Rose Weasley and The Unfortunate Son of a Lunatic

Quidditch and Curses

"Are you staying up here for long?" she asked.

"Until I finish this probably," he said flipping through a rather thick portion of the comic.

"Okay, um, could you do me a favor and watch Max?"

"Why?" Asked Calvert suspiciously. "He's not doing anything interesting."

"Just, when he goes back to sleep, check now and then to make sure he's still breathing."

Max sat up abruptly. "Still breathing!" he exclaimed. "Why wouldn't I still be breathing?"

"You're fine, Max," she assured him not being too sure herself. "Just watch him okay?" she added to Calvert before getting up to head out.

"I can't sleep when I know someone is watching me!" Maddox called after her. "And thanks for the pleasant dreams you've just given me!"

She made it back to the Gryffindor table to hear the rush of wings that announced the morning post. Rose nodded to Al and Scorpius who had been waiting nervously, and they both collapsed against each other in relief.

"But that doesn't make any sense," said Al. "I'm pleased that he's not dead, and all, but no human could have survived bubbli pods, thirteen of them!"

"Maybe you had added the Rockshood," Rose suggested.

Al slid a small glass bottle that contained small fragments of white wood splinters across the table toward her. "The Rockshood was still in my robe pocket."

"For now, let's just be grateful that he's still alive," Scorpius reasoned.

Hundreds of owls came swooping down dropping packages, letters, and newspapers among the students. Fraunk received a package of sweets and candies and get well cards, most likely from his grandma. Since the event of yesterday with the singamigig, Fraunk hadn't been able to speak calmly, the effects were wearing off, now if he wanted to talk, he would have to sing the words he wanted to say which most people found hysterical. They kept coming up behind Fraunk and making him angry so when he would turn to shout at them, his words would harmonize and become music; not in the slightest bit, off-putting. Fred and James did this more than anyone else, though.

Two emerald green envelopes fell in front of both Scorpius and Al and looking around the Slytherin table; identical envelopes fell in front of the others who had tried out for the Quidditch team.

"The results," said Scorpius looking at his letter. Al was finally distracted by the Quidditch results that he paused from his argument with Scorpius about the bubbli pods.

But their attention to their mail was interrupted by one red letter that fell between Fred and James. Rose recognized this as a howler, a letter that, parents mainly, could scream into, tie up, and send their own bellowing voice to the student.

The howler was addressed to both Fred and James and had George's, Fred's dad's, handwriting on the front. James opened it quickly because if he didn't, it would explode and the voice would echo to a hundred times its usual volume.

An eruption of noise came from the envelope making everyone in the hall turn. One boy spilled his oatmeal down his front when he jumped. First, Angelina, Fred's mother's, voice sounded.

"FRED WEASLEY! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? HOW DARE YOU TEST THE TABLET ON ANOTHER STUDENT! YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HIM!"

Then Ginny's voice took over.

"JAMES, I THOUGHT YOU KNEW BETTER! I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED! WE GOT A LETTER FROM PROFESSOR DONIMA SAYING THAT YOU POISONED A SLYTHERIN BOY!"

"TELL HIM THAT IF HE DOESN'T-"