ded in Percy's direction. Ron got the point at once.
"Got to get upstairs - bit tired," he said, and the two of them started
pushing their way toward the door on the other side of the room,
which led to a spiral staircase and the dormitories.
"'Night," Harry called back to Hermione, who was wearing a scowl
just like Percy's.
They managed to get to the other side of the common room, still
having their backs slapped, and gained the peace of the staircase.
73
They hurried up it, right to the top, and at last reached the door of
their old dormitory, which now had a sign on it saying SECOND YEARS.
They entered the familiar, circular room, with its five four-posters
hung with red velvet and its high, narrow windows. Their trunks had
been brought up for them and stood at the ends of their beds.
Ron grinned guiltily at Harry.
"I know I shouldn't've enjoyed that or anything, but ='
The dormitory door flew open and in came the other second year
Gryffindor boys, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Neville
Longbottom.
"Unbelievable!" beamed Seamus.
"Cool," said Dean.
"Amazing," said Neville, awestruck.
Harry couldn't help it. He grinned, too.
* 85 *
H-H A P T E RR s 1 x
GILDEROY LOCKHART
he next day, however, Harry barely grinned once. Things started to go
downhill from breakfast in the Great Hall. The four long house tables
were laden with tureens of porridge, plates of kippers, mountains of
toast, and dishes of eggs and bacon, beneath the enchanted ceiling
(today, a dull, cloudy gray). Harry and Ron sat down at the Gryffindor
table next to Hermione, who had her copy of Voyages with Vampires
propped open against a milk jug. There was a slight stiffness in the
way she said "Morning," which told Harry that she was still
disapproving of the way they had arrived. Neville Longbottom, on the
other hand, greeted them cheerfully. Neville was a round-faced and
accident-prone boy with the worst memory of anyone Harry had ever
met.
"Mail's due any minute - I think Gran's sending a few things I forgot."
74
Harry had only just started his porridge when, sure enough, there was
a rushing sound overhead and a hundred or so owls
86
streamed in, circling the hall and dropping letters and packages into the
chattering crowd. A big, lumpy package bounced off Neville's head
and, a second later, something large and gray fell into Hermione's jug,
spraying them all with milk and feathers.
"Enrol!" said Ron, pulling the bedraggled owl out by the feet. Errol
slumped, unconscious, onto the table, his legs in the air and a damp red
envelope in his beak.
"Oh, no -" Ron gasped.
"It's all right, he's still alive," said Hermione, prodding Errol gently with
the tip of her finger.
"It's not that - it's that."
Ron was pointing at the red envelope. It looked quite ordinary to
Harry, but Ron and Neville were both looking at it as though they
expected it to explode.
"What's the matter?" said Harry.
"She's - she's sent me a Howler," said Ron faintly.
"You'd better open it, Ron," said Neville in a timid whisper. "It'll be
worse if you don't My gran sent me one once, and I ignored it and" -
he gulped - "it was horrible."
Harry looked from their petrified faces to the red envelope.
"What's a Howler?" he said.
But Ron's whole attention was fixed on the letter, which had begun to
smoke at the corners.
75
"Open it," Neville urged. "It'll all be over in a few minutes -"
Ron stretched out a shaking hand, eased the envelope from Errol's
beak, and slit it open. Neville stuffed his fingers in his ears. A split
second later, Harry knew why. He thought for a moment it had
exploded; a roar of sound fiIled the huge hall, shaking dust from the
ceiling.
8 _
"- E CAR, I WO ULDN'T HAVE BEEN S URSTEALING
THE
PRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET
HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO
THINK WHAT YOUR FATHERAND I WENT THROUGH WHEN
WE SAW IT WAS GONE -"
Mrs. Weasleys yells, a hundred times louder than usual, made the
plates and spoons rattle on the table, and echoed deafeningly off the
stone walls. People throughout the hall were swiveling around to see
who had received the Howler, and Ron sank so low in his chair that
only his crimson forehead could be seen.
"- 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
BOTH HAVE DIED -"
Harry had been wondering when his name was going to crop up. He
tried very hard to look as though he couldn't hear the voice that was
making his eardrums throb.
"-ABSOLUTELYDISGUSTED - 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 BACK HOME."
A ringing silence fell. The red envelope, which had dropped from Ron's
hand, burst into flames and curled into ashes. Harry and Ron sat
76
stunned, as though a tidal wave had just passed over them. A few
people laughed and, gradually, a babble of talk broke out again.
Hermione closed Voyages with Vampires and looked down at the top
of Ron's head.
* 88
"Well, I don't know what you expected, Ron, but you -"
"Don't tell me I deserved it," snapped Ron.
Harry pushed his porridge away. His insides were burning with guilt.
Mr. Weasley was facing an inquiry at work. After all Mr. and Mrs.
Weasley had done for him over the summer ...
But he had no time to dwell on this; Professor McGonagall was
moving along the Gryffindor table, handing out course schedules.
Harry took his and saw that they had double Herbology with the
Hufepuffs first.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the castle together, crossed the
vegetable patch, and made for the greenhouses, where the magical
plants were kept. At least the Howler had done one good thing:
Hermione seemed to think they had now been punished enough and
was being perfectly friendly again.
As they neared the greenhouses they saw the rest of the class
standing outside, waiting for Professor Sprout. Harry, Ron, and
Hermione had only just joined them when she came striding into view
across the lawn, accompanied by Gilderoy Lockhart. Professor
Sprout's arms were full of bandages, and with another twinge of guilt,
Harry spotted the Whomping Willow in the distance, several of its
branches now in slings.
Professor Sprout was a squat little witch who wore a patched hat over
her flyaway hair; there was usually a large amount of earth on her
clothes and her fingernails would have made Aunt Petunia faint.
Gilderoy Lockhart, however, was immaculate in sweeping robes of
turquoise, his golden hair shining under a perfectly positioned turquoise
hat with gold trimming.
77
"Oh, hello there!" he called, beaming around at the assembled
89
students. "Just been showing Professor Sprout the right way to doctor
a Whomping Willow! But I don't want you running away with the idea
that I'm better at Herbology than she is! I just happen to have met
several of these exotic plants on my travels . . ."
"Greenhouse three today, chaps!" said Professor Sprout, who was
looking distinctly disgruntled, not at all her usual cheerful self.
There was a murmur of interest. They had only ever worked in
greenhouse one before - greenhouse three housed far more interesting
and dangerous plants. Professor Sprout took a large key from her belt
and unlocked the door. Harry caught a whiff of damp earth and
fertilizer mingling with the heavy perfume of some giant, umbrellasized
flowers dangling from the ceiling. He was about to follow Ron
and Hermione inside when Lockhart's hand shot out.
"Harry! I've been wanting a word - you don't mind if he's a couple of
minutes late, do you, Professor Sprout?"
Judging by Professor Sprout's scowl, she did mind, but Lockhart said,
"That's the ticket," and closed the greenhouse door in her face.
"Harry," said Lockhart, his large white teeth gleaming in the sunlight
as he shook his head. "Harry, Harry, Harry."
Completely nonplussed, Harry said nothing.
"When I heard -well, of course, it was all my fault. Could have kicked
myself."
Harry had no idea what he was talking about. He was about to say so
when Lockhart went on, "Don't know when I've been more shocked.
Flying a car to Hogwarts! Well, of course, I knew at once why you'd
done it. Stood out a mile. Harry, Harry, Harry."
It was remarkable how he could show every one of those brilliant
teeth even when he wasn't talking.
78
90
"Gave you a taste for publicity, didn't I?" said Lockhart. "Gave
you the bug. You got onto the front page of the paper with me and
you couldn't wait to do it again."
"Oh, no, Professor, see -"
"Harry, Harry, Harry," said Lockhart, reaching out and grasping
his shoulder. "I understand. Natural to want a bit more once you've
had that first taste - and I blame myself for giving you that, be
cause it was bound to go to your head - but see here, young man,
you can't start flying cars to try and get yourself noticed. Just calm
down, all right? Plenty of time for all that when you're older. Yes,
yes, I know what you're thinking! 'It's all right for him, he's an in
ternationally famous wizard already!' But when I was twelve, I was
just as much of a nobody as you are now. In fact, Id say I was even
more of a nobody! I mean, a few people have heard of you, haven't
they? All that business with He-\"o-Must-Not-Be-Named!" He
glanced at the lightning scar on Harry's forehead. "I know, I
know - it's not quite as good as winning Witch Weekly's Most
Charming-Smile Award five times in a row, as I have - but it's a
start, Harry, it's a start."
He gave Harry a hearty wink and strode off. Harry stood
stunned for a few seconds, then, remembering he was supposed to
be in the greenhouse, he opened the door and slid inside.
Professor Sprout was standing behind a trestle bench in the cen
ter of the greenhouse. About twenty pairs of different-colored ear
muffs were lying on the bench. When Ha