The Other Brother

[Guppy Travers]

March 19th

Guppy would have accused the older wizard of doing this as a sick joke if he had thought Professor Skeeter had the cleverness to come up with it intentionally.

The first year wasn’t stupid when it came to Herbology—or any of his classes—but had quickly found he possessed a strong dislike towards theoretical work. If he wanted to read a book (he didn’t) or needed to know some random tidbit of information (again, he didn’t), he could do so on his own time. He had come to Hogwarts to learn magic (and make mischief with Ellie), not to identify parts of a plant that lacked any interesting properties. Surely Professor Skeeter, old though he was, could remember what it was to be young and bored!

But alas, if he could, he chose to ignore it—for instead of spending his Saturday out on the grounds or practicing flying or doing literally anything else, Guppy was now undergoing professor-mandated tutoring. And that was not even the worst of it!

Of all the students Hogwarts had to offer—some of which, Guppy was quite sure, were both intelligent and bearable—Professor Skeeter had saddled him with his brother. Not Ellie (for Ellie did no better in classes than Guppy himself). The other one.

Guppy had had little enough to do with Bart since the twins had arrived at Hogwarts, and found he liked that just fine, thankyouverymuch. And so he trudged, herbology book under his arm, to the appointed classroom, still making his way down the corridor five minutes after the appointed time until he came to the door and could put it off no longer. With a heavy sigh, the Gryffindor pushed open the door, expression not dissimilar to that of a man approaching the guillotine.

“Let’s get this over with,” the boy sighed again, slinging his book onto the table—where he took a seat as far from his older brother as possible, eying the Slytherin warily all the while. What was he getting out of this, Guppy wondered? Unless it was some sort of punishment for being a prat. If anyone would get punished for that, the twelve-year-old thought, it would be Bart.

@'Bart Travers'