Yay! Here is chapter six of the Alchemist's Rock. Follow Harold as he journeys from platform five and six-sevenths to the myserious Pigzits School of Magical Education, making a few friends and enemies along the way. Disclaimers: I do not own Harold's owl, the subway ticket, Mrs. Weezy's black belt, a banister from a Pigzits staircase, Dunderbore's rainbow spray paint can, wizard sweets, Scratchers, the ability to pinch, Warty, or Pigzits castle. Enjoy! :D
Chapter 6: Platform Five and Six-Sevenths
Harold's last month with the Durskeys was not fun. The only good parts were that Spudley was now so terrified of Harold he wouldn't be in the same room with him, and Aunt Pansy and Uncle Herman didn't lock him in his cabinet, force him to do (or not do) anything, or scream at him. They acted as though he didn't exist, which would've made Harold happy a few days ago, but now just made him feel downright depressed.
Harold stayed in his room most of the time, with his new owl to keep him company. He had been leafing through one of his new schoolbooks, Magic in History, and decided to call her Helga, a name he had found in chapter six. Helga loved swooping in and out of the window, and Harold thanked his lucky stars that Aunt Pansy didn't come in the room to vacuum anymore, for Helga kept leaving dead rats on Harold's pillow. Harold hoped that this was a sign of compassion and not a sign of disgust. Every night before he went to sleep, he crossed off another day on his calendar, counting down to September first.
It wasn't until the last day of August that he remembered that he needed a ride to the subway station. He raced down the stairs and into the living room where his aunt and uncle were watching television. Spudley cried out in fear and waddled out of the room as fast as he could, covering his nose with his hands.
"Um…Uncle Herman?" asked Harold nervously.
Uncle Herman grunted.
"Um…I need a ride to the subway station tomorrow…so I can get to…you know…Pigzits."
Uncle Herman grunted again, staring at the TV.
"So…can you drive me?"
Grunt. Harold hoped that it meant yes.
"Thanks."
He was about to leave the room when Uncle Herman spoke.
"So you have to take the subway? What happened to all the magic carpets? Are they all ripped apart for some reason?"
"Um…I don't know," said Harold uncomfortably.
"Where is this weirdo school, anyway?" Uncle Herman barked.
"I don't know," Harold said again. He took the ticket out of his pocket. "I just have to take the subway from platform five and six-sevenths at eleven o' clock tomorrow. I guess I'll find out when I get there."
His aunt and uncle stared. "Platform what?" asked Uncle Herman.
"Five and six-sevenths."
"What the hell are you talking about?" snapped Uncle Herman. "There's no such thing!"
"Yes there is," said Harold angrily. "That's what it says on my ticket."
"Yeah, right!" snorted Uncle Herman. "Alright, we'll take you to the station tomorrow. You're lucky we have to go to Boston anyway, or I wouldn't bother."
"Why do you have to go to Boston?" asked Harold.
"We're taking Spudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Herman. "A plastic surgeon is going to fix his nose before he has to go to school."
Harold woke up early the next morning. He was to excited to go back to sleep, so he pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He decided against changing into his wizard robes, thinking that all the Shmuggles at the subway station would stare if they saw a kid wearing what looked like a purple bathrobe out in public. He locked Helga in her cage, checked suitcase to make sure he had everything he needed, and paced his room until the Durskeys got up. A little while later, Uncle Herman heaved Harold's suitcase into the trunk of his car, Aunt Pansy promised to buy Spudley a giant bag of candy if he sat next to Harold in the backseat, and they were off.
They arrived at the subway station at ten-thirty. Uncle Herman plunked Harold's suitcase onto a cart and pushed it for him. Harold was wondering why in the world Uncle Herman wasn't subjecting him to the usual manual labor when he stopped suddenly, a wicked grin on his face.
"Well, here we are. There's platform five, and there's platform six. I don't see your platform. Maybe they forgot to build it?"
Harold looked around desperately. He saw the sign for platform five and the sign for platform six, but there was no sign for platform five and six-sevenths. He swore, and for the first time in his life, Uncle Herman didn't smack him with whatever was in his hands at the moment. On the contrary, he burst into laughter.
"Have a good time at Piggypimples, or whatever your magical nuthouse is called!" he shouted, and he, Aunt Pansy, and Spudley walked back to the parking lot, howling with laughter, Spudley snorting occasionally. He didn't even mind that people were staring at his nose.
Harold started to panic. He rolled his cart to the nearest station guard and asked how to get onto platform five and six-sevenths, but the guard just stared at him. He asked for the train that left at eleven o' clock, but the guard said there wasn't one, and Harold heard him muttering under his breath as he wheeled his cart around and walked back the other way. He noticed he was getting a lot of weird looks because Helga had started to squawk angrily. The clock above his head told him he had only ten minutes to get onto the subway, and he had no idea where it was. He was going to miss it and be stranded here for days, because the Durskeys wouldn't be coming back to get him anytime soon. He was thinking about getting out his wand and tapping the sign for platform five when he heard a voice.
"…look at all these Shmuggles, hardly enough room to move around…"
Harold whirled around so fast he slipped and fell on his backside. He pulled himself back up just in time to see who had spoken. It was a plump woman with four boys and a small girl, and they all had bright red hair. The boys were all wheeling carts like Harold's, and they even had an owl. He felt his heart thumping in his chest as he followed the family. They stopped in front of the barrier between platforms five and six, so he stopped a little ways behind them, listening to what they were saying.
"And the platform number is…?" asked the boy's mother.
"Five and six-sevenths!" cried the girl. "Mom, please let me go, oh, can I, please?"
"No, Winnie, you're too young, now shush. Henry, you first."
"Why does Henry get to go first?" cried one of the older boys in outrage.
"Ooh, pick me, pick me!" said what looked like the boy's twin. "It's because he has no life!"
"It's because I'm the oldest!" snapped Henry, and he started forward. Harold willed himself not to blink so he wouldn't miss what happened, but a large crowd suddenly raced in front of him, chasing what looked like a small dog. By the time they had passed, the boy had disappeared.
"Okay, Ed, since you're just bursting to go, you next," said the woman.
"Ed?" cried the boy. "Please tell me you're joking. I'm Gordy, shouldn't my own mother be able to recognize me?"
"Sorry, Gordy honey."
"Just kidding, I am Ed," said the boy, and before his mother could do anything but growl angrily, he raced forward, his twin right behind him. They were running towards the barrier, and suddenly…they were gone. Harold plucked up his courage and started forward.
"Hey, lady! Excuse me?"
The woman turned, smiling. "Why, hello, stranger!" she said. "First year at Pigzits? My son Don is new, too." She pointed at the boy who hadn't disappeared into thin air yet. He was tall and thin, had bright red hair, freckles, and a long (but not pointy) nose.
"Yes, I just need to ask…I don't know where…how to…"
"How to get on the platform?" she asked kindly, and he nodded.
"No problem, no problem at all," she said, patting Harold on the back. "All you have to do is run into the barrier."
"What?" said Harold. "But I'll be squashed like a bug!"
"No you won't," said the woman. "Unless you keep thinking that. Then you'll be squashed like a bug. Here, go before Don. Just run."
"What, now?" said Harold, bewildered.
"Yes, now! Unless you want to miss the subway!"
"But…I don't…think I can…" Harold stammered.
"Oh, for the love of Pete!" cried the woman, and with surprising strength, she picked up Harold, dropped him into the cart, and with a loud "HI-YAH!" karate-kicked the cart towards the barrier. Harold screamed like a little girl, but before he knew it, he had gone right through the wall.
Harold climbed out of the cart and stared at his surroundings in astonishment. A bright purple subway was waiting for him next to a platform full of gossiping teenagers. He looked up and saw a sign that said: Pigzits Express, 11:00. He looked behind him to see an iron gate with another sign above it: Platform Five and Six-Sevenths. He made it!
He started to walk, staring around at the chattering crowd. He could see owls and cats everywhere, and one boy was complaining that he lost his toad. A crowd circled an older boy with dreadlocks, screaming in delight as a long, shiny leg poked itself out of a small box in his hands.
Finally Harold came to an empty subway car. As he got close to it, he realized that someone had wrote Dunderbore waz here on the side with rainbow spray paint. Wondering who Dunderbore was, he put Helga in first and then tried to heave his suitcase through the doors, but was unable. Twice it fell on top of him, causing him to collapse onto the concrete.
"Hey, you! Need some help?" The red haired twins he had seen earlier were running over.
"Yes, of course I do! Thanks," he added, thinking he had sounded too harsh, but the boys showed no sign of offense. The three of them were able to carry the suitcase through the doors quite easily. Harold sighed with relief and pushed his sweaty hair out of his eyes. The twins gasped.
"Oh my God!" cried one of them. "You…you…"
"Are…are…" cried the other.
"Harold Plodder!" they yelled at the same time.
"Oh, that kid? Oops, I mean, yes, that's right." said Harold. His face turned red as the twins kept staring at him as though he was the best thing since sliced bread. Finally a voice called, "Ed? Gordy? Get over here right now!" and they ran off, glancing backward at Harold.
Harold chose a seat next to the window and sat down. Unlike most subway trains, this one had a whole bunch of different colored squashy, couch-like seats, and they were very comfortable. Harold's was bright green. He looked out the window and watched the twins' mother taking out a tissue.
"Donny, you've got a big smear of dirt on your chin."
The boy tried to squirm away, but the twins pushed him back and his mother caught him, wrapped her arms around him, and began rubbing his chin with the tissue.
"Mom! Stop it - ack! MOM!"
"Aww, widdle Donny's chin is still covered in dirt!" cried one of the twins as Don squirmed free again.
"Shut your face," snapped Don.
"Where's Henry?" said their mother, standing on tiptoe. "I can't see him!"
"I can," said one of the twins. "He's coming over now."
The oldest boy came strutting into sight. He had already put on his purple Pigzits robes, and his chest was puffed out importantly. Harold could see a red and gold badge with the letter P there.
"Hello, Mom!" he said spectacularly. "I can't stay long, I have to go to the front of the subway, the prefects' car is there, and I have to keep an eye on things, you know…"
"What? Are you a prefect, Henry?" asked one of the twins in amazement. "Why didn't you tell us? That's really important news!"
"Oh, wait, wait, hold the phone!" said the other twin, putting his fingertips on his temples and closing his eyes, "Something's coming to me! Yes, yes, you did mention it at least once -"
"No, no," contradicted the first twin, "I remember he mentioned it twice -"
"And now that I think about it, he talked about it for a whole five minutes, what torture!"
"You think that's torture? Try dealing with it all summer, my God, I'm getting a migraine just thinking about it -"
"SHUT UP!" roared Henry.
"And how come he gets new robes, too?" complained the first twin. "Hasn't his ego been swelled enough already?"
Henry's face was so red and full of rage Harold thought he was going to explode. He was doing his best to keep his laughter silent so the family wouldn't hear him.
"Because he's a prefect!" snapped their mother, ruffling Henry's hair. "Okay, okay, you can go now, I'll write to you, alright?"
Henry nodded curtly and strode off towards the front of the subway. When he was out of earshot, she turned to the twins.
"Now, you listen to me. You'd better behave yourselves this year, understand? If I get one more owl telling me that you've…you've blown up one of the staircases or -"
"Blown up one of the staircases? We've never blown up one of the staircases!" cried one of the twins indignantly.
"But that's a great idea, thanks, Mom." said the other, grinning.
"It's not funny!" hissed their mother. "Make sure you keep an eye on Don, too."
"Aww, don't worry, Widdle Donnywonny is safe with us."
Don socked the first twin in the stomach and kicked the second one in the shins. "I can take care of myself," he snapped. His sister laughed.
"We believe you," said the first twin hoarsely, doubled over in pain.
"Oh, I just remembered, guess what, Mom?" asked the second twin, suddenly recovering from his brother's kick. "Guess who we just saw on the subway?"
Harold slouched down in his seat so they wouldn't see him looking.
"Remember that black-haired kid back in the station? The one you karate-kicked through the barrier? Guess who it is?"
"Who?"
"Harold Plodder!"
"Oh, Mom, please let me go on the subway and see him, please Mom, please?" begged the girl.
"No, Winnie, you've already seen him, and I don't think he'd like it if people kept gawking at him like he was in the zoo." said her mother. "Is it really him? How do you know?"
"Asked him. Saw his scar too, it's shaped just like a star."
"Poor boy, no wonder he was there by himself, he was so polite when he asked how to get on the platform. Now I'm starting to wish I hadn't kicked him like that."
"Oh, who cares, I bet he was having fun, didn't you hear him screaming with joy?" said the first twin. "Anyway, do you think he remembers what That Guy looks like?"
"I forbid you to ask him, Ed," said their mother, sounding suddenly stern. "You better not remind him of that on his first day of school."
"Alright, alright, keep your pants on."
A whistle blew.
"Hurry, get on the subway!" cried their mother, and the three boys hurried through the doors. Their sister started bawling.
"Stop it, Winnie, you're embarrassing us," moaned the first twin, leaning out the window. "We'll send you lots of letters."
"We'll send you the banister of a Pigzits staircase."
"GORDY!"
"Just kidding." he said quickly.
The subway began to move. Faster and faster it went, and the boys' sister was running trying to catch up to it, until she gave up and waved. A moment later the subway turned a corner and the station disappeared.
The youngest red-haired boy walked over to Harold. "Is anyone sitting here?" he asked, pointing to the seat opposite Harold. "All the other seats are taken."
"Nope," said Harold. The boy sat down and looked away, apparently trying not to stare.
"Hey Don! DON!" The twins came running down the aisle and skidded to a stop next to Don and Harold.
"Just wanted to let you know, we're going to the other end of the subway to see that giant cockroach our friend just caught." said the first twin. He turned to Harold. "Oh, and by the way, hi Harold. I'm Ed, and this is my bro Gordy. And that's Don. Well, see you!" And they were off.
"Idiots," said Don. He looked at Harold, and blurted out, "Are you really Harold Plodder?"
"Unfortunately," muttered Harold.
"Oh. Well, I guess they're not kidding, then," said Don, looking embarrassed. "They always joke about everything."
He kept staring at Harold. Harold sighed.
"You want to see my scar, don't you?" he guessed.
"Very much," said Don.
Harold pushed his hair back and Don gasped.
"Wow! It really is a star!" he exclaimed. "Some people were insisting that it was a lightning bolt, no idea where they got that from." He paused, and then said, "Do you remember anything?"
"Not really," said Harold. "All I remember is lots of green light."
"Cool!" said Don.
"Is your whole family magical?" asked Harold.
"I think…" he hesitated. "I think Mom has a second cousin who's a bank teller, but she never brings him up, so in theory, yes." He paused again. "So, do you really live with Shmuggles?"
"Yes," said Harold. "It sucks. They're terrible…well, not all Shmuggles, but the ones I live with are. Wish I had three wizard brothers."
"I have five, not three," said Don gloomily. "Billy and Charles already left Pigzits. Billy was Head Boy and Charles was captain of his Quippish team. Now perfect Henry is a prefect. Ed and Gordy love to goof off all the time, but they still do well in school. I never get anything new, I just get everyone's hand-me-downs. I've got Billy's robes, Charles's wand, and Henry's rat."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a fat brown rat.
"This is Scratchers. He's my useless pet. Dad got Henry an owl for being made a prefect - just another ego booster - but he couldn't affo - uh, I got Scratchers instead." His ears went red and he looked out the window.
Harold didn't think there was anything wrong with being poor, so he started telling Don all about what the Durskeys gave him for clothes and didn't give him for presents. After a few minutes, Don looked more cheerful.
"…and until Hagger told me, I had no idea that Pigzits or wizards or Moldywart even existed…"
Don gasped, then collapsed in a fit of giggles.
"It's not funny," mumbled Harold.
"No, no," choked Don, sitting back up again. "I would never laugh at that. It's just…you said That Guy's name!"
"Sorry," said Harold, "I just never knew that people don't say it. See what I mean? I bet I stink at everything when I get to Pigzits!"
"You won't stink," said Don. "A lot of witches and wizards come from Shmuggle families, and they keep up no problem."
They had left Boston now, and as Harold looked out the window he saw huge fields full of cows. As far as he knew, they should still be able to see the city.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"No idea," said Don absentmindedly. He put Scratchers on the seat next to him, and began bouncing. Each time he came back down on the seat, Scratchers bounced higher and higher.
"You kids want to buy anything?" said a voice suddenly. Don yelped and jumped a foot above his seat. When he came back down, Scratchers was catapulted off the cushion and into Harold's lap. Harold forced himself not to scream and looked up. A plump witch with a food cart was standing in the aisle next to their seats.
"I've got sandwiches," mumbled Don, taking Scratchers back from Harold, but Harold said "YES!" Jumping up, he took his money out of his pocket and prepared to buy every Snickers bar he saw…but the woman didn't have Snickers bars. What she had were Birdy Blott's Every Flavor Gummies, Scrooble's Best Bubble Gum, Chocolate Hogs, Peppermint Pasties, Caramel Cakes, Twizzler Wands, and a bunch of other outrageous things that Harold had never even heard of. Harold took out a pile of coins from his money bag and bought a bunch of everything.
"Holy crap!" said Don as Harold staggered back to his seat, carrying more than what his arms were capable of. He let the sweets fall onto the seat and sat down.
"Um…I guess you're hungry?" said Don tentatively.
"I could eat a pig," said Harold, trying to decide what to taste first.
"Good thing you bought Chocolate Hogs, then," said Don. He pulled a lumpy looking sandwich out of his pocket and groaned. "She always forgets that I hate tuna."
"Then have some sweets!" offered Harold. "Come on, pick whatever you like!"
"Well, okay then," said Don, and he and Harold dug in. A balloon of happiness was swelling inside Harold as he shared his cakes and candies with Don. He had never been able to share with anyone before, and now he could.
"Try a Chocolate Hog!" said Don a little bit later. "You did say you could eat a pig."
"They're not really pigs, are they?" asked Harold.
"Of course not, that would be disgusting!" said Don. "They have some sort of charm on them to make them act like a pig, and they have famous wizard cards inside them."
Harold unwrapped the Chocolate Hog and picked up the card. It featured an old man with half-moon glasses, silver hair pulled back into a ponytail, a braided silver beard, rainbow tie-dye robes, and a rainbow peace sign hanging from his neck by a gold chain. Underneath the picture was the name Albert Dunderbore.
"This is Dunderbore?" asked Harold incredulously. "He looks like a hippie!"
"He is a hippie," said Don. "But that doesn't matter. Look on the back."
Harold turned the card over and read:
Albert Dunderbore
Currently Headmaster of Pigzits
Dunderbore is considered to be the greatest wizard of modern times. He is famous for defeating the Dark wizard Spindlewald in 1945, for discovering the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and for his work on alchemy with his partner, Nick Sleighbell. Professor Dunderbore is a well-known hippie. He lives in a yurt when he is not at Pigzits and enjoys collecting lava lamps of all shapes and sizes.
Harold was laughing as he turned the card back over, but it stopped abruptly when he looked at the front again. "He's gone!"
"Well, he can't sit in a Chocolate Hog card all day, he's got plenty of crap to do." said Don. He glanced at the pile of Chocolate Hogs. "Um…can I…"
"Help yourself," said Harold. "You know, in the Shmuggle world, people just stay in the photos."
"That's really weird." mumbled Don, biting the head off a hog. "And be careful with those," he warned as Harold picked up a box of Every Flavor Gummies. "They really mean every flavor. They have all the normal flavors, but then they have things like tree bark, grasshopper, and plastic."
Despite his warnings, Don joined Harold in eating the Every Flavor Gummies. Harold got bran muffin, corn, mashed potato, grape, kiwi, salt, leaf, and even tried a weird brown one that Don tried to grab from him, which turned out to be dog poop.
The sound of footsteps made them look up. Harold was still retching. A round-faced, slightly fat boy was standing in the aisle, looking miserable.
"Have you seen a toad anywhere?" he asked.
"Nope," said Don, chewing a Twizzler wand.
"Oh," said the boy. "Well, if you do, tell me."
"Mmmhmm," said Don. The boy left.
"Hagger told me that kids with toads get teased," gasped Harold, holding his stomach.
"Hagger was right, then," mumbled Don around the Twizzler wand. "I wouldn't be caught dead with a toad, but I brought Scratchers, so I shouldn't talk. Look, he looks like he's dead!"
The rat was still sleeping on the seat next to Don.
"Ed gave me a spell to turn him yellow," he said, "but it didn't work. Too bad. He would have been more interesting if he was another color. Here, I'll try it again."
He pulled out his wand, cleared his throat, and opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment, a girl with bushy brown hair and large front teeth came over to their seats.
"Hey you people! Have you seen a toad anywhere?" she said loudly. "Nelson's lost one." She sounded extremely bossy.
"He already came over," said Harold, but she was staring at Don's wand.
"Oh, magic! Yay, can I see?" she asked, and without waiting for an answer, she plopped down on the seat next to Don.
"Oh…uh…yeah," said Don, going red in the face. Harold grinned.
"Well, come on, Don, show her what you've got!" he said. Don gave him a look, and cleared his throat.
"Sunlight, waffles, buttercup,
Turn him yellow or I'll throw up!"
He jabbed the wand angrily, but nothing happened. The girl rolled her eyes.
"That's not a real spell!" she snapped. "I came over here expecting to see real magic, not a made-up rhyming joke! I've tried a few easy spells and they've all worked fine. Maybe you should start with those instead of inventing your own! No one in my family is magic at all, I was so shocked and pleased when I got my letter, I've heard this place is the best school of magic ever…I've read all my course books and memorized them, I hope that'll be enough…I'm Heidi Grace, by the way. Who are you?"
She said all this so fast Harold felt dizzy. He looked at Don, and was relieved to see his bewildered expression. Apparently, he hadn't even thought of memorizing the course books, like Harold.
"I'm…uh…Don Weezy," he stammered.
"Harold Plodder," said Harold.
"Oh, wow! You are?" cried Heidi. "I've read so much about you! You're in Magical History of Modern Times and Actions Concerning the Dark Arts and Awesome Events That Took Place in the Twentieth Century."
"Great," said Harold. "More people are stalking me."
"You didn't know? My God, I'd have found out everything if it were me!"
"Well, that's your life motives, not Harold's," muttered Don. Heidi shot him a nasty look.
"Whatever. I'm going to help Nelson find his toad now!" she snapped. "And you two better change, I think we'll be arriving at Pigzits soon." And with that, she jumped up and walked back down the aisle.
"I knew that spell wasn't real!" Don burst out. "I'll bet Ed was laughing about this for a long time…"
"What House are your brothers in?" asked Harold.
"Diffindor," he said, suddenly sounding depressed. "Same with Mom and Dad. I sure hope I'm put there, too, imagine if I was put in Hisserin. And by the way, whatever House I'm in, I hope that girl's not in it."
"So what do your older brothers do when they're out of school?" said Harold, wanting to get Don back in a good mood.
"Charles is in Colorado researching dragons, and Billy's in California doing something for Stringotts." said Don. "Hey - did you hear about what happened at Stringotts? Someone tried to break into a high-security vault!"
"No, I didn't hear about that, I've been with the Shmuggles!" said Harold, shocked. "What happened to them?"
"Nothing," said Don. "That's why everyone's talking about it. It was probably a Dark wizard to get past all those goblins, but they didn't manage to take anything. People panic when they hear stuff like this 'cause they think it's That Guy's fault."
Harold was starting to feel uneasy every time someone said That Guy. He thought it was a lot easier saying Moldywart, even though the name caused people to laugh.
"What Quippish team do you support?" Don asked suddenly.
"Um…I don't know, remember? Shmuggles?" said Harold in an irritated voice.
"Oh, yeah, well, just wait until you see it! It's the best sport in the world!" And he started talking nonstop, explaining the rules of the game and the positions of the players. He was just telling Harold what kind of broomstick he'd like to have if he had the money when three people suddenly came up to them, and it wasn't Nelson or Heidi this time. Harold recognized the boy in the middle as the kid he'd seen in Miss Falcon's in Dragon Alley.
"Aha!" said the boy, pointing at Harold. "All the kids at the other end of the car keep saying that Harold Plodder is here. And it's you, isn't it?"
"Yeah," said Harold. He glanced at the other two boys. Both of them reminded him of Spudley, for they were huge, mean, and looked stupid. The middle boy noticed his look.
"Oh, sorry," he drawled. "This is Krabby, and this is Boyle. And I'm Snalfoy. Drake Snalfoy."
Don put his hand over his mouth. Harold looked at him curiously. He seemed to be having some kind of fit. All of a sudden, he burst into peals of laughter, smacking the seat next to him with his fist.
"Hey!" snapped Snalfoy. "My name is not funny! STOP LAUGHING!" he roared, but Don wasn't listening. Now Harold was laughing too, finding the whole situation hilarious.
"Well, you know what I think is funny?" Snalfoy snarled. "The fact that every Weezy I've seen so far managed to show up with all their supplies!"
That shut both Don and Harold up. Don looked down at his feet, his ears red. Snalfoy smirked and turned to Harold.
"Some wizarding families are better than others," he said quietly. "If I were you, I wouldn't go making friends with these kind of people. I can help you get the right people on your side." He held out a hand, but Harold just looked at him coldly.
"I think I'm able to make decisions on my own, thank you very much," he replied. And he reached out and pinched Snalfoy's hand as hard as he could.
"OW!" screamed Snalfoy, jumping up and down and waving his hand. "OW OW OWEEEE!" he glared at Harold and Don through his tantrum and yelled, "Get them, Krabby and Boyle!"
The two fat boys advanced menacingly, but Harold stepped forward. "You'd better back off or I'll pinch you too!" he growled angrily, his voice sounding braver than he really felt. Don gave Harold a look that plainly said, are you crazy? But before anyone could make a move, Boyle howled in pain.
"Wow, Harold!" said Don. "How did you manage to pinch him without touching him?"
"I'm not doing anything!" said Harold indignantly. They both looked at Boyle's hand, which he was waving through the air just like Snalfoy, and saw Scratchers the rat hanging on for dear life.
"Yay! Go Scratchers!" cried Don through Boyle's screams. Scratchers managed to hold on for a few more seconds, and then he was flung towards the window. The three boys scampered away without looking back. Almost immediately, Heidi Grace was back.
"What the hell has been going on in here?" she yelled. "You're making lots of noise, you know!"
"Oh, really?" said Harold, crouching down on the floor next to where Scratchers landed. "Is he okay?" he asked Don.
"Um…he looks dead to me…no, wait! He's sleeping!" cried Don. As Harold looked closer, he could see Don was right. The rat's chest was rising and falling and his eyes were closed. Don picked him up and put him back in his pocket. "So you've met Snalfoy before?" he asked Harold. Harold told the story of how he had met him in Miss Falcon's.
"He's a jerk, that's all there is too it," said Don. "His dad used to be a big supporter of That Guy, and my dad didn't believe him when he said he had been bewitched to follow him." He turned to Heidi. "Now what do you want?"
"I want you to get changed!" she hissed. "People have been running up and down the aisles and it's giving me a headache."
"Okay, we'll get changed," said Harold. "Would you mind leaving, now?"
"Fine," she snapped. "I wouldn't like to see you two naked! And you, Don, get that smear of dirt off your chin!"
Don gave the finger to her retreating back, and he and Harold quickly changed into their purple Pigzits robes.
A voice echoed through the subway. "We will reach Pigzits in five minutes. Leave all your luggage on the subway, it will be taken to the school separately."
Harold felt sick with nerves, and he could tell Don felt the same way, but they still crammed their pockets with the rest of the sweets.
Finally, the subway stopped. People pushed and shoved, trying to get out the doors first, Snalfoy, Krabby, and Boyle among them. Harold and Don came out last, looking around at the small, dark platform. A lamp bobbed ahead of them, and Harold heard a familiar voice.
"First years! First years this way! C'mon, now…Oh, hi Harold!" Hagger cried suddenly, waving the lantern up and down. "Now, let's go, just follow me, and DON'T PUSH, FOR GOD'S SAKES!"
They followed Hagger down a winding, narrow path. Hagger, leading the front of the line, called out, "Yeh'll be seeing Pigzits in a mo', lookie there!"
There was a loud "Ooooo!" as they turned a corner, and several boys yelled, "AWESOME!" Harold could see a giant castle with lots of turrets and towers sitting atop a mountain. Separating the castle from the first years was a giant lake.
"No more than four to a boat, now, come on!" said Hagger, pointing to a fleet of little rowboats next to the dock. Harold and Don were joined by Nelson and Heidi.
"Everyone not drowning?" called Hagger, sitting in a boat all by himself. "Okey dokey then…FORWARD!"
The boats started to move across the lake. There were no waves to bump over, and the ride was quite smooth. Harold stared up at the looming castle, looking bigger and bigger as they got closer and closer.
"DUCK!" roared Hagger, and everyone bent down as the boats traveled through a hole in the cliff face; they seemed to be going through a passageway, and Harold guessed they were under the school. Finally, they arrived at some sort of underground harbor. Everyone clambered out of the boats and stood close together, shivering, as Hagger checked the boats for any misplaced possessions. Or animals.
"Hey, someone left a toad in here!" he called suddenly, holding up a brown, lumpy amphibian.
"Warty!" cried Nelson. Several kids sniggered as he ran forward and took the toad, cradling it in his arms. Hagger then led the way up another small passageway, which came out on the grass in front of the great castle. Then they went up the stone steps until they were all crowded around the huge, oak doors.
"Did I lose anyone?" he called. "Is everyone there and ready? And you there, don't lose that toad again!"
He turned around, raised a giant fist, and knocked three times on the castle doors.
Hahaha! I just love writing this story! Now REVIEW, OR I WILL PINCH YOUR HAND! I wonder how Harold learned how to pinch like that...the world may never know! XD