Charlie
Second year wasn't as bad as I thought it would be when I first saw our packed schedule. It did mean that I had less time to spend with my friends something Bill was rather happy about as he could keep an eye on me as I did my homework in the Great Hall or the Common Room.
I thought the second year was going to be bad as I failed at Quidditch tryouts but I have to say that Nova and Hagrid cheered me up quite nicely. There's always next year and I promised myself I would practice so much over the summer that there won't be anyone better than me. Of course, I was already the best. At least that's what one of the Gryffindor's Chasers told me. She said that I only wasn't picked because the Captain wanted his little brother on the team. A bunch of rubbish if you ask me.
In November, some good news came at least when Nova and I were at Hagrid's, questioning him when will he allow us to go to the Forbidden Forest with him and he finally gave in and promised us he was going to take us after Christmas Holidays.
Of course, that was a mistake since from that moment on that was all Nova and I could talk about. The first couple of nights after that I was so excited that I couldn't sleep. Bill started to worry about me as I usually walked out of my dormitory looking as if I just rose from the dead. As they just made a Sleeping Draught potion in class he gave me some and that night I slept better than probably when I was a baby.
I mostly saw and spent time with Jae when we had classes together because on every other occasion he was spending his time with Tulip and Tonks. What those 3 were doing to the castle I have no idea. I was just hoping that the enchantments on the walls were strong enough to resist their damage.
I never thought I was going to say that but Transfiguration was one of my favorite classes. Like last year, I was sitting next to Nova and even though I failed to transfigure half of the objects it was just so wonderful to watch her have so much fun and see just how talented she is in class.
Penny, of course, insisted that this year we should start studying for our exams earlier and that we should practice our spell work immediately when we learned the spells, that way we would have more time for our theoretical parts of exams. As we all laughed at her that morning at breakfast when she came up with the idea, she put it to rest, which didn't stop her from studying every chance she got.
As much as I thought she lost her marbles by doing so, I couldn't help but admire her but at the same time wonder what the O.W.L.s will do to her if she is panicking about the end of the year exams in November in our second year.
—
One Thursday, I was late to Potions class as I ran down to Hagrid's for some tea and I wanted to say hi to Nova and the girls who had Potions before Gryffindors and Slytherins.
I heard them talking in front of the classroom when I walked through the dark corridor of the Dungeons. Nova spotted me and I waved at her, smiling back at me.
"Hi ladies, how..." But before I could finish my question something exploded in my face. I started to cough as I couldn't breathe through the thick layer of green gas. I took a few steps backward hoping it would help but didn't.
As my eyes started to water, I heard a voice.
"Bloody hell. Not another one! I wish I wasn't so clumsy." I heard Tonks say.
"Tonks, if you...don't stop it with...the dungbombs...you are going to kill...all of your friends." I heard Penny cough.
"What is the meaning of this?!" I heard Snape yell as a door, which I assumed was that of the Potions classroom creaked open.
"Run!" I heard Tulip shout and as I opened my eyes halfway I saw 4 figures running towards me.
Nova noticed me at once, grabbed my elbow, and dragged me after Penny, Tonks, and Tulip. We finally came to the part of the corridor where the stench didn't spread yet. Penny and Tulip were still coughing. Nova was rubbing her eyes and I grabbed a handkerchief out of my robes to blow my nose that stang due to the toxicity of the dungbomb.
"That was close!" Tonks was still panting.
"Tonks, are you trying to murder us?!" Penny scolded her.
"Where are you getting all these bombs from, Tonks?" Nova asked, her eyes still in tears.
"I befriended a third year and gave him some money. He is getting them for me from Zonko's." Tonks' lips curled.
Tulip was the first one that started to laugh. She accidentally inhaled too deeply while doing so and started coughing again. Nova and I laughed now. And even though Penny didn't want to admit that the accident was funny, she couldn't help her lips curl a little.
"At least we got away from Snape. Do you reckon he knows who the bomb was from?" Tonks questioned.
"I don't think he saw us," Nova reassured her. "However, Tonks you have to practice your balance and work on your clumsiness, or sooner or later the whole school will be filled with dungbomb smell." She laughed again.
"An innocent prank here or there is fine, Tonks," said Penny much to our surprise. "However, why couldn't you slip outside and not in front of Potions classroom?"
"Indeed." We heard a sluggish voice say. We turned around and Snape was standing behind us, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes filled with fury.
"Uh, professor Snape, sir. Is there any way you didn't catch anything we were just saying?" Said Tonks rather optimistically.
"Fortunately for me," Snape started with a smirk on his face, "I didn't only hear that you were the culprit for this accident you've called it, Miss Tonks. I also heard Miss Karasu, Miss Haywood, Miss Blackwood, and Mr. Weasley laugh, amused at your little joke so I think it's only fair they get detention as well." He was rather calm about the whole situation, which meant nothing good.
"Firstly..." he started, "50 points from Hufflepuff, 50 from Ravenclaw, and 25 from Gryffindor, meaning 25 points each, won't you agree?" He bestowed us with an evil-looking smile.
We just stood there as none of us dared to speak.
"I am glad you do." He put his hands behind his back. "Now, Miss Tonks you will stay in this corridor and clean it from top to bottom and you will do the same for my classroom."
"Easy!" The word escaped Tonks' mouth and she knew at that moment that she was going to regret it.
"Without...using...magic." Hissed Snape as he came so close to her face that I thought his nose was going to touch Tonks'.
This time she just nodded, even though I knew very well she wanted to complain.
Then he looked at Penny and Tulip, who were standing on Tonks' left side.
"Miss Haywood, I expected better from you and as much as it does pain me," he said sarcastically, "to give you detention, I have learned my lesson last year when you rather enjoyed yourself organizing my potions shelf." He smirked.
"So, I was thinking you could accompany Miss Karasu here to Filch's office this evening as I am sure he would be delighted to have some help polishing the trophies in the Trophy Room." He waited if they were going to say anything. Penny just gulped. "Without using magic, of course." He added quickly.
"Ah, Miss Blackwood and Mister Weasley." He now looked at me and Nova on Tonks' right side. "Adventurous creature lovers." I stared at him, forgetting to blink.
"Don't look at me like that, Mister Weasley! Do you think I don't know you are reading books about dragons during my class!" He said half through his teeth.
"Since you both love to look at pretty ol' pictures of cute little animals, how about you spend an entire night in the Forbidden Forest with nothing but Hagrid and that silly little dog he owns." He grinned victoriously.
"I would like to see the look on your faces when you get out the next morning. I bet you will put away all your silly books and finally start thinking about a real career." His grin grew larger.
As we didn't say anything and all stood as still as statues, he crossed his arms on his chest one more time.
"Well..." he almost whispered to us. "What are you still doing in my Dungeons?!" He shouted.
I grabbed Nova by her sleeve and we ran up the stairs and didn't stop running until we reached the Courtyard. We knew we probably shouldn't but we still burst out laughing as we had to keep a straight face in front of Snape for such a long time.
"What a bunch of rubbish!" Said Tulip as she wiped a tear from her face, laughing so hard.
"What do you mean?" Penny looked puzzled.
"I understand that Tonks has to clean the corridor as the dungbomb was hers and I understand that we all get detention and I guess one night with Filch won't be that bad. We will come up with something." Tulip reassured Penny. "But he gave Nova and Charlie an early Christmas present! Sending them into the Forest to scare them! Doesn't he know them at all?" At first, I thought she was really mad but then she started laughing again.
"I would like to see the look on your faces when you get out the next morning..." Tulip imitated him. "What does he think you are looking at in those books of yours, Kneazles and Crup puppies?" She was holding her stomach now, trying to catch her breath, laughing so hard.
"Yeah, that's a bit unfair. Perhaps, we should go back down and tell Snape to give you a worse punishment." Penny giggled. I knew she was kidding because of the way she looked at us, I knew she was happy we were finally going to the Forest.
Nova and I exchanged looks. I turned to her and we both shrieked at once. "We're going to the Forbidden Forest!" We clapped our hands together and started to jump around the Courtyard.
I didn't want to jinx anything but at that moment Snape was my favorite professor.
As Nova and I were preparing to go to the Forbidden Forest the next day, we had to remind ourselves that if Snape asked us how it was we have to act as if it was the worst punishment ever. For the first time, we were giving Tonks and Tulip's love for pranks a second thought. If Snape would send us to the Forest with Hagrid and Fang every time, we would want to be in detention all the time.
I didn't sleep that night again, as I couldn't believe we were going into the Forest before Hagrid promised us, and as I finally did drift into dreamland, I couldn't help but hope we find a dragon in there.