Begin Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen: To Priscilla's Shock (and someone else's)

  The nerve of the woman, Priscilla thought maliciously as she hurried to her room. She didn't have the time or patience to deal with some substitute and his lesson plan. She had work to do and tasks to complete. She walked past a group of girls who eyed her warily as she hustled past. She raised an eyebrow at them and they scurried away. It wasn't so bad being related to Uncle Severus after all, she thought with a wan smile. She didn't even have ample time to prepare her room and hide all the pregnancy paraphernalia around her room. She burst through the door of her room, closed the door and locked it. With a simple flick of her wand she had all her test papers being graded (an alarming amount of them showing bright scarlet F's) as she scurried around trying to hide her pregnancy books and the potions that she was taking to nourish her baby and keep it healthy. She was just stuffing a revised edition of "Nine Magical Months: Spells & Charms for Your Baby and You" by Sally Fletchler (which was considerably thicker than the last edition) when she heard a tentative rapping on her door. She hurriedly shrunk the book and stuffed it away as she felt a lurch in her stomach. She made a mental note to calm down so she wouldn't lose her lunch. "Coming," she said in the iciest voice she could muster. When she opened the door, a startled first year Ravenclaw was staring at her, clutching a note so tightly in his fist it was crumpled. She recognized him as Matthew Woodworm, a student in one of her classes. She never understood why but he had been terrified of her since day one. "May I help you," she asked coolly, trying not to scare the boy any worse than he already was.

"D-dumbledore told me to give you this," he said holding the letter out, his hand trembling. She reached for it and plucked the letter lightly from his hand and he flinched slightly. She opened it and immediately regretted doing so.

Priscilla,

I know you were expecting the new substitute to be meeting in your office for briefing, but alas, plans have changed. The substitute will be waiting for you in Professor McGonagall's office, setting up his belongings and such. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Albus

At the end of the letter, Priscilla cursed so violently that poor Matthew jumped about ten feet in the air. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, putting her fingers to her now throbbing temples. "Five points to Ravenclaw. You may go now." At those words, the boy positively fled down the hall. Priscilla gathered some of the things she would need and headed out to the other side of the castle. She was positively fuming. She couldn't travel by Floo Powder; it wasn't safe for pregnant witches. And what was this nonsense about not being able to Apparate on the grounds? She hated that most of all. She had to contend with walking up a long flight of stairs and as she ascended each step, she got more incensed. She arrived at McGonagall's door to find it slightly ajar so she pushed it open, only to find that what she was waiting for wasn't what she was expecting…

Percy Weasley was standing there rifling through a stack of parchment. He had already put up all of is Hogwarts awards, plaques and certificates of recognition. Priscilla gasped loudly and clutched the doorjamb. Percy looked up and he looked mildly surprised. "Oh, hello Priscilla," he said. He sounded a little funny, she thought. Like his voice was strangled. Even so, her knees turned to jelly when he spoke. Damn that pompous bastard, she thought, I must not lose my cool.

"Hello, Mr. Weasley," she said smoothly trying to show the Snape in her, "I gather you're almost ready unpacking so that I may show you where the teacher's quarters are?" He nodded quietly. Funny, she thought, he couldn't keep his mouth shut the last time she saw him. There was a long, awkward pause and Percy shifted uncomfortably. She got it. He was ashamed of the time they were together. She cleared her throat to choke down the lump that was forming there. Damn hormones. "Alright then," she said stiffly, "to the teacher's quarters." She opened the door and walked swiftly out. She was getting a little light-headed now but that wasn't unusual. She told herself it was just the morning sickness and she kept on walking. Show no signs of weakness, she told herself. Damn, he was so quiet! "So," she started off uncomfortably, "how are things at the Ministry?" He lit up slightly at the question.

"Things are splendid," he said. "Intermagical Customs saw my report on cauldron bottoms and snatched it right up. They want to pass a law to standardize cauldron thickness. It took a while to get those officials to see it my way. Two years in fact. Why, I remember the day I started it, I was a bright-eyed youngster fresh out of Hogwarts…" he talked on and on, rather enthusiastically. However, Priscilla tuned him out. She did at the Yule Ball and that's how she noticed the dimple in his cheek when he smiled. Or the way he tilted his head when he shut that big trap of his and actually listened. Those things made her want him that night and every night after. In her reverie, she didn't notice that the first staircase to the lower floor was coming up. But she started to lose her balance and topple forward and wildly thought about her baby. She didn't want to lose it; she had grown rather fond of the thought of having it. But before anything could happen, Percy grabbed her arms and pulled her up. "Be careful, Priscilla," he said, "I was just coming up to the part when…"

"I'm fine," she said loudly so that she wouldn't have to hear his babbling. "I just want to go see if it's okay," she blurted out. Percy looked at her strangely.

"See if what's okay?" he asked, puzzled. Uh-oh, she thought. How was she going to lie about this? She was quickly racking her brain to think of a good one when the baby kicked for the first time. Her hand reflexively flew to her stomach, a move that did not go unnoticed by Percy. He was pompous, but he wasn't stupid. "Oh, you're…with child," he said, sounding rather put out. "Congratulations, who's the lucky fellow?" All of Priscilla's breath got sucked out of her when he said those words. Damn maternal instincts! This wasn't the way she wanted him to find out. She didn't even know he was coming, for Merlin's sake. Oh well, the cat sure was out of the bag now so she just sighed resignedly.

"You."

End Chapter Seventeen