon up there and didn't come down until dinner.
* * * As Christmas Break drew closer and tests started to wrap up, Ruby spent more time in the library. On the day before break, the only class she had was Potions. Once that test was over, she went and researched through lunch.
"Ruby, I brought you a sandwich from lunch," said Harry.
"Oh it's past lunch?"
"Yeah.' Silence followed. "And."
"What is it Harry," Ruby snapped. "I'm trying to work here."
"You don't have to be so mean. And if you have a curse on you, we could've helped. Here," he slammed a book on the table. "Happy Christmas." He stomped out of the library.
Ruby grabbed the book and started flipping through. She fell upon the chapter called Laughable Curses. The third on the list was the Scherzo Curse. Oh my gosh. She read on, The Scherzo Curse rids happiness from the one affected. To laugh or smile causes devastation. Antidote on page 308. Ruby quickly turned to the antidote, then ran with the book out of the library.
Professor Snape wasn't in his classroom or office. She ran to the faculty lounge and burst through the door, finding McGonagall, Snape, Lockhart, and Dumbledore. Their heads turned towards her as Ruby clutched the book as if it where a lost treasure. She tried to catch her breath.
"What do you need, dear," asked Dumbledore. Snape's eyes locked with Ruby's.
"I.found it.," she huffed. Snape instantly got up and grabbed the book from Ruby.
"308," she said. He turned to the page and read.
"Miss Kennedy, come to my class near the end of second years." He swept out of the room. * * * She came into the second year class and walked up to Snape's desk. He handed her a mueller.
"Grind up this cherry nut." Ruby started working as if her life depended on it. Snape was measuring Maple sap into a caldron full of a strange purple liquid. The class ended and the students filed out of the room, leaving Snape and Ruby alone. He added the ground cherry nut and started shaking the mixture.
"Here," he poured the potion into a silver cup. Ruby took the cup but did not drink immediately drink it. "What's the matter?"
Ruby sighed, "It's too easy."
"No, it's not." Ruby looked as him a little surprised. "It took a very long time to find the antidote. Hard work went into this moment." With that, Ruby drank the potion. A weird gurgle bubbled through her.
"Give it until dinner. It should work by then." They just sat there a while, not doing much. "You may leave, "Snape said.
"I know," Ruby answered," I was just thinking."
"About." "About, well I don't really know," she smiled. Snape looked with his eyes only at the room. Nothing happened.
"What?" asked Ruby.
"Go find Fred and George."
"Why?"
"Just do it."
Ruby left for the common room. When she got there, she found Fred and George playing some sort of game.
"Hey Ruby," They said in unison.
"Hey, what are you up too?"
Both Fred and George grinned at each other. "Well," Fred began, "We can't tell you."
"Yeah." added George.
"Because..," asked Ruby.
"Because, it's our business," said George.
"Oh, well I'll just leave you to your business."
"Thanks," they snickered as she left.
* * *
The Great Hall was very sparse for dinner. Everyone else had left for holidays. But it was a relaxed atmosphere. Harry was still mad at Ruby. He barely acknowledged her presence throughout the meal. As they finished, Fred and George started making stupid jokes.
"So, George.What do you get when you cross an elephant with a rhino?
"What," asked George? Fred didn't get to finish, because Ruby started giggling then, laughing uncontrollably.
"What's so funny," asked Hermione. At this point, all in the hall, including the teachers were staring as Ruby's laughter filled the room. Almost instinctively, Snape and Harry looked around the room. McGonagall came down to Ruby.
"Yes, Miss Kennedy, What is so funny?"
"Elphino," she managed to say. Fred and George looked rather pleased with themselves.
"Excuse me?" McGonagall still didn't get it.
"The joke, a cross between an elephant and a rhino." She was having trouble breathing, she was laughing so hard.
"Calm yourself, Miss Kennedy."
"I'm sorry, it's just," she paused to catch her breath, "I've been waiting to laugh for so long." She was still trying to stifle her giggles. She looked at the front table, at Snape who appeared to be smiling too. McGonagall went back up to the table, a little confused. * * *
"Thanks for the book, Harry. And sorry for snapping at you."
"No problem," he smiled.
"So," Ron asked as they walked back to the tower, "You really were under a curse?"
"Yeah, called the Scherzo Curse."
"That's why things would fall over." started Hermione.
"And you wouldn't laugh at our jokes," concluded George.
"Exactly."
"So we have succeeded in our honorable mission," Fred confidently thrust his fist into the air.
* Long chapter. I like the little scene with Oliver at the beginning of the chapter. I got the joke from my U.S. History teacher. I thought it was stupid enough that it would get her to laugh. I mean really a cross between an elephant and a rhino. What's funnier then that?
