Giggles From the Teachers' Lounge
It had been four months since the Twister incident; the weather was entering a state of welcomed cold, and a layer of mid-December snow coated the Hogwarts' grounds in a shimmering white sheet.
Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter trudged along though the now deserted hallways, grumbling to themselves.
"I can't believe Snape gave us detention again! And for what? Managing not to mess up our potions? Greasy git." Ron shook his head.
"Honestly, I'd think you two would be used to it by now. Professor Snape has been like this since we came to Hogwarts." Hermione pointed out as they rounded the corner, and nearly ran into a fellow student: Draco Malfoy.
"Oy! What was that about?" Draco demanded as his and Harry's shoulders collided.
"Nothing, if you'd just watch where you're going." Harry huffed, and rubbed his shoulder.
"If it isn't the famous trio… what are you Gryffindorks doing on this side of school?" Draco eyed the group.
"We had detention with Snape. What are you doing around here, Malfoy?" Ron crossed his arms.
Draco glared at him for a moment, "McGonagall gave me detention, I just finished, too."
There was an awkward silence, and then: "Are you sure we put a silencing charm on the room?" It was a teacher's voice, it had to be- it was coming from the Teachers' Lounge.
Four pairs of ears strained to hear, intrigued, yet fearful at the same time.
"It's coming from the Teachers' Lounge… it sounded like Professor McGonagall." Hermione stated, taking a step forward.
In the end, it was morbid curiosity that drew them closer, and they later regretted it.
Girlish giggling bubbled from underneath the lounge door, followed by the clinking of glasses.
"I wonder who's in there…" Ron's curiosity got the better of him, and he leaned closer, nearly pressing his ear to the door.
More giggling; "Sweet Merlin, Lucius, what did you put in the eggnog?"
"Father?" Draco's silvery eyes went wide, and his pale face went even paler.
"Just a …special… ingredient; ask Severus, he gave me the potion."
The three Gryffindors and one Slytherin stood motionless.
"Oh, Severus, you didn't…"
There was no answer, but the smug, guilty smile pasted across Snape's pale face was quite evident.
"You DID! What am I going to do with you?" More giggling erupted, along with the sound of someone (most likely McGonagall) hitting someone else (most likely Snape) on the shoulder.
"I don't know, Minerva, why don't you punish me?" The voice dripped with mocking innocence.
Harry did his best not to gag. This was horrible, hearing Lucius Malfoy, and, he shuttered, his professors, McGonagall he could perhaps handle, Snape, maybe, if he were aloud to burst his eardrums afterwards, (and wash out his mind), but McGonagall and Snape? The Boy Who Lived could only take so much.
"Is it just me, or is starting to get rather warm in here?"
"It's getting warmer. Why don't you take off your cloak, Minerva? It's much nicer without such heavy, restricting fabric covering every inch of your body."
Everyone's eyes went wide as the sound of a heavy cloak, and most likely something more, falling, discarded, to the floor.
There was another pause.
"More eggnog!" Goblets again clinked.
"Remember, when we were in sixth year, Lucius…?"
"Oh, forget it, Severus, I'm no where near that flexible anymore."
Draco let out something that sounded more like a squeak than anything else as horrid images involving brooksticks his mind.
"It may be whatever you put in the eggnog talking, but I'll try it. I might as well, you'd be surprised just how much of your youth you retain as you age."
There was more rustling, and the sound of more clothing falling to the floor.
"Now you are sure we put a silencing charm on, right? And a locking charm on the door? I would rather snap my wand than get caught in this… ahem, act, by any other professor, let alone any students."
"Oh, yes, positive." The voice was low and utterly seductive.
More giggling.
"Well, what are we waiting for, then? Take it off. You both look better without it, it's so… covering."
"That's generally the purpose of them, Minerva, but, as you wish…"
With that comment, the foursome turned to look at each other, each with identical looks of sheer horror across their drained, white, faces.
"I think I'm gonna be sick." Draco mumbled, and ran off towards the Slytherin Common Room.
"For once in our lives, I think we all agree with Malfoy." Harry was amazed he conjured up enough strength to speak without his dinner making a reappearance.
"Let's get out of here." Ron shook his head, and stumbled off, closely followed by his two best friends, equally shocked and sickened.
There were a few quiet moments in the Teachers' Lounge, before the giggles erupted again.
"Did you see their faces?" Professor McGonagall threw her head back as she laughed uncontrollably. "Now I know why I agreed to do this. I did have my doubts at first."
"Revenge is sweet." Snape agreed, and downed the last of his eggnog –that hadn't been spiked at all– a smug smile on his pale lips.
"That was priceless. If only we had a camera…" Lucius shook his head, laughing.
"Already taken care of." Snape tilted his head to indicate the cabinet behind them, on which an expensive wizarding camera had been set up, and charmed to take continuous photos of what was happening on the other side of the door.
"Do you really think I would let this once in a lifetime chance to catch their horrified looks on film? Revenge as perfect as this is by no means a weekly occurrence. I daresay our Pensieves will see use tonight."
"Owl me when you develop them!" Lucius demanded. "I must have a set of those."
"But only after you've made me a set!" McGonagall begged. "I'll have to share them with Hooch."
"But of course. After all, there's no way I could have had such a shock value without you two." Snape smiled darkly, and turned his head back towards the closed and locked door. "Do you think they had any idea what was really going on?"
"Not a clue." McGonagall laughed again, sipping her eggnog, "Perhaps you should walk in on a "Gryffindor/Slytherin foursome" more often." She shook her head, and raised her glass, "Well, cheers, everyone, to a Happy Christmas."
"Cheers." Their glasses clinked, and three heads once again turned towards the door, on which a rare charm had been cast, to make it invisible, to their eyes only.
The End
Sequels are never as good as the first, but I hope at least this was good, nonetheless.