A Taste of Magic

Chapter 61: 61st Course - Affirmation

Pansy and Millicent sighed with relief as the door to the common room slid shut behind them. The atmosphere within Slytherin was tense. The usual camaraderie was absent, or at least, thinly veiled by something else. There was a palpable unease now, a tenseness that made them feel wary. On the surface, it appeared the House was supporting their "Champion". Beneath the surface, waters were more turbulent.

The girls blanched a little when they walked past students from other Houses on the way to the Great Hall. Most of them gave them dirty looks, more so than the usual students not liking Slytherins. Millicent glared back and Pansy wore her mask of placidity but she was aware that those looks bothered her more than a little, certainly more than they used to.

Sunny hissed at a couple of older Ravenclaws that had opened their mouths but thought twice when the kneazle held up her paw, her claws extended. They snorted and walked off, muttering between them and throwing more disgusted looks before a louder hiss and a growl sent them on their way.

"Good kitty," Millicent praised and kissed Sunny on the head. She sighed as Sunny settled back down in her arms. "Dammit Draco. He made us a general target for everyone. Before people used to glare at the person responsible, now it's open season."

Pansy grunted wordlessly, agreeing. She steeled herself a little when they walked up to the Great Hall, readying herself for the worst, but then visibly relaxed when she saw two people sitting on a bench outside the Hall. She waved and they waved back, climbing to their feet.

"Hey, are you two okay?" Lavender asked. She giggled when Sunny looked at her with a hurt expression. "I know you're always okay," Lavender said, rubbing Sunny's head and scratching her beneath the chin.

"Things could be better," Millicent said, also very relieved to see Lavender and Padma.

"Come on, we're eating in the clubroom," Padma said and Millicent and Pansy followed her gratefully. "We figured we could use a bit of privacy and to see how you two were doing."

"Thank you," Pansy sighed. "It's a mess." They could hear a commotion from the clubroom before they reached it and when they opened the door and walked in, they watched with astonishment at Parvati fleeing from Hermione, running around the room.

"What did we miss?!" Lavender cried.

"Parvati slapped Hermione with a sausage," Harry said, grinning widely. "Hermione, as you see, took offense." They all laughed uproariously as Hermione flung the sausage and hit Parvati cleanly in the back of the head, making her yelp.

"Ahhh gross it's in my hair!" Parvati yelled.

"Good!" Hermione shouted.

"I hit you with a raw one! You got grease in my hair!"

"And you hit me in the face and I got raw sausage germs on my face!"

"Oh let me help!" Lavender said brightly and held up her wand.

"Oh thanks-wait no don't do-" Parvati shrieked when scrubbing bubbles covered her hair.

"Finally! After you did it to me years ago!" Lavender cackled and ran when Parvati chased after her, shouting words in a different language.

"Oooh I'm telling Grandmum!" Padma shouted gleefully.

Pansy and Millicent joined the others in laughing freely, feeling all the stress and tension from the prior night and morning leak out of them. They watched as Harry picked up the errant sausage and cleaned it with a charm before popping it onto a pan.