Cinders and Magic (Harry Potter/Worst Witch Crossover)

Added Drama

The feast finished without any more fuss, though Hermione took the time to observe the professors. Her father spoke to Professor McGonagall, who nodded her head a few times, while another Professor with rather greasy hair listened in, speaking up only for her father to shake his head.

With a clap of McGonagall's hands, the feast disappeared, and she stepped away from the front table where the teachers sat. "First years. Please follow the prefect from your house to your dorm room, but please don't get lost on your way, and try to remember the directions."

Her father, in turn, walked towards one of the prefects from Slytherin and said something that made her frown, then sighed. The prefect lifted her hand and waved at the other prefect, and they came over to discuss something.

Esme let out a sigh. "Seems the Slytherin prefect is going to be busy tonight, so I guess I should ask the deputy headmistress for help." She stood up quickly, hurrying to Professor McGonagall, but the rest of the table followed suit.

"Wait," the female prefect said. "Professor Black would like the first years to stay behind with us prefect while the rest of our house head to the dorms. "He needs to say something."

Hermione frowned. "He's not going to say we're related just because I ended up sorted in here?"

"Percy!" McGonagall called out. "Percy Weasley!"

"Yes, professor?" Percy said, hurrying over.

McGonagall waved to Regulus, who frowned, turning to the Prefect. "One moment."

"So, Esme wants to send a letter to Neville's grandmother, but goodness knows, Professor Black, we don't need a repeat of the year your brother ended up sorted into our house."

"Please. Augusta Longbottom is a saint compared to my mother," Regulus said. "Or should I remind you of her habit of sending howlers my way at school or my job?"

"And how many times have you instigated that on purpose?" McGonagall said, raising an eyebrow, her mouth twisting into a smirk.

"I wouldn't know what you're talking about."

"We're likely to have some soon," Percy said. "Given today's incident and your way of dealing with those situations."

"Anyways, saintly as you think Augusta Longbottom is, she does deserve to be informed and as you'll be busy dealing with another matter," McGonagall nodded at Esme. "I've given Esme permission to borrow my owl from my office, along with paper and envelope to inform Mrs. Longbottom, but if you'd escort Ms. Hallow to my office and then back to the dungeons when she's finished, I'd much appreciate it, Mr. Weasley."

"Yes, Professor," Percy nodded, turning with Esme.

Hermione watched her father let out a sigh. "Now for the not-so-wonderful business." He turned to the first years, frowning. "As you first years may have noticed, thanks to a certain first year, our hourglass has turned red, meaning we are in the negative points-wise when it comes to the house cup."

"Favoritism," Ethel muttered, glaring at Hermione while Pansy glared. Daphne preferred looking at the ground while the fourth member of Ethel's group glanced around, paying nobody any heed.

"Alright, let me just cut to the chase, professor," one of the male prefects said.

"Huh?" Her father turned to look at the prefect. "What do you mean?"

"Do we really have to change the password to one of those things?" the female prefect he'd spoken to first asked. "It's humiliating enough when it does happen, but the other Slytherin are waiting for the password to enter the dorms."

"Sorry. I know this isn't ideal, but we've not had any house go into the red since I started attending Hogwarts," Regulus said.

"You didn't have to dock points on the first day," Ethel said.

"And you." Regulus took a deep breath. "I will be having a very long conversation with that mother of yours, Ethel, but I can't let what you did slide."

"Fav..."

"Ethel Hallow," McGonagall snapped. "I, too, saw what you did from the table, and had Professor Black not taken the points from your house, I certainly would have. So let's not pretend you're the one who put your stepfather into this situation and not the other way around."

Hermione watched her stepsister swallow.

"I do think an explanation from the prefect would be better, as you tend to over-explain or under-explain and not realize you're doing so."

"Ah, sure." Regulus nodded his head. "But I'll add something at the end."

"So," the prefect said. "Here's the deal. Whenever Slytherin causes major trouble, Professor Black makes us change the password too..." The perfect grimace. "Bloody Merlin, this is humiliating."

"That's why I do it."

Hermione closed her eyes. "Ugh. Dad can be challenging at the best of times, so what is it?"

"The password will be a Muggle band."

"Mother will be most displeased," Ethel said, glaring at him. "When I tell her."

"How disgusting!" Pansy said. "How are you still even a professor, let alone the head of our house?"

"How does he even know any Muggle bands?"

Hermione opened her eyes. "This is, well, weird. His kind of weird, though."

"Don't bother telling your parents because it won't work," the male prefect said.

"Yes. Those of you with siblings, your parents will likely have been through it before," the female said.

"And for those who don't have older siblings, complaints to Lady Black will not work and will only result in the headache of her sending howlers that he enjoys ignoring."

"You," McGonagal said. "Are perhaps worse than Sirius, you know. He at least opened them."

"Yes, well," Regulus took a deep breath. "I may have howlers from Cissy this time as well. And the point is for them not to like the punishment, so this is, in turn, a very logical punishment."

"Not that the parents agree with your logic," McGonagall sighed, but that is really neither here nor there, I guess."

"Can we go now?" the female prefect asked.

"Hold on. It has to change tonight rather than tomorrow or the next day because it's a more effective punishment this way, but there will also be less confusion." He took a deep breath. "Now, I'll leave this to your prefects, but it should also be noted I am very prompt in informing your parents when you've been out of line." He nodded his head. "I'll see you later, then."

He left while Ethel looked at Hermione, obviously displeased with the situation, and then, "Well, when my mother..."

"You really think your mother will have any effect?" Draco piped up. "When he doesn't listen to—have you met my Great-Aunt Walburga?"

"She's rather nice," Ethel said, to which Draco looked at her as if she'd grown another head.

"Enough chatter. Let's get to the dorms."