Harry and Amelia Potter

2.7

The next day, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and I head to our first class. Herbology.

"Good morning, everyone!" Professor Sprout enters the greenhouse and looks out to the hole class. We stand along a long table with two pots in front of us and a pile of soil. One pot is empty, and another holds a plant.

"Good morning, Professor Sprout!" We all day back to her.

"Welcome to Greenhouse Three, Second Years. Now, gather around, everyone. Today, we are going to repot Mandrakes. Who here can tell me the properties of the Mandrake root? Yes, Miss Granger."

"Mandrake, or Mandragora, is used to return those who have been Petrified to their original state." Hermione answers. Then I raise my hand to add something to her statement.

"Yes, Miss Potter?"

"It's also quite dangerous. The Mandrake's cry is fatal to anyone who hears it."

"Excellent! Ten points to Gryffindor! Now, as our Mandrakes are still only seedlings their cries won't kill you yet. But they could knock you out for several hours, which is why I have given each of you a pair of earmuffs for auditory protection. So, could you please put them on, right away?" We all grab the earmuffs sitting in the middle of the table and put them on, securing them tightly. "Quickly! Flaps tight down, and watch me closely. You grasp your Mandrake firmly, you pull it sharply up out of the pot..."

The shrieking cries of the baby mandrakes cause the whole class to yell in pain, hurting our ears. I press my earmuffs to the side of my head, hoping it will help.

"Got it? And... now you dunk it down into the other pot and pour a little sprinkling of soil to keep him warm." As Professor Sprout finishes saying this, Nevilles eyes roll to the back of his head and his body falls limp. He drops to the floor with a loud thud. "Uh, Longbottom's been neglecting his earmuffs."

"No, ma'am, he's just fainted." Seamus informs her.

"Yes, well, just leave him there. Right! On we go! Plenty of pots to go around. Grasp your Mandrake, and pull it up!"

Everyone pulls the mandrakes up, wincing at the loud, blood curdling screams. I drop mine into the pot and begin to add soil to it.

I look over to Draco Malfoy, who is standing across from me. He tickles the mandrakes chin, but it bites down on his finger. He quickly pulls it away, and throws it into the pot, frustratingly. I laugh at him. He looks up and glares at me.

I give him a smirk and continue to add soil to my pot.

—————————————————————————

"Huhh... Say it, I'm doomed." Ron holds up his broken wand, which he just finished wrapping tape around in an attempt to fix it. Harry and I fork a mouthful of our breakfast into our mouths and sigh.

"You're doomed." We both say.

"Hi, Harry! Hi, Amelia!" Were then blinded by a bright flash. Once our vision goes back to normal we see a small, blonde haired boy with a camera standing in front of us. "I'm Colin Creevy! I'm in Gryffindor, too!"

"Oh- Hi, Colin. Nice to meet you." I say to him, trying to sound polite.

"Ron? Is that your owl?" Dean Thomas asks, pointing up to the owl flying in. Errol swoops down and crashes into the bowl of chips in front of us. Everyone around us laughs.

"Bloody bird's a menace." Ron says, taking the letter from him. Then he drops it back in the table. "Oh, no!"

"Look, everyone! Weasley's got himself a Howler!" Seamus laughs.

"Go on, Ron. I ignored one from my gran once. It was horrible." Neville states, with a look of horror on his face.

Ron picks up the letter again and begins to open. It then jumps out of his hands back on to the table and then hovers in front of him. Turning into a paper mouth.

"RONALD WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR! I AM ABSOLUTLEY DISGUSTED! YOUR FATHER'S NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!" Mrs. Weasleys voice could be heard all the way in America, I'm sure. Then it turns to Ginny, who Is sitting a few places down from us. It speaks in a softer tone. "Oh, and Ginny, dear, congratulations on making Gryffindor. Your father and I are so proud." Then it turns back to Ron and sticks it's tongue out at him, and finally tears itself up.

"Well, that was, terrifying." I mutter to Ron. "At least it's over."

"I have a feeling that's not going to be the last I hear about it."

—————————————————————————

We head to Defense Against the Dark Arts class, filing in. I sit next to Hermione, behind Ron and Harry. Then the office door opens and Gilderoy Lockhart steps out, with a bright smile on his face.

I roll my eyes. "Not this bloke again."

"Let me introduce you to your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher... me! Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-times winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award- but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at him. Huh, huh, huh... hee, hee... Now- be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind. You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. I must ask you not to scream. It might..." He removes the clothe over a cage, revealing ting blue, fairy like creature. "provoke them!"

"Cornish pixies?" I scoff.

"Freshly caught Cornish pixies!"

"Ha, ha. Ha, ha, ha..." Seamus laughs.

"Laugh if you will, Mr. Finnigan, but pixies can be devilish tricky little blighters. Let's see what you make of them, ha!" He opens the cage and they come flying out, terrorizing the entire classroom. "Come on now- round them up, round them up, they're only pixies!"

They fly around the classroom, destroying almost everything in their path. Then two fly towards Neville and lift him up by the ears. They take him up to the ceiling, and hang him on one of the skeletons.

"Hey, get me down!" He yells.

"Hang on, Neville!" I yell, trying to think of a way to stop them all.

"Get off me!" I look over and see Hermione with one tugging on her hair.

"Stop! Stop! Hold still!" I shout and whack it away with my book.

"Peskipiksi pesternomi!" Lockhart says his spell. It does nothing and one of the pixies grab his wand right out of his hand.

"Hee, hee, hee!" It laughs. Then flies up to a dragon skeleton hanging from the ceiling and taps the end of the wand at the chain holding it up. It breaks and begins to fall. "Yeeee-haw!"

"I'll ask you four to just nip the rest of them back into their cage!" Lockhart tells Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I. Then he fleas back into his office.

"What do we do now?" Ron asks. I climb onto my desk and point my wand up into the air.

"Immobulus!"

The pixies are frozen in their places, and the room goes quiet.

"Why is it always me?" Neville asks.

"Oh, right." I mutter and point my wand towards him. "Windgardium Leviosa." I swish and flick my wand, recalling what I learned last year and carefully place him back on the ground. "Sorry Neville. I forgot you were up there."

"Thanks, Mia."

"Don't mention it."