Bat-Bogey Hexers

10

"What are you doing?"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Morgana and Bertha shushed her. Viola had sat up her, her first morning at Hogwarts, to find Morgana and Bertha at Ava's bed. Ava was fast asleep. Her curly blonde hair was plastered to her head board almost as if stuck there. Morgana had a roll of spellotape in her hand and Bertha had her wand out.

"What're you doing?" Viola whispered suspiciously.

Morgana gave an evil grin.

"Making sure this filthy mudblood never gets to class today!" saidMorgana.

For a moment Viola just watched as Bertha used her short, fat wand to stick Ava's hair to her bed board with UnicornBlood brand glue while Morgana wrapped spellotape around her bed, blankets and legs.

"You can't do that!" said Viola, horrified.

She jumped to her feet and hurried to Ava's bed. She didn't even get to touch the tape before Bertha grabbed her arm and yanked it back.

"Ow!" Viola squealed as her arm was twisted and she was forced to turn around or be blinded by pain. Viola found Bertha's big face less than an inch from hers.

"Listen here Bella-baby, we don't allow muggleborns or muggle born defenders to get away with being here!" growled Bertha. Viola got a nose-full  of her rancid morning breath.

"But you can't do that!" Viola protested weakly while trying to squirm free of Bertha's firm grip.

"And why not?" demanded Bertha.

"Because! It's not fair!" Viola managed to squeeze out, and she stumbled back, rubbing her arm.

"It's perfectly fair," said Morgana stepping forward with a smile. "Ava is a muggleborn. She deserves it, and if you try and help her we'll have to do the same, and worse, to you."

Morgana was fingering her long wand. Viola swallowed. Morgana's eyes met Viola's.

"Got it? I'm sure Mummy wouldn't be to happy to hear your consorting with the enemy," said Morgana, still with the same sickening smirk.

Viola looked back and forth between the two intimidating girls.

"But-" Viola started.

Next thing she knew Morgana had her pinned against the wall with her wand jabbed into her chest. The wand let off red sparks, singeing a hole in the front of Viola's night gown.

"You better be on our side Lestrange, or you will regret it," hissed Morgana. "You better not talk to Ava, smile at Ava or do anything remotely friendly is you want to get through school. Understand?"

Viola nodded.

"Good," said Morgana. She removed her wand, and she and Bertha returned to what they were doing.

Viola pretended like she didn't even see what was going on as she rubbed her chest then continued on with her morning.

She pulled out her animal cage from under her bed. Her heart was thudding as she fed and cared for her pets. This was not how she'd expected her first morning at Hogwarts to go. Probably would've been much different if I'd been in a different house, Viola thought. She quickly shook these thoughts away. No. She had to be in Slytherin. It would make her dad proud.

As Viola cleaning Auggie's wings, she didn't notice Jinx the rat climb out of the cage that Viola had disguised as a trunk so the teachers wouldn't realize it was full of animals. The only animal she had been unable to take was her dog, Jojo. Her mother had taken the "filthy animal" to the pet store only a few days before Viola left for Hogwarts. Viola had rarely cried as much as he did then. Viola began to wipe down Monties's scales.

Suddenly there was a girlish, high pitched shriek and the sound of mattress springs. "It's a rat!"

Viola looked around quickly. She was surprised to see that Bertha had jumped up on her bed and was pointing at the ground where Jinx was nibbling on a stray crumb. For a moment Viola and Morgana just stared at Bertha, and her terrified expression. Viola hadn't expected Bertha, who had a deep, gruff, voice to be able to make such a squealing noise.

"It's just a rat!" said Morgana, rolling her eyes and returning to spellotaping Ava into bed.

Bertha did look as if "just a rat" described, in anyway, her disgust of the animal. Her beady eyes fell on Viola's animal cage. Auggie was perched at the top and Viola had left Montie curled on the ground while she hurried to pick up Jinx before Bertha could do anything to hurt him.

"All those animals are yours? The rat too?" Bertha demanded.

"Yes," Viola said rather defensively. She healed the rat pressed against her thin chest.

"But...those animals aren't allowed at Hogwarts!" Said Bertha, "Are they?"

"Well, the red head kid- what's his name Arnold? He's  part of the blood traitor Weasley family- well anyway, he's got a rat," said Morgana. She obviously had much more against muggleborns than rats.

"That's only 'cause he's friends with Harry Potter!" said Bertha. She pointed a stubby finger at Viola. "She can't have one!"

"I'm afraid she can," said Morgana. "Your just going to have to get over this very irrational fear, Bertha,"

Bertha waited until all Viola's pets had been put away before climbing off the bed. Viola was more than relieved that Morgana hadn't forced her to get rid of her pets, because she was more than certain the girl would've been able to threaten her into doing so. Viola's pets meant very much to her. They were the only friends she'd ever had as a child. Viola carefully locked her animals cage so Bertha couldn't get in, unless she knew an unlocking spell which Viola doubted.

When Viola left the Dormitory for breakfast in the great hall, with books, bag and schedule in tow, Ava was still being mummified by spellotape.