Chapter Eleven
Professor Ferrotte's Incident
Classes started up the following Monday to many unhappy groans from the students. They were all sad to see their free time gone and didn't want to get back to their old studying habits and schedules.
"But, it is important, you know," said Terry, to a resolute Alia and Travis. "We have to learn something eventually. I mean, we are at school."
"Terry, go sit on a knarl," said Alia. "You may feel all sunshine and roses about school starting up again, but we aren't."
Terry kept quiet about starting the lessons for the rest of the day and week. By the end of the week, Travis and Alia had stopped complaining and talking about starting a petition to start the Year later and extend the holidays.
"That won't work," said Peragu. "I tried it last Year."
"What happened," inquired Alia.
"Potter shot me down like a duck," said Peragu, snapping his fingers. "He said that it would be inconvenient for his vacations."
January was the start of a new regime of studying at Hogwarts. Teachers were starting to assign larger assignments and more of them. A lot of students were to be found in the library hours on end, just reading up on vampires. Professor Ferrotte was prone to not show up at lunches in the following weeks. Gary said that she had been spotted in her classroom, crying.
"The poor woman," Gary had said one day at lunch. "I think she's been talking to Lady Anguia. There is probably something wrong with her husband."
"Does she have a husband?" asked Alia. "She seems rather young to have a husband."
"You never know, do you?" said Terry. "I have an aunt who married when she was just out of Hogwarts."
The doors to the Great Hall opened and Snape swept in as he normally did in his stalking manner. He looked red in the face and angry. He was muttering to himself and glared at anyone who was smiling.
"What's up with him?" asked Travis. He was craning his neck trying to get a good look at Snape.
"Well, it's Snape, isn't it?" said Terry. "He is and always will be a slimy old git!"
"Shh!" said Gary, flapping his hands trying to get them to be quiet. "Here comes Professor Ferrotte."
Indeed, Professor Ferrotte came in to the hall. Her eyes were wide and her pupils contracted. She was staggering as she walked and her hand was in a bandage.
"She looks horrible," said Alia. "Has she been drinking?"
"No," said Gary. "Sadly, she's done this to herself. I don't think she'll make it to next Year. You know, it's been thirty Years since Hogwarts has had a teacher that lasted more than two Years."
"Where'd they all go?" said Travis, just noticing he was in the Great Hall and eating.
"Eighteen have resigned," said Gary, looking upward, as though looking into his mind, trying to remember. "Four have been promoted. Six fired. Two went insane and five are dead."
Travis dropped his voice to a whisper. "I have a Galleon riding on Ferrotte getting sacked."
Terry joined in the joke. "I got two and a Sickle she'll be dead."
Alia hit Terry in the upper arm with her purse. "It's not funny! There is something seriously wrong with that woman!"
"No more than you," mumbled Travis.
Alia this time went for Travis' head and knocked him head first into a bowl of crisps.
"Come on, Terry," said Alia. "We have History of Magic next."
She got up and left Terry to help Travis out of the bowl.
"Edgy, that one," said Travis.
Terry, Travis, and Alia started up their dueling practice again. Alia had moved so high up that Terry and Travis didn't want to duel with her because they knew the outcome already.
In the last week of January, they put the practice on hold to make way for a major wave of Quidditch practices. Since that Wednesday Ravenclaw was playing a game against Slytherin. Terry had been looking forward to the most. He knew he would totally trample Ethilina in the match and he wanted to see the look on her face when he caught the Snitch.
So, on that Wednesday, the Ravenclaws and Slytherins headed down to the pitch and changed into their robes. The Ravenclaws and Slytherins walked out of the changing rooms and met in the middle of the field.
"Mount your brooms!" shouted Madam Soan. The two teams swung one legs over their brooms.
Ethilina shot grimacing looks at Terry, Travis, and Alia who returned them with the utmost pleasure.
"Kick off in three...two...one!"
Fourteen people rose into the air and Madam Soan through the Quaffle upwards.
"And...they're off!" came Peragu's magicly magnified voice. "Drensor catches the Quaffle –- Passes over to Dale –- Dodges a Bludger sent to him by Ravenclaw Beater, Alia Clavereaux. Good job, Alia! Quaffle is taken by Raymond –- Passes to Natasha Skile, a stunningly good looking girl who –- Whoops!" A Slytherin supporter threw a large rock at Peragu but missed.
Terry zoomed around the pitch, weaving through all the other players and balls, searching for the Snitch. He flew to the Slytherin end of the pitch and saw Ethilina, glaring at him.
"How are the Basilisks, Ethilina?" shouted Terry. "Your dad still home or is he 'away'?"
"Shut it, Ollivander!" Ethilina shouted back. "Or I'll sic one on you!"
"I'd like to see you try!"
"Oy, Ethilina!" shouted a voice. Terry and Ethilina turned their heads to the Ravenclaw side of the field to see Travis holding a Bludger. "Catch!" He hit the Bludger with all his might and sent it toward Ethilina.
Ethilina screech and flew toward the ground to dodge the Bludger. Travis flew over to Alia who gave him a high-five.
Terry looked down to see if the Bludger was pursuing Ethilina, but it wasn't. Yet, Ethilina was flying like her life depending on it. Odds were, she had seen the Snitch. Slytherin had one-hundred and Ravenclaw had forty. If she caught the Snitch, Slytherin would win, putting in them in first place for the cup.
Terry took off after her. His Zephryn definitely gave him the advantage. He caught up with her and they were neck and neck. Ethilina tried to ram Terry by moving sideways at Terry. The Zephryn's speed helped Terry went up and Ethilina topped right off her broom.
"Geeeyaahhhhh, Ollivander! You will regret thi –- " She hit the ground.
Terry was left to chase the Snitch with nothing else to worry about. He put on one last burst of speed and it was like the Snitch was magnetically attracted to his hand.
Ravenclaw had beaten Slytherin, one-ninety to one-hundred.
Professor Ferrotte's condition didn't improve, even into early February. Logan Renfield had asked to borrow a quill, and Professor Ferrotte had broken down into tears. Peragu had tapped her on the shoulder and she screamed. Professor Granger was talking to her two days before Valentine's Day. To show her sympathy, she held her wrist. When Professor Granger had made contact, Professor Ferrotte withdrew her hand and shrieked. She was admitted to the hospital wing a day later.
Marigold had started up Quidditch practice again. The weather was warming up and almost every day, in Marigold's opinion, was perfect for Quidditch conditions.
"Did everyone get the book I ask them to?" asked Marigold once they were all up in the air.
"Yes," the team chanted back.
"Did you all read it?"
"No," they chanted.
"You lot are a bunch of slackers! It's not a long book! I just wanted you to look in there for background reading, to maybe improve your playing skill. There were some other moves in there that might have come in handy, but, if you want to lose the cup, well, that's fine with me!"
"Marigold, calm down," said Natasha.
"Next year is my last year here. I have a year and a half more to coach you all. But, you don't know how hard it is to coach you all, deal with homework, exams, and all sorts of stuff! Well, do you!"
"Marigold, we –- " started Walt Tanes.
"I don't want to hear it," said Marigold. She flew down to the ground, dismounted, and ran from the stadium.
"I'll go after her," said Natasha. She landed too.
"Me too," said Alia. She followed the two before her.
That evening, Natasha and Alia emerged from the girls' dormitory after two hours of talking to Marigold.
"What was that all about?" asked Travis.
"She's been working herself too hard," said Natasha. She plopped down on a sofa and sighed.
"Her parents are getting separated and her mother is remarrying someone that she doesn't like. No one at home is giving her the time of day to voice her opinion," added Alia.
"Her grandfather is in St. Mungo's, dying."
"She's stressed out because she's really behind on homework."
"And," said Natasha, "she's balancing Quidditch on top of all that. She's in a right state."
"I had no idea," said Terry, earnestly.
"You shouldn't have. She's kept it all bottled up," said Alia.
"She's napping now, but she's been bawling her eyes out, bless her," said Natasha. "I have a mind to take her to the hospital wing and have Madam Treaten calm her down. Or, maybe Professor Granger. She can offer sympathy."
"This really sounds like something she and her family need to work out," said Terry. "We shouldn't get involved. But, I do hope she's okay enough for Quidditch."
"She will be," said Alia. "Everything is just swirling around her head and its confusing her."
"She might be an overzealous, old stickler, but I can feel for her," said Travis.
Marigold didn't reappear for two hours. She eventually showed up back in the common room, puffy eyed and bloodshot.
"Marigold!" said Alia, standing up from her game of Wizard Chess.
"How are you? Feeling better?" said Natasha.
"I –- I guess," said Marigold. She sniffed. "I –- I'm s –- sorry. I've b –- been a – acting like a f –- fool."
She sat down and Alia sat down next to her and put her arm around her. "No, you haven't. Anyone would crack under all that pressure and stress."
"Y –- you all m –- must think I'm an i –- idiot," said Marigold.
"No, we don't think any less of you, Marigold," said Natasha.
Terry and Travis didn't say much. Alia and Natasha were doing such a great job of comforting Marigold that they didn't want to intrude.
Marigold was finally able to speak without stuttering and Alia and Natasha were finally able to get her to calm down and go down for dinner. Walt and Antony didn't say anything when Marigold came down and sat down next to them at the Ravenclaw table.
"Poor girl," said Travis. "I would hate to be in her shoes."
"Yeah, I guess that –- "
CRASH! A loud noise came from the Entrance Hall that made anyone in the Great Hall jump either ten feet or out of their skins.
"Harry, what was that!" said Professor Granger.
"I don't know," said Professor Potter. He got up slowly and walked calmly out of the hall. He walked back in a moment later, calm as could be.
"Remeda, could you come out here for a moment?" said Professor Potter.
Instead of Madam Treaten getting up solitarily, the entire hall jumped to its feet. Prefects and teachers led the way out of the double doors to the Entrance Hall. When the entire school was in the Entrance Hall, there was a collective gasp. Terry, Travis, and Alia fought their way to the front and gasped too.
Professor Ferrotte was lying sprawled eagle on the floor.
"Ah, Cavusa! What happened to you!" said Professor Granger. She, Madam Treaten, and Professor Budman rushed forward and helped her up.
"She's still alive!" said Madam Treaten.
"Cavusa. Cavusa, honey. Wake up. Speak to me," said Professor Granger.
Professor Ferrotte stirred. Her eyes stared up at the ceiling then darted all around, taking in the crowd.
"Cavusa, are you alright?" asked Professor Budman.
"They –- they –- they are de –- dementors," said Professor Ferrotte.
"What is it, Cavusa?" asked Professor Granger.
Professor Ferrotte's voice became more urgent. "They –- are –- dementors!"
"She's lost it!" screamed Madam Treaten. "Headmaster, what shall we –- ?"
Footsteps were gradually growing louder from the dungeon corridor. Then, a black figure walked up the steps. At first, Terry thought it was a dementor. Then he thought it was the figure that attacked him. But, when the figure came into the light of the torched in the Entrance Hall, Terry realized that it was Snape.
"What's going on here, Headmaster?" asked Snape, viewing all the students assembled around Professor Ferrotte.
"DEMENTOR! DEMENTOR!" screamed Professor Ferrotte. She tried to get up, but instead, she fainted.
'Severus, Professor Ferrotte has been attacked. She's not herself," said Professor Potter.
"How unfortunate," said Snape.
"Students, if you could kindly go back to your dormitories. Teachers, to the staff room."
"Once again, you know Snape is behind this," said Alia. "Professor Ferrotte thought that she was being attacked by a dementor, and you saw how Snape was dressed."
The Ravenclaws climbed the spiral staircase and walked through the owl statue passageway.
"What's a dementor?" asked Travis.
"Well, you remember when we told you about Azkaban?" asked Alia. She sat down in an armchair.
"Yeah, I do," said Travis. He sat down in a chair across from Alia.
"Well," said Terry, "they are this cloak creatures that suck the happiness out of people. And if they get a chance, they suck out your soul."
"They do?" asked Travis. "Scary. Is there anyway to fight them or repel them?"
"Actually, there is," said Alia. "It's called a Patronus. It's a difficult charm to perform. But..." her voice trailed off.
"What is it, Alia?" asked Terry.
"Well, you know how we have been able to perform charms that can be considered to be difficult? Want to really test our ability?"
"What do you mean?" asked Travis.
"I'm saying," said Alia with a sly smile, "that we should try and learn one of the hardest charms: the Patronus Charm."