Saving Us

14 : Year 2

The day finally came, I'm going back to Hogwarts. I was so happy to be going back to Hogwarts, and seeing my friends again. Mum and dad took off a day of work to come and see me off. As we go through the wall, I spot Hermione and her parents. I quickly go over to them.
"Hermione!" I call out to her. She turns around and smiles big. We hug each other.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Granger." I greeted them. Mum, dad and Mills come over and greet them as well. The train horn went off which meant it was time to get on. Hermione I say a final goodbye to our parents and then got on the train. We began looking for Harry and Ron but they were nowhere to be found so we just sat in a empty compartment.
"Where are they?" Hermione asked, looking out the door. I sigh. I get up and grab her robe and pulled her in closing the door. I sit her down and sit back down.
"Hermione, calm down," I say as she looks out the window.
"The train hasn't gone yet, and I'm sure they're just in the loo." She sighs. As the train started, she started to panic.
"They've missed it." She said. I shake my head. I see Fred, George and Lee Jordan pass by. I quickly get up and open the door.
"Fred! George!" I call out to them. They stop and look at me.
"Have you have seen Harry and Ron?" I asked. They look at each other and shake their heads no.
"They were with us before we went through the wall." Fred said.
"They're probably somewhere in here." George said. I smile at them and they leave. I go back in the compartment and sit back down.
"I'm sure they're fine." I said. I look at the ground nervously. I have a bad feeling about this.

Finally, we had gotten to Hogwarts, but there was no sign of Harry or Ron. Hermione was getting really worried but I kept telling her everything was fine. Soon the sorting began, Ginny got into Gryffindor, which meant the whole Weasley family were Gryffindors. People have been saying that Harry and Ron were being expelled because they crashed a flying car. Once the feast was over, I go with Hermione to look for Harry and Ron, but we decide to go to the Gryffindor common room and see if they're there. As we got up the stair by the common room we see Harry and Ron outside the portrait, waiting. We look at each other in relief, we run over to them. They turn around.
"There you are! Where have you been? The most ridiculous rumors - someone said you'd been expelled for crashing a flying car -"
"Well, we haven't been expelled." Harry assured her.
"You actually flew here?" I asked amazed. They nod happily.
"Enough!" Hermione said and we stopped.
"Do you -"
"Skip the lecture," Ron said.
"Just tell us the new password."
"It's 'wattlebird,'" Hermione said impatiently.
"But that's not the point -" She was cut off by the portrait swinging open and there was a sudden storm of clapping. I smiled. I look as though the whole Gryffindor House was still awake, packed into the circular common room, standing on the lopsided tables and squashy armchairs, waiting for Harry and Ron to arrive. They reached out and pulled Harry and Ron inside, leaving me and Hermione to scramble in after them.
"Brilliant!" Lee Jordan yelled.
"Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow, people'll be talking about that one for years -"
"Good for you," A fifth year said to Harry. I shake my head and chuckle. Fred and George pushed their way to the front of the crowd.
"Why couldn't we've come in the car, eh?" They asked together. Ron was scarlet, grinning embarrassedly. Harry had nudged Ron in the rib and nodded in the far corner. Percy was there and he looked as though he was about to tell everyone off. I waved goodbye to Ron, Hermione and Harry and leave the common room.

The next morning, me, Harry, Hermione and Ron sat at the Gryffindor table, we were all eating, Hermione was reading her copy of Voyages with Vampires. She was still mad at Ron and Harry. Neville on the other hand was still quite cheerful about it.
"Mail's due any minute - I think Gran's sending a few things I forgot." Neville said. Just then, there was a rushing sound overhead and a hundred or so owls steamed in, circling the hall and dropping letters and packages into the chattering crowd. I spotted Milly and she had a package. She drops it and it landed in front of my food. I thank her and she flys off. I open the package and it was my favourite book signed by my favourite author. A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby. I squealed hugging the book. I read the note and apparently Mills said that he got it signed by him a while ago but forgot to give it to me. I shake my head and chuckle. Silly Mills.
"Errol!" I heard Ron said. I look up and see Ron pulling the bedraggled owl 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." I said, prodding Errol gently with the tip of my finger.
"It's not that - it's that." Ron said nervously, pointing at the red envelope. I look at him confused.
"What's the matter?" Harry asked.
"She's - she's sent me a Howler." Ron said faintly. I look at him confused.
"You'd better open it, Ron," Neville said 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 at their petrified faces.
"What's a Howler?" I asked. 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 his 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. A roar of sound filled the huge hall, shaking dust from the ceiling and pretty much scaring me.
"- 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 -" Mrs. Weasley's yells, 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 gotten 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 - 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. We all sat there stunned, as though a tidal wave had just passed over us. A few people laughed and, gradually, a babble of talk broke out again.
"That..." I trailed off.
"Was amazing!" I said excitedly. I want one! Hermione closed her book 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," Ron snapped. Harry pushed his porridge away. He must feel bad. Professor McGonagall was moving along Gryffindor table, handing out course schedules. She handed me mine and I had History of Magic with the Ravenclaws. I left to the History of Magic classroom and Ron, Harry, Hermione headed to Herbology with the Hufflepuffs. As I got to the room, someone bumps into me.
"Watch it, mudblood." I hear Parkinson said. I roll my eyes and ignore her. I sat down on one of the empty chairs. I take the book Mills got signed for me and start reading.
"Got a new book, Backenter?" I hear Malfoy ask. I roll my eyes.
"What's it to you?" I asked, not looking away from my book. He sits down next to me.
"You know you should be nicer to me." He says. My head snaps towards him.
"And why is that?" I asked.
"I could have told Professor Snape that you punch Parkinson first." He said. I shake my head.
"I've also have given you things when I really didn't need too, and what do I get in return? Nothing but you being rude to me." I frown at him.
"I never asked you to do those things." I said.
"Then I never will." He said. I nod my head.
"That's fine with me." I said.
"Fine." Malfoy said rudely.
"Fine." I said it back.
"Fine." He said.
"Fine." I said getting louder.
"Fine." He said louder.
"Fine!" I yelled. Professor Binns shushed us.