A Surprise From Someone Else by beaweasley2

A Surprise From Someone Else by beaweasley2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Austrina, Sally, Margarite, and Bernise walked down to Potions together, still giggling about the prank Phyllis had pulled the day before. As they turned the corner, they were surprised to see a crowd of students milling around outside of the Potions classroom. Several bangs, followed by screams and crashes could be heard from inside the classroom as well as the angry voice of Professor Snape telling everyone to calm down and stay put. Domina, Jemima, Emma, Marianne, and Carlie hurried over and pulled the four Gryffindors aside.

"Whose turn is it?" Domina whispered.

Bernise leaned toward her with a quizzical expression. "It's Robin, I think. Why?"

"Her card hasn't turned yellow yet," Marianne said. "I talked to her just after Herbology."

"So what's going on?" Margarite asked. All the girls glanced at the door at the sound of another bang coming from the classroom.

Emma looked over her shoulder at the other students gathering around and then turned back to her friends. "The Potions classroom door is jammed or sealed...there is some kind of creature in the classroom."

"Wicked!" Margarite said with a huge grin.

"No, it's not, Mar! The second-years are all stuck in there!" Domina exclaimed worriedly.

Bernise and Austrina leaned around their friends, and Bernise saw Randal Blaine nudge Drew Latham, grinning like a Clabbert. "But Professor Snape, he's in there, right?" Sally asked, picking at the strap of her bag.

Suddenly, the door opened, and the entire class of second-years came running out screaming as if running away from the apocalypse.

Randal Blaine smirked at his friend Thomas Florian, who was laughing heartily at the frightened second-years.

Professor Snape appeared at the doorway, his robes singed and a strange gooey substance on his pants and left boot. He looked around, wand drawn, and pointed to Sally. "You," he snapped as if she'd done whatever caused the goo and scared the second-years. "Go get Hagrid. Tell him to come get this...this...whatever the bloody hell it is, out of my classroom! NOW!"

Sally went white as a sheet, dropped her bag and took off running instantly.

"The rest of you, sit in a row against the wall and pull out your books," Professor Snape ordered.

No one said or asked anything, but quickly scrambled to comply. Bernise slid to the floor next to Emma under a wall sconce and pulled out her book.

"Open your books to page one hundred-and-seventeen and read quietly," Snape demanded, turning his attention to whatever it was that was still in the classroom.

"Quite a change from the usual Potions lesson, isn't it?" Randal asked with a wink as he sat down next to Bernise.

Bernise looked up at him in shock. "Did you do this...this...whatever it is?"

Thomas leaned around Randal and winked at Emma. "Now why..." Thomas started to say, then fell silent at Snape's glare.

Emma turned away from Thomas in disgust.

"Pipe it," Randal snapped. "Now what would give you the idea I had anything to do..."

"Mr. Blaine, I did not give permission for individual discussions!" Professor Snape snapped as both girls stared at the page in their books. "Twenty points from Ravenclaw. You are supposed to be revising for the Langiliers Potion on page one hundred-and-seventeen. Unless you have something to say to me?"

"Eh, no, sir," Randal stammered and opened his book. He turned and winked at them, smirking like the Kneazle that had caught an imp. Emma turned back to her book to ignore him.

Minutes later Sally arrived, running behind Professor Hagrid. "You wan'ed to see me, Professor," Hagrid asked Snape.

"Yes," Snape said and indicated his classroom door with his hand. "Someone has let loose a creature in my classroom."

"Er, what kind of creature, Professor," Hagrid asked cautiously, looking at the door, his black eyes shining.

"If I had any idea what-so-ever what that thing is, I would have told you. However, I have never seen...nor read...about anything like it," Snape growled irritably, and Gabriela Sanchez, who was sitting right across from the door, tried to scurry into the rock behind her back.

Harold Waters patted her knee to try and reassure her.

"If ANY of you so much as moves, leaves or otherwise does ANYTHING other than to sit here quietly and read your books, I'll give you detention with Filch in his private dungeon room for a week," Snape said as he glared at the class. "Hagrid, if you'll come with me, please." With that he turned and led Hagrid into the classroom.

No one moved for a few seconds. Then whispers of speculation and a few startled exclamations, followed by hushed voices, filled the corridor. Suddenly there was another loud bang, and Hagrid cursed. Snape swore, and there was a crash, as if something exploded, followed by what sounded like a spell blast and another explosion. "Watch it, Professor!" Hagrid's voice could be heard over the racket inside. "There he is. Hold on there, little fellow."

"Little!" Susan Talbot gasped as Miss Sanchez scooted closer to Mr. Waters.

"Oh, my gods, it's going to kill em!" someone exclaimed down the corridor.

"Did you hear that?" someone said as one of the boys said, "Nah, not Snape...he'll turn it into a potions ingredient."

Bernise pulled her knees up and repositioned her book as another loud explosion followed by a spell blast could be heard again.

"It's blowing up the classroom!"

"Nah, that's Snape zapping it."

"You want me to protect you?" Randal asked Bernise.

"I SAID QUIETLY!" Snape bellowed through the closed door. Everyone quieted down.

Suddenly the room beyond the door went quiet, and everyone looked at the door expectantly.

"Do you think he got it?"

"Is it dead?"

"Maybe."

"Oh, I hope they're all right?" Phyllis asked, worrying the corner of her book.

"Maybe it ate him?"

"Hush," Emma hissed. "It didn't eat Snape, and Hagrid is too big." There was a rolling of hushed laughter at her declaration.

Suddenly the door flew open, and everyone lowered their heads to their books. Snape eyed the students as he let Hagrid out of the classroom. Hagrid was carrying a cage with a really disgusting-looking three foot long creature with grey, shiny armor, and multiple legs sticking out at odd angles. Sparks and fire shot out of one end, making it bang its other end into the cage. It also had a stinger that it was using to try and poke at Hagrid's hand as he held onto the handle of the cage. "Nothin' to worry abou,' yeh see. Professor Snape is puttin' yer room righ', and yeh'll be back to yer studies in a minute," Hagrid said jovially as he turned to walk away.

The creature, whatever it was, fired off another blast of sparks and fire that scorched the wall and made its cage swing toward the students, who tried to scramble out of the way. "Now, tha' wasn' nice, Petard," Hagrid scolded.

"Petard?" Bernise asked, and Emma snickered.

"Well, yeah, it has ta have a name, don' it. Right, Professor?" Austrina said, leaning around Margarite and Carlie as she mimicked Hagrid.

"Righ' ya are!" Hagrid said, smiling at her, oblivious to the joke.

"If you are all done gaping at Hagrid's new pet, I suggest you gather your things and set up your work areas. I'm sure you've all reviewed the directions for the potion sufficiently by now," Professor Snape said smoothly, moving aside so everyone could enter the classroom. Everyone quickly scrambled to their feet, grabbing bags and books as they hurried into the classroom.

Bernise looked around, amazed at how little damage there was to the room, considering all the noises they'd heard. She tried to ignore the scorch mark and the portion of new wood on the corner of her worktable as she set up her cauldron.

"We've wasted enough time," Snape barked, and several people hurried to the supply cupboard.

Later as her potion simmered, Emma leaned over to Bernise and Carlie. "So, do you think it was Blain who let that thing in here?"

"I don't know," Carlie said as Bernise shrugged.

"Very well could be, the way he's acting," Carlie replied.

Bernise chanced a glance at Randal, who was whispering to Thomas next to him, smirking and looking rather smug. "I'm not sure, but I have a suspicion you're right... but..."

"But what?" Carlie asked.

Bernise shook her head. "Nothing. Just a feeling... I don't know for sure, really, but I'd bet my new quill it was him."

And the fun continues...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's notes:

We have a bit of a snag, so I just thought I'd wing one in there.

A huge thank you goes to DutchesOfArcadia for the quick beta read. You're amazing.

The original prompt is: #53. Hide a blast-ended Skrewt under his desk.