Note: I hope this explains things a little better for those who got confused by the ending of the last chapter. :)
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Disclaimer: Things you can recognize from the Harry Potter books belong to J. K. Rowling. Other things, like the plot, might just be mine. :D
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The Founding of Pigwarts II – Cooking Chaos
Chapter 6: Progress, or lack thereof
"Can you say CowVow?" Daphne asked, looking like she had just left the bed after a passionate night for a short trip into the bathroom. Her appearance was deceptive, however. In fact, she had not just spent a passionate night and was not on a trip into the bathroom. It was daytime, and she already was in a bathroom. In the Ministry of Magic. With Quidditch star Dean. The concept of Pigwarts hadn't been mentioned so far. But now that the good stuff seemed to be over, she had decided to bring it up.
"Ow-Ow?" Dean repeated, puzzled. "What's that?"
"Oh, nothing much," she sighed, twirling her wand. She had actually already spoken the incantation earlier, when he had been too occupied to notice.
"Just something to assure you will keep our secret."
"Our secret. You mean this? If you want to. I mean, it's not like I have much to tell. I mean, I don't even know your name yet."
"It's Daphne," Daphne said. "Daphne Greengrass. We were in the same year at Hogwarts."
"Oh, I'm awfully sorry for not recognizing you," Dean said, mentally going though the list of all the girls in his year, trying to place the one before him.
"Doesn't matter," Daphne waved her hand. "But that's not our secret. In fact, you could announce it in the Daily Prophet if you wanted, I wouldn't mind."
Dean gave her a careful look.
"Are you saying you want to see me again?"
"Do you? I wouldn't mind, really. You're quite alright, I suppose. For a Gryffindor."
"You were in Ravenclaw then?"
"Do the colours I'm wearing tell you nothing?" she raised a brow.
He looked. Green. Silver. Green and silver. Silver and green. Silver. Green.
"Slytherin?" he gasped in horror.
"And proud of it!" Daphne declared proudly.
"Oh, well, that's good for you," he seemed to bit nervous. "You know, I should really go now. Have things to do, and all that. But, I suppose I'll see you around. Bye!"
Daphne stared after him for a while, a pensive expression on her face.
"Nah," she said at last. "Blue and bronze don't suit me."
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At their weekly meeting, Ginny and Daphne reported their progress.
"I went to Crabbe, and then I accidentally fell on him, and all his friends were there, and they made him kiss me, and now Malfoy has some very good photo material to blackmail me with!"
"I went to Grawp and asked him to sing to me, which caused me some good half an hour of deafness. I also met Dean in the Ministry of Magic. We had a bit fun in the bathroom but the moment he found out I was Slytherin, he slipped out of the room as fast as a soap in the bath-tub."
They took a few moments to consider what the other had said, then realized that their problem was much bigger, and went on ranting.
"What do I do? Knowing Malfoy he will certainly publish those pictures, and even though I can explain it all to Harry, the people are way too receptive to such rumours and I don't want to start getting all the hate-mail and killer glares."
"We didn't even manage to discuss Pigwarts. I did put him under CowVow, though. I wonder, will it kick in when he mentions our affair to anyone?"
"And even if he doesn't publish them, I don't want Malfoy having something like this over me!!!"
"And Luna said Sven Svensson was married!!!"
After another few moments of silence and couple of spoonfuls of their chocolate cake, Daphne summed up the situation.
"We're really making progress here, it seems."
"How did it go with Luna?" Ginny asked, once she had calmed down.
"Oh, she's in," Daphne explained with a smile. "She really liked the idea. First, she wanted to have Care For Magical Creatures, but after I explained that her name goes better together with Astronomy, and Ginevra sounds like some type of mollusc, she realized I was right, and was happy to come teach once the school is founded."
"Well, actually, when I was dancing with Blaise we did a bit talking during the slow dances, and I managed to bring up the subject of work. He said he was considering changing jobs and I said I might know something, and he said he was ready to try new things, and did you say I look like a mollusc?"
"Nope," she shook her head. "Just that your name sounds like one."
"Oh, all right then. Anyway, afterwards we talked a bit more, and well, I'm quite certain he will accept when you offer it to him."
"Hmm, and I sure I can manage to talk Grawp into this as well. Next time I just won't ask him to sing to me."
"Yes, that would be advisable," Ginny nodded. "So it seems we are making some progress after all."
"So."
"So."
"Umm."
"Erm."
"Let's recap!" Ginny exclaimed. "What did we have to accomplish this passed week?"
"I had to register the school. You had to design its logo or something. We had to talk a lot of people into teaching at the school."
"And what have we done?"
"You got compromising photos of you into the hands of your enemy, and I got dumped by a Quidditch star for being Slytherin after a short tryst in one of the Ministry's bathrooms."
"What a wonderful recapitulation," Ginny sighed.
"Thanks."
"So, any helpful tips on Malfoy and some certain photos?"
"Sure," Daphne smiled. "That's easy."
"You crawl back to him, apologize profusely, and steal them for me?"
Daphne stared at her for a moment and then burst out laughing.
"Yes, haha," Ginny narrowed her eyes in annoyance.
"No, nothing like that, my dear accomplice. You simply need something discriminating about him as well."
The redhead gave that idea some thought.
"Hmm. Would those poems do the trick?"
"I suppose he might sell you his life for not publishing his "Ode to Eels", but you would need the original poem for it and I'm afraid he destroyed them all after catching me in act."
"And you don't recall it by heart?"
"You mean "Ode of Eels"?" Daphne gave her a funny look. "That was about fifty pages long. Even I don't have that good memory."
"Fifty pages?" Ginny gasped. "What can one write about eels that much?"
"That if you add an H to their beginning, they become heels. And if they are electric, they shock people. And that you can strangle Harry Potter with them."
"Fifty pages? Well, I'll be damned."
"I wouldn't wish it if I were you," Daphne warned. "My grandma was damned for a day at one time. She got attacked by rabid bats, her left ear dropped off, her cat ran away, her house fell down, and she became allergic to chocolate."
"Why was she damned for only one day?"
"Because then my grandpa forgave her and took the curse down."
Ginny moved further away from the other girl.
"Don't worry," Daphne smiled wistfully, "I would never do this to you. I don't know the curse."
"About Dean," Ginny said after another period of silence. "Don't feel too down, he really is such a playboy. Recently, at least. Has a lots of girls but never owls back, I've heard. I don't think all this fame and glory has done him good."
Daphne shrugged.
"It's not that. I'm not naïve to think that anyone who has fun with a girl without knowing her name is going to owl them later on. Just that he left before I managed to mention Pigwarts."
"Oh. Well, I can handle him myself."
"Oh, I can, too," Daphne insisted.
"So."
"So."
"So, you didn't register the school yet, I gather."
"Oh! Yes, I did that. Right after Dean. Went straight to Mr. Thompson and registered the school in total secrecy."
"How did you manage that?" Ginny asked in awe.
"Must be my gorgeous looks. Although, that man was SO infuriating!"
"What happened?"
"Some people just don't get subtlety. I mean, I went to him and told that I had to register a school, and he said he didn't do such things. Then I said I had to do this in total secrecy, and he said he didn't do such things – secret or not. Then I said a friend of mine is going to have a birthday soon, and he asked how that was his business. I said I might want to invite him there to perform, and he said he was confused. I said that with his past he really could entertain people, and he told me to explain myself. I said that I have this other friend whose child is turning five very soon and I'd love to invite his wife to the party. He made another confused face. I explained that his wife would be good with children. He said they do have children of their own. I said his wife would be good with children because of her past. He tried to throw me out of his office for wasting his time and talking nonsense. I snapped at last and told him that if he didn't do my asking, I would tell the whole Ministry his choice of career before becoming an official and the choice of career of his wife before. He made this really, really incredulous face and asked whether I was blackmailing him. I said no, of course not, just a friendly deal."
"Then what?" Ginny prompted.
"Then he said he still didn't do such things and that if I wanted to register a school, I should turn instead to some colleague of his. I opened my mouth and screamed."
"And what did he do?"
"He promised to do whatever I wanted if only I would shut up."
"And you?"
"I shut up."
"If only things were so easy for me," Ginny sighed. "Hey, perhaps they are. Perhaps I should just find Malfoy and scream into his ear until her promises to fulfill each and every wish of mine as well."
"Won't do," Daphne shook her head. "He has… had me as a friend, after all."
"Let's list our objectives for next week then."
"Talk a lot of people into teaching."
"Get those photos back from Malfoy."
"Umm."
"Erm."
"What else do we need to found a school?"
"Students?" Ginny offered.
"Turn the Manor into a suitable schoolhouse?"
"Yes. But how? Malfoy's in there."
"Well," Daphne smirked her I-have-a-plan-but-I'm-not-going-to-tell-you-yet-nah-nah-nah smirk. "We just have to keep him occupied with other things."
End Note: I'll give you three guesses on what those other things might be. ;) REVIEW !!!
Lehmavanne translates directly into CowVow. The reason I didn't tell you this before was that CowVow sounds so grrreat that it just needed to be mentioned in another chapter. Doesn't it sound absolutely fantastic? Say it with me, CowVow. CowVow. CowVow. CowVow. :D
And there was something else I wanted to say... oh, yes. I don't think I'll quite manage this story with 10 chapters. It's going to be something around 20, I think.