"Oops! Oops! Oops—!"
Ron shrank back in his chair, eyes wide as a house-elf caught stealing socks, his entire face scrunched up like a chimpanzee who'd just swallowed a lemon.
His gaze locked onto the red envelope in front of him, his whole body going numb. The thing was already smoking, wisps of magic curling from the edges.
Harley's alarmed shout only made it worse. "It's a Howler!"
"A—a what?" Neville stammered, already looking like he wanted to bolt. He had been on the receiving end of enough magical mishaps to know that anything smoking was rarely good news.
Jerry and Hermione, meanwhile, exchanged confused glances. "What's a Howler?" Jerry asked hesitantly.
"Open it, quick! Before it's too late!" Harley urged.
But he was too late.
With a loud bang, the envelope shot into the air, unfolding itself in a sharp, precise pattern—almost like an origami spell at work.
Ted's sharp eyes tracked the transformation, noting how seamlessly transfiguration and charm work had been combined.
It was actually an impressive bit of spellcraft.
Then, the Howler exploded into sound.
RONALD WEASLEY!
HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR! I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED!
The entire Great Hall went dead silent. Every single student froze, heads snapping toward the source of the magical shouting.
"YOUR FATHER IS NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!"
Ron had vanished under the table.
Only a tuft of flaming red hair peeked out from beneath it.
Jerry and Ted exchanged looks, their amusement quickly dying when they noticed the tears welling in Ron's eyes.
But before they could say anything, the Howler wasn't done.
"Oh, and Ginny, dear, congratulations on making Gryffindor. Your father and I are so proud!!!"
With that, the letter burst into flames, disintegrating into ashes that rained softly onto Ron's head.
At the Gryffindor table, Ginny Weasley, who had been sitting quietly with her new classmates, turned bright red and nearly shrank into her robes.
She had not expected to be part of this public spectacle.
For a moment, there was stunned silence.
Then the Great Hall erupted.
Whispers, snickers, outright laughter—especially from the Slytherin table, where a few students began mockingly shouting,
"RONALD WEASLEY!" in shrill impressions of Mrs. Weasley's voice.
Ted frowned, feeling a pang of sympathy for Ron.
Humiliation wasn't exactly an ideal teaching method.
He tapped his wand against his throat, casting a quick Sonorus charm before clearing his throat loudly.
Ahem—
The magically amplified sound was like thunder in the Hall.
Every student immediately stopped talking, eyes flicking toward Ted with anticipation.
He grinned, hopping onto the bench and raising his hands.
"Ladies and gentlemen, do you want to know what really happened yesterday? Do you want to hear the full story behind that Howler?"
Excited murmurs rippled through the Hall. Hogwarts could be dreadfully dull at times, and Ted had just offered them prime entertainment.
His voice took on a storyteller's rhythm, warm and inviting. "Picture this! The Hogwarts Express is about to depart. The station is bustling. Students are boarding, trunks are being loaded… but something is wrong." He paused dramatically. "The barrier—is sealed."
Gasps. Whispers.
"That's right! No matter what they tried, it wouldn't budge! Our dear friends Harley, Ron, and Neville were left stranded. Time was running out. Panic set in. And then, in a moment of reckless Gryffindor brilliance, they made a decision." He gestured wildly. "They took—a flying—car!"
The hall erupted again, but this time in excited cheers and exclamations.
Ted pressed on, his tone dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Through the skies they soared, chasing the Hogwarts Express from London all the way to Scotland. Dodging Muggle eyes, braving the winds. Can you imagine it?"
The younger students were practically bouncing in their seats, hanging on his every word.
"Of course," Ted continued with mock seriousness, "this wasn't exactly legal. And the landing? Let's just say… the Whomping Willow was not pleased with their arrival."
Laughter erupted again, especially from the Gryffindor table.
"Now, I don't condone breaking school rules," Ted said, placing a hand over his heart with exaggerated sincerity. "But I must admit… it was undeniably—"
"COOL!" someone shouted from the Gryffindor table.
Ted grinned, pumping his fist in the air. "EXACTLY! So cool!"
The Hall exploded in agreement, students pounding the tables, cheering, and chanting "SO COOL! SO COOL!"
Even the older students, who had initially rolled their eyes at the younger kids' excitement, found themselves nodding along.
Because, honestly?
That was cool.
Across the room, Ron had finally peeked out from under the table, staring at Ted in disbelief.
Ted met his gaze, giving him a small, knowing smile.
Sometimes, a little spectacle was all it took to turn a humiliating moment into a legendary one.
Ted continued, his voice carrying a mix of admiration and caution.
"Of course, let me be clear—what they did was reckless. That flying car was one of Mr. Weasley's experimental projects.
Now, Mr. Weasley is a genius, always looking for ways to help the wizarding world with new magical innovations.
His idea was to create a more comfortable, weather-proof method of travel—especially since the Ministry of Magic has banned flying carpets."
He gestured dramatically.
"But, because it was still in the experimental phase, the car started acting up right before they reached Hogwarts. And where did they end up? Crashing straight into the Whomping Willow!
Merlin's beard, that could have been a disaster! Luckily—" he pointed toward Harley, Ron, and Neville,
"—Merlin must have been watching over them, because they all made it out unscathed."
Ted placed a hand over his heart.
"So, let me be clear—I do not endorse this kind of reckless behavior. However…" He let the pause stretch, a playful smirk forming.
"I can't deny it—this was a legendary adventure! A real, thrilling, once-in-a-lifetime experience!"
With that, he threw his hands into the air. "Let's take this as a lesson and—more importantly—let's give a cheer for our three fearless adventurers! Wooooo!"
The Hall erupted.
Ted had completely turned the mood around.
The younger students, enthralled by the story, threw their hands up and cheered wildly, some even chanting "Wooooo!" over and over.
Even some of the older students, including a sixth-year prefect, Peggy, couldn't help but join in.
She gotta support her bro after all.
The Great Hall had become a roaring zoo of excitement.
Ron, his face still pink, slowly straightened in his seat.
He glanced around at his cheering classmates, a hesitant but growing smile appearing as he nodded at them in appreciation.
He had gone from being humiliated to being treated like a hero.
Ted let out a relieved sigh.
He'd done his best for his friend, even if he had just given a bunch of impressionable young witches and wizards some very dangerous ideas.
Hopefully, McGonagall wouldn't hex him for it later.
Just as the excitement reached its peak, a cold, sharp voice cut through the noise like an icy blade.
"For encouraging students to break school rules, Ravenclaw loses twenty points."
A heavy silence crashed over the room.
The excitement vanished in an instant.
Every head turned toward the entrance of the Great Hall, where Professor Snape, clad in his ever-present black robes, stood with his arms crossed, his cold gaze locking onto Ted.
A chill settled over the students.
The bravest among them dared only to stare at their plates, suddenly very interested in their breakfast.
Ted simply shrugged at his friends, grinning sheepishly.
'I had it coming.'
That morning, Ted, Hermione, and Harley had Charms class together.
Professor Flitwick, as lively as ever, greeted them while standing on his usual precarious stack of books.
"Welcome back, everyone! I hope you had a restful holiday. Today, we'll be learning a very important spell—the Expansion Charm! The incantation is Engorgio."
Compared to the spells they learned in their first year, this one was significantly more advanced—and more dangerous.
Flitwick emphasized the risks. "Now, I cannot stress this enough—misusing this spell can lead to major accidents. Cast it improperly, and you could end up causing serious damage.
Just ask the Ministry about the incident where a wizard accidentally turned his kneazle into the size of a Hippogriff."
Ted smirked, thinking of the canon Harry turning his aunt into a human balloon.
Flitwick continued, "And remember, the Expansion Charm works on both objects and magical effects. If you were to cast it on, say, a magical flame… well, you might create an explosion."
Ted raised an eyebrow.
'Now that's interesting.'
But, of course, accidents always happen in Hogwarts.
Seamus Finnigan, infamous for his spell mishaps, waved his wand confidently and recited the incantation.
At first, everything seemed fine… but then, something went wrong.
BOOM! A small explosion sent a shockwave through the room.
Luckily, Ted's instincts had been on high alert.
The moment he sensed something was off, he acted.
Instead of attempting the spell himself, he had been watching the room closely—and when the explosion occurred, he instantly cast a containment shield to absorb the blast.
A loud whoosh of magic echoed as the energy was safely contained.
Though the sound was alarming, no one was actually harmed.
Flitwick, ever the quick-reacting duelist, had simultaneously cast a series of Protego shields around Seamus and several nearby students.
Ted was in awe.
That had been fast.
Flitwick turned to him, eyes twinkling with approval.
"Excellent reaction, Ted! Your shield was strong and controlled—well done! Ravenclaw earns twenty points!"
Ted, never one to waste an opportunity, raised a hand.
"Professor, how did you cast four Protego spells in an instant?"
Flitwick chuckled. "Ah! I thought you might ask. It's a particular casting technique of mine. Let's discuss it after class! But first, let's go over where Seamus went wrong…"
That day, the students were reminded of one very important lesson: magic, for all its wonder, was still dangerous.
One wrong move, and the consequences could be explosive.