Laura's first year at Hogwarts chapters 11-13

                                       
                                        Chapter 11

After a crazy breakfast the next day, where everyone had cheered at Ada’s arrival, and buffeted her with hugs and chatter (for she was one of the most popular girls in Hufflepuff), Ada and Laura thankfully escaped to their History of Magic lesson. They took their seats as Professor Binns, a ghost, floated around them.

Binns took his place at the front and started to speak in his usual droning voice.

“Today we have got onto the history of the Golden Trio. Please take notes.”

Everyone seemed excited to learn about Harry Potter as they took out their books.

“Harry Potter was born on July the 31^st, 1980, in Godric’s Hollow, to James and Lily Potter. The Potters were a wealthy family.” Professor Binns began.

Then he started talking about the boring history of James and Lily, and everyone (except for Ada), started to get bored.

Laura sat up straight however when Professor Binns started telling them about Voldemort.

“Lord Voldemort, the most feared dark wizard of that time, entered into Godric’s Hollow and made his way to the Potter’s house. He blasted open the door and demanded that James Potter, who was standing in his way, to move. James refused, and he was immediately killed with the Avada Kedavra curse. Lord Voldemort walked up the stairs and pushed through into the upstairs bedroom. There, stood Lily, holding Harry tight.

She shouted at him, pleading with him not to kill them. Voldemort gave Lily a chance and told her to step away. She also refused, and Voldemort killed her with a blast of his wand.”

The whole classroom gasped and Ada was white and trembling, and clinging to the edge of her desk.

Laura remembered that Ada had never heard the story of Harry Potter before.

“Lord Voldemort moved to Harry, who was now in his cot.” Professor Binns continued, “The one year old baby was staring up at his face, a look of curiosity and fear mingled in his green eyes.

Lord Voldemort, or, as he was known at that time, He-who-must-not-be-named, lifted his wand and pointed it straight at baby Harry’s face. Voldemort shouted the killing curse and it rebounded off Harry’s face and straight back at Voldemort. Voldemort screamed and withered into a being that was not human. Harry Potter, the only boy to ever survive the killing curse, the boy who lived, was given a mark by Voldemort and a piece of his soul. The mark was the lightning shaped scar on his forehead. Okay everyone, class is over for today.” Professor Binns finished.

All the students stood up, chattering loudly about the lesson as they all filed out of the classroom.

                                                                            *

A week later, Laura was falling asleep in herbology. She had been up till one in the morning the night before, because she had piles of homework. Professor Knowles was lecturing the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw first years on the Mimbulus Mimbletonia. She held one in her hand and was pointing to the different parts with her wand. Betty Potter yawned. Knowles spun around and started to shout. She told her off for being tired and took 5 points from Gryffindor. 5 minutes later, Rubeus, her twin, yawned as well. He had 10 points taken away and the Potter twins both got detention!

When Ada and Laura walked out of the greenhouse with the twins, Betty burst into tears.

“This is the third time this week we have been given detention with Knowles! It isn’t fair! When you yawned Laura, you didn’t even get told off!” She wailed.

Laura hugged her.

“I know, it’s horrible. I don’t understand it either.” She said.

“Come to the empty classroom on the third floor this evening and we can talk about what to do.” Ada whispered to them mysteriously.

Betty and Rubeus nodded, grinned at them and rushed away.

                                                                      Chapter 12

Laura and Ada crept up the stairs to the third floor when suddenly the staircase changed. Ada yelped and Laura whooped, this was a chance to have an adventure, she thought excitedly. The staircase creaked into place and they leapt off it.

“Oh no! This is a totally wrong place, it is the teacher’s office corridor.” Ada exclaimed after looking around her.

There wasn’t another way out, so Laura beckoned the way forward and they tiptoed along. Suddenly, Ada pulled on Laura sharply to a halt and drew her behind a tapestry.

“Shush! Someone is there!” Ada whispered, putting her finger to her lips.

Sure enough, they could hear a voice.

“Now, the Potter twins are coming to my office for detention tonight, you know what to do. Now go and make sure the brooms are ready outside.” The voice hissed.

Laura gulped, the voice definitely belonged to Professor Knowles.

She heard someone gasp for air as if an octopus had been strangling it, and Professor Gaius Flint hurried around the corner, clutching his neck.

Ada waited a few minutes after Knowles’ footsteps died away, before she let go of Laura and they hurried to where Betty and Rubeus were waiting.

                                                                         *

Laura flung open the door of the classroom and rocketed into the room.

“You will never believe what we just heard!” She panted, clutching a stitch in her side.

Ada quickly explained to the Potters what they knew.

“What! Is Knowles planning to do something to us?” Betty gasped, looking worried.

“Seems like it.” Laura replied.

They discussed what to do for about ten minutes when genius struck her.

“Rubeus, who has the invisibility cloak in your family now?”

“We do.” Betty answered.

“Great! Okay, here’s the plan…” Laura whispered.

                                                                      *

Ada, Laura, Betty and Rubeus parted at the entrance to the classroom and ran off in four different directions. Laura ran to the Hufflepuff common room where she gathered a few friends in a huddle and told them the plan. They all nodded excitedly and ran off. Laura ran to her dormitory and took some stink bombs out of her trunk and put them in a pouch around her neck. Then she ran to the empty classroom again on the third floor.

Laura pushed open the door and was surprised to see about twenty people already assembled.

When the last person had ran in and taken a seat at a desk, Laura jumped onto the teacher’s one and stood up.

“Okay everyone! Thank you all for coming to help Betty and Rubeus Potter.” She called over the noise. Then she divided people into groups and told the first group to find Professor Flint and the broomsticks he was meant to be getting ready, the second group to station themselves at the ends of the teacher’s corridor, and the third group to go with Ada and Laura to hide outside Professor Knowles’ office. Everyone rushed away, after hearing the battle plan and their instructions.

                                                                     *

Betty and Rubeus walked nervously to Knowles’ door and knocked.

It swung open and they walked in, under the malicious smile of the Professor. She did not however, notice two more people slide as silently as a mouse into the room and hide in the corner. Ada and Laura were hidden underneath the invisibility cloak, ready to defend their friends if anything happened. Knowles locked the door behind them and set the twins to work. The first half an hour passed without anything happening except the twins polishing numerous gold and silver articles. During that time, Knowles kept looking at her watch and glancing out of the window. Laura took mental notes about the messy office to pass the time. She decided to use it in an adventure story she was writing at the time.

Ada nudged Laura. She quickly looked up and saw Professor Knowles sidle around to the back of the twins with her wand out. Ada and Laura silently took theirs out to be ready. Laura saw Knowles’ mouth move and a second later, thick ropes had shot out of her wand and were entwining themselves around the twins. Betty screamed and Laura jabbed Ada in the side and they started into action. Ada twirled around and unlocked the door with the Alohomora spell and Laura whispered the unleashing spell. The twins were immediately free and were about to jump up, but Knowles was too quick for them. She bound them again and Laura unleashed them again. Knowles bound them, and Laura freed them.

Knowles looked wildly around for the person who kept on freeing the Potters. Of course, hidden by the cloak, she couldn’t see Laura.

This is hopeless! I can’t keep freeing them a million times. I need to get Knowles’ wand.  Laura tried to think of a disarming spell, but her brain wasn’t working at that precise moment.

Thankfully, someone else saved the day. Knowles’ wand was invisibly snatched in mid-air from her outstretched hand and it scuttled away. Knowles was so surprised that she just stood there in the exact same position. Laura used the time to release the twins, and they finally jumped up and tried to shoot spells at the Professor. But she dodged them and descended on the helpless twins, trying to grab their wands.

Laura reached into the pouch around her neck, threw off the invisibility cloak, and chucked the stink bombs at Professor Knowles’ head. Suddenly, a smell worse than you could ever imagine, erupted into the room. Smoke filled the air and everyone started coughing. That was when the chaos really started. Betty fainted, the recruits that Ada had just called for were now running for their lives, and Professor Knowles was escaping with Betty slung over her shoulder! Gaius Flint, Knowles’ accomplice, jumped through the window, captured Rubeus with strong hands and ran after Knowles along the corridor. Laura, Ada and a few people had hadn’t abandoned them, rushed after the two kidnappers. At the end of the corridor, the group who had been stationed there, saw them coming and quickly tightened the rope that lay on the floor. The criminals didn’t see the rope or the students and when they got close, Jemiah Blaise from Ravenclaw and her brother Judah, lifted the rope, and Knowles and Flint tripped over and went flying. Betty became unconscious and tried to struggle away from Knowles, while the students tried to pull her free, but the Professor was too strong for any of them. Laura shouted to one of the third years to get the headmaster to come. She rushed off as a sixth year shouted Stupefy and hit Gaius in the chest. Flint fell crash onto the ground again, stunned. Rubeus came free and went to help his sister. But Knowles jumped up, after magically roping Betty up, and stumbled down the corridor with about twenty students running after her. She ran into the school grounds where two brooms stood lying on the ground and even more of the Potter’s army members, as a boy had nicknamed them. Knowles groaned despairingly for the first time for the numbers of students were just too much for her. She summoned up all the energy she could muster however, and ploughed towards the group of students all facing her with their wands out. Knowles was about to reach them when Laura shouted, “Stupefy, you criminal!”

Knowles dropped down onto the ground as if glad to be hit by that spell which saved the Potter twins who were now hugging happily as if their life depended on it.

“What happened? Explain yourselves everyone!” A gruff voice demanded. Laura whirled around. She saw Scorpius Malfoy, headmaster of Hogwarts illuminated by the light that streamed out from the entrance hall as more teachers ran up to stand behind him. Laura stepped forward and began to explain the whole story.

Half an hour later, she finished her story and Malfoy looked very surprised.

Then he told everyone to go into the Great Hall for some food, for they all looked famished, he said, while he took care of Professor Knowles and Professor Flint. Laura ran up to Ada and slipped her arm through hers.

“Well done Ada. You did amazingly.”

“You did even better.” Ada replied, beaming.

And they walked into the Great Hall, the only thing on their minds being their stomachs.

                                                           Chapter 13

The next day, Laura was walking with Ada to their Charms class. They were both glad to get away from all the attention they were getting. Suddenly, Laura felt her bag being tugged off her shoulder, but she held fast to it. Ada started whistling and the Crumpled-horned-Snorkack appeared trying to steal the bag. Laura reached down and grabbed it around the waist. Then she started to rub its chin and it started to growl happily.

“Ada, quickly go and call Professor Midget!” Laura told her friend. “Maybe she can help us give the Snorkack to Luna Longbottom.”

Ada rushed away.

Five minutes later, a befuddled Professor Midget walked up to them. Ada started to whistle and the Snorkack appeared. Midget gasped as she saw the happily growling creature that Laura was scratching.

“Oh my goodness!” Midget yelped delightedly. “I will send an owl immediately to Luna Longbottom to come and see him. Or is it a girl?”

“We have no idea!” Ada answered.

Suddenly, to the great surprise of Laura, the Snorkack jumped out of her arms and rushed away. They all pelted after it, Ada whistling all the way. The Snorkack ran helter-skelter up to the second floor and into a broom cupboard. Ada and Laura carefully followed it while Professor Midget stood outside. Laura gasped. Inside a nest of all the things that the Snorkack had stolen, were three little baby Snorkacks and a father! Ada and Laura squealed with delight when they saw the little crumpled horns on the babies squealing heads. Then the mother walked up to the girls and shoved them out the cupboard with her horn. Ada and Laura obediently obeyed and backed carefully out.

Then Laura told Midget what they had seen with a little hop of excitement. Laura loved every animal and had a cat, an owl and a pygmy puff at home. Then Midget rushed off to send an owl to Luna Longbottom.

                                                                       *

Two days later, Laura and Ada were called to the headmaster’s office.

“Acid Pops!” Ada shouted at the gargoyle. It sprang to life and they stepped onto the spiral staircase that moved upwards. They knocked on the door and Malfoy shouted, “Come in!”

They entered the office and sat down at two seats that had been conjured for them.

“Hello Adams and Connelly. How has your first year been?” He asked kindly.

“It was great thank you!” Ada replied and Laura nodded enthusiastically.

“Wonderful, wonderful. Now,” the old headmaster went on. “You will probably be wondering why you are here. I presume you will also be wondering why Professor Knowles tried to take Elizabeth and Rubeus Potter.”

Ada and Laura nodded and watched Malfoy keenly.

“Well, we questioned her and she said that she was trying to kidnap them so that the Potters family, whom are rather rich, would pay ransom. She was trying to get money from them. We did not know, but she managed it a different time. She captured Katie and Emily, the twin’s aunts, when they were on holiday with their family. They were about twelve at the time. That plan worked better than Professor Knowles could have hoped. They paid ransom and even more to plead with her not to do it again. Of course, she accepted the money, but did not keep her word. She became Herbology teacher after she confunded Professor Finnigan. We found him walking around one night, laughing to himself and appearing slightly mad. He had to go to St Mungo’s because the curse was so severe. Then Professor Knowles did the Imperio curse on Professor Flint to make him her accomplice.”

The headmaster finished with a sigh and led the girls out of the office after a long line of questions from Ada and Laura.

                                                                       *

A week later, on the last day of term, Ada and Laura had just come back from visiting the Snorkack family and were sitting at the table eating breakfast when Professor Midget hurried up to them.

“Girls! Come to my office, Luna Longbottom is about to arrive!” She said excitedly.

They both leapt up and followed Midget to her office. They entered and sat down on a chair each while Professor Midget busied herself around the room. Ten minutes later, a boy with bright blue hair rushed in.

“Professor Midget, a man is calling you from the Entrance Hall! He has an old lady called Luna Longbottom with him.” The boy squeaked.

“Oh yes, of course! Right away!” And Midget hurried quickly away.

Ada and Laura chatted happily. What was this Luna Longbottom like?

Soon, they heard a whirring, and a hovering chair with a very, very old lady sitting on it, glided into the room. Laura could tell at once that Luna’s wrinkles had a lot of adventures to tell about, but that she was not scary, but kind. They greeted each other and Laura gave her seat to Mrs Longbottom.

“So, you have discovered a Crumple-horned-Snorkack have you?” she asked.

They had decided not to tell Luna that there was a whole family of them as they wanted it to be a surprise.

“Yes we have. We found things disappearing at the start of the year. Then, we found a picture of it in a book. Oh! It was the one by your daughter Florence actually!” Laura answered.

“How did you find it?” Luna asked, her voice quivering with age.

“Well,” Ada answered, “It was invisible until we found out that whistling makes it appear. Which is why you probably never found one.”

“So, should we show Mrs Longbottom the Snorkacks? I mean the Snorkack.” Professor Midget chirped.

They all stood up and left the office for the second floor, and the broom cupboard, with Luna Longbottom whirring in her flying chair behind them.

They reached the broom cupboard and Laura crept inside, making sure that the mother Snorkack knew that it was her. Then she picked up the mother very gently, whilst tickling her under the chin, and came out the cupboard. Laura held up her hands to Luna, and completely forgetting it was still invisible said, “See! Isn’t she lovely?”

“Well, no sorry. I can’t see it at all. It’s still invisible.” Luna said, chuckling to herself.

“Oh, right! Sorry.” Laura whispered with embarrassment.

Ada started whistling and the creature appeared, much to the delight of the old lady’s eyes. She clapped her hands with delight and held them out take the mother Snorkack into her quivering and wrinkled arms.

“Oh! I have waited for this moment all my 99 years of life!” Luna exclaimed with tears in her eyes as the Crumple-horned-Snorkack buried her head into Luna’s arm.

“What is she going to say when she finds out that there is a father and three babies as well?” Laura whispered to Ada.

Ada grinned as the Snorkack jumped off Luna’s lap and ran inside the broom cupboard. Then they heard some squeals from the babies, then a squeal from Luna as the mother Snorkack trotted out with a baby on her back and the father beside her. Luna Longbottom almost fainted with delight when the Snorkack promptly placed the baby in her hand and sat gazing proudly up at the squealing creature.

“Thank you so much Miss Connelly and Miss Ada for helping me find these wonderful creatures! Oh and what I would give to have Harry Potter and his classmates to be alive again so that I can prove to them I wasn’t just fantasizing.” Luna laughed and her shrivelled old radish earrings danced with merriment.

                                                                                 *

That night, at the end of year feast, Professor Malfoy stood up and clapped his hands.

“Well, I should like to start by saying how glad we are to have Mrs Longbottom as our special guest tonight.”

The whole hall applauded before the headmaster carried on.

“Now I hope you have all had a happy year and have learned lots. Of course, there is still the house cup to be given. In fourth place, with 423 points, Ravenclaw.”

The hall applauded dismally.

“And in second place, with 434 points, Slytherin.”

The Slytherin table clapped as if it was the end of the world.

“And in second place, with 612 points, Gryffindor.”

The Gryffindor table clapped heartily while the Slytherins remained as still as stone.

And in first place, with only five more points than Gryffindor, with 617 points, Hufflepuff! Well done Hufflepuff!”

The whole hall cheered and Laura stood up and threw her hat in the air. Everyone else followed and the air became a sea of candles and hats.

And so, that is how a very adventurous first year at Hogwarts ended for Laura and Ada. 

                                                            The End

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