star-crossed

How Not to Make Friends

Nott couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Harry and Ron were still at Hogwarts next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful. Indeed, by the next morning Harry and Ron thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure and they were quite keen to have another one. In the meantime, Harry filled Ron and Elowen in about his theory that something had been moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection.

"It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron.

"Or both," said Harry.

Unfortunately since they knew nothing about what had been in the vault, their speculation went nowhere.

Neither Neville or Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again. Hermione was now refusing to speak to the twins or Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they all saw this as an added bonus. All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Nott, and to their great delight, that arrived with the post about a week later.

As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long thin package carried by six large screech owls. Harry was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large package and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of him, knocking his bacon to the floor. Hedwig, who'd flown in just to say hi, hooted in dissatisfaction and hopped from Elowen's shoulder to pick up the bacon.

The package had barely landed when another owl dropped a letter on the top. Harry ripped open the note first, which was lucky, because it said:

DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.
It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody knowing you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch pitch at seven o'clock for your first training session.
Professor M. McGonagall

Harry had difficulty hiding his glee as he handed the note to his twin to read.

"Don't open it at the table, she says," Elowen read. She eyed the package. "What does she think people are going to think this is??"

"I guess we'll only need to buy one broom this summer," Harry remarked to his sister.

"Nice of McGonagall to buy a broom for you," his sister said, looking up at the staff table. Harry looked up and caught McGonagall's eye, smiling in thanks.

"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously, having snatched the note and read it. "I've never even touched one."

Harry and Ron left the Hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first lesson, but halfway across the Entrance Hall they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Nott seized the package from Harry and felt it.

"That's definitely a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face. "You're in for it this time, Potter, first-years aren't allowed them."

Ron couldn't resist it.

"It's not any old broomstick," he gloated, "it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Nott, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Harry. "Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."

"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Nott snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up, twig by twig."

Before Ron could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Nott's elbow.

"Not arguing, I hope, boys?" he said, raising eyebrows at them all.