On the Hogwarts Express, Ron was finally starting to relax in the compartment with Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan and the two 'Puff girls - whose names he still couldn't remember - when the door was yanked open by Malfoy.
"Malfoy!" Ron snarled at him, jumping to his feet and drawing his wand. "What do you want?"
With a look of glee in his eyes, Malfoy smirked and said, "No Potter and the mudblood, Weasley?"
That was a far as he got before he suddenly almost completely doubled over with stomach pain.
He then had a look of painful shock on his face, before he turned and ran off without another word.
Ron, surprised at what had just happened, heard one of the 'Puffs ask, "Would you mind closing the door, Mister Weasley?"
When he turned to look at her, she asked, "Well? Are you going to close the door, or not?"
Still a little shocked by Malfoy's behaviour, he turned back, closed and latched the door and sat back in his seat. Then looked to her.
"What just happened?" he asked, confused.
She grinned back and said, "Mister Malfoy had a very sudden urge to use the toilet. I believe he'll be occupied for a while."
When Ron still appeared confused the other 'Puff said, "Lilith doesn't like people who use the 'M' word around her. She has a knee-jerk reaction to hex them."
Lilith said, "Megan tends to exaggerate a little. I only save the hexes for people like Malfoy. Him, I hit with a bowel loosening charm. He'll be in the toilet for a couple of hours."
Finally understanding what happened, Ron grinned back and said, "That's wicked!"
Megan said, "I don't know why your so-called golden trio puts up with him so much. We don't."
Lilith said, "Learn the bowel loosening charm, learn to cast it surreptitiously and silently and you shouldn't have anywhere near as much trouble with him in future."
Ron thought about that for a moment before he leaned forward, adopted a begging expression and pleaded, "Teach me?"
Both 'Puffs laughed, which had Ron and the other two Gryff' boys join in a moment later.
"Alright, Mister Weasley," she eventually said. "However, you're going to owe me a favour, if I do."
Warily, he asked, "What sort of favour?"
Still smiling from the laughter, she shrugged and replied, "I don't know yet, but it's not going to be something that will offend you having to do it."
He thought about that, before he gave a firm nod back and said, "Accepted."
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Ron was so focussed on learning the hex the Fourth Year 'Puff, Lilith Moon, was trying to teach him that he didn't hear the door to the compartment being opened.
He didn't even notice anyone was there until Dean asked, "Need something, Angie?"
That had him looking up and seeing Angelina Johnson, shadowed by Alicia Spinnet, standing in the doorway, looking at him.
As soon as he did, though, she firmly asked, "Where's Potter?"
"Not on the train," he replied.
Confused, she asked, "What do you mean?"
"We received a letter from him a few days ago saying he might not be attending," he explained. "Something about he and Hermione might be taking up the option of having personal tutors, instead."
That he didn't say it with an outward sign of jealously was thanks to his Aunt Muriel. He was prepared to answer that question. However, he didn't know that and he was still jealous, anyway.
"Really?" she asked, surprised.
"Really," he near-snarked.
She thought about that for a moment before she said, "You said 'might'."
"Might," he repeated.
"Does that mean he might also turn up?"
He shrugged. "I hope so."
Clearly frustrated, without another word she stepped back, pulled the door shut, latched it and walked away.
"At least she closed the door," said Seamus, also trying to learn the bowel loosening hex.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Immediately returning to his office apartment after having just been fired, Dumbledore made no effort to begin packing his personal effects. Instead, he immediately used the floo to contact members of the School Board. Or, rather, attempt to contact them.
His intent was to get immediate support to suspend his termination, so he then had the time to work his skills more thoroughly and get the decision to terminate his employment more permanently overturned.
However, no matter how much he begged, demanded, attempted to blackmail, threaten or otherwise, no one was budging. Even those he thought he'd still have support from were refusing.
What he didn't know was that, once the time reached three thirty and while he had his head yet again in the flames, the castle's house elves were quickly and quietly packing his effects.
At 4.00pm, on the dot, he found himself ripped out of the floo and magically transported to outside the school's main gates. He was then sitting on his bum on the cobblestones of the path. His packed personal effects joined him moments later, about him.
Shocked, he was a few seconds in disbelief before he jumped to his feet in a rapidly building rage, shrunk his effects and levitated them up so he could grab them and shove them into his pockets. Then he attempted to angrily stomp his way back in through the gates, but was rudely banished back from them to again land on his bum where he started as soon as he hit the ward boundary.
Again, he surged to his feet but, instead of trying to stomp his way back in through the gates again, drew his wand and began casting powerful ward breaking charms at them.
It was as much a waste of time as it was when he lost the Headship and, in the back of his mind, he knew it. It would take hours of work of hundreds of witches and wizards working in concert to bring down the wards. Even he, at his most powerful, had no chance of accomplishing it.
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