Dear Pop,
I MISS YOU. Those were the first things I wanted to tell you. Anyway it¡¯s been almost a month now since I¡¯ve seen you. How are you? I¡¯m sorry I left writing for so long, I know I did say that I was going to write a week after I got used to the school but¡well, I guess time got the better of me.
You were right. Hogwarts is a wonderful place. The teachers are real nice ¨C well, some of them, maybe even all of them. Maybe they¡¯re just acting. I haven¡¯t found any secret passageways yet, but there was this thing on the sixth floor behind this huge statue of Gregory the Smarmy. I was too scared to go inside and see where it went.
I¡¯ve done school long enough to know which one¡¯s my favourite subject. Potions! It stinks badly sometimes, because of the potions, but it¡¯s interesting and I¡¯ve learned a lot of things, like when you mix elodea with boomslang scrapings you get a Wiggenweld Potion, and when you use boomslang skin you get something that cures boils. Yeah, I like Potions. The teacher seems a bit strange. No, not strange, just ill-tempered and seems as if he hates teaching. Someone has already said that he preferred teaching DADA.
Speaking of Defence Against the Dark Arts, that¡¯s a fun subject as well. We¡¯re learning heaps of spells and goblin rights and how to distinguish talking ferrets from normal ferrets (well, who wouldn¡¯t know how to do that?).
Anyway, overall I¡¯m having a brilliant time. It¡¯s the weekend, so nothing much is happening. People are practicing Quidditch out at the pitch, so the majority of us have gone to watch them. I can¡¯t believe how they can still play in this weather. Now that it¡¯s nearing October, things are getting chilly and I¡¯ll need to dig out my jumpers from my trunk. I hope things are going alright for you back home and in the Ministry. I worry about you, too, you know.
I¡¯ll see you, then.
Love, Kora
¡°Ms Rastrick! When I am speaking I expect everybody to stop writing and listen to what I say. You could miss some valuable information if you don¡¯t follow instructions.¡±
I had been taking notes of what he had been saying about haddocks and was going to object. But then Duckett gave me an awesome glare, and I closed my mouth, fuming.
¡°Right. As I was saying, in 1786 a famous geographer Niles Poppleton considered haddocks half humans. His theory lives on to this day, and haddocks are currently in this category in the Department of ¨C Ms Rastrick, what did I just say about writing while I am talking?¡±
This time I ignored his glare. ¡°Sir, I was taking notes of what you were saying ¨C¡±
¡°Five points from Gryffindor,¡± he said curtly, folding his arms. ¡°And if young Ms Rastrick continues to disrupt the class I¡¯m afraid it would be another five.¡±
A few people turned around to stare accusingly at me. I just gave Duckett the coldest stare I could muster.
I had had enough. In all my other classes the teachers had seen no problem in my taking notes. Duckett was just pure evil. I wondered if it was too early to change from this subject to something else, or whether I even could. First years usually had to sit through everything at first before finally choosing their own subjects later on.
The double was almost agonizing. Duckett continued to teach, unaware that I was secretly hating him with every word he said. This whole term he had been nasty, looking past me as I put my hand up to answer a question, grading me down because my essay on illegal breeding was half a foot longer than it should¡¯ve been (Hayley Bedneckinson¡¯s had been two feet longer and he had given her an Outstanding). So unfair. I still liked the subject, like I had told Pop, but the teacher was just terrible.
I was glad when lunch came. For some reason I couldn¡¯t wait till the end of the school day. Only Potions left and we would be free. I¡¯d be able to go upstairs and do my homework. Yes, boring, but what else could I do?
I entered the Great Hall which was already half full with students. On the tables sat bowls of mashed potato and pumpkin, platters of Caesar salad, and kebab sticks every few feet. I sat down and began to eat rather abundantly. You needed a full stomach before going into any of Snape¡¯s classes, otherwise he would¡¯ve made you weak with frustration if he decided that he¡¯d pick on you for that day. Wait, did I do the foot long he had set us for the potion effect of red anemone and salamander clippings? Oh, yes I ¨C
Kora!! Can you hear me?? He-e-e-elp!!!!
¡°What?¡± I exclaimed loudly. Several people turned to look at me, but I didn¡¯t care. Jim had just spoken from somewhere. His thoughts were very faint, but I could pick up the panic, and terror. Something was happening to him, and it wasn¡¯t a joke.
¡°What?¡± I said again, foolishly because there was no way he¡¯d be able to hear me. He wasn¡¯t in the Hall, he was obviously somewhere far aw¨C
Kora!! Kora, quick, they¡¯ve got me, they¡¯ve ¨C quick, you¡¯ve gotta get here now!
¡°Where are you?¡± I hissed. He seemed to realize that I needed directions.
Third floor, third floor!! Charms corridor, sixth door to the right! Hurry!
I bolted from the Great Hall as fast as I could. Skipping the stairs, I ran straight into the dungeons, narrowly missing Snape himself, and ran deep into the dark stony halls till I came to an ancient statue of a goblin that only came up to my waist.
Spending a month at Hogwarts had given me plenty of exploring time. After I had sent my letter off to Pop I had found this secret elevator that led up to the third floor, which was opened by just slipping past the goblin and entering a small shaft.
In no time at all I was facing the Charms classroom from the bottom of an old witch¡¯s portrait. I took off, listening as Jim bellowed sudden shock into my mind.
I found the sixth door. I flung it open, my wand already protectively in front of me.
¡°A boys¡¯ bathroom?¡± I breathed. A dumb question: what the hell was Jim doing here?
There was no one that I could see in the grayish gloom, but there was a second part to the bathroom that was hidden from direct view. It had to be where the stalls were. Someone was laughing ¨C no, several people were laughing, and jeering and hooting. Water was splashing somewhere with great big plunges. I could see the droplets, and how wet the floor was getting.
I gulped, and stepped into the bathroom. I kept walking till I had gotten where the boys were fooling around.
The first thing I saw was an open stall. The wooden door was wide open, and inside it three boys were squished in together with their backs facing me. Looking down, I saw a fourth pair of legs, this one sprawled out and kicking on the floor through theirs. The toilet was flushing loudly ¨C it didn¡¯t take long for me to realize what they were doing.
Unbelievable anger seized me at once. I couldn¡¯t remember the last time I had felt so mad. I rose my wand higher, and shouted, ¡°Leave him alone!¡±
The laughing stopped. The three boys turned to face me, apparently stunned to hear a girl¡¯s voice in the boys¡¯ bathroom. With slight surprise, I recognized Frances at the front.
¡°How dare you?¡± I practically yelled. ¡°How dare you do that to him, what has he ever done to you?¡±
Frances barked a laugh and, turning to look at his pug friends, he said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s more the fact that he¡¯d stepped foot in this bathroom while we were doing our business. Not that you¡¯d understand, being a girl in somewhere you shouldn¡¯t have been in the first place. Isn¡¯t that right, boys?¡±
His friends ¨C thin, smooth-looking first years just like he was ¨C nodded and sneered. Behind them, Jim was sitting limply, his dark hair plastered onto his head and dripping water all down his clothes. He was staring at me, his face pale and shaking, his eyes barely reflecting through the light in the room.
I could feel my wand getting hotter in my hand with all my anger. I pointed it at Frances, and I threatened, ¡°If you ever do anything to him again, I¡¯ll make sure that you¡¯ve got the Head of my House to speak to. You hear me?¡±
¡°Dolly Kora, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re not at your best today. We¡¯re still friends, aren¡¯t we?¡±
¡°We were never friends, Frances Avery. And if you talk to me again I will hex you, even in front of everybody if I have to. Just leave us alone.¡±
He shook his head, and I detected the look he had had on his face when he had been talking about Harry Potter. ¡°Fine. Fine then. Just bear in mind, Dolly Kora. I could have given you everything. Anything you wanted. I had power, and you turned away from it. Instead, you chose to stick up for poor, pathetic idiots such as this.¡±
He beckoned to his friends, and they followed him to the exit. The door slammed.
I let my arm drop to my side and tried to catch my breath. Feeling angry seemed to have taken the wind out of me. Jim was still sitting on the floor inside the stall, blinking and generally looking lost. I held out my hand, and he took it and got onto his feet.
Thanks. He said nothing else. It was almost as if he was ashamed of saying anything more. I didn¡¯t mind, though. He had called for me when he was in trouble, and that meant something at least.
¡°Don¡¯t you carry your wand around with you or something?¡± I asked.
He shook his head. Just today I left it in my bag. I didn¡¯t expect anything to happen.
I looked down at his soggy clothes. ¡°So. What¡¯s it like to have your head stuck down a toilet?¡±
He looked at me sheepishly. Grotty. But fun.
I slugged him on the shoulder, and told him to go up to the dorm and get some dry robes.
After lunch we had Potions. Filing into the classroom, I picked my usual spot in the middle benches of the classroom. Jim scared me by setting his books right next to mine. I couldn¡¯t help staring. He looked at me and said nothing, but a faint smile came through.
Cindy Maple was staring as well, like she couldn¡¯t believe that she had just lost her Potions partner. The rest of Gryffindor had noticed, and Frances was talking to his friends in a low voice, but I didn¡¯t care. Jim had finally faced his peers, and was my friend once more.