Another Dursley

A Very Good Day

I woke up the next day, by a scream, I shot up confused, expecting Dudley to be at the door, but I was boxed in, i pulled away the curtain and it was Flore pointing at the window,"ITS THE SQUID!"

"Watch the pool."i called stepping out from my bed and she nearly fell through, she pressed herself against the glass and stared at the squid,"Everyone is gonna be so jealous, look it's massive!"

"It's quite ticklish too."I muttered as I fixed up my bed, I brushed my teeth, my hair, and pulled on my uniform, I wasn't about to be late for class.

I checked my barely visible bruise and stole some of Cora's makeup to cover it up.

I headed down for breakfast alone, walking in I bumped into Harry and Ron,"Morning- how'd you sleep? You're not expelled are you?"

"No, were not- how'd you escape so easily?"Harry scoffed when he saw me,"Let me guess he went easy on you?"

"No im just an amazing, devious liar."I smiled widely and followed them to sit with Hermione who greeted us coldly.

"Hey if it makes you feel better about me; I told them not to do it. I just didn't want to stay behind."I told her making the boys nudge me,"What it's true!"

She gave me a slight smile but didn't look up from her book.

"Morning!"Neville greeted us cheerfully, and I smiled at him, when he sent a shocked look my way,"morning Eli."

"Morning Neville,"I chimed with a smile to reassure him I wasn't going to jinx him.

"Mail's due any minute - I think Gran's sending a few things I forgot."He said.

"that's great!"I smiled as Harry began to eat his porridge, I didn't know if my stomach was up to eating or if I was starving.

Suddenly, sure enough, there was a rushing sound overhead and a hundred or so owls streamed in, circling the hall and dropping letters and packages into the chattering crowd. A big, lumpy package bounced off Neville's head and, a second later, something large and gray fell into Hermione's jug, spraying us all with milk and feathers.

"Errol!" said Ron, pulling the bedraggled owl out by the feet. Errol slumped, Unconscious, onto the table, his legs in the air and a damp red envelope in his beak,"Oh no."

"Great."I muttered wiping off my robe.

"It's alright he's still alive."Hermione assured him propping up the owl gently with a finger.

"It's not that - it's that ."

Ron was pointing at the red envelope. It looked quite ordinary to me, but Ron and Neville were both looking at it as though they expected it to explode.

"I didn't know you were so afraid of red letters?"I laughed stealing a piece of bacon from hermiones plate.

"She's - she's sent me a Howler," said Ron faintly.

"You'd better open it, Ron," said Neville in a timid whisper. "It'll be worse if you Don't My gran sent me one once, and I ignored it and" - he gulped -"it was horrible."

"What's a Howler?" I asked, confused.

But Ron's whole attention was fixed on the letter, which had begun to smoke at the corners.

"Open it," Neville urged. "It'll all be over in a few minutes--"

Ron stretched out a shaking hand, eased the envelope from Errol's beak, and slit it open. Neville stuffed his fingers in his ears. A split second later, I knew why. For a moment I thought it had exploded; a roar of sound filled the huge hall, shaking dust from the ceiling.