Magic? || Years 1-5

Screaming Egg: Year 4

Harry looked positively terrified, the egg closed. It seemed that Hermione had shielded her from vision rather quickly, as no one in the room looked at her except for Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"What was that?" Seamus stared at the egg. "Sounded like a banshee... maybe you've got to get past one of those next, Harry!"

"It was someone being tortured! You're going to have to fight the Cruciatus Curse!" Neville shrieked, sausage rolls falling to the floor.

"Don't be a prat, Neville, that's illegal. They wouldn't use the Cruciatus Curse on the champions," He trailed off thoughtfully. "I thought it sounded a bit like Percy singing... maybe you've got to attack him while he's in the shower, Harry."

"Want a jam tart, Hermione?" Fred asked suddenly, appearing with a tray of said desserts.

Hermione retracted herself from Amisty, still keeping her out of the mischievous twins gaze as she stared at the tray.

"It's all right," He grinned. "I haven't done anything to them. It's the custard creams you've got to watch -- "

Neville choked, spitting out the bite of the custard cream he was about to eat.

At Amisty's weak laugh, Hermione deemed her recovered enough to not break apart, and hesitantly took two of the tarts.

Fred laughed as well, "Just my little joke, Neville..."

"Did you get all this from the kitchens, Fred?" Hermione asked innocently, biting into it and handing the other to Amisty, who nibbled on it hesitantly, her ears still ringing.

"Yep," He raised his voice a few octaves in the squeak of a house-elf. "'Anything we can get you, sir, anything at all!' They're dead helpful... get me a roast ox if I said I was peckish."

"How do get in there?" Hermione asked, just as casually as she had the first question, her eyes glinted, though.

"Easy, concealed door behind a painting of a bowl of fruit. Just tickle the pear, and it giggles and -- " He broke off suddenly, eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "Why?"

"Nothing," Hermione replied, far too quickly to be deemed nonsuspicious.

George slipped up to join them, looking faintly annoyed. "Going to try and lead the house-elves out on strike now, are you? Going to give up all the leaflet stuff and try and stir them up into rebellion?"

Hermione didn't reply as a few people nearby laughed.

"Don't you dare go upsetting them and telling them they've got to take clothes and salaries! You'll put them off their cooking!" Fred growled, his tone severe.

And then Neville turned into a canary. Amisty burst out laughing, almost dropping her tart.

"Oh -- sorry, Neville! I forgot -- it was the custard creams we hexed -- " Fred shouted.

A few seconds later, however, the feathers molted and Neville reappeared, bright pink and laughing.

"Canary Creams! George and I invited them -- seven Sickles each, a bargain!" Fred yelled out to the crowd.

Amisty grinned, shaking her head, and got to her feet.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked curiously, looking exasperated as everyone crowded around the twins.

Amisty winced as the noise level picked up again, her ears still hurting from that stupid egg. "I'm going up to Madame Pomfrey, get my ears checked out."

"Alright," Hermione nodded, the concern she had early slipping back onto her face. "You don't think it's too bad, right?"

"I'm good, just want to be safe," Amisty replied, her confident words having no effect as she winced again when one of the sixth-grade girls got a little too excited and squealed.