Chapter 306: Ron's Birthday
Chapter 306: Ron's Birthday
Towards the end of March, just before Easter, the students of Hogwarts were in high spirits, even minor mischief was on the rise, as everyone celebrated the upcoming holiday.
In the Great Hall, Fred threw down his quill in frustration and packed away his holiday homework. He needed some fresh air after being cooped up for days working on the tedious assignments.
"Wait for me, Fred," George called out, also abandoning his quill as he prepared to join his twin brother.
"Bloody hell," Lee Jordan muttered. He, too, yearned for a break, but instead forced himself to continue memorizing spell theories from his textbook. He was so close to finishing.
"Finally done," Angelina sighed, stretching her arms as she put away her History of Magic essay. She pulled out a piece of parchment from her book, checked off 'History of Magic' and turned to Alicia, "How much more do you have left?"
The parchment was filled with their daunting Easter holiday homework, a lengthy list that made Angelina's head hurt.
The Easter break was never as exciting as Christmas.
Most students would be buried under piles of books, frantically completing their heavy workload. They had to memorize key sections of their textbooks or practice spells, leaving little room for a relaxing holiday.
Unless, of course, you managed to reduce your holiday homework load before Easter, just as they were doing now.
"Just a few more essays," Alicia replied, glancing at the boys across the table. "What about you, Albert?"
"Not much left," Albert replied, taking the parchment from Angelina and scanning its contents. "I don't have as much homework as you guys. Most of the spells we need to memorize and practice are already done. I just need to review them from time to time."
"That's so enviable," Alicia said, admiring Albert's memory. He rarely needed to explicitly memorize articles; a few thorough readings were usually enough for him to commit them to memory. As a result, his theoretical knowledge was exceptionally solid, leading her to wonder if he had memorized most of the textbooks.
"Have you been secretly practicing spells?" Alicia asked suddenly, a playful glint in her eye.
"Oh, so you've discovered my secret?" Albert joked. Indeed, he didn't need to spend as much time practicing the spells they learned in class, which was why he had the time and energy for other pursuits.
"We've been practicing the Stunning Spell and Disarming Charm lately," Fred suddenly piped up from behind Albert, his hands resting on Albert's shoulders. "I've mastered them, and I can teach you guys if you want."
At some point, the Weasley twins had sneaked back in.
No one paid Fred any mind, dismissing his offer as they continued discussing their holiday workload. They would exchange information they had found in the library, saving each other time and effort.
This efficient division of labor had been Albert's idea. As long as they weren't copying each other's work, there was no harm in sharing the fruits of their research, and it certainly made completing their holiday homework much faster.
"You're done already?" Albert asked, not looking up from his work.
"Truman asked me to tell you that the Wizarding Chess match tomorrow is still on, right?" George said, explaining their brief absence.
The Easter holidays would begin the next day, with Easter itself being the day after.
"It's on," Albert confirmed without hesitation. "If anyone plans to go home for the holiday, then I'm afraid they'll have to sit this one out."
Most students would spend Easter at Hogwarts, rarely going home for the short break. This was also why the professors assigned such hefty homework, hoping to keep the students occupied and out of trouble during the holiday.
"Oh, I just saw Hagrid," George suddenly interjected. "He looked like he was in a hurry, probably off to find Professor Dumbledore. Something must be up."
"It's probably about the Acromantula," Albert speculated casually. "The Forbidden Forest isn't safe these days. There are wizards hunting those spiders, and they've got the whole colony riled up."
"Let's go check it out!" Fred leaned in excitedly. "I heard Acromantula venom is worth a fortune. Why miss out on a chance to make some serious gold?"
"Are you talking about the giant spiders Professor Smith mentioned?" Angelina asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Hey, aren't you guys scared of those things?" Alicia recalled that the Weasley twins' Boggarts had taken the form of Acromantulas.
"Don't be daft, or you might end up as spider poop," Albert said, brushing off Fred's hand from his shoulder. "Acromantulas eat people, so don't come crying to me if you get devoured."
"Ugh, do you have to be so gross?" The girls all scrunched up their faces in disgust at Albert's blunt description.
Alicia quietly put down her biscuit.
Unbothered, Albert continued, "I reckon Hagrid probably found the body of one of those poachers, so he rushed to report it to the Headmaster."
"That poacher is seriously unlucky," Fred chimed in. "If what you say is true, he might get eaten by the Acromantulas any day now. I'd be so scared I'd probably explode on the spot and run for the hills."
It was common knowledge that Albert's predictions, especially when it came to bad news, were eerily accurate.
Just then, a piercing scream rang out in the Great Hall.
Peeves had dropped a package of wolf spiders onto each of the house tables, and the arachnids were now scurrying everywhere, startling the more squeamish students.
"Where did it get these from?" Fred wondered aloud, pulling out his wand to immobilize the spiders crawling towards him. He picked one up and examined it. "I've got it! These will be Ron's birthday present this year."
"I'd love to see the look on Ron's face when he opens the box and a bunch of spiders come crawling out," George added, also stunning the spiders on the table with his wand.
"I thought your little brother was arachnophobic?"
"You two should really give up on this crazy idea," Alicia said, shaking her head as she watched the twins collect the stunned spiders into a box.
"Ron's the unluckiest bloke, having brothers like you two," Angelina remarked.
"No, it's his luck and honor," Fred and George said in unison.
"Be careful, or you'll get Howlers," Albert warned.
"I second that," Lee Jordan agreed, shaking his head. "Finding my worst fear in a birthday gift would be a nightmare."
"How can you even think of pulling such a prank?"
An angry voice cut through the air, and they turned to see Percy standing with his hands on his hips, glaring at Fred and George. He confiscated the box of spiders without another word.
"I'll write to Mum about this."
"No, wait! We were just joking. It was just a prank, honestly," the twins pleaded, but Percy wouldn't budge.
Their prank had been too cruel, and there was no talking their way out of this one.
"There's a werewolf in the Forbidden Forest!" a student suddenly shouted as he burst into the Great Hall, his eyes wide with fear.
"I overheard Hagrid talking to the Headmaster," the older student panted. "They found a werewolf in the forest!"
(End of Chapter)
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