Hearth II James Potter

Chapter 6 - Slugs and Potions

Y/N was absolutely mortified the next morning during breakfast. It was barely into the second day of classes and the first prank of the year already took action. At first, there was nothing that seemed out of order when she was going down to breakfast with her friends. The halls were calm in the morning but there was a massive crowd in front of the Great Hall. Multiple prefects and the head boy and girl were running around frantically, but Y/N didn't think anything about it. The prefects always seemed a bit over eccentric about the rules; she chucked it up to a first-year getting hurt - or something to that degree. So it was definitely a surprise to see the Great Hall swimming in bubbles and with enlarged tables that barely fit in the large room.

    Lily's jaw went slack as she stared at the mess in front of them. "Well, looks like we won't be having breakfast today," she remarked in disappointment.

    "It's brilliant!" Marlene exclaimed in reverence. "Bloody fantastic, the whole idea!" She scooped up some of the bubbles that pooled in the entrance and played with them before wiping them off on her new robes.

    "Was hopin' fo' some breakfast though," Y/N moaned. Sleep had not been merciful on her last night and it made her that much more irritable. The only thing that would be able to cheer her up a bit was drowned under abundant layers or bubbles; not exactly how she envisioned her morning to start.

    "It's a bit... extravagant, don't you think," asked Dorcas, stepping around a soapy puddle forming around her.

    "It's a -"

    "Bloody perfect way to start off the second day!" exclaimed James, who had jumped in front of the entrance and started swiping the bubbles playfully. "Look here Sirius - why hadn't we thought of this ourselves?"

    While the two boys were excitedly planning another assault on the halls of Hogwarts, Y/N grabbed Lily's elbow and dragged her away. "Let's go, no point' in stickin' 'round. My robes 'on't need a washin' yet."

    "Oh, come on L/N. Live a little!" yelled Sirius at the retreating girl.

    "Ya aren't afraid of some bubble are you?" barked out James, doubling over in laughter. Y/N stopped in her tracks and sent them a glare. James only pointed while he stood up, hands clutching his stomach, "Oh no, Y/N watch out! Your robes might get wet!"

    "Leave us alone you wankers!" Lily surprisingly yelled out first. "Let's go to the library until this mess gets sorted out." With that Lily led them away from the Great Hall and into the Library. Unlike Y/N, Lily was already familiar in the route there, not needing any map or directions. Apparently Dorcas and Lily had wandered around the castle after they both tied in gobstones, deeming the game to be boring with just the two of them.

    Y/N's hopes had died down when she looked at the door of the library. Sure, they were grand and vintage-looking - straight out of a 1500s tower - but it wasn't as spectacular as Lily had described to her on their way there. It wasn't as grand on the outside as the Great Hall and even looked a little dull compared to the multiple doors that they passed on the way there. Y/N would've walked past it if Lily wasn't the one leading the way.

    The inside, however, was a different thing. When Lily had pushed the door open Y/N stood there, wonderstruck. There were a multitude of tables lined in the middle of the room. On the walls were numerous walls and bookshelves, filled with old-looking books. The bookshelves reached the ceiling with ease. There were tall windows between sections of the library intermittent with stained glass as a decoration. The stone floor was covered in soft carpeting, depicting all kinds of magical creatures. Y/N could name only a few: a mermaid, with flowing golden hair; a dragon, flames shooting from its mouth; and a griffin, looking prepared to fight a knight. The ceiling was carved out into pretty little patterns, mimicking a gothic style that was out of fashion in London. The wooden bases that attached the ceiling and walls were molded into semi-circles with a candle attachment. Electricity, like in all of the wizarding world, was useless when confronted by the countless glass chandeliers hanging down. Under each window was a podium, where a few books were scattered. The air smelled like parchment and aged paper, and it was much cooler than the rest of the castle had been. The library looked like it was a page ripped out of a book on Cambridge. At least that's what Y/N imagined, as she had only seen the grand university on television. The dull doors surely subverted Y/N's expectations.