Magic? || Years 1-5

The Quibbler: Year 5

"S-sorry. I haven't tried that before... Didn't realize it would be quite so..." Neville winced, shaking the muck from his eyes. "Don't worry, though, Stinksap's not poisonous."

Harry spat a glob of the green goo on the carpet and Amisty covered her eyes with her hands, entirely grossed out.

She sunk even further in her seat as the compartment door slid open, digging the heels of her palms into her eyes.

"Oh... hello, Harry. Um... bad time?" Cho's voice sounded from the doorway.

"Oh... hi," Harry replied, sounding entirely mortified.

Amisty refused to remove her hands from her face.

"Um... Well... just thought I'd say hello..." Cho was shifting from foot to foot judging by the creak of the floor. "'Bye then."

The door slid shut and Amisty dropped her hands, watching as Harry slumped back and rubbed his glasses, groaning.

"Never mind. Look, we can get rid of all this easily," Ginny reassured brightly, pulling out her wand. "Scourgify."

The Stinksap disappeared as quickly as it had exploded.

"Sorry," Neville whispered, very pink.

-=+=-

Ron and Hermione joined them a few minutes after the trolley rolled by and they bought their sweets.

"I'm starving," Ron exclaimed, throwing himself down into a seat and biting off the head of a Chocolate Frog.

"Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each House. Boy and girl from each," Hermione informed them, taking her own seat next to Amisty.

"And guess who's a Slytherin prefect?" Ron sighed, blue eyes flicking to Amisty. "Not you."

"Malfoy," Harry replied.

"'Course," Ron muttered, finishing the rest of the chocolate and grabbing another one.

"And that complete cow Pansy Parkinson," Hermione spat. "How she got to be prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll..."

Amisty choked, coughing, "You're joking! Parkinson, as a prefect?!"

"I wish I was," Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose, face absolutely miserable. "Dealing with her is going to be torture."

"Who's Hufflepuff?" Harry asked.

"Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott," Ron answered around another mouthful of chocolate.

"And Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw," Hermione added.

There was a flicker of movement over from where Luna was sitting, "You went to the Yule Ball with Padma Patil."

Ron blinked, swallowing. "Yeah, I know I did."

"She didn't enjoy it very much. She doesn't think you treated her very well, because you wouldn't dance with her," Luna smiled faintly. "I don't think I'd have minded, I don't like dancing very much."

Ginny had her hand shoved into her mouth to keep from giggling, and Ron looked incredibly confused as Luna disappeared behind her Magazine.

"We're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often and we can give out punishments if people are misbehaving," Ron suddenly grinned wickedly. "I can't wait to get Crabbe and Goyle for something..."

"You're not supposed to abuse your position, Ron!" Hermione scolded sharply.

"Yeah, right, because Malfoy won't abuse it at all," Ron retorted sarcastically, rolling his eyes.