Nina's Destiny

More Lockhart and Mudbloods

The next morning, Harry filled me in on how he and Ron drove a flying car to school. I didn't think the detention was enough, so I slapped him upside the head. I did the same to Ron. When the mail came, Skittles swooped in and stole an English muffin. She perched on my shoulder to eat it. I scratched the top of her head. The Weasley family owl made a crash landing in Hermione's jug of pumpkin juice. I made a face as some landed on me. I hate juice with a burning passion. At camp, when I ordered water for breakfast, everyone looked at me funny. I told them that juice was tasted worse than a skunk smelled. No one ever questioned my ways again.

"Errol," said Ron, pulling the now dripping owl from the jug. Skittles mentally laughed and I berated her through our link. She stopped immediately when I threatened to feed her actual owl pellets for a week. Ron pulled a red letter from the owl. All of the people who were raised by wizards looked terrified. I was confused until Neville whispered in my ear what it was. Ron was stupid to fly the car to school, but I thought Mrs. Weasley was the one stepping out of line when she decided to embarrass her son in front of the whole school. That was uncalled for. It was even worse when she dragged Harry into it. It's bad enough publicly embarrassing your own child, but to bring someone else's into it is just wrong.

Ron opened the Howler-STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY HAD EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TIL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHEN YOUR FATHER AND I SAW IT WAS GONE, 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 HOME.

Everyone was staring at Ron and Harry. I knew they deserved punishment, but that was plain cruel. I looked at Fred and George. They had this look on their faces that told me this wasn't the first time Mrs. Weasley had done something like this. I growled and Neville looked at me funny. I waved him off. One look at Vati and Lav told me they agreed with me. Not even Ares was that bad. Hermione told Ron and Harry how they deserved that. No they did not, brillante una.

When Professor McGonagall gave us our schedules, we saw we had Herbology with the Hufflepuffs first. Lav, Vati, and I raced each other to the greenhouses. Lockhart was giving Sprout a lecture on how to properly care for a Whomping Willow. "Fa quell'idiota mai smettere vantarsi?" I asked Lav and Vati. Lavender giggled and I realized I'd said the phrase in Italian I had gotten so mad. I had been doing really good on not switching to other languages too. "I meant, 'Does that idiot ever stop bragging?"

The girls giggled and Neville just shook his head. "We'll be in Greenhouse 3 today, chaps," Professor Sprout said in a faux cheery voice. Only Lav, Vati, Nev, Harry, Hermione, and I had noticed the grumpiness. People are so unobservant. The Slytherins aren't, though. Lockhart asked to borrow Harry and before Professor Sprout or Harry could complain, had whisked the poor boy away. Once again, poor, poor Harry.

We were working with mandrakes today. That's the most dangerous plant we've worked with yet! When asked what mandrakes were, Hermione gave the perfect dictionary definition. You don't learn anything unless you can put it in your own words, and you don't know anything well unless you can teach it to someone else without confusing them. Hermione just confused half of this class. When Harry walked in, we broke off into pairs. Lav and Neville worked together and I worked with Vati. I had purple earmuffs, Lav had bright yellow, Nev had a fluffy, pink pair, and Vati had a blood red set. We set to work. I pulled the thing out, Vati grabbed it and put it in her pot, and we both started shoveling dirt on top of it. Neville's ear muffs were not completely on and the shrill shriek rendered him unconscious. Professor Sprout just left him there and Lav came to work with Vati and me. By the end of class, all the mandrakes were repotted and everyone was fully awake.