The next morning, Loren had barely started on his porridge when a commotion broke out overhead.
More than a hundred Owls swooped into the Great Hall, circling above as they dropped letters and packages among the chatting students.
A gray owl landed in front of Ron. It was the messenger owl he had sent off yesterday.
The owl quickly dropped the red envelope clutched in its beak, flapped its wings in panic, and hurried away.
"Oh no." Ron shook his head at the red envelope, leaning back as hard as he could, unwilling to take it.
"A Howler!"
The moment Neville saw the red envelope, he cried out. He looked incredibly nervous, his face grave as he quickly put down his bread and scooted far away.
Loren, Hermione, Harry, and the people nearby all looked curiously at Ron.
The envelope lay on the table, trembling nonstop. It grew redder and redder, swelling like a balloon being continuously inflated.
Neville was so nervous that he did not even stutter. "Open it quickly. You don't want to know what happens if you ignore it."
Ron leaned back, stretching his neck away and trying to get his head as far from the letter as possible. Trembling, he reached out and opened the red envelope.
"Ron Weasley! How dare you—how dare you brush me off like this?"
Ron's mother's voice exploded across the Gryffindor table. The Howler was like a speaker outside a supermarket pressed right against everyone's ears at maximum volume.
Ron hurriedly shrank into his chair, leaving only a bright-red forehead visible above the table.
The students near him all retreated, quickly clearing an open space. Everyone in the Great Hall was overwhelmed by the deafening roar and turned to see who had received a Howler.
"...A troll! You're even naughtier than