Chapter Fifty-seven

A/N: Sorry it is taking so long to update today. I am really sick. Ah-choo.

Taking Hogwarts By Storm Chapter: 52 From: syhr() Wow, that chapter was really fun to read - I played the song as I read it... reading along with Hermione's singing!

Oh, was it good? I've never heard the song before.

Rosalind said:

i think u need to make araminta go out with sarah michelle!!

Hee hee...no. They're both taken, anyway.

Rakshasa said:

Every one by this point hates you and is pissed off by this fic.

Really? I think Libby might secretly like it. Melannen liked it. Are you mad because I didn't make you a character? I could still work you in, I think, if you're interested.

Your a horibel person since you keep writing this and you ignore your reviwers.

I like to think of it as being selectively deaf.

Princess-Charlie said:

I WANT TO SHAKE YOU, THEN I WANT TO SLAP YOU, THEN I WANT TO POINT AND LAUGH AT YOU!

This is not that kind of fic...I don't think ffn lets people put X-rated stories on it.

Your gramma and spelling seem very good

My spelling is good, and my gramma is just fine. I visited her this morning.

fern~LUVS~draco said:

ps is ur teachers name reely mrs shekspir?

I answered this before, actually, but I guess I should point it out again. It's a bad idea to give people your real name on the internet, so when I was talking to my teacher I noticed that she was reading a book in Russian (but not with the funny letters?) and I thought Shakespeare was spelled wrong, so I made fun of it and then I felt bad. And then I used it to talk to her in my author's notes.

Sorry, I don't have time to answer any more!

On Monday morning, Araminta woke up at the crack of dawn. She had a lot of boring classes today, and she hadn't done her homework at all. Luckily, she was a fast reader and a really good writer and she churned out foot after foot of essay before breakfast. The clock was ticking away, so Araminta pulled the bell and had a house-elf bring her a breakfast burrito that she could eat with one hand while she wrote.

Finally, Araminta put the finishing touches on her last essay and made a run for it. Her first class was Care of Magical Creatures with a much younger than she remembered Hagrid.

"Gather 'round, gather 'round," Hagrid shouted. Araminta ran up to join the group and stood next to Harry.

"These here are singing toads. If you pet 'em jus' righ', they'll sing for you and sing with you, and then you can be in the Hogwarts choir. It's a requirement tha' you 'ave one to be in it."

Araminta raised her hand. "Can people who have another singing pet, like a phoenix, be in the choir? Or is it only for people with singing toads?"

"On'y for singin' toads," Hagrid answered. "After all, if you've got a phoenix in the group no one'll listen to anythin' else!" He chortled. "You've got a good enough voice to get yerself a phoenix o' yer own and go on tour."

Araminta smiled softly to herself. Then, she whispered to Harry, "Now I feel really embarrassed."

"Don't," said Harry. "Everybody heard you the other night. It was beautiful."

"Well, thanks," said Araminta. "But I'm really more of a duet person."

Harry winked at her. "Maybe someday we can make beautiful music together."

"Oh, you," Araminta said and punched him on the arm.

"Listen up," said Hagrid, interrupting their private moment. "Now, when I give you a singing toad, ye've gotta put him under yer right arm..." He held one up to demonstrate. "'E'll struggle a bit, but keep him in a firm grip. Don't squeeze, though, or 'e might pop!"

Araminta noticed that Neville Longbottom turned a little bit green at this.

Hagrid went on. "Now, ye've 'eard the sayin' 'fine as frog's hair'? Well, toad's hair is even finer. Yeh can' see it atall. But if yeh rub a singing toad the wrong way, yeh'll get a nasty case o' warts and 'e might bite. Rub from the head down, like this." Hagrid petted his toad gently.

Araminta accepted a singing toad and managed to hold onto the slippery fellow, then rubbed it absentmindedly. Harry, Ron, and even Neville had tamed their beasts, but Hermione's was still struggling in her grip. In spite of this, the toads looked at each other and started opening their mouths so wide you could see into their throats. "Galump," said one. Then they broke out into a heavenly, if overbalanced toward the bass, chorus.

"Ten points teh Gryffindor!" cried Hagrid.