Chapter 7

Instructions

Chapter 7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The door creaks behind me, and I turn around slowly, a smile forming on my lips when I realize that it's Audrey. We start rapid firing random sentence fragments. "Where were you?!" that kind of thing. But in the end, we always go back to bed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hallowe'en ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I need to go to the bathroom," I tell Audrey. I don't actually need to, but I need to practice charms. I'm definitely failing miserably. "Right now? But it's the Hallowe'en Feast!" "I'll hurry back," I promise. In the bathroom, Hermione's sobbing on the floor. "Are you okay?" I help her up. She briefly nods. I clear my throat. I don't like asking for help, but I need it. "Hermione?" I ask tentatively, "Could you... help me with Wingardium Leviosa?" "Are you sure?" "Yes," I say, "It can't be worse than failing." She points to piece of paper towel on the ground, "Try." "Wingardium Leviosa!" The piece of paper towel pathetically rises up a few inches then falls back down. "Well done! Better than Ron Weasley, anyway." I catch her mutter. I know what she's talking about, but best not to annoy her. I decide to try again. "Wingardium Leviosa!" Concentrating on my swish and flick. It's all in the wrists, I think. The paper towel rises higher until it levitates at the ceiling. When I lower my wand, it drops back down. "Oh, congrats!" Hermione exclaims. The door reopens and slams shut, so we both turn around... ...to face a massive troll standing in the girls' bathroom. On cue, we both scream, and start to back away. The troll starts advancing, destroying sinks and stalls. I'm glad I didn't eat anything; I would be vomiting right now if I had. Harry and Ron (Ugh.) both run in. Harry shouts something, and I throw a piece of debris at the troll, and Harry does the stupidest thing of all: he jumps on the troll's back and stuck his wand up the nostril. Yuck. Hermione half faints, and Ron screams desperately, "Wingardium Leviosa!" The troll knocks himself out with his levitating club, and we all sigh with relief. "What on earth were you thinking?" I demand. "Hermione-" Ron starts. "Hermione wouldn't be here in the first place if you hadn't been so rude to her!" He's taken aback. I glare at him, then walk out the bathroom door. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "What happened?" Audrey asks me. She looks VERY annoyed and a bit concerned. "Sorry for ditching you, I had to go to the bathroom, and a troll showed up." I shrug. "It was nothing." She still looks curious. I guess I kinda didn't explain really well. "I had help," I assure her. "Let's eat." Is all she says. I'm guessing it's because they found out about the troll. Yuck. Well, at least I'm not failing charms anymore. I'm not hungry after the troll. "I'm going to bed." I tell Audrey, then walk away. I don't realize I'm in the boys' dormitory until I start looking for our room. "You must be lost." I turn around to find Draco Malfoy of all people smirking at me. I think about... Keeper of the Lost Cities for a second. "I mean, if you had any intelligence at all, you wouldn't be here." "Maybe I'm just planning a prank, knowing you can't get me in the girls' dormitory." I snap back. "Assuming you're the best is stupid." Then, I storm into the girls' dormitory. Audrey laughs when I walk in.