Saving Star - Book 2 in the Star of Gryffindor Series

Chapter 15 - Christmas Letter

Answer to last chapter's question: I despise Umbridge. As much as (or more than) Voldemort. Why? Because she abused her Ministry position to sadistically torture children in a school where they were supposed to be safe. She hated muggleborns and jumped at the chance to persecute them when Voldemort took over the Ministry. In fact, her favorite time in her life was probably the year Voldemort was in charge. And that should say something about her. Then there's that laugh. I think I might throw up... I honestly wanted her to die a gruesome death, but now I don't. That's too good for her. She deserves a life of mental torture in Azkaban.

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"Wake up, Astra!"

Something soft hit my face.

I quickly sat up, looking around in confusion and blinking to clear my sleep-blurred eyes. "What-"

The soft thing hit my in the face again. I grabbed it as it did, and found myself in possession of a pillow. Lacy was grinning at me from the end of my bed. "Wake up! The train leaves at 11!"

I looked from her to the pillow, then back to her. After a minute, I grinned and threw it back at her. It hit her head, and she jumped up to go grab it.

I glanced to my left and saw Rose getting the same treatment from Iris. I pulled my pillow off my bed and went to help.

Within minutes, there were pillows flying everywhere. We were all laughing and yelling and there were a few rogue feathers flying around the room. Iris threw her pillow at me, and I caught it. I threw it back, along with my own.

Suddenly, there was a loud pop, and we all stopped. I turned in the direction the noise came from and saw Colette, holding her wand high, standing next to her bed, and glaring at us all. She was holding a pillow, but it wasn't hers.

"Can you never shut up?" she asked.

I glanced around, not sure who she expected to answer. Apparently, no one else knew, either.

Colette slowly walked around the room. When she passed Iris, she shoved the pillow into her hands with so much force that Iris fell into a sitting position on the floor.

Colette stopped once she'd circled the room and arrived back at her trunk. "All of you are idiots!"

"Perhaps if you weren't such a boring prat, we'd like you more," Lacy muttered, helping Iris up.

"I doubt it," I said, glaring at her. "But maybe if she wasn't interested in the Dark Arts..."

Lacy, Iris, and Rose didn't even react to that, instead simply starting to clean up. I suppose they thought I had just made that up based on how "evil" she always acting. However, Colette froze and slowly turned to stare at me. I smirked back. After a moment, she shook her head and frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I can see where you'd get the idea, Astra," Lacy said, laughing. "Iris, let's go get breakfast." The two girls hurried out. Rose followed after a few minutes, leaving Colette and me alone.

As soon as the door closed behind Rose, Colette crossed the room and held her wand up to me. "You haven't been telling people that, have you?"

"What do you think?" I said, rolling my eyes and picking my pillow up.

"Well, I wouldn't put anything past you," she said coldly. "You do think I tried to knock you out for no reason."