There was a bedraggled owl slumped on the table, seeming to fall unconscious as his legs stuck straight up in the air with a bright red envelope still clasped in his beak.
I didn't especially want to pay attention to Harry and Ron after every that had happened, but their loud conversation was hard to miss.
"Oh no..." Ron gasped, a look of complete shock and horror etched upon his face.
"It's alright, Ron," Hermione said while gently prodding Errol with a finger. "He's still alive."
"No, no. It's not that... it's that." Ron shakily replied as he pointed to the large red envelope.
I looked at Ginny, hoping to get some answers, but her expression was one similar to Ron's... one of shock and horror.
Well I guess I'm not getting answers from her...
Turning back to the others, I saw Harry tilt his head and confusion.
"She's... she's sent me a Howler," Ron said rather faintly.
Another boy leaned in and whispered something about a Howler from his grandmother with an expression of fearful apprehension, finishing with: "it was horrible..."
"What's a Howler?" Harry asked with a confused expression still plastered on his face.
No one answered him, Ron and the other boy still giving fearful glances towards the letter.
I know that feeling...
Reaching a shaking hand, Ron eased the letter from the owl's leg, carefulling sliding it open.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ginny stuff her fingers in her ears, and I knew why a moment later. It looked as if the envelope had exploded, within it was an ear-shattering sound that shook dust from the cloudy ceiling.
"...STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT UNTIL I GET HOLD OF YOU. I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE..."
It was the voice of Mrs. Weasley, a hundred times louder than normal, shaking every spoon and plate on the table and echoing deafening along the stone walls.
"...LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD HAVE DIED... AND KILLED YOUR SISTER AND AELYNN AS WELL! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING BRINGING THEM ALONG ON YOUR LITTLE JOYRIDE..."
I visibly winced as Mrs. Weasley mentioned my name... and said bringing them along.
Why do people not understand that the barrier closed? I wasn't tagging along or being brought along... I had no clue what else to do...
"...ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED... YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT"S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME, I DON'T NEED YOU MESSING UP YOUR SISTER'S FIRST YEAR AT HOGWART... YOU HEAR ME..."
A ringing silence fell. The red envelope burst into flame and fell to ashes. My heart was beating so loud that it felt like the whole hall could hear it in the silence. Eventually though, a few people just laughed and a rising sound of chatter began again.
I looked over at Ginny, her face flushing a bright shade of red as she looked down at her plate with an embarrassed expression upon her face. My own face probably looked pretty similar, but I shook my head to clear it.
Ginny looked like she was going to say something to me, but Professor McGonagall was moving along the Gryffindor table handing out course schedules. She had reached Ginny and I, her gaze resting on me for longer than a second as she handed me the schedule. I silently met her gaze, my eyebrows raising slightly.
Her expression shifted into a stern glance... with some warning in it...
Oh come on... I just said some things I probably shouldn't have. It doesn't mean I need a warning...
Let me just say I'm great with first impressions...
McGonagall turned away from me, moving on to the next students. Shaking my head quickly, I looked at Ginny who was looking back at me.
"What was that for?" she asked, staring after McGonagall as she continued handing out schedules.
I shrugged. "I guess I just made a great first impression..."
She nodded and looked down at her schedule, her vivid red locks falling over her face as she quickly brushed them away.
I turned away for a second, looking at the pile of ashes in front of Ron. "Hey, Ginny?" I asked slowly. "What was that? The... howler?"
"Oh... well it's just like a letter, but obviously shrieks the words aloud... I'd never actually seen one before now." she replied, looking up from the parchment in her hands. "Glad Mum mentioned us in it..." she continued in a softer and more embarrassed tone.
I nodded. "And everyone keeps saying stuff like bring them along... I thought people would get that the barrier closed. I mean... we're in a place with magic so stuff like this has to happen, right?"
Ginny bit her lip and just shrugged, her face shifting to a color less red and flushed. "I've never heard of this happening before... and we're just first-years I guess, so we had to follow them."
I rolled my eyes with a heavily annoyed expression on my face. "But they're only a year older... that's not a big difference. But I guess Harry's famous..."
Face flushing red again, Ginny nodded but turned away, covering her face with her hair.
"Sorry," I muttered, not sure what else to say.
Looking down at the schedule still in my hands, my eyes landed on the first class listed there: Potions.
Looking back over, Ginny had a slight smile on her face as she saw me looking at the parchment. "What?" I asked, confused by her sudden change of demeanor.
"Do you know who teaches Potions?" she asked while tapping the word Potions on the schedule.
I shook my head, and she raised her eyebrows, a slight cringe appearing on her face.
"Snape."