Chapter 10: Operation Attack of the Ants
The next week was full of boredom, since Chloe couldn't go anywhere but classes and the common room. Chloe forced at least two people at all times to stay with her. It was mostly Ron, Harry, and Hermione. But once Chloe couldn't go with them to the library because Malfoy and his gargoyles were teasing some first year. So, Ron pawned Chloe off on Fred and George. Of course Fred, George, and Chloe all disappeared for a couple of hours and reappeared quite dirty and carrying loads of different sweets. "Fred and George are pretty cool," was Chloe's only comment of the afternoon. So Friday rolled around, Fred and George were often seen around certain places in school. Friday at lunch Fred came over to Chloe and shook her hand. Then, walked away.
"What was that for?" Ron asked Chloe who was staring at her hand.
"We're meeting Moaning Myrtle's bathroom right after our last class, which is?" Chloe asked slyly.
"Snape, remember we have double potions?" Hermione reminded Chloe.
"Oh, right that guy." Chloe finished her pumpkin juice and stood up, "Then, we should probably get going." The others finished their food and stood up and started walking out of the Great Hall. When, the owls began to stream through the hall. "Wow! I thought this only happened in the mornings."
"Every once in a while they come late, usually if an owl comes from somewhere far away!" Hermione answered looking up at the birds and spotting a bird that did not look like an owl. "Look what's that!" Everyone now was looking up at the bird that was circling the top of the hall.
"Buteo lineatus!" Chloe said reaching into her pocket and she pulled out a leather glove. She let out a low whistle and the Hawk came floating on to Chloe's out stretch hand. It had a letter tied around its left leg, which it held out immediately. Chloe untied the letter and then grabbed a piece of ham and fed it to the Hawk. "This is Buteo lineatus, for short Linus. It's my friend, Dana's, bird." She then lifted up her hand and it flew up and out of the great hall, to the awe of most of the students. "Linus is a Red Shouldered Hawk, native to Quebec we bought in a town near our school, like Hogsmeade to you guys." Chloe continued as they went to Snape's classroom. As they entered the classroom Chloe slipped the letter into her pocket. "Let's get some seats in the back," Chloe pointed to four seats in the back. As they sat down Snape came into the room, "Today, we are going to make Bolder Acid." With a flick of his wand the ingredients suddenly appeared on the chalkboard, "I must warn you that if any of this spells onto stone a enormous hole will appear and you WILL replace it, begin." Half way through class Hermione had her acid at a boil with green steam issuing forth. Chloe's has issuing a sage green steam and Harry's a red steam. Snape came to the back of the classroom and sneered, "Mr. Potter have you not have any pride in your work?" Harry just stared at his caldron, "You should try next time Mr. Potter, and your grade is taking effect. Maybe you should rethink yo-" suddenly Chloe stood up and was shouting, "Why, do you hurt people like this?"
"Sit down Ms. Lauren," Snape yelled.
"No, Un-, Se-, Sn-, Professor Snape, I will not! You'll have to tie me down!" Chloe countered as her highlights turned fire red.
"Dumb girl sit down before I have to tie you down!"
"No, not till you apologize to Harry!" Her irises turned scarlet.
"I will never apologize to that cocky, arrogant, and rule breaking Potter boy! And if you don't sit down, you won't be able to sit at this school any longer!" He took his wand out and approached Chloe.
"I will not sit any longer and let you yell, and scream at this boy for things he never did. Now or I will, Chloe pulled her wand out of her pocket, I'll leave. I'll take my broom and go home!" Chloe's nails were turning pink.
"Out of my room now!" Snape's door opened and Chloe was gone. Harry just stared at the door, what had just happened. Snape gathered himself, "At the end of class take a vile and pour your acid in it. Then, clean up and LEAVE!" Snape was gone in a flash.
"What just happened?" Harry asked as he put his vile on the desk, he waited till the end of class so no one could tamper with his vile.
"Um.I'm sworn to secretes," Hermione said lying her vile on the table, "Come on we need to go to Myrtle's bathroom." As they walked into the hall the smell of something burning filled the air.
"Do you think Chloe tried to burn Snape's Office do you?" Ron asked smelling the air.
"No, I really don't think so!" Hermione protested as they walk towards Myrtle's bathroom. A few minutes later they found themselves in front of the girls' lavatory. As they walked in they smelled the same smoke and they heard crying. "Who's there?" Growled the crying voice.
"Just Harry, Ron, and Hermione," Hermione said looking underneath the stalls to see if anybody was in them, "Myrtle how are you?"
"Myrtle's not here right now, I'm not her!" The voice growled, "Could you guys just leave please?"
"Who are you?" Harry asked.
"A girl and you shouldn't be in here!" The voice sobbed on, "I already told those other boys to get out!"
"Oh, well ok! Where'd they go?" Hermione asked sympathetically finding the stall the voice was coming from.
"I don't know, they didn't tell me ok-" The voice growled as Myrtle came out of the stall.
"Don't mind her she didn't send them away they left to get something," Myrtle said as she went to her stall.
"Who is it Myrtle?" Harry asked.
"Hi Harry, nice of you to drop by," Myrtle giggled as she went though her stall door.
"Don't tell them, you old cry baby!" The voice called out.
"Well, if that's how you're going to treat me I might just tell them and then you find your uncle!" Myrtle yelled from her stall.
"Oh, I wish I hadn't told you, you vapor!" The voice screamed.
"Chloe?" Hermione whispered told enough for them all to hear. As two weird things happened at the same time, first something burst into flames from the stall were the voice had been coming from. Then, Dobby also came bounding in with a cup of bubbling blue elixir. As the smell of something drifted through the lavatory Dobby went striding to the stall the smell was coming from. "Ms. Lauren your medicine, your Uncle sent it up here for you and I saw those Wheezy boys coming you might want to collect yourself." Dobby handed the cup under the stall and began to look around, and spotted the audience, he waved. "Um.Harry Potter what are you doing in the girls' lavatory?"
"I was going to ask you the same Dobby," Harry said trying to take in the situation.
"Is Chloe really in there?" Ron asked the unusually audience congregating in a haunted bathroom, Dobby nodded. Hermione rolled her eyes, as the door to the lavatory opened and in hopped Fred, George, and Lee. "What did we miss?" Fred asked blissfully looking around at the confused faces.
"We better get going," George said taking out his wand, "Where's Chloe?" Dobby pointed to the stall that made a click sound of the lock being unlocked. Chloe stepped out her hair was bright red with streaks of black and eyes were not gray like they usually were they were black like dying coals in a fireplace after the fire had burned out. She gracefully stepped next to Hermione and George continued, "I'm going to put a simple sleek charm on you, so none of our ants will climb on you since we all will be right by them when they come out of their boxes. Chloe did you dye your hair?" Chloe looked straight at him, the lights flickered and the room began to heat up, "Wrong question to ask."
"Well, lets get started!" Hermione said changing the subject. George put the sleek charm on the group.
"Okay we need two pairs of people and three singles." Fred said while George was putting the sleek charm on him.
"Um.okay Fred, Lee, and I will all go alone. Chloe and Hermione will work and you two together." George commanded as Fred put the sleek charm on him.
"Okay, this is what we will do. Go to your picnic basket, we couldn't think of a better name, so when you get to yours at 6:15 PM. You will say Tante Claire (A snort from Chloe who knew a little French!) And a minute later thousands of ants will deploy from the basket you all will quickly run away with the crowd." They all nodded as the twins smiled, "Now go my miens, go do the worst." They grouped walked out of the lavatory.
"Ok, everyone go to your spots! Hermione and Chloe go to the picnic basket next to the great hall. Ron and Harry on the staircase on the second floor. Fred the library, Lee the dungeon, and me to my spot which I won't disclose." George said taking off in the opposite direction of the others.
"Bonne Chance," Chloe whispered as the group separated. Hermione and Chloe walked to the great hall and they spotted a small basket the size of their fist on the floor. "Okay, its 6:14," Chloe said looking at Fossil Dragon Motion Watch, "Do we say it together?"
"I think so." Hermione said as Chloe's watch turned to 6:15, "In one.two.three. Tante Claire!" A moment went by and nothing happened, Chloe looked at Hermione.
"Did we do it wrong?" Chloe asked as a small hole opened from the top of the box. Then, one abnormally large ant came crawling out of it, followed by another then another. Soon, it was an out stream of ants. Hermione screamed as they got to an inch of her shoe. "Don't worry remember the charm." Hermione nodded her head, but still looked wary of the ants. Chloe and Hermione watched as the ants marched into the Great Hall, they watched as the girls from each table screamed and ran for the door. Chloe and Hermione followed suit as they saw ants following from the stairs. Ron and Harry soon followed. "I don't like ants," Ron said running to catch up with Hermione and Chloe. As soon as they were safely outside, they found a nice spot under the stars. "So, that was interesting." Hermione said looking at Chloe.
"Yeah, who knew that Fred and George could get ants that BIG!" Ron agreed as Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Okay, Chloe why do I feel that you're keeping thousands of secrets from us?" Harry blurted out.
"Because I only answer questions, I tell any one who asks 'good' questions the answer. But, I give nothing over what is asked." Chloe said smartly in the dark. Many groups were starting to gather sitting in the grass. Many people were jumping around itching; Fred, George, and Lee came over. "Harry, Ron, Hermione, Chloe is that you?" Fred joked.
"That was great!" Lee laughed.
"Oh yeah, we saw Filch hitting the ants with a broomstick. It started to fly away with him and the ants!" George said rolling.
"Hilarious, I'm sure but don't you three have something that you really wanted to attend to." Chloe said smartly.
"OUCH! We just wanted to thank you and wish you luck on your operations of mischief." Fred said as they all turned around and left.
The next week was full of boredom, since Chloe couldn't go anywhere but classes and the common room. Chloe forced at least two people at all times to stay with her. It was mostly Ron, Harry, and Hermione. But once Chloe couldn't go with them to the library because Malfoy and his gargoyles were teasing some first year. So, Ron pawned Chloe off on Fred and George. Of course Fred, George, and Chloe all disappeared for a couple of hours and reappeared quite dirty and carrying loads of different sweets. "Fred and George are pretty cool," was Chloe's only comment of the afternoon. So Friday rolled around, Fred and George were often seen around certain places in school. Friday at lunch Fred came over to Chloe and shook her hand. Then, walked away.
"What was that for?" Ron asked Chloe who was staring at her hand.
"We're meeting Moaning Myrtle's bathroom right after our last class, which is?" Chloe asked slyly.
"Snape, remember we have double potions?" Hermione reminded Chloe.
"Oh, right that guy." Chloe finished her pumpkin juice and stood up, "Then, we should probably get going." The others finished their food and stood up and started walking out of the Great Hall. When, the owls began to stream through the hall. "Wow! I thought this only happened in the mornings."
"Every once in a while they come late, usually if an owl comes from somewhere far away!" Hermione answered looking up at the birds and spotting a bird that did not look like an owl. "Look what's that!" Everyone now was looking up at the bird that was circling the top of the hall.
"Buteo lineatus!" Chloe said reaching into her pocket and she pulled out a leather glove. She let out a low whistle and the Hawk came floating on to Chloe's out stretch hand. It had a letter tied around its left leg, which it held out immediately. Chloe untied the letter and then grabbed a piece of ham and fed it to the Hawk. "This is Buteo lineatus, for short Linus. It's my friend, Dana's, bird." She then lifted up her hand and it flew up and out of the great hall, to the awe of most of the students. "Linus is a Red Shouldered Hawk, native to Quebec we bought in a town near our school, like Hogsmeade to you guys." Chloe continued as they went to Snape's classroom. As they entered the classroom Chloe slipped the letter into her pocket. "Let's get some seats in the back," Chloe pointed to four seats in the back. As they sat down Snape came into the room, "Today, we are going to make Bolder Acid." With a flick of his wand the ingredients suddenly appeared on the chalkboard, "I must warn you that if any of this spells onto stone a enormous hole will appear and you WILL replace it, begin." Half way through class Hermione had her acid at a boil with green steam issuing forth. Chloe's has issuing a sage green steam and Harry's a red steam. Snape came to the back of the classroom and sneered, "Mr. Potter have you not have any pride in your work?" Harry just stared at his caldron, "You should try next time Mr. Potter, and your grade is taking effect. Maybe you should rethink yo-" suddenly Chloe stood up and was shouting, "Why, do you hurt people like this?"
"Sit down Ms. Lauren," Snape yelled.
"No, Un-, Se-, Sn-, Professor Snape, I will not! You'll have to tie me down!" Chloe countered as her highlights turned fire red.
"Dumb girl sit down before I have to tie you down!"
"No, not till you apologize to Harry!" Her irises turned scarlet.
"I will never apologize to that cocky, arrogant, and rule breaking Potter boy! And if you don't sit down, you won't be able to sit at this school any longer!" He took his wand out and approached Chloe.
"I will not sit any longer and let you yell, and scream at this boy for things he never did. Now or I will, Chloe pulled her wand out of her pocket, I'll leave. I'll take my broom and go home!" Chloe's nails were turning pink.
"Out of my room now!" Snape's door opened and Chloe was gone. Harry just stared at the door, what had just happened. Snape gathered himself, "At the end of class take a vile and pour your acid in it. Then, clean up and LEAVE!" Snape was gone in a flash.
"What just happened?" Harry asked as he put his vile on the desk, he waited till the end of class so no one could tamper with his vile.
"Um.I'm sworn to secretes," Hermione said lying her vile on the table, "Come on we need to go to Myrtle's bathroom." As they walked into the hall the smell of something burning filled the air.
"Do you think Chloe tried to burn Snape's Office do you?" Ron asked smelling the air.
"No, I really don't think so!" Hermione protested as they walk towards Myrtle's bathroom. A few minutes later they found themselves in front of the girls' lavatory. As they walked in they smelled the same smoke and they heard crying. "Who's there?" Growled the crying voice.
"Just Harry, Ron, and Hermione," Hermione said looking underneath the stalls to see if anybody was in them, "Myrtle how are you?"
"Myrtle's not here right now, I'm not her!" The voice growled, "Could you guys just leave please?"
"Who are you?" Harry asked.
"A girl and you shouldn't be in here!" The voice sobbed on, "I already told those other boys to get out!"
"Oh, well ok! Where'd they go?" Hermione asked sympathetically finding the stall the voice was coming from.
"I don't know, they didn't tell me ok-" The voice growled as Myrtle came out of the stall.
"Don't mind her she didn't send them away they left to get something," Myrtle said as she went to her stall.
"Who is it Myrtle?" Harry asked.
"Hi Harry, nice of you to drop by," Myrtle giggled as she went though her stall door.
"Don't tell them, you old cry baby!" The voice called out.
"Well, if that's how you're going to treat me I might just tell them and then you find your uncle!" Myrtle yelled from her stall.
"Oh, I wish I hadn't told you, you vapor!" The voice screamed.
"Chloe?" Hermione whispered told enough for them all to hear. As two weird things happened at the same time, first something burst into flames from the stall were the voice had been coming from. Then, Dobby also came bounding in with a cup of bubbling blue elixir. As the smell of something drifted through the lavatory Dobby went striding to the stall the smell was coming from. "Ms. Lauren your medicine, your Uncle sent it up here for you and I saw those Wheezy boys coming you might want to collect yourself." Dobby handed the cup under the stall and began to look around, and spotted the audience, he waved. "Um.Harry Potter what are you doing in the girls' lavatory?"
"I was going to ask you the same Dobby," Harry said trying to take in the situation.
"Is Chloe really in there?" Ron asked the unusually audience congregating in a haunted bathroom, Dobby nodded. Hermione rolled her eyes, as the door to the lavatory opened and in hopped Fred, George, and Lee. "What did we miss?" Fred asked blissfully looking around at the confused faces.
"We better get going," George said taking out his wand, "Where's Chloe?" Dobby pointed to the stall that made a click sound of the lock being unlocked. Chloe stepped out her hair was bright red with streaks of black and eyes were not gray like they usually were they were black like dying coals in a fireplace after the fire had burned out. She gracefully stepped next to Hermione and George continued, "I'm going to put a simple sleek charm on you, so none of our ants will climb on you since we all will be right by them when they come out of their boxes. Chloe did you dye your hair?" Chloe looked straight at him, the lights flickered and the room began to heat up, "Wrong question to ask."
"Well, lets get started!" Hermione said changing the subject. George put the sleek charm on the group.
"Okay we need two pairs of people and three singles." Fred said while George was putting the sleek charm on him.
"Um.okay Fred, Lee, and I will all go alone. Chloe and Hermione will work and you two together." George commanded as Fred put the sleek charm on him.
"Okay, this is what we will do. Go to your picnic basket, we couldn't think of a better name, so when you get to yours at 6:15 PM. You will say Tante Claire (A snort from Chloe who knew a little French!) And a minute later thousands of ants will deploy from the basket you all will quickly run away with the crowd." They all nodded as the twins smiled, "Now go my miens, go do the worst." They grouped walked out of the lavatory.
"Ok, everyone go to your spots! Hermione and Chloe go to the picnic basket next to the great hall. Ron and Harry on the staircase on the second floor. Fred the library, Lee the dungeon, and me to my spot which I won't disclose." George said taking off in the opposite direction of the others.
"Bonne Chance," Chloe whispered as the group separated. Hermione and Chloe walked to the great hall and they spotted a small basket the size of their fist on the floor. "Okay, its 6:14," Chloe said looking at Fossil Dragon Motion Watch, "Do we say it together?"
"I think so." Hermione said as Chloe's watch turned to 6:15, "In one.two.three. Tante Claire!" A moment went by and nothing happened, Chloe looked at Hermione.
"Did we do it wrong?" Chloe asked as a small hole opened from the top of the box. Then, one abnormally large ant came crawling out of it, followed by another then another. Soon, it was an out stream of ants. Hermione screamed as they got to an inch of her shoe. "Don't worry remember the charm." Hermione nodded her head, but still looked wary of the ants. Chloe and Hermione watched as the ants marched into the Great Hall, they watched as the girls from each table screamed and ran for the door. Chloe and Hermione followed suit as they saw ants following from the stairs. Ron and Harry soon followed. "I don't like ants," Ron said running to catch up with Hermione and Chloe. As soon as they were safely outside, they found a nice spot under the stars. "So, that was interesting." Hermione said looking at Chloe.
"Yeah, who knew that Fred and George could get ants that BIG!" Ron agreed as Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Okay, Chloe why do I feel that you're keeping thousands of secrets from us?" Harry blurted out.
"Because I only answer questions, I tell any one who asks 'good' questions the answer. But, I give nothing over what is asked." Chloe said smartly in the dark. Many groups were starting to gather sitting in the grass. Many people were jumping around itching; Fred, George, and Lee came over. "Harry, Ron, Hermione, Chloe is that you?" Fred joked.
"That was great!" Lee laughed.
"Oh yeah, we saw Filch hitting the ants with a broomstick. It started to fly away with him and the ants!" George said rolling.
"Hilarious, I'm sure but don't you three have something that you really wanted to attend to." Chloe said smartly.
"OUCH! We just wanted to thank you and wish you luck on your operations of mischief." Fred said as they all turned around and left.