Obliviate My Rebellion {Book 3}

13. Painful Detentions

Hermione had been making clothes for the house elves, and leaving them out in a hope for their freedom. Cole had laughed himself silly after seeing the hats, whispering to Gennie that they resembled wooly bladders.

But the only thing Hermione didn't know was that I took one off the floor, and put it into my trunk. Not because I didn't want free house-elves, but because Hollie made on. Hermione said that it had been her and Hollie's summer project.

So Hollie's mis-shapen hat was now in my trunk, a nice memento considering most of my childhood memories were burnt to nothing. I did now have a photo of Lacey with Hollie in her new uniform.

It had arrived this morning from Lacey, saying she found it odd the picture moved every five seconds. But Hollie looked so happy with her plaits and red blazer it made me feel hopeful to recover for her.

 “I wouldn’t bet on it,” Ron told her cuttingly, distracting me from my thoughts. “They might not count as clothes. They didn’t look anything like hats to me, more like woolly bladders.”

Cole spluttered and nearly choked to death on his cornflakes. Hermione didn't talk to either of them for the rest of the morning. 

 Tranfiguration was so hard, I could almost feel my brains seeping out of my head. We had to do vanishing spells, and in the end my snail only half disapeared--and then reappeared on Lavender's head. Wasn't the worst mistake in the world, let me tell you.

But because only half of my snail would vanish, McGonagall gave me additional homework which really sucked.

Harry and Ron were starting to panic though, because they hadn't started any of their homework. Cole had done it last night with us, so with a smug expression he stayed in the library with them to help.

 The afternoon was pleasently breezy, and it cleared my hangover headache as we headed out to care of magical creatures. I stood with my friends in front of Hagrid's hut, watching as Grubbly Plank appeared to place twigs in a crate.

"Ooh, I hope they're what I think they are!" Cole said, a genuine grin on his face. He seemed a bit better today, not so haunted. "We did magic creatures in second year at Durmstrang, and they were the cutest!"

"Little twigs?" Gennie chuckled. Cole still looked so happy, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Whatever you say, love."

Soon, laughter could be heard from behind. Draco and his Slytherin friends were walking down the hill, laughing at something. When they kept looking over at Harry, it was clear that he was the brunt of their jokes.

 “Everyone here?” barked Professor Grubbly-Plank, once all the Slytherins and Gryffindors had arrived. “Let’s crack on then. Who can tell me what these things are called?” 

 Hermione went to shoot her hand up, but Cole's went up slightly before. I could see Pansy and Draco doing a recreation of the scence, and I rolled my eyes.

But  Pansy's shriek of laughter that turned almost at once into a scream, as the twigs on the table leapt into the air and revealed themselves to be what looked like tiny pixieish creatures made of wood, each with knobbly brown arms and legs.

“So - anyone know the names of these creatures? Mr Wilde?"

 “Bowtruckles,” said Cole, seeming proud he knew the answer. “They’re tree-guardians, usually live in wand-trees. I had loads in my back garden a few years ago."

 “Five points for Gryffindor,” said Professor Grubbly-Plank. “Yes, these are Bowtruckles, and as Mr Wilde rightly says, they generally live in trees whose wood is of wand quality. Anybody know what they eat?”