CHAPTER 16
Hermione walked into the kitchen the next morning, still dressed in her white flannels with fluffy slippers on her feet. She sat down at the table, and groggily waved her wand around, so that the saucepan immediately set itself to boil, and the coffee and sugar measure itself out. A good cup of coffee was exactly what she needed now. She was feeling sleepy and tired and rather annoyed with life in general. And behind all that, a small thud of excitement- they were going to explore the Department of Mysteries today!
Suddenly, she became aware of a small tapping on the window. Looking up, she noticed a tawny colored owl knocking impatiently against the glass. Crossing the kitchen on fluffy slippers, she opened the window, and the owl hopped inside, throwing her a reproachful look. It stuck its leg out. Hermione untied the newspaper from its leg, and after fumbling in the ceramic bowl on the window pane, she drew out a coin, and slipped it into the owl's pouch. The owl hooted, and hopped out again. Soon it was soaring into the still gray sky, beating its wings against the cold.
Hermione shivered slightly from the chill dawn breeze that was entering the kitchen. It was still five in the morning. Lisa would take another couple of hours at least to wake up.
She walked over to the kitchen table, and spread out the newspaper. Her coffee cup was steaming on the counter, and she scooped it up on the way. Sipping her coffee, she glanced at the headlines.
And promptly choked, and spilled scalding hot coffee all over herself. Yelping from burning herself and the startling news, she ran to Lisa's room.
Lisa was dreaming peacefully. She was sitting on the beach, in a deck chair, dressed only in her favorite bikini and sipping a pina colada. There was warm sunshine all over the place, and a soft breeze, and the water was looking amazing. Everything was perfect.
That was until she heard a strange yelping sound.
All too soon she was yanked out of sleep, by a gruesome figure, thrashing about in her room. On closer inspection, it turned out to be Hermione, dressed in flannels, and bunny slippers. She was covered from head to toe in strong smelling coffee, and was holding two newspaper sheets in her hands, waving them about wildly.
Lisa blinked.
'Um...' she said, hesitatingly. 'Are you up to cheer leading practice or something? What's the coffee effect for?'
Hermione stopped thrashing and glared at her.
'I spilled the coffee,' she said, in a mildly malignant tone. 'And look at these newspapers.'
Lisa groaned as she shoved the newspaper at her. She picked it up, and sleepily scanned the headlines.
'WHAT!'
'EXACTLY,' Hermione replied.
'I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!'
'NEITHER CAN I!!'
They both leapt up, and quickly got dressed. In two minutes, the two of them were in Lisa's car, headed for the Ministry.
