Hermione Granger and the Goblet Of Fire (Completed)

Chapter 17 - Dobby's New Job

"Did you get all this from the kitchens, Fred?” asked Hermione, taking a tart
“Yep” said Fred. He began talking in a high, squeaky voice; a poor impression 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 you get in there?” Hermione said, trying to sound as casual as possible
“Easy” said Fred brightly “concealed door behind a painting of a bowl of fruit. Just tickle the pear, and it giggles and-” he stopped suddenly “Why?”
“Nothing” said Hermione
“Going to try and lead the house-elves out on strike now, are you?” said George, sounding amused “Going to give up all the leaflet stuff and try and stir them up into rebellion?”
Hermione didn't reply. She tried to ignore the laughs of several onlookers
“Don’t you go upsetting them and telling them they’ve got to take clothes and salaries!” said Fred “You’ll put them off their cooking!”

Just then Neville distracted everyone by turning into a large bird. The room burst into laughter
“Oh - sorry, Neville!” Fred said “I forgot - it was the custard creams we hexed-”
Neville had wilted within a minute, and joined in with the laughter
“Canary Creams!” Fred called “George and I invented them - seven Sickles each, a bargain!”
Hermione, not wishing to have to endure the rabble surrounding Fred and George, went to bed, visualising the castle and trying to remember if she'd ever seen a painting of a bowl of fruit

It turned very cold rather quickly at the start of December. Hermione wasn't entirely sure how the Durmstrang students on the ship were coping, but it seemed like they were used to the cold. The Beauxbatons students, however, clearly weren't, and Fleur Delacour took every opportunity to complain. The massive horses were kept near Hagrid's hut, which was a nuisance as the fumes from the single-malt whiskey they liked to drink kept wafting over Hagrid's garden, making the Care of Magical Creatures class very drowsy. As they were still attempting to look after the Blast-Ended Skrewts, this wasn't great

There were only ten Skrewts left at this point and, Ron had said hopefully on the walk to Hagrid's hut, they might've all killed each other by the Easter holidays at this rate. They were now about the size of a grown man, and had grown a grey, armour like outer skin. They were truly vile, but Hagrid was still looking at them as if they were overgrown teddy bears

“I’m not sure whether they hibernate or not” he said one lesson “Thought we’d jus’ try an’ see if they fancied a kip... we’ll jus’ settle ’em down in these boxes...”
The class looked miserably at the massive metal boxes Hagrid had brought out, lined with pink, fluffy pillows
“We’ll jus’ lead ’em in here” Hagrid said eagerly “an’ put the lids on, and we’ll see what happens”

As it turned out, the Skrewts didn't hibernate, and didn't take kindly to the class attempting to stuff them in fluffy metal boxes. Soon the pumpkin patch had turned into a smouldering wreck and most of the class had ran into Hagrid's hut and barricaded themselves in. Hermione, Ron and Harry, along with Dean, Seamus and Lavender, were the only ones who stayed outside to try and help Hagrid. Finally, multiple cuts and burns later, nine of them had been restrained, and the last one was advancing on Ron and Harry, who were both using red wand sparks to hold it off
“Don’ frighten him, now!” Hagrid called “Jus’ try an’ slip the rope ’round his sting, so he won’ hurt any o’ the others!”
“Yeah, we wouldn’t want that!” Ron roared

“Well, well, well... this does look like fun”
Hermione turned. Rita Skeeter was leaning against Hagrid's garden fence, watching the action and making no move to help. Hagrid leapt on top of the last Skrewt, and it flattened with a sound similar to a deflating balloon
“Who’re you?” asked Hagrid, tying up the squashed Skrewt
“Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet reporter” Rita said. She grinned, and Hermione noticed several gold teeth
“Thought Dumbledore said you weren’ allowed inside the school anymore” said Hagrid blankly as he tugged the Skrewt over to its brethren. Skeeter ignore him