Disclaimer - see part 1.
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Wizards Honour
Part 28
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"As amusing as this conversation is," Albus Dumbledore said calmly, "we are expected in the Great Hall. I believe there are gifts to be given and received before that can occur."
The Headmaster caught sight of the momentary expression of relief and thanks that flickered across Professor Snape's face. "My," thought Dumbledore, "if I'd known it was this easy to control him I would have invited Medusa to Hogwarts years ago."
"Yes," Edgar's hearty tones broke through the uncomfortable silence. "I believe, under the Wizards Honour law that my gift must be given first." Edgar ignored Medusa's sneer at his statement of the obvious and rummaged through the deep pockets in his robes.
"Ah, there it is." Edgar retrieved a worn velvet box, wiped a bit of budgie seed off it with a finger and handed the box to his great-niece. "Your mother wanted you to have this when you were married."
"Thank you," Aurora opened the box and lifted out a small globe of Earth; completed with tiny clouds, storms and a tiny sun and moon.
"A weather globe," Dumbledore said quietly, "Most useful for astronomy and avoiding apparating into a rain shower."
"Indeed," Edgar nodded. He waited until Aurora had placed the small box safely in a pocket in her robes before he said, "and this is my gift." Edgar handed Aurora a cloth bag that contained a deep blue crystal on a chain. "It's a portable privacy charm,' Edgar whispered loudly. "Hang it on the doorknob and you won't be disturbed."
"Uncle!!" Aurora glared up at the elderly man. "You do know that these gifts will be documented with the contract?"
"Oh, course," Edgar replied. "Oh, and if he uses the charm without you in the room it will turn into an alarm."
"So good to know that you trust me," Snape purred sarcastically.
"Yes, well," Edgar stepped back from Severus, the older man misreading Snape's dark humour for anger.
"Now that the comedy routine is over, may I present my gift?" Medusa asked in a voice that could have curdled Dragon's milk.
~~~~~~~
"She didn't?" ... "Pansy said that." ... "Ohhh, she's in big trouble now." ... "So, Neville, what happened next?"
In the Great Hall, the students seated at the Gryffindor table leant closer to Neville as he continued his story.
Meanwhile, some of the teachers were taking their places at the Head table. Professor Trelawney and Madam Hooch were standing to one side of the table; just the perfect place for Hooch to watch the students like a hawk and Trelawney to draw a great deal of attention.
"I foresee that this is a sad day for the ladies of Hogwarts." Professor Trelawney sniffed and wiped an imaginary tear from her cheek with a red and purple silk handkerchief. "The sole eligible bachelor in Hogwarts has been caught in fortune's web." She sniffed again and tucked her handkerchief into the sleeve of her long, sequinned black robes.
Madam Hooch laughed, "Eligible? Severus? Maybe if you hit him with a 'stupefy' or ten and gagged him."
"That is not nice, Rolanda, your planets must be in an unfavourable alignment today." Trelawney smiled insipidly, "Perhaps I can help you find the shadows that are clouding your path."
"Really, Sybill," said Professor McGonagall, while she walked past Trelawney and made her way to her place at the table, "why would anyone want to see what is under a shadow?"
"Could be darn useful, that," Mad-Eye Moody stomped past McGonagall. "Could've used that in a few night battles." The retired Auror threw himself into one of the chairs and glared threateningly at the students and most of the teachers.
"You see," Trelawney said, importantly and loudly enough for McGonagall to hear, "my skills are useful."
Hooch looked at Moody, then back at Trelawney and smiled.
"Sybill," the Flying Instructor whispered, "Alastor's single."
Trelawney sniffing stopped abruptly. Hooch bit the inside of her lip to stop herself laughing when the Divination teacher swooped on Moody as enthusiastically as she would have grabbed the last sequinned robe at Madam Malkin's annual sale.
"Tsk, tsk," Professor McGonagall muttered to Hooch when the flying instructor sat down beside her.
"I don't know why I didn't think of that before, Minerva." Hooch grinned.
Minerva McGonagall hid her smirk behind her hand.
~~~~~~~
Severus Snape was so engrossed in the 'Snape Family Potions Book', a small well-worn and very ancient book the size of a diary, that he missed Medusa's announcement that she had brought a gift for Aurora.
By the time Severus looked up from great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather Dionysus Snape's recipe for Instant 40-year-old Whisky (the secret of the Snape family's wealth before the Magical Brewing Age Identification Laws came into effect), Aurora was gingerly lifting the lid of a battered cardboard box.
"No, stop!" Severus' exclamation was followed by the sound of squeaky singing voices. Before Aurora could slam the lid back down a small cloud of singing Pixies erupted out of the box.
There was a flurry of wand waving and within moments a small pile of stunned Pixies with miffed expressions on their little blue faces landed at Medusa's feet. Medusa looked equally miffed, although she was by no means stunned or blue.
Dumbledore levitated the pile of comatose Pixies into to their box, while Severus, Edgar and Medusa exchanged glares. It looked as though wands would be drawn at any moment when Thadeus Assentor cleared his throat, loudly.
"Now that all the fun is over," said the Ministry Lawyer in his best angry-judge-quelling voice, "I can give you my boring but practical gifts."
"Excellent idea, Mr Assentor," Dumbledore chimed in while he spellotaped the Pixie-box shut securely.
The Ministry Wizard pulled a Ministry-beige cloth bag out of one of his pockets and tipped the contents onto a nearby desk. It was a pile of scrolls, most of them were quite small and all of them had an official seal, stamp or ribbon.
Thadeus picked up one of the scrolls, "Your marriage license as registered with the Ministry." He dropped the scroll back into the bag. He then picked up another scroll, "Professor Sinistra-Snape's change of marital status and name with the WASSUPS." This scroll was also dropped into the bag.
The first two scrolls were soon joined by: Aurora's new Apparition License; Severus' registration as a family wizard with the Potioner's Guild; their new registrations with the Wizarding Teachers Board; and a revised copy of their Hogwart's Teaching Contracts.
"Thank you," Aurora sighed, glad to receive a useful gift after the Pixies. "I was dreading filling in all those forms."
"All part of the service." Thadeus smiled and said to Severus, "And I didn't need a fly-fast potion to do it."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, back in the Great Hall, the Professors' were continuing to chat while they waited for the guests of honour to arrive.
"I saw this delay would occur." Sybill Trelawney was informing Mad-Eye. "Just this morning I was drinking my cup of tea and I read in the leaves that romance would be approaching slowly."
"Nothing to do with the Headmaster liking to make an entrance, then?" Hooch murmured.
"Yes, most clever, Sybill," sniped McGonagall, the sarcasm in her voice would have done a Snape proud.
"Thank you." Trelawney replied icily. She sniffed and became highly absorbed in arranging the sleeve of her robes.
"You don't know what's going on, Minerva," Moody growled. "They could have been kidnapped or attacked or eaten in the hallway by Dire Wolves. Constant Vigilance! That's what is required."
Hooch heard a sigh from her neighbour and turned to look at the despondent looking Penelope Clearwater.
"How do you stand him?" Hooch whispered.
Penelope's reply was drowned out by the arrival of the guests.
To be continued
---------------
Wizards Honour
Part 28
---------------
"As amusing as this conversation is," Albus Dumbledore said calmly, "we are expected in the Great Hall. I believe there are gifts to be given and received before that can occur."
The Headmaster caught sight of the momentary expression of relief and thanks that flickered across Professor Snape's face. "My," thought Dumbledore, "if I'd known it was this easy to control him I would have invited Medusa to Hogwarts years ago."
"Yes," Edgar's hearty tones broke through the uncomfortable silence. "I believe, under the Wizards Honour law that my gift must be given first." Edgar ignored Medusa's sneer at his statement of the obvious and rummaged through the deep pockets in his robes.
"Ah, there it is." Edgar retrieved a worn velvet box, wiped a bit of budgie seed off it with a finger and handed the box to his great-niece. "Your mother wanted you to have this when you were married."
"Thank you," Aurora opened the box and lifted out a small globe of Earth; completed with tiny clouds, storms and a tiny sun and moon.
"A weather globe," Dumbledore said quietly, "Most useful for astronomy and avoiding apparating into a rain shower."
"Indeed," Edgar nodded. He waited until Aurora had placed the small box safely in a pocket in her robes before he said, "and this is my gift." Edgar handed Aurora a cloth bag that contained a deep blue crystal on a chain. "It's a portable privacy charm,' Edgar whispered loudly. "Hang it on the doorknob and you won't be disturbed."
"Uncle!!" Aurora glared up at the elderly man. "You do know that these gifts will be documented with the contract?"
"Oh, course," Edgar replied. "Oh, and if he uses the charm without you in the room it will turn into an alarm."
"So good to know that you trust me," Snape purred sarcastically.
"Yes, well," Edgar stepped back from Severus, the older man misreading Snape's dark humour for anger.
"Now that the comedy routine is over, may I present my gift?" Medusa asked in a voice that could have curdled Dragon's milk.
~~~~~~~
"She didn't?" ... "Pansy said that." ... "Ohhh, she's in big trouble now." ... "So, Neville, what happened next?"
In the Great Hall, the students seated at the Gryffindor table leant closer to Neville as he continued his story.
Meanwhile, some of the teachers were taking their places at the Head table. Professor Trelawney and Madam Hooch were standing to one side of the table; just the perfect place for Hooch to watch the students like a hawk and Trelawney to draw a great deal of attention.
"I foresee that this is a sad day for the ladies of Hogwarts." Professor Trelawney sniffed and wiped an imaginary tear from her cheek with a red and purple silk handkerchief. "The sole eligible bachelor in Hogwarts has been caught in fortune's web." She sniffed again and tucked her handkerchief into the sleeve of her long, sequinned black robes.
Madam Hooch laughed, "Eligible? Severus? Maybe if you hit him with a 'stupefy' or ten and gagged him."
"That is not nice, Rolanda, your planets must be in an unfavourable alignment today." Trelawney smiled insipidly, "Perhaps I can help you find the shadows that are clouding your path."
"Really, Sybill," said Professor McGonagall, while she walked past Trelawney and made her way to her place at the table, "why would anyone want to see what is under a shadow?"
"Could be darn useful, that," Mad-Eye Moody stomped past McGonagall. "Could've used that in a few night battles." The retired Auror threw himself into one of the chairs and glared threateningly at the students and most of the teachers.
"You see," Trelawney said, importantly and loudly enough for McGonagall to hear, "my skills are useful."
Hooch looked at Moody, then back at Trelawney and smiled.
"Sybill," the Flying Instructor whispered, "Alastor's single."
Trelawney sniffing stopped abruptly. Hooch bit the inside of her lip to stop herself laughing when the Divination teacher swooped on Moody as enthusiastically as she would have grabbed the last sequinned robe at Madam Malkin's annual sale.
"Tsk, tsk," Professor McGonagall muttered to Hooch when the flying instructor sat down beside her.
"I don't know why I didn't think of that before, Minerva." Hooch grinned.
Minerva McGonagall hid her smirk behind her hand.
~~~~~~~
Severus Snape was so engrossed in the 'Snape Family Potions Book', a small well-worn and very ancient book the size of a diary, that he missed Medusa's announcement that she had brought a gift for Aurora.
By the time Severus looked up from great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather Dionysus Snape's recipe for Instant 40-year-old Whisky (the secret of the Snape family's wealth before the Magical Brewing Age Identification Laws came into effect), Aurora was gingerly lifting the lid of a battered cardboard box.
"No, stop!" Severus' exclamation was followed by the sound of squeaky singing voices. Before Aurora could slam the lid back down a small cloud of singing Pixies erupted out of the box.
There was a flurry of wand waving and within moments a small pile of stunned Pixies with miffed expressions on their little blue faces landed at Medusa's feet. Medusa looked equally miffed, although she was by no means stunned or blue.
Dumbledore levitated the pile of comatose Pixies into to their box, while Severus, Edgar and Medusa exchanged glares. It looked as though wands would be drawn at any moment when Thadeus Assentor cleared his throat, loudly.
"Now that all the fun is over," said the Ministry Lawyer in his best angry-judge-quelling voice, "I can give you my boring but practical gifts."
"Excellent idea, Mr Assentor," Dumbledore chimed in while he spellotaped the Pixie-box shut securely.
The Ministry Wizard pulled a Ministry-beige cloth bag out of one of his pockets and tipped the contents onto a nearby desk. It was a pile of scrolls, most of them were quite small and all of them had an official seal, stamp or ribbon.
Thadeus picked up one of the scrolls, "Your marriage license as registered with the Ministry." He dropped the scroll back into the bag. He then picked up another scroll, "Professor Sinistra-Snape's change of marital status and name with the WASSUPS." This scroll was also dropped into the bag.
The first two scrolls were soon joined by: Aurora's new Apparition License; Severus' registration as a family wizard with the Potioner's Guild; their new registrations with the Wizarding Teachers Board; and a revised copy of their Hogwart's Teaching Contracts.
"Thank you," Aurora sighed, glad to receive a useful gift after the Pixies. "I was dreading filling in all those forms."
"All part of the service." Thadeus smiled and said to Severus, "And I didn't need a fly-fast potion to do it."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, back in the Great Hall, the Professors' were continuing to chat while they waited for the guests of honour to arrive.
"I saw this delay would occur." Sybill Trelawney was informing Mad-Eye. "Just this morning I was drinking my cup of tea and I read in the leaves that romance would be approaching slowly."
"Nothing to do with the Headmaster liking to make an entrance, then?" Hooch murmured.
"Yes, most clever, Sybill," sniped McGonagall, the sarcasm in her voice would have done a Snape proud.
"Thank you." Trelawney replied icily. She sniffed and became highly absorbed in arranging the sleeve of her robes.
"You don't know what's going on, Minerva," Moody growled. "They could have been kidnapped or attacked or eaten in the hallway by Dire Wolves. Constant Vigilance! That's what is required."
Hooch heard a sigh from her neighbour and turned to look at the despondent looking Penelope Clearwater.
"How do you stand him?" Hooch whispered.
Penelope's reply was drowned out by the arrival of the guests.
To be continued