HARRY POTTER Book 4: Chapter 27
Chapter 27
PADFOOT RETURNS
After the second task, many students want to hear what happened in the lake. Everyone asks Harry about it. Because of this, Ron also receives attention. Harry soon notices something interesting. Every time Ron tells the story, it changes a little.
At first, Ron tells the truth. His story matches Hermione’s story. Dumbledore put the hostages into a magical sleep in Professor McGonagall’s office. He told them they would be safe. They would wake up when they returned above the water.
But a week later, Ron tells a very different story. Now he says he fought many merpeople. “I fought about fifty of them,” Ron tells Padma one day in the corridor. He sounds very proud. “They had to knock me out before they could tie me up.” Padma looks impressed.
“But I had my wand hidden in my sleeve,” Ron continues. “I could have beaten those meridiots any time I wanted.” Hermione looks annoyed. “What were you going to do?” she asks sharply. “Snore at them?” Ron’s ears turn red. After that, he returns to the original story about magical sleep.
March arrives. It does not rain much, but the wind is still cold. When students go outside, the wind cuts their hands and faces. The strong wind also causes problems for the owls. Many letters arrive late because the owls are blown off their path by the wind. One morning at breakfast, Harry receives a letter from Sirius. The brown owl that carries it looks very tired. Its feathers point in strange directions.
Harry quickly removes the letter. The owl immediately flies away. He does not want Harry to send another letter out again. The letter is short.
“Be at the gate at the end of the road out of Hogsmeade at two o’clock on Saturday afternoon. Bring as much food as you can.”
Ron looks surprised. “He’s hiding near Hogsmeade?” Ron says. “It looks like it,” Hermione replies. Harry feels nervous. “If he gets caught…” Harry says quietly. “But he hasn’t been caught yet,” Ron says. “And the dementors are gone now.” Harry folds the letter and thinks. If he is honest with himself, he really wants to see Sirius again.
Because of this, Harry goes to his afternoon class, Double Potions, in a better mood than usual. Outside the Potions classroom, Harry sees Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. They stand with Pansy Parkinson and several Slytherin girls. They are all laughing. Pansy suddenly points at Harry. “There they are!” she giggles.
Harry sees that Pansy is holding a magazine. It is “Witch Weekly”. She throws the magazine at Hermione. “You might find something interesting in there, Granger!” she says loudly. At that moment, Professor Snape opens the dungeon door. “Inside,” he says coldly. Harry, Ron, and Hermione go to their usual table at the back.
When Snape turns to write potion ingredients on the board, Hermione quickly opens the magazine under the desk. After a moment she finds something. Harry and Ron look closer. There is a moving photograph of Harry at the top of the page. The title says: Harry Potter’s Secret Heartache
Harry begins to read. The article says that Harry is lonely because his parents died. It says that Hermione is his girlfriend. It also says Hermione likes famous wizards and is playing with both Harry and Viktor Krum’s hearts. The article even says that Krum invited Hermione to visit him in Bulgaria during the summer. Harry feels his face grow hot with anger.
The article becomes worse. It suggests Hermione might be using “Love Potions”. There is even a quote from Pansy Parkinson. “She’s really ugly,” Pansy says in the article, “but she’s smart enough to make a Love Potion.” Ron looks angry.
“I told you not to annoy Rita Skeeter!” he whispers to Hermione. “She’s making you look like some kind of tramp!” Hermione suddenly laughs. “A tramp?” she repeats. “That’s what my mum calls them,” Ron mutters. “A girl who has a lot of boyfriends.” Hermione continues laughing. “If that’s the best Rita Skeeter can do,” she says, “she’s losing her skill.”
She throws the magazine onto her desk. Across the room, the Slytherins watch them closely. They are waiting to see if Hermione is upset. Hermione smiles at them and waves sarcastically. Then she begins preparing the ingredients for the “Intelligenter Potion”.
Ten minutes later, Hermione pauses while she prepares her potion. “There’s something strange,” she says. “What?” Ron asks quickly. “You haven’t been making Love Potions, have you?” “Don’t be stupid,” Hermione replies. She lowers her voice. “How did Rita Skeeter know Viktor invited me to visit him this summer?” She blushes. “What? So he did ask you?” Ron says loudly.
“He asked me after the second task,” Hermione says quietly. “After he saved me from the lake.” Ron looks at her in disbelief. “What did you answer?" he demands. But before Hermione can answer, a cold voice speaks behind them. “I’m sure your social life is fascinating, Miss Granger. But I must ask you not to discuss it in my class.” It is Snape. “Ten points from Gryffindor.”
The whole class looks at them. Malfoy smiles a mean smile at Harry. “You are reading magazines during class as well?” Snape says, grabbing the magazine from Hermione’s desk. “Another ten points from Gryffindor.” He looks at the article and smiles unpleasantly. “Potter likes to follow the news about his friends, of course.”
Then, to Harry’s horror, Snape begins to read the article out loud to the whole class. The Slytherins laugh harder with every line. Harry feels his face burning. Hermione turns red too. When Snape finishes, he says, “I think I should separate the three of you. Weasley, stay here. Miss Granger, sit beside Miss Parkinson. Potter, move to the table in front of my desk. Now.”
