Annabeth Chase the Triwizard Champion

Chapter six

"So, it turns out the house elves don't take bribes," Vera said, sitting down next to Annabeth and Freddie at the breakfast table. "And it also turns out that they report people who try to bribe them."

"How many detentions?" Freddie asked, not even looking up.

"Seven!" Vera yelled, startling a few tired students. "I didn't even use poison like Pansy wanted! It was just bubotuber pus!"

Annabeth didn't know what bubotuber pus was, but she assumed it wasn't very pleasant if ingested.

"Are teachers this strict at your old school, Annabeth?" Vera asked, leaning on the table to look at Annabeth.

Annabeth laughed.

"Not at all," she said, remembering the story. "One morning some kids slipped a potion into cabin eleven's breakfast to get back on them for a prank. It turned them all into piglets. The girl behind it didn't even get in trouble."

Vera and Freddie burst out laughing. Vera snorted, and Annabeth wasn't sure if it was a joke or if it was genuine.

"What do you mean, cabin?" Freddie asked.

"Oh," Annabeth said. She hadn't realized she'd let that slip, but that was why she had told Mrs. Weasley that half-truth. "My old school was 99% hyperactive kids with no attention spans, so it's more like a summer camp than a school. We sleep in cabins and have most classes outside."

"Awsome," Vera said. "I wish Hogwarts was like that."

"Are you kidding?" Annabeth said, incredulous. "My old school is amazing and all, but have you seen this place? The Entrance Hall alone is an architectural marvel! And the dorms underwater? The only thing wrong with that is that there isn't enough glass! I could probably spend years exploring this place and it would still be interesting!"

"Just wait till you see the moving staircases," Freddie laughed.

"Moving staircases?!"

"And the forbidden forest," Vera added. "They say it's forbidden, but I've been there plenty of times. It's packed with all kinds of monsters."

"The forest at Hecate's Academy is like that too," Annabeth said. "I absolutely love it, But architecturally, the place is a mess. It's a mix of ancient and modern, which would be cool if it was done right, which it mostly isn't. Only the buildings I designed are mixed right! Even then, the entire place is like a kid spilled a box of toy blocks into the valley. But the architecture here? I'm going to be spending the next few months just sketching it all!"

"Hey, Annabeth," Vera said. "Are you interested in architecture? I can't tell. Oh, finally!"

Just that second, a piece of paper appeared in front of all of them. It took Annabeth a second to decipher, but based on the format she knew it was a schedule.

"History of Magic with the Ravenclaws first, that shouldn't be too bad," Freddie said. Then she groaned. "Care of Magical Creatures with the Gryffindors? It's always them!"

"Hagrid likes monsters," Vera said. "Maybe I could sik one on Seamus."

"Or maybe," said a new voice, "you shouldn't add to your mountain of detentions."

Annabeth looked up to see a girl in Hufflepuff robes standing behind Vera. Vera leaned back so her head was almost upside down, and the new girl laughed and kissed her, her wheat colored hair falling over both their faces. Annabeth took this to be Daisy, Vera's girlfriend. It would have been really weird if it wasn't.

"Someone has to stand up for you," Vera said, still smiling.

"Come on," Freddie muttered to Annabeth, "they've barely seen each other all summer. I'll show you where History of Magic is."