Winter break was over, as well as the final renovations to the Shrieking Shack. The silver trio were lying around in the Great Hall, not wanting to go outside in the snowstorm but also not having a shared common room to hang out in. Nobody was around, except for the golden trio, who just plunked down on the bench.
"I have had one hell of a day." Hermione groaned, falling down beside Petunia and lying her head on the table.
"Same." Petunia wrote, the constant taste of Mandrake leaf combined with mass amounts of work and her confusion with Brandy left her with a clash of emotions.
The others all muttered agreements, either looking frustrated, tired, or depressed. Except for December. She was scanning the faces around her with a calculated look.
"You know what, we all need a break." She said, standing up. Everyone nodded, though none of them really knew what they were nodding to. "I say, we all drop whatever is worrying us tonight and act like teenagers." She grinned, looking at everyones face.
"What does that mean?"
"It means, I go down to the kitchens, Harry and Ron go to Honeydukes and we get snacks while you three grab bedding stuff and get the shack set up! We're having a sleepover!" December yelled, running off before anybody could disagree.
The five looked at each other, thinking it through.
"Well, it would be nice to act normal for once." Harry said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, I've never had a sleepover before." Brandy grinned, looking around at everyone. "Sounds like fun!"
"Alright, well you two get down to Honeydukes then, we'll go set up the shack!" Hermione commanded, standing up and pulling Petunia and Brandy along with her down the halls.
The three gathered up as many pillows and blankets they could shove into the cloaks, making sure nobody saw Brandy or the bedding. Giggling, they ran down the stairs and out through the grounds to the big Whomping Willow.
"So, how do you guys get in?" Asked Hermione, who had only ever gone in once. But she had a cat to press the knot for her then.
"Oh, just a stick." Petunia wrote, watching Brandy retrieve her wand.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" She said, point her wand at a nearby stick. The stick began to levitate towards the knot in the tree, finally pressing against it. The tree froze and a little opening became clear.
"See?" Brandy said, giggling to herself. Petunia smiled and followed her through the frozen branches and down into the passageway.
"Wow, this is a lot cuter than I last remember it being." Hermione said, eyebrows raised at the well lit path. "Wider, as well."
"Yes, we did widen it with the help of the house elves." Petunia signed, before realising who she had said that too. Before Hermione could start, Petunia wrote quickly. "Don't worry, we offered to pay them! We really did, but they did not want anything. We did all of these renovations with my money!" Hermione seemed pleased with that answer.
As they came to the end of the passageway, Hermione seemed even more impressed with the inside of the shack.
"You really did spruce it up!" She said, looking around at the colorful walls and plush furniture.
"Yup, toilet and kitchens even work! Hogwarts pays the bill for the electricity!" Brandy smirked, flicking the light switch on.
After Hermione's quick tour of the house they got down to blanketing the floors and moving around furniture. By the time the other three arrived, the living room had been transformed into the perfect sleepover area.
