The Herbology Assistant

Chapter Twenty Seven

Clarice took a seat between Severus and Minerva when they got to dinner. 

"Clarice, Severus, good evening. Have a good holiday?" Minerva asked them. 

"I adopted way too many creatures this summer." Clarice told her while scooping some salad onto her plate. 

"She even got me to adopt a crup." Severus said while grabbing Clarice's plate, dumping the salad back in the bowl, and filling it with lamb chops, carrots, and roasted potatoes. She shot him a look. 

"Don't even start with me Claire. Remember what happened last time you insisted on eating a salad for dinner?" He teased and placed it in front of her. 

"Don't remind me." She muttered and ate her carrots as she remembered the food fight last year. She would never be able to shake the image of Filius chucking biscuits at the students out of her mind. 

"Sybil told me not to eat the pudding tonight." She told him. 

"Why's that?" He asked her. 

"I dunno. Maybe someone poisoned it." She snickered as she finished her last bite of potatoes and the dessert appeared. 

"Want some pudding?" He asked her and she politely declined. "So you're going to listen to the crazy lady?" 

"She's not crazy, Sev. She has a special intuition." She chuckled. 

"Yeah, crazy."

"We live in a world of magic. Nothing is crazy." She said. 

"Then eat the pudding." He plopped a spoon full into her dish. 

"I don't want to. I'm full from the food you made me eat." She said and watched McGonagall take a bite of the pudding. 

"Maybe Sybil thinks I'm lactose intolerant." She said. 

"Are you?" 

"You've seen me stuff my face with ice cream, haven't you?" She asked. 

"Dozens of times actually." He said. 

"Which is why I need to eat salads." She laughed. 

"Life's too short, eat the pudding." He chuckled. 

"Life is literally the longest thing you will ever experience." She said and didn't eat the putting. Instead, she grabbed a cookie and dipped it in her tea. 

"This pudding tastes terrible." McGonagall said after one bite and Clarice snapped her head to Severus and smiled. 

"See!" 

"I guess the crazy lady was right." He chuckled. 

"Let's go enjoy the castle before the kids ruin it." She said and wished everyone a goodnight. 

"You're starting to sound like me." Severus said from behind her. 

"No way. Never. I just wanted to go to the astronomy tower without being interrupted by horny teens that want to make out up there." She said while leading him towards the stairs. 

"Professor Sinistra is probably setting up tonight. There's a meteor shower tonight." He told her. 

"How do you know?" 

"She told me. Well actually I just overheard her tell Charity." He said. 

"I was gonna say, you have more friends than just me?" She teased. 

"I think Minnie and I are friends." He said. 

"I think so too. You guys are funny." 

"And Albus."