Chapter 10

Ronald Weasley And The Cake

The next day at Hogwarts Hall, an announcement over the loudspeaker brought the children to their attention.

Ms. Lestrange's voice boomed throughout the classrooms. "Attention all students! The entire school will head to the assembly room immediately!"

As Ms. Evans' class sat down in the assembly room with the rest of the students, Harriet leaned over to Hermione. "What do you think's going on?", she whispered.

"I don't know" Hermione whispered back. "But I don't like the looks of it."

Ms. Lestrange was standing in the center of the stage, tapping her riding crop in her hand. A small table with a covered plate was behind her. It was then that she spoke a single student's name:

"Ronald Weasley!"

Every student gasped and started whispering to each other. Ron's face had gone pale with nervousness.

A bone-chilling smile formed on Ms. Lestrange's sharp face. She beckoned Ron up to the stage with a single hand. "Would little Ronnie come up here, please?"

Ron reluctantly obeyed. When he was standing next to her, Ms. Lestrange spoke to the audience of curious students.

"This boy, Ronald Weasley, is none other than a vicious, slimy sneak-thief!" She turned her head to face the accused boy. "You're a disgusting rapscallion, aren't you, Weasley?"

Ron's pale, bespeckled face showed a look of confusion. A moment later, he had the courage to speak. "I - I'm sorry, Ms. Lestrange, but I don't understand what you're talking about."

Ms. Lestrange leaned in closer toward him. "Is that so?" Ron quickly nodded. "Well, what I'm speaking about, you brainless criminal, is cake. Chocolate cake! This morning, my personal slice of that chocolate cake was missing. After gathering enough information, I concluded that you were the one who slithered into the school kitchen like a starving serpent, and ate that very slice!" She angrily slapped the riding crop on the small table, then pointed it at the trembling redhead. "Well?! Do you deny it, or do you confess? And I advise you to think very clearly about what words leave your mouth, Weasley!"

"Well….", Ron began. "It's hard for me to remember a specific chocolate cake. I mean, my mum makes cake sometimes, too…"

"Oh, she does, does she?" Ms Lestrange replied. "Well, this cake was mine. And it was the most scrumptious cake anyone ever had."

Ron spoke up again. "Mum's cake is good, too, I'll bet."
The students gasped in shock. It was extremely rare for any student to do what Ms. Lestrange would consider as "backtalk"

But Ms. Lestrange merely said, "Oh, you think so, don't you? How can you be sure unless you have another piece of mine?" Then she took Ron by the back of his shirt and forced him to sit at the table. "Sit down, Weasel!"Once Ron was seated, Ms. Lestrange lifted the cover on the plate, revealing a large, delicious looking piece of chocolate cake. She snatched up a large kitchen knife. Ron gulped. Everyone was certain that the poor boy was going to get it now. But instead of using it on him, Ms. Lestrange used the knife to pick up the slice of cake. "Smells quite chocolatey, doesn't it?", she asked. Ron nodded. Then she flipped the slice into his hand. "Now eat it!"

Ron may not be the best at most things, but he was no fool. And now he was certain that nothing good would come out of this. He looked at Ms. Lestrange and said, "Um, n-no thank you. I'm not hungry."

Unfortunately, she was having none of that. Ms. Lestrange leaned in closer and yelled "EAT IT!"

Needless to say, the students were also certain this wouldn't end well

"Don't eat it!", whispered Hermione.

"She wouldn't just give him cake.", Seamus muttered to his friend Dean

"It must be poisoned or something.", Parvati mumbled to her sister Padma.

Both Fred and George whispered to each other:

"Something's up."

"For sure."

Eventually, Ron took a small piece from the slice and slowly started to eat it. Surprisingly, nothing tasted out of the order. It was just a normal slice of chocolate cake. With that, he ate the rest, a little more relaxed now. Once he finished it off, he licked the chocolate icing off his fingertips.

Ms. Lestrange smiled and said, "You looked like you enjoyed that, Ronnie!"

Ron nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Perhaps you'd like some more?"

"Oh, um, no thank you. I think I'm full."

Her smile seemed to get a little bigger. "But you don't want to hurt the cooks feelings, now do you?" Then, Ms. Lestrange called out "Mr. Black! Mr. Lupin!"

Two men in aprons walked out onto the stage carrying a tray with a huge chocolate cake! From the look on the men's faces, it was clear they would rather be anywhere else than here.
As Mr. Lupin carefully tied a napkin around Ron's neck (while Mr. Black whispered "Sorry, we have no choice!"), Ms Lestrange explained. "These two nice cooks made this cake just for you to have on your very own!"

"More like she forced us to do so!", Mr. Black muttered bitterly.

Luckily, Ms. Lestrange didn't hear him. "Their sweat and blood went into this cake, andyou, Ronald Weasley, will not leave this platform until you've consumed the entire confection!"

Mr. Black handed Ron a large fork, whispered "Good luck", and left to join Mr. Lupin.

"You, wanted cake, you got cake!", Ms. Lestrange growled. "Now eat it!"

As Ron ate chunks of the gooey homemade cake, all the students could only watch. Slowly but surely, the cake got smaller and smaller. Unfortunately, even kids like Ron don't have bottomless pits for stomachs. Soon, he began to slow down. Eventually, he seemed to stop.

Ms. Lestrange grinned a cruel grin. "Give up?"

Hermione looked away. "Oh, no. He's going to be sick. I can't look." She glanced at Harriet, who couldn't look away. "Is he going to sick up?", Hermione asked.
"Without a doubt.", Harriet responded.
As she watched Ms. Lestrange taunting Ron, Harriet decided that enough was enough. If no one was going to help him, then she might as well start the fire. She stood up from her chair and shouted, "Come on, Ron! You can do it!"

Everyone turned in their seats. Ms. Lestrange was shocked. Before she could silence the child, Fred and George stood up, too.

"Yeah, keep going, little brother!"

"You can make it! You're almost there!"

This seemed to inspire more students to get up and do the same. Soon the whole assembly was on their feet loudly cheering, "RON! RON! RON! RON!"

"ENOUGH! STOP! SILENCE!", Ms. Lestrange screamed. But not even her own commands could stop the cheering and clapping. Ron stood up, grabbed a piece of the cake in his hand and shoved it in his mouth. Then he grabbed the glass plate on the tray and started licking up the rest of it. His face and the napkin was covered in frosting and cake, but he barely cared as he held the empty plate over his head, cheering and screaming along with his fellow students. Having enough with all the disruption, Ms. Lestrange grabbed the plate and brought it down on Ron's head. It shattered to pieces with a terrible CRASH!

The students immediately stopped cheering and sat down. All Ron did was give a tremendous BELLLCHH! The children laughed, but Ms. Lestrange yelled "Shut up! The entire assembly will stay five hours after class and copy from the dictionary! ANY children who object will go straight into the Chokey TOGETHER!" She stormed off, holding a dazed Ron by his sleeve.