Chris's POV

I opened my eyes blearily as sunlight streamed into the Gryffindor's girl dormitory room. I sat up to see that Hermione had already gone down to breakfast but Parvati Patil and

Lavender Brown were still bustling around getting ready for the day.

"Mornin'," I yawned wearily. Lavender and Parvati looked startled to be addressed and just gave me a slight awkward nod. I rolled out of bed slowly and started pulling my robes out of my trunk. I got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. I looked for bushy-brown hair and found Hermione sitting next to two boys. One was redheaded, probably Ron Weasley, and stuffing his mouth. The other was a cute skinny boy with messy black hair and glasses. As I drew closer, the skinny boy made eye contact with me and my heart skipped a beat. Then my eyes found the lightning-shaped-scar on his forehead and realized he was Harry Potter.

"Hey Hermione," I said. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Sure," she replied brightly. "Chris, these are my friends Ron and Harry."

"Nice to meet you," I said with a smile, my cheeks dusting with pink when Harry smiled back.

"Nice to meet you to," Harry replied while Ron said something with mouth full that was incomprehensible, earning him a look of disgust from Hermione. A great many flapping of wings overhead alerted me to the arrival of the mail. I didn't expect anything as I haven't sent a letter home yet.

A big, lumpy package bounced off Neville's head and, a second later, something large and gray fell into Hermione's jug, spraying them all with milk and feathers.

"Enrol!" said Ron, pulling the bedraggled owl out by the feet. Errol slumped, unconscious, onto the table, his legs in the air and a damp red envelope in his beak.

"Oh, no -" Ron gasped.

"It's all right, he's still alive," said Hermione, prodding Errol gently with the tip of her finger.

"It's not that - it's that."

Ron was pointing at the red envelope. It looked like a regular envelope to me, but Ron and Neville were both looking at it as though they expected it to explode.

"What's the matter?" said Harry.

"She's - she's sent me a Howler," said Ron faintly.

"You'd better open it, Ron," said Neville in a timid whisper. "It'll be worse if you don't My gran sent me one once, and I ignored it and" - he gulped - "it was horrible."

I looked from their petrified faces to the red envelope.

"What's a Howler?" Harry said.

But Ron's whole attention was fixed on the letter, which had begun to smoke at the corners.

"Open it," Neville urged. "It'll all be over in a few minutes -"

Ron stretched out a shaking hand, eased the envelope from Errol's beak, and slit it open. Neville stuffed his fingers in his ears. A split second later, I knew why. I thought for a moment it had exploded; a roar of sound fiIled the huge hall, shaking dust from the ceiling.

"STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE -"

Ron's mom yelled, a hundred times louder than usual, made the plates and spoons rattle on the table, and echoed deafeningly off the stone walls. People throughout the hall were swiveling around to see who had received the Howler, and Ron sank so low in his chair that only his crimson forehead could be seen.

"- LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED -"

I personally thought that this was an overreaction, nobody got hurt so what was the big deal.

"-ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED - YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME."

A ringing silence fell. The red envelope, which had dropped from Ron's hand, burst into flames and curled into ashes. Harry and Ron sat stunned, as though a tidal wave had just passed over them. A few people laughed and, gradually, a babble of talk broke out again.

Hermione closed Voyages with Vampires and looked down at the top of Ron's head.

"Well, I don't know what you expected, Ron, but you -"

"Don't tell me I deserved it," snapped Ron.

"I don't think you deserved that, it seems like an overreaction to me," I said grabbing a piece of toast and buttering it.

"Thank you, Chris was it," he replied.

"Yeah," I said. 'You're welcome."

As I was eating, Professor McGonagall walked around and handed out schedules. I looked to see that I had Herbology with the Hufflepuffs first. I stayed at breakfast a little longer than Hermione and the others. After they left Cassandra came over and sat by me.

"Ugh, Slytherin sucks," Cassandra said irritably. "They're a bunch of racist pigs."

"So I'm assuming you didn't make any new friends," I said between mouthfuls of oatmeal.

"Yeah, all the girls hate me and I'm not good with guy friends."

"Why do they hate you?"

"They hate me cause I'm beautiful," Cassandra sang that last part. I laughed.

"I'm serious all the other girls in Slytherin are super ugly." Cassandra said. I glanced over to the Slytherin table to see a large and rather unattractive girl glaring at Cassandra.

"Huh, you're right," I said. "Those girls are definitely glaring at you."

"At least I get my own room," Cassandra sighed.

"What!?" I exclaimed. "Lucky you, I have to sleep in a dorm room." I said enviously.

"Well you don't have to worry about your roommates strangling you in your sleep,: Cassandra replied. "This one pug-faced girl flexes her hands and stares at my neck every time she looks at me. It would scare me if I couldn't hex her into oblivion."

"I should go to class" I said as I saw the majority of the hall was already empty.

"Ok, see you at lunch and in potions," Cassandra said.

"Bye," I said before getting up and walking to the entrance of the Great Hall. As I was walking I bumped into Ginny, knocking her books out of her hands.

"I'm so sorry," I said. "Here, let me help you." I picked up a small black book that had fallen on the floor a foot away.

"No it's okay," Ginny said shyly and she quickly picked up all her books and dashed off.

"Wait!" I called after her, but to no avail. "I'll just give it to her later." I placed the book in my bag and walked to class, barely making it in time.