Janet sprinted out of the Transfiguration
classroom and headed west towards the Ravenclaw Tower. She ran pass students,
teachers, classrooms, and ghosts. She ran up several staircases until the fifth
floor and reached the spiral staircase leading to the common room. Thanks to
her badminton training during her muggle school years, her stamina made her
capable of reaching the to the spiral staircase without stopping even after a
long sprint. Catching her breath, Janet groaned at the fact that the
Transfiguration classroom was on the ground floor and the Ravenclaw Tower
staircase was on the fifth floor and yet, it was not the end. She took a deep
breath and sprinted up the spiral staircase. Her heart sank when she reached
the door of the Ravenclaw common room, “Why can’t we have passwords like other
Houses?” she complained under her breath and rapped the knocker.
“Until I am measured, I am not known, yet
how you miss me, when I have flown.”
Janet’s mind was all clogged up as she was
gasping for air, she could not hear the riddle over her heavy breathing, “Sorry?
Could you please repeat?”
The knocker repeated the riddle and all
Janet could think of was her Standard Book of Spells Grade 1 lying on her
bedside cabinet and the stern face of Professor McGonagall if she was late for
class. She looked around desperately for help but it seems that most of the
Ravenclaws are now heading to class instead of coming back to the common room.
She glanced at her watch; it was already two minutes pass 9 o’clock. “Where is
karma when you need them?” she sighed. True enough, Janet has previously helped
quite a number of Ravenclaws to get into the common room by solving the riddle
from the eagle knocker; she could certainly do with some help from her fellow
Ravenclaws to get in now.
Janet tried to calm herself down and think
of the answer to the riddle but her mind was too clogged up with panic and
worry to analyse the riddle.
“Stuck?”
Janet, who was pacing back and forth in
front of the door, looked up for the source of the voice. A girl with long
black hair was smiling at her.
“Yeah, I need to get my book for class,”
Janet answered with a tone of desperation hoping girl could help her get in.
“Let me try then,” the girl rapped at the
knocker and the riddle was read again. She didn’t speak for a while, paced a
few steps thinking of the answer
Janet didn’t bother thinking of the answer anymore;
she just looked at the girl hopefully, trying to give her silent support since
she could not think of the answer.
Then, the girl smiled. Feeling delighted,
Janet paced nearer to the door looking at her hopefully.
“Is the answer “time”?” the girl asked.
“Indeed.” Said the voice and the door swung
open.
Janet dashed on as fast as she could into
her dormitory to grab her book. She held it firmly to her chest and ran back
out. She ran pass the girl who helped her with the riddle in the common room
but she could not stop to thank her as she was already 5 minutes late for
class.
“She must be thinking how rude and
ungrateful am I to just rush in and out like that without saying thank you,”
Janet thought to herself while sprinting back to the Transfiguration classroom.
She regretted that she did not stop to thank the girl since she was already
late, she could at least show some courtesy. “I will make it up to her later.
She is also a Ravenclaw anyway, there will be plenty of chances to bump into
each other some other time in the common room,” Janet comforted herself as she
sprinted down the stairs and headed towards the Transfiguration corridor.
Janet opened the door hoping that Professor
McGonagall was caught up with something on the way and have not reach the classroom
yet. However, as she push open the door, she was greeted by startled looks of
the class and Professor McGonagall was standing in the middle of the classroom
looking at her with an expression that Janet could not understand. It seemed
that Professor McGonagall was expecting her to appear at the very moment.
Janet froze for a good two seconds until
her brain reminded that she was supposed to be gasping for air.
“Miss Hayden, are you aware that you were
late for my class?” Professor McGonagall asked sternly.
The whole class focused their attention on
Janet. “Y… Yes, Profe…sor.” Janet answered nervously and trying very hard to
breath properly.
“And, I believe that you are aware that I
do not permit my students to be late for my class?” Professor McGonagall
continued.
Janet nodded, trying very hard to avoid
Mandy, who was sniggering. She was the only one in class who was not feeling
nervous for her situation; instead, she seems to be really enjoying the scene
with Janet’s embarrassment.
“May I remind you that tardiness is
untolerable under whatever circumstances and therefore, you, Miss Hayden, will
be punished for that, which will cost you five points from Ravenclaw
and your detention will take place this evening.” Professor McGonagall’s voice
ringed over the silence of the classroom.
Janet’s heart sank, she have not managed to
earn any points for Ravenclaw and now, she have lost five points.
“But tonight’s the Halloween Feast,
professor,” Terry Boot voiced out hoping to help lighten Janet’s punishment.
“That is why it is called a punishment, Mr.
Boot.” Professor McGonagall said. “Now, Miss Hayden, would you please be
seated? I would like to continue the class.”
Janet quickly moved to her seat and the
class resumed.
Throughout the class, Janet tried really
hard to perform spells properly, with hopes that she could impress Professor
McGonagall to compensate the five points she had lost. They had to turn a mouse
into a snuffbox. Although Janet’s snuffbox did not manage to earn any points
for Ravenclaw but at least she managed to turn her mouse into a decent
snuffbox. Mandy’s performance has clearly not been as well as it had been before,
without Su by her side. Seeing Mandy struggling to make the whiskers disappear
from her snuffbox made Janet felt better about losing points and detention.
At the end of the class, Janet was held
back by Professor McGonagall to arrange her detention that evening.
“Miss Hayden, Professor Flitwick will be
borrowing my classroom after lunch for his next lesson. I would like you to
come back here at 6.30 in the evening to help clean up my classroom.”
“Yes, professor.”
“I expect to see you here at 6.30 in the
evening sharp. I presume that you will not be repeating your tardiness.”
“No. I mean yes, professor. I will be here
at 6.30.” Janet said affirmatively.
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