"I hear we'll be seeing you at the Ball," Professor Sprout whispered loudly in a conspiratorial tone.
"I assure you, it wasn't my choice," Severus said stiffly as he wiped his mouth with his napkin before reaching for a nearby teapot.
She laughed and looked at Hermione, who was tapping the crown of a soft-boiled egg.
"You'll enjoy yourself, Severus," Dumbledore smiled merrily at him. "Put a bit of change in your life for an evening. Hermione's right to press you to go.
"Don't look at me," Hermione shook her head. "It's all his mother's doing. She's even dressing us."
Severus winced at this remark, but Sprout tittered at the pair. "So your mother is the one that wears the pants in the family?"
"She's well-meaning," Hermione said quickly before Severus had a chance to retort. "A little over-indulgent, but he is an only child and they have been waiting forever for him to get married."
"Forever?" Severus frowned at her, but Sprout only giggled.
"You know what I mean," she waved him off with a toast soldier.
Everyone looked up at the sound of a yell, but it was only a Ravenclaw celebrating a package of biscuits sent by owl from his mother.
The Great Hall had been unsealed after a week of searching, but no one managed to find anything that might suggest who or what had shot darts at the teachers. After Flitwick had given the go-ahead, the Hall was reopened with a little suspicion being thrown around by all the Houses.
"You know, all this nervousness might be good for us," Flitwick pointed out in a squeaky voice as he gestured with a piece of sausage.
"How so?" Dumbledore asked inquisitively as he cut into his fried egg.
"Now all the students are watching out for each other. Now we've got hundreds of eyes looking for clues instead of just us."
"You do have a point," McGonagall said ruefully. "I hate to admit it."
"At least no students have been attacked," Professor Vector pointed out.
"Yet." Severus added.
"We are doing the best we can, Severus." McGonagall rolled her eyes at him. "There's not much more we can do besides tell the parents they need to buy their children armor and Repelling Chains."
"That might be a good idea," Hermione piped up and all eyes turned to her. "Oh, come on! There are several students with them already, after last week. It's either protect them or send them home."
Dumbledore drew in a deep breath. "I think you may have something. With one wolf amongst the flock it won't be as frightening as fighting an idea or a madman."
"You don't know that." Sprout looked surprised. "For all we know, it's a group of students doing this."
"It's still an excellent opportunity to make the school brush up on its defense spells and charms. I think it's been long enough that no one will faint at the casting of a hex," McGonagall announced.
"I don't know about that." Theodore Nott, who had been silent up to this point, spoke in a soft voice that carried across the long table. "Hermione was up rocking a First Year to sleep not too long ago and I know there are still several boys that have been having... nighttime accidents."
"Do you think they'd feel better if they could defend themselves better?" Dumbledore asked.
Hermione and Theo exchanged looks and pursed their lips.
"I think we should have levels of immersion," Theo suggested. "So there will be a separate class for the ones that are still jumpy and a little afraid of casting spells. I know Professor Flitwick has had some problems getting certain children to use their wands."
"I'll second that," McGonagall shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "I know a few that make it like pulling teeth to get them to use them at all."
"We've got to break them of this before it gets out of hand," Severus said sternly. "We can't have witches and wizards walking around afraid of magic."
"I hate to say it, but Professor Snape is right," Dumbledore said regretfully. "But you've all come up with good ideas to combat this. We'll plan a schedule for Practical Defense this weekend and begin its implementation on Monday. Agreed?"
They all voiced their approval and the tension that had been hovering over the staff table seemed to disperse.
The conversation turned to light topics as owls swooped overhead dropping scrolls and packages to the students. Suddenly, a brown owl swooped over the staff table and dropped a blue envelope in front of Professor Dumbledore.
He blushed as he tried to snatch it up and tuck it into his robes, but he ended up knocking over his goblet of pumpkin juice in his rush.
Professor Sprout chuckled to herself as she waved her wand to clean up the spill. "Looks like we may be seeing you at the Ball as well."
Dumbledore looked alarmed as he looked at the envelope in his hands.
"You'll enjoy yourself," Severus said in a mocking tone. "Put a bit of change in your life for an evening."
Dumbledore scowled at him before pocketing the envelope. "You don't even know what this concerns. It's probably just business. The information exchanges are going well."
"I'm sure." Severus smirked at him.
۞
"So are you going, Ginny?" Luna Lovegood sat with Ginny and Hermione on Hermione's bed. "I'd think Harry would have gotten his invitation by now."
"I'm sure he has." Ginny snorted. "But you know all about him and dances. We've all been asked to attend." She rolled her eyes. "War heroes and all."
"Oh, I'd like to see you there," Luna said, smiling mildly at Ginny. "It's usually so boring."
"Do you go every year?" Hermione asked, surprised.
"Oh, yes." Luna sighed deeply. "Father uses it as an opportunity to make business contacts. He usually does very well. We get to go because my mother's mother's mother was a Longbottom."
"So you and Neville are cousins?" Hermione asked.
"Not really," Luna said dreamily. "Although I wouldn't mind. He'd make a very nice cousin. Anyway, one of my grandmother's lived to be two hundred and thirty. She had her last baby at two hundred and two." Luna looked as if she were doing some calculations in her head. "But the Longbottoms were never into longevity cultivation…"
"We get it," Ginny interrupted. "There is are a lot of people between you"
"So, we have a Hogsmede weekend coming up," Luna said. "Will you be going with us?"
Hermione seemed to think this over for a while, and then she began to grin deviously. "Well, we don't have to go to Hogsmede."
"What are you thinking?" Ginny asked eagerly.
"Severus has a cousin that owns a bar. Our fireplace is hooked up to the Floo." She grinned widely as the other girls giggled.
"I've always wanted to see Russia, even if it will only be the inside of a bar," Luna said dreamily. "I hear they have Air-Nymphs there that feed on the tips of people's hair and fill them with a small electric charge."
"I'm pretty sure that's just static electricity," Ginny pointed out.
"You never know," Luna smiled. "I know father's got a prototype for his Mythical Goggles in his workshop. I'm sure he'd let me borrow them."
"Um…" Hermione faltered. "I'd hate to see them get broken, Luna. They do a lot of boisterous dancing there."
"Whatever you think, Hermione," Luna said.
"What else is there to see?" Ginny jumped in before Luna suggested taking anything else.
"I— I'm not sure," Hermione admitted. "We might be able to visit Anna or Stacy."
"That might be a good idea," Luna said. "I talked to Anna at the celebration feast and she was very nice. She thinks my theory on Crumple-Horned Snorcaks might be sound.
Ginny tried not to laugh at Hermione's expression.
"I—had no idea you'd gotten on so well. Maybe. I'll have to ask everyone." Hermione promised.
There was a sound of someone entering Hermione and Severus' quarters and the girls turned at the noise.
"La, la, lalala," a voice boomed. Luna's eyebrows went up. "Boom, ba, da!"
"We're in here!" Hermione called out, cutting him off and glaring at Ginny, who had both hands clamped over her mouth and tears building up in her eyes.
His head popped around the corner, into her room and his widened at the sight of the girls.
"You have a lovely voice, Professor," Luna said in a mildly surprised tone of voice. "Maybe you should integrate it into your lessons.
Severus' usual scowl reappeared on his face and his eyes snapped to Ginny, who was trying to stay composed but it was obvious she was trying not to laugh.
"We were planning the next Hogsmede trip." Hermione grinned at him. "We're thinking of using the time to visit your family in Russia."
"Oh, good." Severus looked relieved. "Now I won't have her haranguing me that she never sees you."
"I saw her not too long ago!" Hermione protested.
"Do you have any idea how much she's been nagging me to come back home?" Severus had a weary look on his face.
"What?" Hermione blustered. "Why?"
"Hermione," Luna put a hand on her arm. "Pure-blood families generally tend to live in one of the family manors."
"If they can afford it," Ginny snorted.
"Oh," Hermione said, blushing. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Ginny laughed. "If I had to live with my brothers for the rest of my life I'd hang myself in the attic."
The girls tittered and gave Severus time to regain full composure. He still wasn't used to being familiar with people and it made him feel compromised.
But, these were his wife's dearest friends. Whether he liked it or not, he was going to be stuck with her merry band of misfits for the rest of his life. He inwardly groaned at the idea.
"Why are you back so early?" Hermione asked him.
"I need the plant from my bedroom. The fifth years need another lesson in glowing potions."
Ginny groaned and Severus scowled at her. "It would do you good to review your lessons as well. Your last test score was sorely disappointing."
Ginny turned pink as Severus retreated from the doorway. "I hate it when he does that," she muttered.
"It's just one more year," Luna consoled her. "Then you have tryouts and a career."
Ginny laughed as Hermione cocked an eyebrow.
"The Hornets are holding open tryouts in July," Ginny looked embarrassed. "But there's no guarantee I'll get a shot."
"I'm sure you'll do just fine," Hermione reassured her. "They'd be silly not to take you."
Ginny chortled and opened a small brass pocket watch. "I'm afraid it's time for me to go. I still have to go to the common room to get my things."
"I should go, too," Luna admitted. "I need to drop off a library book on the way to Transfigurations."
Hermione said her goodbyes to her friends and walked them to the portal that would lead them out of the quarters.
As the door swung open the girls stopped and stared. There was an antique dagger stuck into the head of the stone fish that guarded the portal. The rock seemed to have melted where the dagger had been plunged in.
"What on earth is that?" Ginny breathed in.
Hermione grabbed her friends before sealing the portal up. "Nothing good. Thank God, we're hooked up to the Floo."
"I'd forgotten all about that," Luna smiled serenely. "Where should we go?"
"Safest place to be." Hermione shrugged. "Dumbledore's office."