ALL NOVEL Chapter 32: Howler
"Long time, Emily," greeted James with a slight smile.
Emily looked up, her eyes brightened, but instantly went back to the listless expression, " Hi..." said the girl and returned with her gaze to her plate of food.
"What happened this last time? You never sent a letter anymore," asked James.
"The owl is from Gwen and she was at Hogwarts at the time," replied Emily.
"You don't have an owl? I doubt your family has money to buy one," asked James with a strange expression.
"No. I don't have an owl," said Emily with a slight frown.
"What, really?" said James in surprise. Even though she always answered for Gwen's owl, he thought this was about just sending a letter and not wasting so much time.
Emily just nodded and concentrated again on her food as she read a book that was open on the table.
"What happened with Gwen? I saw them far apart these days. Did they fight?" asked James, who wasn't planning on leaving at the moment.
"Nothing happened, James," said Emily in a slightly irritated tone.
James looked at Emily silently, thinking whether he should keep insisting or not.
In the end, he decided it was useless to keep asking, so it was best to go back to his table with Sirius and the others, who were more fun to talk to.
"Well bye..."
Before James could say goodbye to his 'friendly reunion' with his friend someone spoke, catching his attention, "What are you doing at the Slytherin table, blood traitor?"
James turned his head and noticed a boy with short brown hair and a haughty look on his face. It was Rabastan. He had met him when he was on the Hogwarts Express and had a little confrontation before Gwen stopped them.
Behind him were 3 more boys all from Slytherin. James frowned at the sight of Rabastan's gang. His reunion with Emily hadn't gone as he had hoped, and now he had to deal with these idiots.
"Is there a rule that says you can't talk at the tables of different houses?" asked James.
"I don't care if there is or not. I don't want to eat around a traitor. It will be unpleasant, and then I have classes," said Rabastan with a smile, and the other boys laughed.
"Looks like living with your parents for so long stunted your brain," said James, "Or maybe it was always like that," he added with real contempt. Emily and the other boys who heard James' comment were very surprised by this comment.
Rabastan's cheeks flushed, "How dare you!" he exclaimed furiously. His friends or bodyguards behind him began to approach James with unfriendly expressions.
"I didn't know the Lestrange family had such good servants. They look more like arse lickers than house elves," said Sirius, who had only recently arrived and was looking at them with a smirk.
"Black..." growled Rabastan, glaring at James and Sirius. If stares would kill, he would have torn them to shreds by now.
Everyone at the Slytherin table was watching the fight. The upperclassmen were watching with amused eyes. They wouldn't get into a fight of first years, even though they wanted their side to win.
"What's all the fuss about!" a shout was heard. Everyone turned their heads and noticed a woman with a stern face and a deep frown on her face. It was Professor McGonagall.
James and Sirius, who had his fists ready to fight opened them. Rabastan's friends backed up several steps.
"Sirius Black and James Potter, go back to your table," said McGonagall in an irrefutable tone.
"They were saved this time," whispered Rabastan, glaring hatefully at James as he returned to his table.
"We're saved?" muttered Sirius in annoyance. He was going to turn around and face him again, but he saw McGonagall's gaze on him and preferred to return tidily to his table.
James also noticed that Toby had also stood up. Only he didn't say anything and was standing behind Sirius, "Thanks for the help," James said, looking at both of them.
"It's nothing, mate. This won't stay like this," said Sirius, patting James' shoulder.
"I-I didn't do anything..." said Toby, scratching his head as all he did was stand behind Sirius and James, but it was the thought that counted, and he had stood up.
Just at that moment, the mail arrived. Over a hundred owls flew into the Great Hall, during breakfast, flying over the tables, until they found their owners, to drop letters and parcels on their knees.
Shadow brought two letters. James opened the first one he held in his hand. It was from his parents asking how his first days at Hogwarts were going. The other letter was similar, but it was about his grandfather.
James took a quill and answered. He told them how he got 30 points for Gryffindor, got several friends, especially Sirius, Toby, and Peter, and a few more things that happened these days.
When he finished writing the two letters, he sent them with Shadow, who was annoyed that he didn't have time to eat a piece of toast.
"Are you all right, Sirius?" asked Toby. James looked at Sirius and noticed that he was holding a red letter and looking at it with an ugly expression.
'A Howler...' James thought, feeling sorry for Sirius.
He recognized the red letter. The Howler is a magical letter in a red envelope that has a message recorded at a very loud voice volume, a hundred times higher than a normal tone of voice.
"You'd better open it and finish it as soon as possible," suggested James. Now he patting Sirius' shoulder. Toby looked blankly at James. On the other hand, Peter was looking at him as if he might burst at any moment and had a frightened look on his face, as he quickly covered his ears.
The temperature of the Howler begins to rise rapidly after delivery and explodes if left unopened for too long, causing the message it contains to begin to vocifer on its own. This mechanism ensures that the recipient hears the message, no matter what.
Sirius nodded with a grimace, his hand trembling as he opened the red envelope. Instantly in the great hall, there was a roar so loud that it blew dust from the ceiling.
"SIRIUS BLACK THE THIRD! HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU BREAK WITH THE TRADITION OF OVER 500 YEARS! GRYFFINDOR? THE HOME OF THE BRAVE FOOLS? HAVE YOU GONE MAD? OR IS THIS A VILE AND DESPICABLE ATTEMPT TO SHOW YOUR REBELLION AS YOU ALWAYS DO?"
Mrs. Black's shouts caused plates and spoons to clink on the table and reverberate off the stone walls deafeningly. In the dining room, everyone was turning everywhere to see who it was that had received the Howler. Sirius wore a pale expression. However, he did not shrink back and kept his back straight.
"I HOPE YOU COME TO YOUR SENSES AND STOP REJECTING YOUR NOBLE LINEAGE! YOU ARE THE HEIR TO HOUSE BLACK, YOU MUST SET AN EXAMPLE!"
'His mother sure is crazy...' thought James, covering his ears. He felt more empathy for Sirius now. It reminded him of his old mother Elizabeth, though he didn't know if he could shout like this, as he always followed her orders.
There was a silence in which the words of the letter echoed. The red envelope, which had fallen from Sirius' hand, caught fire and turned to ashes. Some laughed, mostly from the Slytherin table as they pointed at Sirius, and some older Gryffindor students as they patted him on the back for encouragement.
Many professors looked at Sirius with sympathy, especially McGonagall and Dumbledore.
Toby's eardrums ached. He now understood Peter's frightened face, 'I would have been warned,' he thought painfully, tapping his ears.
"Don't worry, mate. The selection depends on a hat. It's not your fault," said James trying to cheer Sirius up.
"You already told me. I'm going to the bathroom," Sirius muttered in a dejected tone getting up from his seat.
"I don't need company," he added, grumpily as he noticed James getting up as well.
"Did your family buy the toilets at Hogwarts?" asked James with a smile, "Come on, I have to go too," he added as he started walking.
"M-me too," said Toby, swallowing a mouthful of toast and getting up to follow James and Sirius. Peter did the same. Sirius said nothing, only a slight smile formed on his face.