Trouble Quills

"Happy Birthday, Hermione!"

She turned back just in time to witness Ron bounding up to her like a pup meeting its owner after a long time.

"This is for you," he said, producing a small blue box.

"Thanks, Ron," said Hermione.

"So that's why you took so long to come, eh?" laughed Harry as Ron turned a delicate shade of pink.

"But this is lovely, Ron!" breathed Hermione, for she had just opened his gift of set of earrings. Ron continued to go red.

Unable to continue with this mildly comical scene, Harry ushered them to breakfast.

"Ah, owl post."

Owls of every kind and color flew to their recipients. "Hey, what's..." began Hermione as a large parcel fell on her lap. Before she could get a better view of it, the owl that had delivered her parcel had flown away.

"Must be another gift for you. Go on, open it," Harry urged her.

"Don't be silly, Harry, how many people do you think can remember it?" she replied while opening it. "It can't be from Mum and Dad and ...oh..." Out fell a set of elegant eagle quills, neatly tied together with a red

ribbon.

"Woo scent oo thaa?" came Ron's voice from her left, his mouth overstuffed with food.

"If you only gave some thought to manners once in a while, Ron," sighed Hermione, looking at him with an odd expression on her face.

"Er, well, this note came along with it," said Harry, trying to break the awkward moment.

"Oh...well...yes" said Hermione, snapping back to reality. Her eyes scanned the bit of parchment. "It's from Fred and George," she said. Pausing a bit, she read the rest of the letter. "But, how did they know?"

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It is said that the seventh year or, the NEWT year is a very hectic year. If it wasn't a teacher forcing them to do work, it was Hermione. And it was because of her that the two 'renowned' chess players, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley were now bent over a sheet of parchment each and lazily referring books for their essays.

In an effort to cheer them up, Hermione had provided each of them with a quill that she had got

for her birthday, but it seemed to be a futile attempt.

"Cheer up, guys. You'll have lots of time to play chess and fool around once you're done with your homework," still trying to get them out of their foul moods.

"Thank you, Hermione. Now I'm as happy as a free house elf. And yeah, I feel like dancing on the moon with a spoon like a loon..." grumbled Harry so that only Ron could hear it.

"Ah," muttered Ron back, "so there's the poet in Harry. Moon, spoon... ha." Harry gave him a slight

jab in his ribs as Ron began to crack up. But it was too late.

"Why can't you two do your work silently for once? A bit of hard work and concentration isn't going to kill you," went Hermione as Harry cursed himself under his breath and Ron stared at her with a look of shock on his face.

"Okay, okay we're doing it," said Ron, recovering soon. "Imagine this nightmare: Homework and Hermi... WHAT THE HELL!"

"Now what?" said Hermione flaring up again. But Ron seemed unable to speak as he stared at his parchment, transfixed. Curious, Harry bent closer to Ron. The letters in his parchment were moving around and merging together! Soon, the face of a certain handsome wizard - Lockhart- replaced Ron's essay.

Ron seemed slightly sick and Hermione, who had come to take a look, seemed breathless. As Harry looked at it, bemused, the picture began to sing!!!

"House elves are silly,

They drive me mad!

They give me a lily

And the toe rags seem glaaad!"

"Shut up," shouted Hermione at the picture looking livid. But the picture did not seem to mind. All it did was to continue to with its song.

"They are so ditzy,

They look like..."

"Evanesco!" said Hermione and the parchment vanished.

Immediately, Ron's head snapped up to look at her. "What was that for?" he asked loudly.

"What do you mean 'what was that for'? It was insulting house elves!" she retorted.

"That was my essay, in case you hadn't noticed," said Ron.

"I don't think you were writing that all along. And moreover..." said Hermione.

But Harry cut her off. "Look at your parchment, Hermione!"

And that's what she did. Soon, the trio was witnessing a spectacular firework display as the letters in her parchment began to sizzle and shoot up in various colors! Ron began to laugh uncontrollably, finally scaring some second-years nearby so much that they ran up to the their dormitories at top speed.

"Now what are you laughing for?" said Hermione, snapping back to reality from the shock.

"Fire works were beautiful," he said, still laughing.

"That wasn't funny, Ron," she said looking really angry.

"Well, it was! And it serves you right for vanishing my essay," he said.

"How dare you laugh for something like that! I had written two whole pages of my essay and off it

goes. Stop laughing, Ron. I said stop laughing!" she yelled.

"I can't," he said in an irritating way.

"Come on, Ron. Give her a break won't you?" said Harry, trying to stop them from proceeding further.

"Oh yeah?" said Hermione, looking daggers at Ron, who was still laughing like a maniac.

"Yeah, Harry, finish your essay before some thing happens to it too," said Ron, still breathless with laughter.

A sudden doubt seized Harry and he went up to his looked at his essay, half expecting to see a fluffy pink doll there. But no, his essay seemed fine - or was it? Harry quickly bent over the essay he had been

struggling over for the past hour. "God, NO!" he groaned loudly.

"What, Harry?" said Hermione, who had been arguing with Ron. When he did not reply, she came over and took the sheet of parchment that was in front of him. "Not again," she gasped.

"What?" said Ron, walking up to them.

" 'Well, Turnip, you are fat,' said the Pea. 'Of course, not. You are holding a magnifying glass, Pea,' said the Turnip. 'No,' said the Pea, 'I think that it would be best to call the Pumpkin to judge this,' said the Pea. And saying that, the Pea set out, taking his walking stick and top hat, to find the Pumpkin.' Er, Harry, was this your essay?" said Ron, beginning his laughter.

Harry looked up, quite irritated. "Why don't you try to regain your senses, you moron?" he said through gritted teeth.

"Well, it is funny," said Ron, cracking up again.

"Sure, you'll find it funny. And so will your brothers," said Hermione, who had been quiet for a while.

"Why?" asked Harry.

"We were writing with the quills Fred and George sent us, remember? And I'm very much mistaken if they had not bewitched them," she fumed.

"Them?" said Ron, as a look of realization hit him.

"I'm going to report it to Mrs. Weasley right now. They are going too far," she hissed.

"Why, I never even guessed that they could be this bad," said Harry, in a slightly sarcastic voice. "How dare they..."

As they sat there with towering tempers, the portrait-hole suddenly opened. In came Ginny, chatting away merrily with her friends.

"Hey, guys, I thought that you would be busy with your home works," she said coming over to them.

The three glared at her.

"Oh, come on, it can't be that bad. Here, maybe you can cool off with some of these."

And saying so, she offered them something the paper bag she was carrying. Finely-spun, realistic-looking sugar quills...