Chapter 11 – Winifred Chen
Exams were almost with them. Liz spent most of her free time in the common room or the Great Hall studying. The thing that bothered her most was the fact that others didn't follow her example. Instead, they sat around reading Secrets of the Mind all day long. Professor Nilworg would enter the Great Hall, occasionally, and smile around at all her fans. Then she would see Liz, and her grin would fade a little, only to be replaced with a complacent stare.
"I've got it, I read it, and I love it," said Michael.
Liz looked up. It was lunchtime, and Michael and Rachel had made Liz put her book down to hear what they had to say. "Got what?" she asked.
"Jessica's copy of the book, Secrets of the Mind. It's awesome."
"It really is," Rachel agreed. "Here, you read it."
Liz reached out for it, but then she remembered what she had thought after reading The Mind Revealed: Don't read Secrets of the Mind. "No, I don't think so. Do you want to read The Mind Revealed? I got it a really long time ago, for Christmas. It's really good."
To Liz's surprise, both Michael and Rachel looked at each other, and then glared at her. "What?" she asked.
"What makes you think we would want to read a stupid book like that?" Rachel snapped.
"What?"
"The Mind Revealed," Michael retorted. "It's so stupid. Don't even mention that book."
Rachel nodded righteously. "That author is trying to rip poor Professor Nilworg off."
"Poor Professor Nilworg?" Liz repeated disbelievingly. "Since when has she been poor? Everyone loves her!"
"And with good reason, too. Her book is wonderful," Rachel said.
"It's just a book!" Liz protested. They gasped, having never thought they would hear those words coming out of her mouth. "Stop being so crazy about it."
They looked back at her and sighed. "Fine," Michael said, sounding disappointed. "We won't bother you about it."
"But you will eventually read it," Rachel said in an ominous, low voice that Liz pretended not to hear.
Why were they suddenly so against the Mind Revealed? What was so special about Secrets of the Mind? When did Professor Nilworg become such a hero? To Liz, she had become even less of a hero, almost as mean to her as Snape. Maybe it was because she seemed to be the only one who hadn't read her book. Why was it such a huge deal? Liz just wanted to finish the school year so she wouldn't be surrounded by obsessed fans of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, who wasn't that great anyway.
Somehow, Liz's thoughts wandered to the Dragon, the man who had attempted to capture the Hogwarts students to become immortal. He had said he would be back as he flew off, defeated. Why was he keeping quiet right now, as everyone forgot about him? This would be the most opportune time, wouldn't it? He was lying low at the exact time he should be rising up. Maybe he had been captured. No, it would have been all over the news. Something had to be going on.
Snape had been horrible to Liz since the episode with the Snap potion. He sneered at her, degraded her work, and praised the Slytherins, Winnie especially. Winnie acted like she owned the potions classroom in the dungeon. Liz finally couldn't take it anymore, and she decided to get back at her.
Winnie strutted into the Potions dungeon one afternoon, not noticing the smile Liz was trying to hide. She got to her cauldron and looked at the nameplate: WINIFRED CHEN.
Liz could almost see Winnie's blood boil. She had learned from Professor Weasley's mistake one day at lunch that Winnie hated to be called by her real name, Winifred.
Winnie got white around the mouth and took out her box of potion ingredients. The label read WINIFRED CHEN. Winnie glanced furiously around the room and spotted Liz trying to stifle a laugh.
"You!" she screamed, launching herself at Liz. Liz's stifled giggle soon transformed into a high-pitched shriek. They hit the floor, and stars winked before Liz's eyes. Shaking her head, she thought quickly. If and when Snape finally entered the classroom, he couldn't possibly punish her if she didn't do anything. So, painfully, she let Winnie claw at her, rip out strands of hair, and dig long nails into her skin.
Rachel and Michael tugged at Winnie, trying to get her off. "No...don't..." Liz rasped. She didn't want them to get in trouble either.
"You...you think you're better than everyone else because your dad was some big hero...well, look how ended...he died, didn't—"
At that, Liz attacked. She could withstand taunts about herself or physical attacks, but assaults on her parents' memories got to her. In a moment Liz was on Winnie, not the one being attacked but the attacker, hurting her as much as she could.
Snape chose that moment to enter the dungeon. "What is going on here?" he raged.
A babble of talk broke out. The Gryffindors backed up Liz, and the Slytherins stood up for Winnie. Snape held up his hand to stop them. His beady eyes surveyed Liz and Winnie. Liz had definitely come off worse in the battle. She had two black eyes, a bloody nose, long scratched down her arms, and some hair missing. All Liz managed to do to Winnie was give her a black eye.
"What happened?" Snape demanded.
"Winnie jumped on me, sir, she—"
"Not you. Her."
Liz's heart sank. Snape had seen her attack Winnie. He would believe anything and everything Winnie told him. Winnie grinned maniacally, but then she touched her eye and gave an overly dramatic wince.
"Professor Snape, Liz just jumped on me for no reason. I tried to fight back, but it was no use." She looked appealingly up at Professor Snape. If Liz had been telling it and said that she fought back, she would have been instantly handed in detention. For Winnie, Snape stayed silent. A forced, phony tear leaked out the corner of Winnie's eye. "And then she did this," Winnie sobbed, gingerly touching her eye.
Snape turned on Liz. "No, Professor, I didn't—she insulted my father!"
Instead of becoming sympathetic, Snape grew even angrier. "Detention, Miss Potter. And fifty points from Gryffindor."
"What?" Liz cried, injured.
"Sixty points."
"But...but I..."
"Must I make it a nice seventy?" Snape threatened calmly. Pinching her nose, Liz grudgingly sat back down. Winnie's smirk almost stretched her face to the breaking point.
Winnie was horrible. Snape was unfair. In the same room, they were torturous. How could they be so mean? Liz accidentally spattered blood in her cauldron as Snape began teaching.
"I think my nose is broken," Liz moaned at dinner one evening, very early in June. Her nose was swollen and spotted with ruddy blotches.
"No, it's not," Rachel said.
"How do you know?"
"We weren't going to tell you," said Michael, "but since you brought it up, we saw Patsy Casarez shooting curses at you when Winnie was beating you up."
"She's like her sidekick, isn't she?" said Liz.
"Go see Madame Lesille," Rachel suggested.
"I will. Tonight at my detention. Snape has me organizing the medicine cabinets and putting sheets on all the beds. Is that nuts or what?"
"Nuts. Completely.
"So," said Liz, "have you filled out your new class forms yet?"
"Oh, that reminds me," Michael said. "My mum told me to tell you not to sign up for everything. You didn't, did you?"
"Yeah," Liz said sadly. "Help me decide, I want to turn it in to Professor Weasley in Transfiguration tomorrow." She took out her form, and the three of them crowded around it. "What did you two sign up for?"
"Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies," said Rachel. Michael agreed somewhat sheepishly.
"Of course Care of Magical Creatures," Liz said, writing it in. "Then we can see Hagrid and Chris a lot more often. Which remind me, we need to have another lesson."
"Exams are coming up. He'll understand. Now put Muggle Studies," said Michael.
"No, I don't think I want to do Muggle Studies. How about...Ancient Runes?"
"That sounds complicated. Just be with us in Muggle Studies," said Rachel. "You're not going to be by yourself, are you? That would be no fun."
Liz ignored her. "Ancient Runes sounds good. I think I'll do that." She filled in the last bit of the parchment, finished her dinner, and set off for the common room for some study time.
Exams were almost with them. Liz spent most of her free time in the common room or the Great Hall studying. The thing that bothered her most was the fact that others didn't follow her example. Instead, they sat around reading Secrets of the Mind all day long. Professor Nilworg would enter the Great Hall, occasionally, and smile around at all her fans. Then she would see Liz, and her grin would fade a little, only to be replaced with a complacent stare.
"I've got it, I read it, and I love it," said Michael.
Liz looked up. It was lunchtime, and Michael and Rachel had made Liz put her book down to hear what they had to say. "Got what?" she asked.
"Jessica's copy of the book, Secrets of the Mind. It's awesome."
"It really is," Rachel agreed. "Here, you read it."
Liz reached out for it, but then she remembered what she had thought after reading The Mind Revealed: Don't read Secrets of the Mind. "No, I don't think so. Do you want to read The Mind Revealed? I got it a really long time ago, for Christmas. It's really good."
To Liz's surprise, both Michael and Rachel looked at each other, and then glared at her. "What?" she asked.
"What makes you think we would want to read a stupid book like that?" Rachel snapped.
"What?"
"The Mind Revealed," Michael retorted. "It's so stupid. Don't even mention that book."
Rachel nodded righteously. "That author is trying to rip poor Professor Nilworg off."
"Poor Professor Nilworg?" Liz repeated disbelievingly. "Since when has she been poor? Everyone loves her!"
"And with good reason, too. Her book is wonderful," Rachel said.
"It's just a book!" Liz protested. They gasped, having never thought they would hear those words coming out of her mouth. "Stop being so crazy about it."
They looked back at her and sighed. "Fine," Michael said, sounding disappointed. "We won't bother you about it."
"But you will eventually read it," Rachel said in an ominous, low voice that Liz pretended not to hear.
Why were they suddenly so against the Mind Revealed? What was so special about Secrets of the Mind? When did Professor Nilworg become such a hero? To Liz, she had become even less of a hero, almost as mean to her as Snape. Maybe it was because she seemed to be the only one who hadn't read her book. Why was it such a huge deal? Liz just wanted to finish the school year so she wouldn't be surrounded by obsessed fans of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, who wasn't that great anyway.
Somehow, Liz's thoughts wandered to the Dragon, the man who had attempted to capture the Hogwarts students to become immortal. He had said he would be back as he flew off, defeated. Why was he keeping quiet right now, as everyone forgot about him? This would be the most opportune time, wouldn't it? He was lying low at the exact time he should be rising up. Maybe he had been captured. No, it would have been all over the news. Something had to be going on.
Snape had been horrible to Liz since the episode with the Snap potion. He sneered at her, degraded her work, and praised the Slytherins, Winnie especially. Winnie acted like she owned the potions classroom in the dungeon. Liz finally couldn't take it anymore, and she decided to get back at her.
Winnie strutted into the Potions dungeon one afternoon, not noticing the smile Liz was trying to hide. She got to her cauldron and looked at the nameplate: WINIFRED CHEN.
Liz could almost see Winnie's blood boil. She had learned from Professor Weasley's mistake one day at lunch that Winnie hated to be called by her real name, Winifred.
Winnie got white around the mouth and took out her box of potion ingredients. The label read WINIFRED CHEN. Winnie glanced furiously around the room and spotted Liz trying to stifle a laugh.
"You!" she screamed, launching herself at Liz. Liz's stifled giggle soon transformed into a high-pitched shriek. They hit the floor, and stars winked before Liz's eyes. Shaking her head, she thought quickly. If and when Snape finally entered the classroom, he couldn't possibly punish her if she didn't do anything. So, painfully, she let Winnie claw at her, rip out strands of hair, and dig long nails into her skin.
Rachel and Michael tugged at Winnie, trying to get her off. "No...don't..." Liz rasped. She didn't want them to get in trouble either.
"You...you think you're better than everyone else because your dad was some big hero...well, look how ended...he died, didn't—"
At that, Liz attacked. She could withstand taunts about herself or physical attacks, but assaults on her parents' memories got to her. In a moment Liz was on Winnie, not the one being attacked but the attacker, hurting her as much as she could.
Snape chose that moment to enter the dungeon. "What is going on here?" he raged.
A babble of talk broke out. The Gryffindors backed up Liz, and the Slytherins stood up for Winnie. Snape held up his hand to stop them. His beady eyes surveyed Liz and Winnie. Liz had definitely come off worse in the battle. She had two black eyes, a bloody nose, long scratched down her arms, and some hair missing. All Liz managed to do to Winnie was give her a black eye.
"What happened?" Snape demanded.
"Winnie jumped on me, sir, she—"
"Not you. Her."
Liz's heart sank. Snape had seen her attack Winnie. He would believe anything and everything Winnie told him. Winnie grinned maniacally, but then she touched her eye and gave an overly dramatic wince.
"Professor Snape, Liz just jumped on me for no reason. I tried to fight back, but it was no use." She looked appealingly up at Professor Snape. If Liz had been telling it and said that she fought back, she would have been instantly handed in detention. For Winnie, Snape stayed silent. A forced, phony tear leaked out the corner of Winnie's eye. "And then she did this," Winnie sobbed, gingerly touching her eye.
Snape turned on Liz. "No, Professor, I didn't—she insulted my father!"
Instead of becoming sympathetic, Snape grew even angrier. "Detention, Miss Potter. And fifty points from Gryffindor."
"What?" Liz cried, injured.
"Sixty points."
"But...but I..."
"Must I make it a nice seventy?" Snape threatened calmly. Pinching her nose, Liz grudgingly sat back down. Winnie's smirk almost stretched her face to the breaking point.
Winnie was horrible. Snape was unfair. In the same room, they were torturous. How could they be so mean? Liz accidentally spattered blood in her cauldron as Snape began teaching.
"I think my nose is broken," Liz moaned at dinner one evening, very early in June. Her nose was swollen and spotted with ruddy blotches.
"No, it's not," Rachel said.
"How do you know?"
"We weren't going to tell you," said Michael, "but since you brought it up, we saw Patsy Casarez shooting curses at you when Winnie was beating you up."
"She's like her sidekick, isn't she?" said Liz.
"Go see Madame Lesille," Rachel suggested.
"I will. Tonight at my detention. Snape has me organizing the medicine cabinets and putting sheets on all the beds. Is that nuts or what?"
"Nuts. Completely.
"So," said Liz, "have you filled out your new class forms yet?"
"Oh, that reminds me," Michael said. "My mum told me to tell you not to sign up for everything. You didn't, did you?"
"Yeah," Liz said sadly. "Help me decide, I want to turn it in to Professor Weasley in Transfiguration tomorrow." She took out her form, and the three of them crowded around it. "What did you two sign up for?"
"Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies," said Rachel. Michael agreed somewhat sheepishly.
"Of course Care of Magical Creatures," Liz said, writing it in. "Then we can see Hagrid and Chris a lot more often. Which remind me, we need to have another lesson."
"Exams are coming up. He'll understand. Now put Muggle Studies," said Michael.
"No, I don't think I want to do Muggle Studies. How about...Ancient Runes?"
"That sounds complicated. Just be with us in Muggle Studies," said Rachel. "You're not going to be by yourself, are you? That would be no fun."
Liz ignored her. "Ancient Runes sounds good. I think I'll do that." She filled in the last bit of the parchment, finished her dinner, and set off for the common room for some study time.