▪︎ 24.

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The next morning started with a BOOM.

"STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE—" A voiced shouted loudly, making the entire Great Hall silent.

"That's mum," Fred whispered from across the table where Eliza and her friends sat, stunned at the Howler.

"—LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY BOTH COULD HAVE DIED—" Mrs. Weasley's voice screeched through the hall, rattling the spoons on the table.

Eliza leaned forward to get a look at Ron, unmistakably, it was hard to spot him because he sank low to the point where only his flaming red hair was visible.

"—ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED – YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME."

The Howler then proceeded to burn to ashes. Several people laughed and went back to continue their conversations.

"That was dramatic." George said, taking a sip of his orange juice.

"Your mum has a sweet voice," James said sarcastically.

"It was sweeter when she caught me, Fred and Ron, using the car to rescue Harry." George said, snorting.

"Oh yeah. It woke up almost everyone, didn't it?" Eliza asked thoughtfully.

George narrowed his eyes, "How do you know about that? As far as I know, I didn't tell you, and neither did Fred." He said suspiciously.

Eliza flushed, "Uh, Percy told me when I gave him his present for his birthday." She lied. It wasn't a complete lie. Percy did tell her, but not when she gave him his present. He wrote to her about it the day it happened.

"I didn't know you were close enough with him to buy him a present." George said, mildly surprised. "Is it just that, or is there something else, Calderon?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Why? Want to know if you stand a chance?" Eliza asked, smirking. "Wow, George, I didn't know you were this into older women."

However, George wasn't like Percy to get easily flustered. Instead, he grinned.

"Only the finest." He said with a wink, to which Eliza rolled her eyes and flicked her wand for the juice to overspill all over George.

George gasped dramatically, "My finest robes, this is! How dare you try and tarnish it?" He said in mock accusement, holding Charlie's second hand robes.

"I'm Gryffindor, Georgie, I have all the dare in the world."

***

Gilderoy Lockhart was an absolute nightmare. The man had zero clue about Defense Against the Dark Arts but boasted about it so much that it made Percy – who usually never spoke a word against teachers – burst out one day as soon as their class was over.

"I'm failing this year in DADA, I know it." Percy said, taking out his spectacles to wipe them on the sleeve of his shirt.

"Lockhart?" Claire asked as she walked beside Eliza.

"He has no intelligence at all," Percy said, placing his glasses back on.

"Are you actually criticizing a teacher, Weasley?" Claire asked, smirking. "A Prefect as such yourself, commenting on a teacher? Tsk."

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