You Get What You Deserve

Ron was still in a bad mood with Hermione next day. He barely talked to her all through Herbology, even though he, Harry, Hermione and I were all working together on the same Puffapod.

“How’s Scabbers?” Hermione asked timidly, as we stripped fat pink pods from the plants and emptied the shining beans into a wooden pail.

“He’s hiding at the bottom of my bed, shaking,” said Ron angrily, missing the pail and scattering beans over the greenhouse floor.

“Careful, Weasley, careful!” cried Professor Sprout, as the beans burst into bloom before our very eyes.

We had Transfiguration next. I was thinking about what broom I was going to buy, when I got the chance, like I normally did when I had the time. I joined the queue outside the classroom, along with Ron, Hermione and Harry. I was distracted, however, by a disturbance at the front of the line.

Lavender Brown seemed to be crying. Parvati had her arm around her, and was explaining something to Seamus and Dean, who were looking very serious.

“What’s the matter, Lavender?” said Hermione anxiously, as we went to join the group.

“She got a letter from home this morning,” Parvati whispered. “It’s her rabbit, Binky. He’s been killed by a fox.”

“Oh,” said Hermione. “I’m sorry, Lavender.”

“I should have known!” said Lavender tragically. “You know what day it is?”

“Er –“

“The sixteenth of October! ‘That thing you’re dreading, it will happen on the sixteenth of October!’ Remember? She was right, she was right!”

The whole class was gathered around Lavender now. Seamus shook his head seriously. Hermione hesitated; then said, “You were dreading Binky being killed by a fox?”

“Well, not necessarily by a fox,” said Lavender, looking up at me with streaming eyes, “but I was obviously dreading him dying, wasn’t I?”

“Oh,” Hermione said. She paused. Then – “Was Binky an old rabbit?”

“N-no!” sobbed Lavender. “H-he was only a baby!”

Parvati tightened her arm around Lavender’s shoulders.

“But then, why would you dread him dying?” Hermione said.

Parvati glared at Hermione.

“Well, look at it logically,” Hermione said, turning to the rest of the group. “I mean, Binky didn’t even die today, did he, Lavender just got the news today –“ Lavender wailed loudly. “- and she can’t have been dreading it, because it’s come as a real shock –“

“Don’t mind Hermione, Lavender,” said Ron loudly, “she doesn’t think other people’s pets matter very much.”

McGonagall opened the classroom door at that moment, which was perhaps lucky; Hermione and Ron were looking daggers at each other, and when we got into class, they seated themselves on either side of me and Harry, and didn’t talk to each other all lesson.
The bell rang at the end of the lesson, and before anyone had a chance to leave, McGonagall called out.

“One moment, please! As you’re all in my house, you should hand Hogsmeade permission forms to me before Halloween. No form, no visiting the village, so don’t forget!”

Neville put his hand up.

“Please, Professor, I – I think I’ve lost –“

“Your grandmother sent yours to me directly, Longbottom,” said McGonagall. “She seemed to think it was safer. Well, that’s all, you may leave.”

“Ask her now,” Ron hissed at Harry.

“Oh, but –“ Hermione began.

“Go for it, Harry,” said Ron stubbornly.

Harry waited for the rest of the class to disappear, then headed nervously for McGonagall’s desk. Ron, Hermione and I stood by the door, waiting.

“Yes, Potter?”

“Professor, my aunt and uncle – er – forgot to sign my form,” Harry said.

McGonagall looked over her square spectacles at him, but didn’t say anything.

“So – er – d’you think it would be all right – I mean, will it be OK if I – if I go to Hogsmeade?”

McGonagall looked down and began shuffling papers on her desk.

“I’m afraid not, Potter,” she said. “You heard what I said. No form, no visiting the village. That’s the rules.”

“But – Professor, my aunt and uncle – you know, they’re Muggles, they don’t really understand about – about Hogwarts forms and stuff,” Harry said, while Ron egged him on with vigorous nods. “If you said I could go –“

“But I don’t say so,” said Professor McGonagall, standing up and piling her papers neatly into a drawer. “The form clearly states that the parent or guardian must give permission.” She turned to looked at him, with an odd expression on her face. Was it pity? “I’m sorry, Potter, but that’s my final word. You had better hurry, or you’ll be late for your next lesson.”

---

There was nothing to be done. Ron and I both called McGonagall a lot of names that greatly annoyed Hermione; Hermione assumed an ‘all for the best’ expression that made Ron even angrier, and I felt sorry for Harry; as he had to endure everyone in the class talking loudly and happily about what they were going to do first, once they got into Hogsmeade.

“There’s always the feast, mate,” I said, in an effort to cheer Harry up. “You know, the Halloween feast, in the evening.”

“Yeah,” said Harry, gloomily, “great.”

The Halloween feast was always good, but Harry really wanted to come to Hogsmeade before that. Nothing anyone said made him feel better about being left behind. Dean, who was good with a quill, had offered to forge Harry’s Uncle’s signature on the form, but as Harry had already told McGonagall he hadn’t had it signed, that was no good. Ron half-heartedly suggested the Invisibility Cloak, but Hermione stamped on that one, reminding Ron what Dumbledore had told us about the Dementors being able to see through them. Percy was possibly the least helpful at comforting Harry.

“They make a fuss about Hogsmeade, but I assure you, Harry, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” he said seriously. “All right, the sweetshop’s rather good, but Zonko’s Joke Shop’s frankly dangerous, and yes, the Shrieking Shack’s always worth a visit, but really, Harry, apart from that, you’re not missing anything.”