Chapter 7
On a Saturday when students had no classes, Merry was outside with Sandra with a child's book on her lap, sitting under a tree. The other students were outside, and so were a few Professors. Even Remus and Snuffles were out, and hanging with Ron and Harry.
A few students noticed that what Merry was reading to Sandra was obviously funny since Sandra was laughing as Merry read and came over. Hermione being one of them.
"What're you doing Professor?" Parvati asked.
"I'm reading Sandra her favorite book." Merry replied.
"What's it called?" Hermione asked.
"Sideways Stories From Wayside School. It's sooo funny Hermione!" Sandra told her.
"Can we hear it too?" Seamus asked.
"Sure, sit down everyone." Merry said.
"Wait, I'll be right back Professor. I have to get Ron and Harry." Hermione said.
"Why don't you ask if Professor Lupin would like to listen too?" Merry suggested.
Hermione ran over to Ron, Harry, Remus, and Snuffles.
"What's going on?" Remus asked.
"Professor Snow is reading a book to the students. She wants to know if you'd like to listen too, Professor Lupin." Hermione said.
So Remus agreed and they went over to where Merry was and sat down.
"This book is called Sideways Stories From Wayside School, by Louis Sachar, a muggle writer." Merry said.
"So this is a book of stories about a school?" Ron asked.
"Trust me, it's better than it sounds. Mummy, read the introduction!" Sandra said.
"Okay, okay. This book contains 30 stories about the children and teachers at Wayside school. But before we get to them there is something you ought to know so that you don't get confused." Merry read.
"What? There's no magic? I think we already understand that." said Dean.
"Wayside School was built sideways. It was supposed to be only one story high, with thirty classrooms all in a row. Instead it is thirty stories high, with one classroom on each story." She read.
"Woah! That's a lot of stairs to climb." Harry said.
"Indeed, it is." Remus agreed.
"The builder said he was very sorry." She told them.
"How does that help the students? They have to climb, like 30 flights of stairs if they have class on the 30th floor!" Padma Patil, Parvati's twin stated.
"The children at Wayside like having a sideways school. They have extra-large playground. The children and teachers described in this book all go to class on the top floor. So there are thirty stories from the thirtieth story of Wayside School." Merry read.
"Woah!" everyone, including Remus said.
"It has been said that these stories are strange and silly. That is probably true. However, when I told stories about you to the children at Wayside, they thought you were strange and silly. That is probably true." Merry continued. "That's the introduction for you."
"At my school, when our teacher read this, she'd have the class decide who the person the chapter is about, is most similar to someone in the class." Sandra said.
"Well, I have a feeling we'll be able to tell who this person reminds all of us of. Chapter 1, Mrs. Gorf." Merry commented.
Sandra just looked at her mother when she read the chapter title.
"Mrs. Gorf had a long tongue and pointed ears." Merry was interrupted when Dean said something that sounded like 'Professor Flitwick' and everyone laughed. "Nope, not Professor Flitwick, Dean. She was the meanest teacher in Wayside School. She taught the class on the thirtieth story." She read. " 'if you children are bad,' she warned, 'or if you answer a problem wrong, I'll wiggle my ears, stick out my tongue, and turn you into apples!' Mrs. Gorf didn't like children, but she loved apples." She read.
"Well, that's obvious then. Professor Snape, I'll guess." Remus said, smiling.
"Indeed." Sandra nodded, laughing at the thought of Snape as Mrs. Gorf. "Don't tell him though!" she said.
"Joe couldn't add. He couldn't even count. But he knew that if he answered a problem wrong, he would be turned into an apple. So he copied from John. He didn't like to cheat, but Mrs. Gorf had never taught him how to add." Merry told them. "One day Mrs. Gorf caught Joe copying from John's paper. She wiggled her ears - first her right one, then her left - stuck out her tongue, and turned Joe into an apple. Than she turned John into an apple for letting Joe cheat." She sighed.
"That's not right!" Ron said.
"Yes, well, if you and Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger and Mr. Longbottom, no offense to you 4, if she were here and taught potions, there'd be 4 apples on her desk on the first day." Merry joked.
A few people laughed. They all thought that Merry was cool, especially since she was their age.
So Merry continued reading and got up to chapter 4, Sharie. They figured out that Merry was like Mrs. Jewels, and Seamus was Joe. They were still trying to decide who Sharie was.
Okay pplzzz.
Just... 5 chapters left.