Walking down the corridor Lisa looked at various posters and flyers plastering the stones walls. Surprising the Professors haven't taken these down yet. I mean, come on. Look at this. Hazel eyes ventured to a large piece of parchment advertising a dueling club. Stopping in the middle of the brightly lit corridor, she leaned smidgen closer to the wall. As if beckoning her closer, Lisa pulled off a carefully crafted flyer. In bold letters it asked for talented people. "Come Make a Name for Yourself!" It was exactly what she was looking for. Something to make her stand out. Ripping the flyer off the wall, she examined it closer. A tiny footnote had been made underneath the large statement. Come to the Empty Classroom on the fourth floor at 8 PM. Oddly, there was no date attached to the poster. With my luck, it'll be old and I'll have already missed my chance. But there was a chance. And what could happen if she had already missed it? After a moment of internal debate, she finally came to the conclusion that she would go.

The rest of the day flew by. By the end of the day, when everyone else was exhausted from the long day of classes, she contained her energy. The hope of stardom kindling her flame. All too quickly, eight o' clock rolled around and she quickly raced to the fourth floor.

Inhaling sharply she rested her hand on the polished brass knob. Her pulse ran strong throughout her body. She could feel the warmth of the praise she would soon receive. With her heart thudding in her ears and her stomach resting in uncomfortable knots on the floor, she slowly turned the knob.

It all happened in slow motion. When the doorknob turned, a pin fell into place. And with a loud thunk, the wooden door swung open, wrenched out of Lisa's small childish hands. An incredibly large slingshot was pulled taught against the wall, directly across from the doorway. And cradled in the basin of the slingshot was a large amount of dungbombs resting in some sort of sludge, like plums in a pudding. She only had the time to gasp loudly before the cords holding her demise were released. Instantly drenched in dungbombs and the gooey paste that smelled strongly of fish and garbage, she stood there, in absolute shock.

Then came the laughter. Loud howls of glee. Turning her head slowly, she looked for the faces of the people who did it. But they never came into focus. Thick tears blurred her vision, and she ran. Not really knowing where she was going to go. Pushing past students, she ran for nearly fifteen minutes before bumping roughly into Professor Lupin.

"Whoa, there, Watch whe-- What is that smell?" Looking down, the Professor grimaced as Lisa clung at his knees. Without even asking, he lead her back to his office. After shutting the door, he sat down at his desk. Lisa, sitting opposite him, hugged her knees up to her chest and rocked in silent sobs. Her tears more for the crushing of her hopes, rather than the actual smell, which was terrible. Several minutes ticked by, Lupin never becoming impatient with the small girl. Eventually she looked up and sniffled feebly. And she told the story without any prompting.

"Why did you decide to go, Lisa?" Lupin said after the long speech.

"Professor. . . I want to make something of myself. I don't want to be like everyone else. I want my school years to mean something."

"And you think that you can achieve this?"

"Yes. I do," she replied back "But I'm tired of being laughed at. I can't handle it anymore."

"People look for something to laugh at, it's human natur--" he began.

Interrupting, she quickly replies, "Do you know how it feels to feel so completely alone? To have no one to relate to?"

"Yes. I do, Miss DeRosiers."

Giving the Professor a quizzical look, she tilted her head to the side, still sniffling quietly. After a moment she tentatively asked "Were you made fun too?"

"Everyone is made fun of at some point." Wisely replying. "Now, let's get you cleaned up." Standing up, he led her out and slowly walked her to the Hospital Wing.

She lied in bed, crying almost silently to herself, the gook having been completely removed. Minutes painfully turned into hours and by midnight she had fallen into restful sleep, her pillow wet from the tears.

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Πάνω απ 'όλα, φύλακας καρδιά σου, επειδή είναι η ανεξάντλητη πηγή της ζωής. Παροιμίες 4:23