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ii.sociopath
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Through the gates, flanked with statues of winged boars, and up the sweeping drive, the carriages trundled, swaying dangerously in what was fast becoming a gale. Looking out the window, Matilda could see Hogwarts coming nearer, its many lighted windows blurred and shimmering behind the thick curtain of rain. Lightning flashed across the sky as their carriage came to a halt before the great oak front doors, which stood at the top of a flight of stone steps. People who had occupied the carriages in front were already hurrying up the stone steps into the castle.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron jumped down from their carriage and dashed up the steps. Matilda, on the other hand, didn't feel as though she needed to rush out of the carriage like a barbarian. She took her time, slowly stepping out of the carriage, in a mature and lady-like fashion.
"Blimey," said Ron, shaking his head and sending water everywhere, "if that keeps up the lake's going to overflow. I'm soaked — ARRGH!"
Matilda who walked only a few feet behind Ron narrowly missed the splash from the large, red balloon, filled with water, and dropped on Ron's head.
A large, red, water-filled balloon had dropped from out of the ceiling onto Ron's head and exploded. Drenched and sputtering, Ron staggered sideways into Harry, just as a second water bomb dropped — narrowly missing Matilda, who had been walking up behind Ron, but it burst at Harry's feet, soaking his feet, but leaving Matilda dry. People all around them shrieked and started pushing one another in their efforts to get out of the line of fire.
Matilda angrily adjusted her robes, looked up and saw, floating twenty feet above them, Peeves the Poltergeist, a little man in a bell-covered hat and orange bow tie, his wide malicious face contorted with concentration as he took aim again.
"PEEVES...!" Matilda yelled angrily.
But, as she went to take a step toward him her foot landed on a puddle that had formed on the concrete floor, caused by both the wet students and the water-filled balloon. Suddenly, Matilda's foot slid out from beneath her, sending her through the air and landing on her bum.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked down at her with horror-stricken expressions, but their hands also covering their mouths to keep from laughing, knowing that Matilda would hex them if they allowed any sounds similar to a chuckle to escape from their lips.
"I'm fine," Matilda sighed, taking Harry's hand that he held out and offered her. "At least I didn't fall and break my intelligence."
Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and head of Gryffindor House, had come dashing out of the Great Hall; she heard Matilda's yelp and had saw Peeves with his red balloons.
