𝑵𝒆𝒃𝒖𝒍𝒂 - 𝑾𝑻𝑴

2.11 Dirty Words and Detentions

[Harry is walking down the corridor wearing his Quidditch outfit, accompanied by the rest of the team: , Fred, George, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell.]

"QUIDDITCHHHHHH!!!!!" James stands up and yells. Remus quickly slaps his hand over James's mouth and forces him to sit.

Oliver: I spent the summer devising a whole new Quidditch program. We are going to train earlier, harder, and longer. [glancing to his left, the rest of the team follows his gaze] What...? I don't believe it. [stepping out into the courtyard, they come across the Slytherin Quidditch team, also dressed for Quidditch, as Ron and Hermione are sitting nearby; Oliver directs his attention to the team's captain, Marcus Flint] Where do you think you're going, Flint?

Marcus: Quidditch practice.

Oliver: I booked the pitch for Gryffindor today.

Marcus: Easy, Wood. I've got a note. [holds out a rolled up scroll; Wood takes it and opens it]

Ron: Uh-oh. I smell trouble. [he and Hermione get up and walk towards the two teams]

"Juniper, where are you at this time?" Regulus asks.

"Probably practicing my magic." Juniper replies.

Oliver: [reading the parchment] I, Professor Severus Snape, do hereby give the Slytherin team permission to practice today, owing to the need to train their new Seeker." [looks up from the parchment] You've got a new Seeker, who? [Marcus steps aside, and Draco steps out towards the Gryffindor team members]

Harry: [amazed that his nemesis is now a member of the Slytherin Quidditch team] Malfoy?

Draco: That's right. And that's not all that's new this year. [puts his broom at his side; Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team examine the brooms Draco and the rest of the Slytherin team are holding]

Ron: Those are Nimbus 2001s. How did you get those?

Marcus: A gift from Draco's father.

*Daddies money* Barty Crouch Jr. coughs out. Lucius glares at him.

Draco: You see, Weasley, unlike some, my father can afford the best.

Hermione: At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent.

"BURN" Juniper yells, getting flustered quickly after noticing the looks she received from how loud she said that.

[Draco glares at her in annoyance as he takes a few steps and stops only at arms length in front of her]

Draco: No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood.

A ton of people in the great hall gasp.

[Hermione glares at him, offended by the remark, as Draco sneers.]

Ron: You'll pay for that one, Malfoy! [he takes out his wand and aims it at Draco] Eat slugs!

[Unfortunately, Ron's spell backfires, blasting him off backwards and onto the ground. Harry and Hermione immediately rush to his side.]

Hermione: You okay, Ron? Say something!

[Ron opens his mouth as if to say something, but instead he spits out a slug.]

Colin Creevey: [starts taking pictures of Ron] Wow! Can you turn him around, Harry?

Harry: No, Colin! Get out of the way. [he and Hermione help Ron to his feet] Let's take him to Hagrid. [Ron regurgitates another slug] He'll know what to do. [The three of them rush off to Hagrid's while the Slytherins laugh at them.]

[At Hagrid's house, Hagrid walks up to Ron with a bucket as Harry and Hermione sit on either side of him.]

Hagrid: This calls for a specialist's equipment. [Ron takes the bucket as Hagrid sits down] Nothing to do but wait till it stops, I'm afraid. [Ron throws up another slug] Better out than in. Who was Ron trying to curse, anyway?

Harry: Malfoy. He called Hermione... [he and Ron glance at her; she is still very hurt] Well, I don't... I don't know exactly what it means.

Hermione: [still upset, she gets up and folds her arms as she walks away from her friends] He called me a Mudblood.

Hagrid: [gasps in shock] He did not!

Harry: What's a Mudblood?

Hermione: [spinning around to face him] It means "dirty blood". Mudblood's a really foul name for someone who is muggle-born, someone with non-magic parents, someone like me. It's not a term one usually hears in civilized conversation. [sits on the edge of the bench]

Hagrid: See, the thing is, Harry, there's some wizards, like the Malfoy family, who think they're better than everyone else, because they're what people call pure-blood.

Harry: [appalled by this] That's horrible. [Ron coughs up another slug; Hermione glances at him]

Ron: It's disgusting.

Hagrid: And it's codswallop to boot. Dirty blood... Why, there isn't a wizard alive today that's not half-blood or less. More to the point, they've yet to think of a spell that our Hermione can't do. Come here. [Hermione smiles and walks to him] Don't you think on it, Hermione. Don't you think on it for one minute. Hey? [Hermione, despite the tears in her eyes, dons a smile]

[Later that evening, Harry and Juniper are in detention with Lockhart.]

Harry: Juniper, how'd you get detention this time?

Juniper: Took the blame for Fred and George. Now they owe me.

Lockhart: Harry, Harry, Harry. And Juniper of course. Can you possibly imagine a better way to serve detention than by helping me to answer my fan mail?

Harry: Not really.

Juniper: I can name 7 things I'd rather be doing right now.

Lockhart: Fame is a fickle friend, Juniper, Harry. Celebrity is as celebrity does. Remember that.

Juniper: [whispers] What does that even mean?

[As Lockhart picks up another fan letter, Harry and Juniper begin to hear an ominous, inhuman voice.]

Ominous Voice: Come... [Harry and Juniper look up] come... come to me... come to me...

"What is that?" Alice asks. Her question goes unanswered.

Harry and Juniper: What?

Lockhart: [looking up] Sorry? [glances at Harry]

Harry: That voice.

Lockhart: Voice?

Juniper: Did you hear it?

Lockhart: What are you two talking about. I think you're getting a bit... uh, drowsy. And great scot! No wonder. Look at the time, we've been here nearly four hours. Spooky how the time flies when one's having fun. [chuckles]

Harry and Juniper: [glances up, still thinking about the creepy voice they just heard] Spooky.