Emma Potter

104: Brain vs Heart

A few boys asked me, I rolled my eyes at them and rejected them. For two reasons; number one was because I wasn't sure how I am supposed to sort things out with Isaac, and number two. . . well, the person I did want to go with was not even looking at me. 

We asked Hagrid about the interview. "She didn' seem very int'rested in magical creatures, ter tell yeh the truth," Hagrid said, when Me, Harry, Ron, and Hermione asked him how his interview with Rita Skeeter had gone during the last Care of Magical Creatures lesson of the term. To our very great relief, Hagrid had given up on direct contact with the skrewts now,and we were merely sheltering behind his cabin today, sitting at at restle table and preparing a fresh selection of food with which to tempt the skrewts. 

"She jus' wanted me ter talk about you, Harry, and Emma" Hagrid continued in a low voice. "Well, I told her we'd been friends since I went ter fetch yeh from the Dursleys. 'Never had to tell them off in four years?' she said. 'Never played you up in lessons, have they?' I told her no, tha' Emma was my to' student an' she didn' seem happy at all. Yeh'd think she wanted me to say yeh were horrible."

 " 'Course she did,"I said, throwing lumps of dragon liverinto a large metal bowl and picking up my knife to cut some more."She can't keep writing about what a tragic little heroes we are, it'll getboring."

 "She wants a new angle, Hagrid," said Ron wisely as he shelledsalamander eggs. "You were supposed to say Harry's a mad delinquent! And Emma is physchotic"

"But theyre not!" said Hagrid, looking genuinely shocked. 

"She should've interviewed Snape," said Harry grimly. "He'dgive her the goods on me any day. 'Potter has been crossing lines eversince he first arrived at this school. . . .' "

 "Said that, did he?" said Hagrid, while Me,Ron and Hermionelaughed. "Well, yeh might've bent a few rules, Harry, bu' yeh're allrigh' really, aren' you?"

 "Cheers, Hagrid," said Harry, grinning.

 "You coming to this ball thing on Christmas Day, Hagrid?" saidRon. 

"Though' I might look in on it, yeah," said Hagrid gruffly."Should be a good do, I reckon. You'll be openin' the dancin', won'yeh, Harry? Who're you takin'?"

 "No one, yet," said Harry, \going red again. Hagrid didn't pursue the subject.

 The last week of term became increasingly boisterous as it progressed. Rumors about the Yule Ball were flying everywhere,though I didn't believe half of them — for instance, thatDumbledore had bought eight hundred barrels of mulled meadfrom Madam Rosmerta. It seemed to be fact, however, that he hadbooked the Weird Sisters. Exactly who or what the Weird Sisterswere I didn't know, never having had access to a wizard's wireless, but hIdeduced from the wild excitement of those who hadgrown up listening to the WWN (Wizarding Wireless Network)that they were a very famous musical group. 

Some of the teachers, like little Professor Flitwick, gave up tryingto teach us much when our minds were so clearly elsewhere; heallowed them to play games in his lesson on Wednesday. 

Other teachers were not so generous. Nothing would ever deflectProfessor Binns, for example, from plowing on through his noteson goblin rebellions — as Binns hadn't let his own death stand inthe way of continuing to teach, we supposed a small thing likeChristmas wasn't going to put him off. It was amazing how hecould make even bloody and vicious goblin riots sound as boring asPercy's cauldron-bottom report. Professors McGonagall and Moodykept us working until the very last second of their classes too,and Snape, of course, would no sooner let us play games in classthan adopt Harry and me. Staring nastily around at us all, he informed us that he would be testing them on poison antidotes during thelast lesson of the term.