Dishes and Foam

When Professor Leach, the new Muggle Studies Professor, paired her and Longbottom for a silly activity, Pansy did not know what to say. They were supposed to clean dirty dishes the muggle way, with sponges and dish soap.

"Why?" was the first thing she asked looking at the workbench in front of her.

"I think Professor Leach wanted to pair students from different houses," Neville said with a smile. "But if you would prefer another classmate, I'm sure Hermione or Dean won't mind exchanging with me."

"No, not that." Pansy turned to look at him. "I don't want another partner. Why must we learn how to wash dishes by hand?"

"I think Professor Leach wants to teach us to do as many things without magic as we can. Just for the sake of one occasion, we must do them by hand without using our wands. Because of the Statute of Secrecy." He explained, picking one apron, and putting it on, tying it up quickly.

Before Pansy could pick her own plastic apron, Neville gathered it and unfold it for her. "Allow me?" He asked, raising the neck loop above her head.

The Slytherin nodded and let him tie the ribbons of the apron around her back. "Thank you."

"Now the instructions say that we shall roll our sleeves above our elbows, so they do not get wet." Neville read what was written on the board.

Pansy nodded, doing exactly that. When both her forearms were bare, she felt fingertips on the soft skin of her left arm. "I know you said it had healed on your note, but I haven't really seen it with my eyes."

Pansy smiled "The witch hazel water and the powder really helped. Thank you."

"I'm very glad. Now, do you want rubber gloves? or no gloves?"

"Gloves, please!" She said, not really wanting to ruin her manicure. Hiding from Professor Leach using Neville's torso, she cast a protective charm on her nails. "Now I'm ready... I can't believe I'm about to wash dirty dishes with my own hands."

"Do you think it's beneath you?" He asked and Pansy saw how his eyes moved from her face to the pile of dishes.

"Of course, it's beneath you as well, Longbottom. We are wizards, if there are no elves, we can wash them with a simple spell." She explained as she moved closer to the dishpan and mixed a couple drops of dish soap with the water inside until there were some bubbles.

She then placed the dishes, glasses, and cutlery inside. She could feel Neville eyes on her. "Yes, Longbottom? Do you not agree with my statement?" She asked. "It's what I feel... I don't want to apologize for it."

"You don't need to apologize, Pansy. Even muggles hate doing the dishes... They have machines that wash them. You just put them inside." Neville explained and Pansy turned her face to look at him. She dropped the forks and spoons into the dishpan with a loud clatter.

"What do you mean they do not have to do it by hand?" She asked, looking at him, feeling betrayed by Professor Leach and his treacherous ways. Hufflepuffs were not supposed to do something like that!

She was planning how to make the older man pay when a finger, a wet finger touched her nose, leaving a little foam there. She turned her head to see one of Longbottom's soapy hands still raised.

"What? Why did you just do that?" She asked mouth dropped open. No one had ever dared to do something like that before. Not to her. Not even her friends that knew her for so long.

Neville shrugged, but he was grinning. "You always seem so serious, I wanted to see you a little more... carefree."

And she laughed, quickly covering her mouth with her hands, but they were wet and filled with bubbles from the dish soap. And that made Neville laugh too. And they could not stop.

"Miss Parkinson, Mr Longbottom, since you two are enjoying it so much, you won't mind staying behind and helping tidy up after your classmates, won't you?" Jeremiah Leach said as he approached their workbench.