Chapter 6- Making the most of a bad situation
The atmosphere in the room had turned decidedly frosty, Hermione thought as she looked at her fellow prefects and Professor Snape. They were all seated once again around the large coffee table in the middle of the room.
Hannah was whispering quietly to Ernie McMillan who looked completely distraught. Obviously the thought of not being able to get any revision done was starting to affect his composure and he jumped slightly when Draco cleared his throat. Professor Snape was glaring at them all in turn (except Hermione who he seemed to be completely avoiding) as if one of them was responsible for the situation they were in. Everyone looked completely miserable, she mused - why would anyone of them choose to lock themselves in a room with 6 other prefects and Professor Snape, and suddenly she thought she had the answer.
She groaned inwardly. Harry bloody Potter and Ronald even bloodier Weasley. This must have been what they were talking about when she had surprised them this morning. They had been planning to lock her in a room with 6 other prefects and a professor......but why? To stop her revising? She didn't think so. To set her up with one of the other prefects? Again unlikely, Terry was involved with Padma, Ernie was a nervous wreck and Draco, well. She snorted softly under her breath, Ginny was welcome to him. To keep her out of their hair? Hmmmm .. that was a possibility. What could they be up to that they didn't want her involved in, and then again how had they managed to fix the door so that not even Professor Snape could open it. It was all very confusing.
Draco cleared his throat again and sat up a bit straighter. "Well," he drawled, "as it seems like we're not getting out of here for a while maybe we can have a look at some of these games I've bought."
"If no-one has any objections perhaps we can also light the fire?" Hermione asked tentatively "As long as we don't say anything about the party I don't think anyone would mind if we were overheard now." Grinning at her Ginny rose and crossed quickly over to the fireplace where she knelt and conjured a small fire with flickering green flames upon the bricks of the hearth.
When they were once again all seated Draco started handing around the games he had brought for them all to look at.
"What's this for?" asked Padma, puzzled, as she held up an empty bottle. Draco smirked prettily, "Why Spin-The-Bottle of course."
"I hardly think that is an appropriate game for a 160th Birthday party Mr. Malfoy." Professor Snape said silkily as he reached across and took the bottle from Padma, "However I might have forgiven your lapse in judgment had this bottle still been full of fire-whiskey." Looking dejectedly at the empty bottle he bent and placed it on the floor at the side of his chair. As he looked up again he briefly caught Hermione's eye before she quickly looked away. Why was he grinning at her like that she thought to herself, and why can't I look him in the eye, pull yourself together girl.
Taking a deep breath Hermione looked back at Professor Snape, only to find him examining a sheet of coloured plastic that he had removed from a box and was now unfolding. "What, may I ask Mr. Malfoy, is the purpose of this game?" He had unfolded the plastic fully now and had spread it out, covering half the table. "What do all these coloured circles represent?"
"Oh, that's Twister." Hannah answered happily. "We used to play this at all my birthday parties when I was little. It's really good fun, I'll show you how it's played if you like." She slid the plastic sheet off the table and onto the floor in front of the fire. "Who else knows how to play?" she asked, and Hermione was quite surprised when Draco stepped forwards as well as Terry and Padma. Hermione had always hated playing Twister. She found it hideously embarrassing being told where to place her hands and feet and ending up stuck with her face in someone's armpit so she quickly grabbed the spinner board and volunteered to referee the game.
"All you have to do," said Hannah happily removing her shoes and socks, "is spin the spinner, then the players have to put their hands or feet on the colours that the spinner lands on. Oxford rules- last person to fall wins." She gestured Terry, Padma and Draco to different sides of the plastic sheet and nodded at Hermione to begin.
"Right hand on Green" Hermione said giggling 5 minutes later. Much to her amusement all 4 players were still in the game, although to her practiced eye, only just. She giggled again as Draco shifted his body slightly and was promptly hit in the face by Padma, who was having to reach right over Hannah to get to the Green circles.
"Watch it!" Draco growled threateningly, and he blew upwards trying to shift his white blond hair that had flopped down over his eyes obscuring his vision. Ginny had come to sit next to Hermione at the start of the game.
"Wouldn't it be funny it you spun a left foot blue next." She said with a chuckle "Padma would practically have her arse in Terrys face and I think Hannah would have to dislocate her hip to reach it." They laughed at the picture as Hermione spun the spinner, and neither of them noticed the potions professor standing behind them give a small flick of his wand.
They screamed with laughter as the pointer came to rest on left foot blue, and watched as Hannah, trying to reach the coloured circle, lost her balance and keeled gracefully to one side, taking out Terry and Padma. Terry looked particularly annoyed as they untangled themselves and clambered to their feet, and Hermione declared Draco the winner.
"What did you have to do that for Hannah?" Terry grumbled as he winced and straightened up. "Spoiled a wonderful view you did." Padma punched him playfully on the arm as Ginny conjured a medal out of the air and hung it shyly round Draco's neck, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Draco looked a little shocked but grinned down at his medal and gave Ginny a reassuring smile.
"Well, amusing as that was" Snape drawled from behind them, "I am not entirely convinced it is a suitable game for a gathering of elderly wizards. Yes, I am sure that the students would find it a highly enjoyable pastime Miss. Abbot," he said looking pointedly at Hannah who had started to protest, "but Professor Dumbledore and his friends would insist on playing too and I do not think that Madame Pomfrey could cope with that many broken hips in one night."
If Hermione was surprised at his joke she was even more amazed when he smiled at them all.
The atmosphere in the room had turned decidedly frosty, Hermione thought as she looked at her fellow prefects and Professor Snape. They were all seated once again around the large coffee table in the middle of the room.
Hannah was whispering quietly to Ernie McMillan who looked completely distraught. Obviously the thought of not being able to get any revision done was starting to affect his composure and he jumped slightly when Draco cleared his throat. Professor Snape was glaring at them all in turn (except Hermione who he seemed to be completely avoiding) as if one of them was responsible for the situation they were in. Everyone looked completely miserable, she mused - why would anyone of them choose to lock themselves in a room with 6 other prefects and Professor Snape, and suddenly she thought she had the answer.
She groaned inwardly. Harry bloody Potter and Ronald even bloodier Weasley. This must have been what they were talking about when she had surprised them this morning. They had been planning to lock her in a room with 6 other prefects and a professor......but why? To stop her revising? She didn't think so. To set her up with one of the other prefects? Again unlikely, Terry was involved with Padma, Ernie was a nervous wreck and Draco, well. She snorted softly under her breath, Ginny was welcome to him. To keep her out of their hair? Hmmmm .. that was a possibility. What could they be up to that they didn't want her involved in, and then again how had they managed to fix the door so that not even Professor Snape could open it. It was all very confusing.
Draco cleared his throat again and sat up a bit straighter. "Well," he drawled, "as it seems like we're not getting out of here for a while maybe we can have a look at some of these games I've bought."
"If no-one has any objections perhaps we can also light the fire?" Hermione asked tentatively "As long as we don't say anything about the party I don't think anyone would mind if we were overheard now." Grinning at her Ginny rose and crossed quickly over to the fireplace where she knelt and conjured a small fire with flickering green flames upon the bricks of the hearth.
When they were once again all seated Draco started handing around the games he had brought for them all to look at.
"What's this for?" asked Padma, puzzled, as she held up an empty bottle. Draco smirked prettily, "Why Spin-The-Bottle of course."
"I hardly think that is an appropriate game for a 160th Birthday party Mr. Malfoy." Professor Snape said silkily as he reached across and took the bottle from Padma, "However I might have forgiven your lapse in judgment had this bottle still been full of fire-whiskey." Looking dejectedly at the empty bottle he bent and placed it on the floor at the side of his chair. As he looked up again he briefly caught Hermione's eye before she quickly looked away. Why was he grinning at her like that she thought to herself, and why can't I look him in the eye, pull yourself together girl.
Taking a deep breath Hermione looked back at Professor Snape, only to find him examining a sheet of coloured plastic that he had removed from a box and was now unfolding. "What, may I ask Mr. Malfoy, is the purpose of this game?" He had unfolded the plastic fully now and had spread it out, covering half the table. "What do all these coloured circles represent?"
"Oh, that's Twister." Hannah answered happily. "We used to play this at all my birthday parties when I was little. It's really good fun, I'll show you how it's played if you like." She slid the plastic sheet off the table and onto the floor in front of the fire. "Who else knows how to play?" she asked, and Hermione was quite surprised when Draco stepped forwards as well as Terry and Padma. Hermione had always hated playing Twister. She found it hideously embarrassing being told where to place her hands and feet and ending up stuck with her face in someone's armpit so she quickly grabbed the spinner board and volunteered to referee the game.
"All you have to do," said Hannah happily removing her shoes and socks, "is spin the spinner, then the players have to put their hands or feet on the colours that the spinner lands on. Oxford rules- last person to fall wins." She gestured Terry, Padma and Draco to different sides of the plastic sheet and nodded at Hermione to begin.
"Right hand on Green" Hermione said giggling 5 minutes later. Much to her amusement all 4 players were still in the game, although to her practiced eye, only just. She giggled again as Draco shifted his body slightly and was promptly hit in the face by Padma, who was having to reach right over Hannah to get to the Green circles.
"Watch it!" Draco growled threateningly, and he blew upwards trying to shift his white blond hair that had flopped down over his eyes obscuring his vision. Ginny had come to sit next to Hermione at the start of the game.
"Wouldn't it be funny it you spun a left foot blue next." She said with a chuckle "Padma would practically have her arse in Terrys face and I think Hannah would have to dislocate her hip to reach it." They laughed at the picture as Hermione spun the spinner, and neither of them noticed the potions professor standing behind them give a small flick of his wand.
They screamed with laughter as the pointer came to rest on left foot blue, and watched as Hannah, trying to reach the coloured circle, lost her balance and keeled gracefully to one side, taking out Terry and Padma. Terry looked particularly annoyed as they untangled themselves and clambered to their feet, and Hermione declared Draco the winner.
"What did you have to do that for Hannah?" Terry grumbled as he winced and straightened up. "Spoiled a wonderful view you did." Padma punched him playfully on the arm as Ginny conjured a medal out of the air and hung it shyly round Draco's neck, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Draco looked a little shocked but grinned down at his medal and gave Ginny a reassuring smile.
"Well, amusing as that was" Snape drawled from behind them, "I am not entirely convinced it is a suitable game for a gathering of elderly wizards. Yes, I am sure that the students would find it a highly enjoyable pastime Miss. Abbot," he said looking pointedly at Hannah who had started to protest, "but Professor Dumbledore and his friends would insist on playing too and I do not think that Madame Pomfrey could cope with that many broken hips in one night."
If Hermione was surprised at his joke she was even more amazed when he smiled at them all.