"Two galleons. I give them a week, and I'm betting two galleons," Dean
Thomas said as he threw two gold coins into a cauldron.
Parvati Patil looked smug. "It'll be a little longer. I say a month, and I'm only betting five sickles. I have confidence in my Divination abilities."
Harry, who was watching from a corner, chuckled silently. Despite the cruelty of this bet, it was no doubt amusing. Besides, Harry wasn't participating. He wouldn't be blamed when they found it. It would only lead to trouble.
Colin Creevey stepped forward. "I think they'll be snogging by tomorrow!" he squeaked, and chucked a handful of knuts into the cauldron.
Seamus nodded. "We've got a lot of bets here. Maybe we should take this opportunity out into the public. The corridors of Hogwarts! The streets of Hogsmeade! We could be rich. Well, the winner could be, anyways."
Ginny Weasley laughed loudly. "Here, Seamus, hand over the list," she said, taking the piece of parchment from his hand. She skimmed over the names, nodding every so often. "Looks like we have quite a few wagers here. Us Gryffindors are a risky lot, aren't we?"
Neville Longbottom looked up from his dismal Potions essay. He figured it was worth giving up on, it was worthless now, and Snape would fail him even if it was a good essay. "I think we're being unfair to our friends," he declared proudly.
Katie Bell nodded. "Er, I think Neville's right. I mean, I'm not one of their close friends-I only know Ron from Quidditch, and I hardly know Hermione at all-but I still feel guilty."
There were loud sounds of disagreement throughout the common room. Ginny shook her head and tossed her hair back.
"Look, we aren't changing it now. We've made the bets. We've tallied the money. We're ready." Ginny looked at Lavender and Parvati. "Girls, can you tell us how long it'll be before they get here? You did say you consulted the crystal this morning." Ginny said, looking amused.
Lavender and Parvati gaped at each other. Lavender, being better at thinking on her feet, answered quickly. "Er, well, less than ten minutes, I'd say."
Within five minutes, the Gryffindors in question stormed through the portrait hole. Both were flushed, snowflakes clinging to their hair. They wore expressions of anger, and were definitely in the midst of one of their famous fights.
"I cannot believe you did that! We were on a bloody date!" she shrieked to her companion, throwing her scarf onto a chair. The other Gryffindors looked at each other in shock, obviously not used to hearing the resident bookworm use such language.
"Well, you were READING! We were trying to drink a butterbeer, and you were READING!" he yelled furiously.
"Ron, I was reading the label on the butterbeer!" Hermione yelled, louder than before.
Ron turned red and glared. "Yeah, and I was just talking to Fleur! I didn't know she'd be in Hogsmeade! She wanted me to pass on a message on to Bill!"
Ron and Hermione glared at each other for a solid minute before storming away in separate directions to their dorm rooms. In the common room, all the Gryffindors heard two doors slam.
"Write me up for a week and three Galleons," Harry announced, dropping a coin into the pot.
*~*~*~*
"No, Albus, that's just wrong!" Minerva McGonagall cried, slamming her goblet off pumpkin juice onto the desk. She wasn't in the mood for Albus' bribes today anyway. Did he think that she would be thrown by a drink!?
"Minerva, really. It is a charitable event, as half of the money is donated to St. Mungo's unit for permanent spell damage. Think of Alice, Frank, of Gilderoy." Albus sighed. Minerva could see he was becoming desperate.
Minerva narrowed her eyes. "Where," she asked, "did you get this anyway?" She motioned vaguely to the list of bets so far, each made by a Gryffindor.
Albus smiled. "It was in the Charms corridor. I picked it up and pocketed it for further examination. I didn't want anyone to end up with 'sneak' across their face again."
Minerva slumped in her armchair. It shifted uncomfortably under her. Why did Albus always want such soft chairs? Minerva certainly preferred a straight-backed, solid, wooden chair. She stared at Albus, straight into his twinkling blue eyes. It was what she always did when she disagreed with him. If she was able to withstand their amazing blue color, she wouldn't back down. After forty seconds, Minerva blinked and shook her head. She never could look at his eyes for a long time. "I agree. I'll participate." She sighed loudly. "Will we be asking the other teachers to help as well?"
As it turns out, they did. They asked the teachers, Hogsmeade shop owners, members of the Order. By the end of the week, there was a very lengthy list, complete with comments from many of the betters.
Ginny Weasley: 4 Galleons; 1 week (They'll be snogging by Thursday). Seamus Finnegan: 6 Sickles; 2 weeks (Heeey, atta' boy, Ron!) Fred and George Weasley: 13 Galleons, 3 Sickles, and a Knut; 6 ½ days Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil: 10 Sickles; 1 month (We consulted the crystal. Don't bother with any more bets.) Katie Bell: 15 Knuts, 2 weeks Dean Thomas: 2 Galleons; 1 week Colin Creevey: 6 Knuts; 1 day Harry Potter: 3 Galleons; 1 week Albus Dumbledore: 25 Galleons; 3 weeks (Don't abuse your Prefect rights.) Minerva McGonagall: 4 Sickles, 1 Knut; 1 month Zinnia Sprout: 5 Knuts; 2 ½ weeks Rubeus Hagrid: 6 Sickles; 1 week (I always knew you would!) Remus Lupin: 8 Sickles; 5-7 days (Would have been sooner if he had picked a nicer perfume.) Bill Weasley: 1 Galleon; 2 weeks (Go get her, little brother!) Charlie Weasley: 2 Galleons; 1 week Nymphadora Tonks: 14 Sickles; 1 week (Wotcher, 'Mione! Boys can be the devil!)
And that was just the first page! Albus and Minerva were happy with their success, but there was one more bidder they wanted to have.
"NO! I refuse!" Severus Snape turned on his heel so he was facing away from Minerva and Albus. "This is frivolous and a waste of my money!"
Minerva walked around so she was facing Severus. "Look, Severus, you will bid, or I will Transfigure your Veritaserum into a hair-removing potion."
Albus sighed. "Minerva, bribery isn't the answer." He was obviously expecting Severus to give in at this point, but there was no reply. Albus sighed and walked to stand by Minerva. "I'll raise your pay five knuts."
Severus brightened. "Done!"
Proudly, Minerva brandished the list from her pocket and watched Severus sign his name with a flourish.
Severus Snape: 5 Galleons, 4 Knuts; 4 days, 6 hours, 12 minutes (I've been watching you two. Why don't you just head over to Tower, already?!)
*~*~*~*
Four days later, at five in the morning, approximately twenty-six Gryffindors were sitting around a warm fire in anticipation. They had been up this early for a few days, as they had been assigned to the morning shift. (Not only was the shift there, many curious Gryffindors were watching as well.) They weren't taking risks at missing the big moment. One thought kept running through all of their heads. Where are they? When will it happen? What will happen?
One hour later, Ron strolled down the steps from the boys' dorm. He was wearing a maroon sweater and a grin. He was blatantly ignoring the others as he sat down to tie his shoe-strings.
The tension grew. Five minutes passed, than ten. At eleven minutes past six o'clock, Hermione walked down the stairs to the girls' dorm. She sat across the room from Ron.
It was a mental showdown. There were both staring, glaring. Forty-six seconds had passed. Both Ron and Hermione leapt to their feet.
"Ron, I-"
"Hermione, listen!"
Ron and Hermione stared at each other once more. Fifty seconds had passed.
The other Gryffindors were fidgeting. From the first years, to the seventh years, all were watching with bated breath.
"I, er."
"Well, I meant to tell you."
Fifty-seven seconds. Ron and Hermione got closer and closer, and then it happened. They kissed. It was a small kiss. A question kiss-Ron's way of asking Hermione if he could go on. And she answered with a yes. So there they stood, at exactly 6:12 AM, snogging in the common room. Eventually, Harry and Seamus dragged them outside the portrait hole. No one bear to watch anymore. For a while, they heard the Fat Lady screaming at Ron and Hermione.
No one saw them for another seven hours.
So, in the end, everyone was happy. Ron and Hermione were together, and it was obvious it was more than a teenage fling. Ginny and Harry often played chess together late into the night. The other Gryffindors were finally able to live in peace.
But no one, and I mean no one, was happier than Severus Snape. Just last Tuesday, a first year saw him leaping around outside, screaming in delight and throwing coins all over the place. No one understood that except Minerva and Albus. But they took that secret to the grave.
Parvati Patil looked smug. "It'll be a little longer. I say a month, and I'm only betting five sickles. I have confidence in my Divination abilities."
Harry, who was watching from a corner, chuckled silently. Despite the cruelty of this bet, it was no doubt amusing. Besides, Harry wasn't participating. He wouldn't be blamed when they found it. It would only lead to trouble.
Colin Creevey stepped forward. "I think they'll be snogging by tomorrow!" he squeaked, and chucked a handful of knuts into the cauldron.
Seamus nodded. "We've got a lot of bets here. Maybe we should take this opportunity out into the public. The corridors of Hogwarts! The streets of Hogsmeade! We could be rich. Well, the winner could be, anyways."
Ginny Weasley laughed loudly. "Here, Seamus, hand over the list," she said, taking the piece of parchment from his hand. She skimmed over the names, nodding every so often. "Looks like we have quite a few wagers here. Us Gryffindors are a risky lot, aren't we?"
Neville Longbottom looked up from his dismal Potions essay. He figured it was worth giving up on, it was worthless now, and Snape would fail him even if it was a good essay. "I think we're being unfair to our friends," he declared proudly.
Katie Bell nodded. "Er, I think Neville's right. I mean, I'm not one of their close friends-I only know Ron from Quidditch, and I hardly know Hermione at all-but I still feel guilty."
There were loud sounds of disagreement throughout the common room. Ginny shook her head and tossed her hair back.
"Look, we aren't changing it now. We've made the bets. We've tallied the money. We're ready." Ginny looked at Lavender and Parvati. "Girls, can you tell us how long it'll be before they get here? You did say you consulted the crystal this morning." Ginny said, looking amused.
Lavender and Parvati gaped at each other. Lavender, being better at thinking on her feet, answered quickly. "Er, well, less than ten minutes, I'd say."
Within five minutes, the Gryffindors in question stormed through the portrait hole. Both were flushed, snowflakes clinging to their hair. They wore expressions of anger, and were definitely in the midst of one of their famous fights.
"I cannot believe you did that! We were on a bloody date!" she shrieked to her companion, throwing her scarf onto a chair. The other Gryffindors looked at each other in shock, obviously not used to hearing the resident bookworm use such language.
"Well, you were READING! We were trying to drink a butterbeer, and you were READING!" he yelled furiously.
"Ron, I was reading the label on the butterbeer!" Hermione yelled, louder than before.
Ron turned red and glared. "Yeah, and I was just talking to Fleur! I didn't know she'd be in Hogsmeade! She wanted me to pass on a message on to Bill!"
Ron and Hermione glared at each other for a solid minute before storming away in separate directions to their dorm rooms. In the common room, all the Gryffindors heard two doors slam.
"Write me up for a week and three Galleons," Harry announced, dropping a coin into the pot.
*~*~*~*
"No, Albus, that's just wrong!" Minerva McGonagall cried, slamming her goblet off pumpkin juice onto the desk. She wasn't in the mood for Albus' bribes today anyway. Did he think that she would be thrown by a drink!?
"Minerva, really. It is a charitable event, as half of the money is donated to St. Mungo's unit for permanent spell damage. Think of Alice, Frank, of Gilderoy." Albus sighed. Minerva could see he was becoming desperate.
Minerva narrowed her eyes. "Where," she asked, "did you get this anyway?" She motioned vaguely to the list of bets so far, each made by a Gryffindor.
Albus smiled. "It was in the Charms corridor. I picked it up and pocketed it for further examination. I didn't want anyone to end up with 'sneak' across their face again."
Minerva slumped in her armchair. It shifted uncomfortably under her. Why did Albus always want such soft chairs? Minerva certainly preferred a straight-backed, solid, wooden chair. She stared at Albus, straight into his twinkling blue eyes. It was what she always did when she disagreed with him. If she was able to withstand their amazing blue color, she wouldn't back down. After forty seconds, Minerva blinked and shook her head. She never could look at his eyes for a long time. "I agree. I'll participate." She sighed loudly. "Will we be asking the other teachers to help as well?"
As it turns out, they did. They asked the teachers, Hogsmeade shop owners, members of the Order. By the end of the week, there was a very lengthy list, complete with comments from many of the betters.
Ginny Weasley: 4 Galleons; 1 week (They'll be snogging by Thursday). Seamus Finnegan: 6 Sickles; 2 weeks (Heeey, atta' boy, Ron!) Fred and George Weasley: 13 Galleons, 3 Sickles, and a Knut; 6 ½ days Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil: 10 Sickles; 1 month (We consulted the crystal. Don't bother with any more bets.) Katie Bell: 15 Knuts, 2 weeks Dean Thomas: 2 Galleons; 1 week Colin Creevey: 6 Knuts; 1 day Harry Potter: 3 Galleons; 1 week Albus Dumbledore: 25 Galleons; 3 weeks (Don't abuse your Prefect rights.) Minerva McGonagall: 4 Sickles, 1 Knut; 1 month Zinnia Sprout: 5 Knuts; 2 ½ weeks Rubeus Hagrid: 6 Sickles; 1 week (I always knew you would!) Remus Lupin: 8 Sickles; 5-7 days (Would have been sooner if he had picked a nicer perfume.) Bill Weasley: 1 Galleon; 2 weeks (Go get her, little brother!) Charlie Weasley: 2 Galleons; 1 week Nymphadora Tonks: 14 Sickles; 1 week (Wotcher, 'Mione! Boys can be the devil!)
And that was just the first page! Albus and Minerva were happy with their success, but there was one more bidder they wanted to have.
"NO! I refuse!" Severus Snape turned on his heel so he was facing away from Minerva and Albus. "This is frivolous and a waste of my money!"
Minerva walked around so she was facing Severus. "Look, Severus, you will bid, or I will Transfigure your Veritaserum into a hair-removing potion."
Albus sighed. "Minerva, bribery isn't the answer." He was obviously expecting Severus to give in at this point, but there was no reply. Albus sighed and walked to stand by Minerva. "I'll raise your pay five knuts."
Severus brightened. "Done!"
Proudly, Minerva brandished the list from her pocket and watched Severus sign his name with a flourish.
Severus Snape: 5 Galleons, 4 Knuts; 4 days, 6 hours, 12 minutes (I've been watching you two. Why don't you just head over to Tower, already?!)
*~*~*~*
Four days later, at five in the morning, approximately twenty-six Gryffindors were sitting around a warm fire in anticipation. They had been up this early for a few days, as they had been assigned to the morning shift. (Not only was the shift there, many curious Gryffindors were watching as well.) They weren't taking risks at missing the big moment. One thought kept running through all of their heads. Where are they? When will it happen? What will happen?
One hour later, Ron strolled down the steps from the boys' dorm. He was wearing a maroon sweater and a grin. He was blatantly ignoring the others as he sat down to tie his shoe-strings.
The tension grew. Five minutes passed, than ten. At eleven minutes past six o'clock, Hermione walked down the stairs to the girls' dorm. She sat across the room from Ron.
It was a mental showdown. There were both staring, glaring. Forty-six seconds had passed. Both Ron and Hermione leapt to their feet.
"Ron, I-"
"Hermione, listen!"
Ron and Hermione stared at each other once more. Fifty seconds had passed.
The other Gryffindors were fidgeting. From the first years, to the seventh years, all were watching with bated breath.
"I, er."
"Well, I meant to tell you."
Fifty-seven seconds. Ron and Hermione got closer and closer, and then it happened. They kissed. It was a small kiss. A question kiss-Ron's way of asking Hermione if he could go on. And she answered with a yes. So there they stood, at exactly 6:12 AM, snogging in the common room. Eventually, Harry and Seamus dragged them outside the portrait hole. No one bear to watch anymore. For a while, they heard the Fat Lady screaming at Ron and Hermione.
No one saw them for another seven hours.
So, in the end, everyone was happy. Ron and Hermione were together, and it was obvious it was more than a teenage fling. Ginny and Harry often played chess together late into the night. The other Gryffindors were finally able to live in peace.
But no one, and I mean no one, was happier than Severus Snape. Just last Tuesday, a first year saw him leaping around outside, screaming in delight and throwing coins all over the place. No one understood that except Minerva and Albus. But they took that secret to the grave.