The Slightly Stalking Photographer

⚡️2⚡️- For whom the duck quacks

"Is that even legal?" asked the girl, she seemed slightly amused.

Esmeralda thought for a second. "I think so. Mother would not have done anything that would minimise my chances of getting my Hogwarts acceptance letter. In my family, we're pretty strict about rules."

The girl nodded in a sort of approving way.

Esmeralda moved her gaze towards the black-haired boy and the ginger boy.

"Rumour and The Daily Prophet has it that you two flew a flying Ford Anglia to school, is that true?" Esmeralda asked eager to know the truth.

The two boys nodded awkwardly.

"How could you not get expelled for flying a car to Hogwarts? You should have sent your owl to Professor McGonagall or Professor Dumbledore," said Esmeralda.

"I've been trying to tell them so. I am just happy that they are able to attend school after the incident, however, that is mostly because they cannot since he's Harry Potter. Ron didn't get out of it too well though; his wand was snapped by The Whomping Willow." Hermione said, pointing at the ginger boy on Harry's right side, who was currently trying to mend his wand with cello tape.

"Oh, I've read about that tree in —"

Hermione cut her off.

"Hogwarts: a history?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, I love that book, I've read it SO many times, it's my favourite," said Esmeralda happily.

"I'm Hermione Granger, second year, Gryffindor. We are officially friends. I hope to see you in the library after dinner today. We could perhaps read about something interesting together!"

"I hope so too." Esmeralda smiled cheerfully.

"Say it, I'm doomed," said Ron, looking hopelessly at his wand. "You're doomed," Harry spoke, for the first time.

Esmeralda turned her head to the right and saw the blond boy from yesterday running up to her and she quickly hid behind Hermione, earning her an odd look from the bushy-haired girl.

Seeing, as the boy was probably embarrassed for just standing there, he clicked his camera at Harry and said, "Hi, Harry. I'm Colin Creevey, I'm in Gryffindor too."

He plastered on a fake smile and looked down at Esmeralda, trying to move his camera in just the right angle for him to be able to take a picture of her, but Hermione hid her well.

"Hi, Colin, nice to meet you —" said Harry, but he was interrupted by a screech from an owl and a Gryffindor boy asking the ginger if it was his owl that collapsed on the table, knocking down lots of toast and pumpkin juice.

Several Slytherins started laughing.

"Errol!" said Ron, pulling the bedraggled owl out by the feet. Errol, the owl, had slumped, unconscious, onto the table, his legs in the air and a damp red envelope in his beak.

"Oh, no —" Ron gasped.

"It's all right, he's still alive," said Hermione, prodding Errol gently with the tip of her finger.

"It's not that — it's that."

Ron was pointing at the red envelope. Esmeralda stared at the envelope, expecting it to explode at any time at that moment.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked.

"She's — she's sent me a Howler," said Ron faintly.

"You'd better open it, Ron," said a round-faced Gryffindor in a timid whisper. "It'll be worse if you don't, my gran sent me one once, and I ignored it an' — he gulped — "it was horrible."