It's Just a Cat
Chapter 4
Days turned into weeks and weeks into months as the first school break was approaching at a snail's pace. For the first time since arriving at Hogwarts, the clocks seemed to be moving backward. Next week was Christmas break and she was looking forward to no school and no homework. And, on the first weekend of break, she was going to stay with Lily at her house. They were going to shop in London for Christmas presents and take tea in Picadilly. Her mother would pick her up at Lily's and take her home to Texas for the remainder of the holiday. It was going to be perfect.
In the meantime, she was bored out of her mind. Bored, bored, bored. She was resting her head on her fist to keep it from bobbing. Someone towards the back of the room was snoring and Rose would bet it was Sirius. She would have giggled but it would have taken too much energy. She had no energy to spare at that precise moment.
The room was stifling hot, and other than soft snoring, no other sound could be heard, except the monotone droning of Professor Binns.
"Godrick the Short was held in Tilshalk from June of 1705 to March of 1715. He was released after the Battle of Dodish and lived briefly as a free man until he was taken prisoner again in April of 1715."
She couldn't imagine anyone would name a goblin 'the short', or at least not within their hearing. A low buzzing reverberated from the back of the classroom. It grew louder and louder, gathering the attention of the students as their heads pivoted to find the source of the noise. Shots of sparkling yellow lights flew over their heads, bursting into more and more lights, Rose thought it was fireworks, but they kept spreading and spreading instead of fizzling out. Ah, magic fireworks.
Professor Binns didn't notice the noise, the lights, or the students as they ducked their heads to avoid getting burned. Severus didn't move or flinch, but paid for this by his hair catching fire. Lily rolled out of her seat, and in a crouch, used her sleeve to pat out the fire in his hair. The students sitting behind him were laughing uproariously. Lily gave them a death glare.
Everyone was talking simultaneously, "Sevie's hair was on fire! Who sat off the Dr Filibusters? Look out! Here comes another one!"
Smoke was bellowing out of the dying fireworks. Professor Binns's ghostly form, which was difficult to see on a normal school day, was disappearing into the swirling smoke.
"Professor!" Lily called, then began to cough. "We need to evacuate the room."
The students were coughing and waving whatever they could find to try and dispel the smoke, but it was useless. Before the Professor could respond, they rushed to the door and began spilling out into the corridor, coughing and choking.
A grinning James and Sirius ran out to join the other students. James knocked his shoulder into Severus' and sent his books flying.
"Oh, sorry," James said, even though everyone knew he wasn't sorry in the least. Sirius laughed and together they ran down the hall.
"What a jerk!" Lily declared, then bent over to help Severus, whose jaw was clenched and his face flushed. Without a word of thanks, Severus snatched the books from her hands and stalked off.
Lily sighed and watched with something akin to pity as Severus stalked away but when she glanced back to Rose, she laughed. "You have dirt on your face."
"What? Where?" Rose began to rub her nose.
"Come on, we'll stop at the bathroom before Potions."
"I've never been so happy to get out of class."
"What?" Lily replied. "Don't you find the Goblin Wars fascinating?" Lily burst out laughing. "Had you going there, didn't I?"
Lily tucked her arm into Rose's as they chuckled and headed towards the girl's bathroom.