Random Hogwarts Student: Thomas Edward Greenwood

Random Hogwarts Student:

Thomas Edward Greenwood

By Ababil Ashari

II

The Younger Poelher Sister

I woke up uncharacteristically early today, earlier than the sun. Suddenly my eyes just opened, and they wouldn't close back again. Even when I put them through the torture that is reading a History of Magic textbook I found on the floor. I made it through the first five chapters before giving up. Then I decided to change into my school robes and go down to the Great Hall and have breakfast.

I opened the portrait to be greeted with a breezy, chilly wind to my face. I liked it. Maybe I should wake up this early more often.

I could hear every footstep reverberate through out the halls perfectly. I liked the sound of my footsteps so much, I spent a couple of minutes tap-dancing just to hear the reverb of my steps some more. Then I started singing..."If you want to destroy my sweater/pull this thread as I walk away". God, the ambiance is so good here my father would kill to analyze the acoustics in here.

My father. I stopped dancing. I stopped singing "Undone - The Sweater Song" by Weezer. I just stopped. Humph, thinking of my father was such a joy-killer, but it was okay. My father was a Muggle. He did sound engineering for a living...whatever that was. And he loved my witch mother very much. Loved me very much, too. He was a good man. I miss him. That's all I can say, and that's all I wanna say.

I continued to walk.

Then I happened upon one of those hallways which had the big arched gaps in the side looking over the picturesque sunrise crawling up the mountains. I walked up to the edge of the hallway and looked down...It was a long way down. I wondered what the headlines would read if I jumped of this ledge and plunged to a bone-crunching, extremely painful death. 'Insignificant Hogwarts Student That Is Not Harry Potter Commits Suicide. Nothing Changes,' would be it, I guess. God, I was so fucking naïve. It wouldn't be the headline; it would be buried in page seven! I sat on the ledge and moved my legs around and breathed the fresh air and smiled for I was not suicidal; I just contemplated it.

I lay down on the floor with my leg still over the ledge and fashioned a list of people who would grieve me if I died. Mom, grandparents from my father's side, Alex, Emily, Matt, Megan, Sarah, Tina Poelher (my ex I dated last year), and...speak of the devil...

"Thom? What are you doing here lying down like this?" Her feet were one inch from the top of my head.

"Y'know. I don't know, Tina. I just don't know."

I met Tina last year when I was a fourth-year and she was a first. We bumped into each other as we were running while not looking where we were going, and we started going together since then. Back then, I didn't realize she was a first-year, so I just cruised along with the relationship. Then a week later, the truth showed itself in the form of Tina not being old enough to go to Hogsmeade. She confessed, I lost the plot, we broke up. We've never had a conversation since then until just now.

Tina and I ended up walking to the Great Hall together and alone. But she was really cool. Even though we dated and she still to some degree hated me, I could say...

"I think I like Ginevra now."

"Who doesn't?" she scoffed.

"What do you mean?"

"You're kidding, right? Everybody loves Ginny. Well, at least every boy in my class does...," explained Tina casually. "Last night, the boys did this poll of the most snoggable girl in the fifth year class. Ginny came out number one."

"Are you serious? And these are boys from your year?"

"Yeah."

Wow, I don't remember being that perverted in my second year.

"Wanna know who came out number one in the boy's side?"

"Who won that one?"

"You did."

My ego suddenly grew several sizes bigger; my head did, too. Suddenly my self-esteem was at an all-time high, not to mention I was now smiling this big sm...

"Just kidding."

Way to ruin it, Tina.

Later, Tina and I witnessed the ceiling change from a dark, calm night to a luminous blue morning with light clouds as we first stepped into the Great Hall. The transformation was breathtaking, so much so we just stood there looking up, watching it.

"It's great, isn't it?" said a voice coming from the general direction of the floor.

"Professor Flitwick. Good morning," greeted Tina sweetly.

"Good morning, Miss Poelher, Mister Greenwood."

"Morning," I greeted economically.

"You two are up early this beautiful morning."

"Early Ravenclaws catch the worms, Professor Flitwick," I said.

"...and Gryffindors, too!" Tina added.

Not only until lunch time that day did I realize how stupid that phrase was, but nonetheless the Professor appreciated it.

"Indeed they do; indeed they do."

As Professor Flitwick ascended to the staff table, and random students and teachers started poring into the Great Hall, Tina said the most random thing.

"Charms is my favorite subject."

"...Good for you." I guess.

I had Herbology for our first lesson, and it was very interesting. And sharing the greenhouse with the Gryffindors also helped a great deal. Every time I finished a task, I got to look at Ginevra, who was usually still struggling with the task (clearly, Herbology wasn't her best subject.) I loved Herbology; it was my favorite subject. It was the only time during daily lessons that I felt comfortable.

Next I had Defense against the Dark Arts with Professor Snape, A.K.A. "Ugliest Git in the Whole Entire Universe." I actually liked it that he was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts instead of Potions. At least now I didn't have to work hard for him. I was shooting for a mediocre Acceptable in Defense Against the Dark Arts, by the way (Am I making it obvious that I don't like Defense Against the Dark Arts?).

And then came lunch...While I was eating, I invited you to peer over my O.W.L. target sheet...

My OWL Target Sheet

Arithmancy: E

(I hate it, but I'm good at it.)

Astronomy: E

(See Arithmancy.)

Charms: O

(The head of my house teaches this; it would be an embarrassment if I got anything lower.)

Defense against the Dark Arts: A

(I already told you about this one.)

Herbology: O

(Again, I've already told you about this one.)

History of Magic: E

(I just can't have two A's on my report card...I just can't!)

Muggle Studies: O

(It's a Mickey class, and I'm not one to pass up on an easy O.)

Potions: O

(I love it; I'm good at it. I just have to have it. And with Snape out of the picture, I might just get it!)

Transfiguration: E

(See History of Magic.)

Arithmancy. Do you know what's more tedious than a lesson of Arithmancy? Double Arithmancy. To make things worse, there were only ten people taking it this year! Here's the fifth year Arithmancy roll call:

The 5^th Year Arithmancy Roll Call: 1996/1997

Barrymore, Megan - Ravenclaw - F

Cavanaugh, Christine - Ravenclaw - F

Greengrass, Aurora Mig Consta - Slytherin - F

Greenwood, Thomas Edward - Ravenclaw - M

McLachlan, Vera Valentina - Hufflepuff - F

Pewnair, Alexander Vyse - Ravenclaw - M

Phair, Shendy Angelina - Hufflepuff - F

Poelher, Ana Fey - Gryffindor - F

Tong, Matthew Li - Ravenclaw - M

Heron, Lindsay Elizabeth - Ravenclaw - F

Pathetic, ain't it? The only good thing about this class was the male to female ratio, and even that was tainted. Megan was Matt's girlfriend; Christine was an anti-social study freak who will glare at you if you look at her for two seconds; Aurora was a Slytherin, and I hated Slytherins; Shendy and Vera were in my fantasy, hence just looking at them makes me ache with guilt; Ana was Tina's older sister; and Lindsay was seeing a seventh-year brute of a Hufflepuff who sent the last guy who looked at her to Madam Pomfrey for a two week stint in the hospital wing. Poor Alex.

And it was the deadest class as far as atmosphere goes. As I looked up...

"Mister Greenwood! Stop looking up and start concentrating on your text book and your parchment!"

"Yes, Professor Vector, ma'am."

Okay, without looking up, I could see all of the students (except Alex) were feverishly writing on their parchment and consulting the book New Theory of Numerology. We were supposed to write a short four inch essay on the importance of the numbers 2, 3, 5, and 7 in the Primus Curse with no instruction from Professor Vector, just the first chapter of our textbooks. To answer this verbally would be easy as pumpkin pie, but to write a short, concise version of the proof was a nightmare. It was a balance of not saying too much and not leaving out so much stuff, that it would just not make sense to an outside reader. We were given until the last fifteen minutes of entire double lesson to finish this, and we were supposed to present it.

My presentation went great, and the others did, too. Basically, we ended up saying the same thing which didn't please Professor Vector. So, she had us to write an extended version of the essay (a minimal of twelve inches, to be exact), which I finished quickly with Alex's help. I think he helped Matt and Megan, too. He practically devised four different ways to answer, gave us the answers, but kept the most elegant one for himself.

Two seconds after Arithmancy class, I was confronted.

"Hey, Thom." She had pushed me into the wall of the hallway quite violently. I didn't know she was that strong; she should play Quidditch.

"Hey, Ana..." I observed my predicament, "...what's up?"

"Tina told me that you two are talking again."

"...well..."

Wrong answer. She was choking me with her forearm now.

"Maybe I'm not making myself clear. Are you and Tina talking to each other again? Yes or no."

I let out a choked and pathetic, "...Yes...yes," and nodded my head.

"Good. We're really connecting, you and I," Ana said sarcastically. "Now, you'll break my heart if you don't answer the next question I ask you honestly, okaaayyyy?" She accentuated the "okay" with a couple nods.

"Ok...ay."

"Are you going to hurt her like you did last year, hmmmm???"

"No..." I shook my head simultaneously with the "no."

"Are you sure?" She increased the pressure on my neck, which made me want to nod some more, but all I could do was just miniscule head movements.

"Good enough." She released her forearm with a step back, which left the formerly hanging me to drop like a heap.

"I believe you, Thom Greenwood."

Yay.

"I believe you two will have a long and lasting relationship together."

What?

"She likes you, man. She really likes you."

"Tina?" I idiotically asked.

"Of course, Tina! Who else?"

I should have stopped talking now.

"Now, I'll leave you with this message. If you ever hurt her again, I will personally kill...no, torture you with so many hexes and curses, you'll spend the whole entire school year in Madam Pomfrey's and your entire summer in St. Mungos, kapish?"

"..."

"Say 'kapish'!"

"Kapish, Ana, kapish. Geez."

"Okay, see you in Potions tomorrow."

"Huh?"

"Ravenclaws and Gryffindors have Potions tomorrow after lunch, Thom! How can you take care of my sister when you're forgetful like this, huh? Well, you better -" Ana's voice trailed off as she went downstairs toward the Great Hall.

Thom, what have you gotten yourself into?