Emily Granger, older sister of Hermione, had a firm set friendship with the Weasley Twins and Lee Jordan since first year and was notorious throughout the school for their pranks.
Once their fifth year comes around the corner, Emily decides she can...
"It's the day! It's the day!" George sung excitedly, pulling on my arm as we walked to the Great Hall. "Yes George" I laughed "we get it, you're very excited" "One day closer to a thousand galleons" Fred grinned, patting Lee on the back. "We have the potion, we have the skills, we have (most importantly) the looks. We've got this boys" Lee shouted, punching his fist in the air. I just shook my head at their enthusiasm, still not believing the ageing potion would fool whatever was going to judge them.
George let out a gasp as we entered the hall. Enormous silk banners hung from the walls, each of them representing a Hogwarts House: red with a gold lion for Gryffiindor, blue with a bronze eagle for Ravenclaw, yellow with a black badger for Hufflepuff, and green with a silver serpent for Slytherin. Behind the teachers' table, the largest banner of all bore the Hogwarts coat of arms: lion, eagle, badger, and snake united around a large letter H. We placed ourselves at the end of the table, as to have the best view of the new decorations, and I curiously peered at the decorations that reached up to the enchanted ceiling.
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"Who do you think did all this?" I mused, staring in awe at the banners. "I don't know, and honestly don't care" Lee said earnestly, making me snicker, "but it does look hella cool" The golden trio sat down next to us, also seemingly impressed by the new decor.
"You guys got any ideas on the Triwizard Tournament yet?" Harry asked. "Thought any more about trying to enter?" "I asked McGonagall how the champions are chosen but she wasn't telling," said George bitterly. "She just told me to shut up and get on with transfiguring my raccoon." "Wonder what the tasks are going to be?" said Ron thoughtfully. "You know, I bet we could do them, Harry. We've done dangerous stuff before. . . ." "Not in front of a panel of judges, you haven't," said Fred. "McGonagall says the champions get awarded points according to how well they've done the tasks." "Who are the judges?" Harry asked. "Well, the Heads of the participating schools are always on the panel," said Hermione, and everyone looked around at her, rather surprised, "because all three of them were injured during the Tournament of 1792, when a cockatrice the champions were supposed to be catching went on the rampage." She noticed them all looking at her and said, with her usual air of impatience that nobody else had read all the books she had, "It's all in Hogwarts, A History. Though, of course, that book's not entirely reliable. A Revised History of Hogwarts would be a more accurate title. Or A Highly Biased and Selective History of Hogwarts, Which Glosses Over the Nastier Aspects of the School." "What are you on about?" said Ron. "House-elves!" said Hermione, her eyes flashing. "Not once, in over a thousand pages, does Hogwarts, A History mention that we are all colluding in the oppression of a hundred slaves!" I let out a groan and buried my head in Fred's neck, not believing she had started on the same rant again. "You do realize that your sheets are changed, your fires lit, your classrooms cleaned, and your food cooked by a group of magical creatures who are unpaid and enslaved?" she kept saying fiercely. George let out a sigh, and leaned in closer to Hermione. "Listen, have you ever been down in the kitchens, Hermione?" "No, of course not," said Hermione curtly, "I hardly think students are supposed to -" "Well, we have," said George, indicating Fred, Lee and I, "loads of times, to nick food. And we've met them, and they're happy. They think they've got the best job in the world -" "That's because they're uneducated and brainwashed!" Hermione began hotly, but her next few words were drowned out by the sudden whooshing noise from overhead, which announced the arrival of the post owls. Harry looked up at once, and saw Hedwig soaring toward him. Hermione stopped talking abruptly; she and Ron watched Hedwig anxiously as she fluttered down onto Harry's shoulder, folded her wings, and held out her leg wearily. I took this moment of Hermione's silence to stuff the rest of my food in my mouth and frantically gesture to the twins and Lee to make our escape.
