Here's the next chapter I hope you like it. Please read and review thanks love Hermione xxx
"Now come in ladies and gentlemen. Have a seat with one girl beside one boy and another girl opposite her while another boy sits opposite him. In a moment at my command the house elves will bring up a small desert portion and we will go from there" Slughorn said as people regarded him strangely but sat in the formation he had outlined earlier.
"Ok let the feast begin!" he called out as the desert rose to the table and people started to tuck in.
"Hold it right there. First off now place your napkins which have been provided to you on your laps neatly. Good. Now then take a bite and put your spoon or fork down in between bites. Also insure your elbows are not on the table. Do not start to eat until you are sure everyone in your immediate surrounding area has their desert as well. Tea and coffee pots have been supplied with milk jugs and sugar cubes. This is what those in high society take with their meals. Those who are of age and do not attend school might select to have Brandy with their meals but I only do so on special occasions myself" he said as everyone looked around in awe.
The tea pots were huge and clearly labelled with either tea or coffee on them. There were two different types of cups as well. There was a fine bone china tea cup and saucer and a fine bone china mug for the coffee.
"The cup and saucer is for the tea and the mug for the coffee. Please pour yourselves whichever beverage you prefer with your desert. Some people like to put just milk in or milk and sugar. Others like neither preferring to have whichever one it is black and no one will be judged for that choice either" he said as he walked around the great hall section they were in observing them all. A lot of people however were slouching and he was most displeased although this one wasn't their faults.
"I will be adding back rests to the seats which will lower when you wish to leave and rise again once you are seated. You all need something to lean your backs against so you don't start slouching. Ah-ah Mr Flint. We talk with our mouths closed whilst eating or preferably when we have no food in them at all" he said as Flint rolled his eyes to heaven.
"But sir what if the hot piece of ass girl to my left wants an answer immediately!" he said leering at her slightly.
"Mr Flint you may if you feel an immediate answer is required of you place a hand in front of your mouth as you answer so as not to spray her with your food when talking. Also although Miss Snipe is rather pretty you will refrain from using derogatory terms such as hot girl at the dinner table. Now I will pass piece of parchment down the table which has been charmed. You are to press your thumb into it and then pass it on. When you are done give it back to me please" he instructed as it was passed on down the table. When it reached Draco it gave him a bit of a shock.
"Sir what the hell are you trying to pull here this bloody parchment shocked me!" he snapped.
"And for good reason Mr Malfoy. You have an allergy to bananas and coconuts and it is letting me know this so it may be passed on to the elves below. We wouldn't want you to get sick now would we? I would suggest telling people everywhere you go of these allergies so they know not to give you foods with these ingredients in them as you could become rather ill if you ate them. I myself cannot eat nuts so you are far from alone. As I said before Mr Malfoy a little more listening to those who know more and have experienced more then you and you would learn a thing or two!" he said as Draco looked at him as if to say yeah right like I'm believing you buddy as he put some banana pie in his mouth and ate it his throat starting to close as his face swelled up very much. Soon all you could see were two slits where his eyes once had been full and open.
"You see everyone Mr Malfoy refused to believe he had an allergy and is suffering for it now. I will send for Madam Pomfrey at once" he said calling out his patronus a dolphin leaving with a message for the healer who responded with her own robin red breast and was in the hall moments later.
She took one look at Draco and exclaimed loudly. "Why in the hell was he allowed to eat foods he was allergic to? I can save him but that was entirely reckless. I mean really Horace!" she said regarding the teacher with a slight look of disappointment.
"Oh I performed the allergen test now myself. He refused to believe his allergy to banana and coconuts was real and ate some banana pie before I could stop him. I am most disappointed in his conduct. Mr Malfoy that will be twenty five points from Slytherin for choosing to never listen to anyone because you are now struggling for that reason you idiot!" he snapped as Madam Pomfrey prized his mouth open and forced a potion into it which he gulped down the swelling going away immediately. He burst into floods of scared tears as it would seem his life had flashed before his eyes.
"I have been most reckless sir and I will believe you now. You have more then shown your worth. Can I please request a detention instead of the point loss? There is no sense in the whole house losing out because of me" he said now better again. Emergent potions really were amazing. They truly acted very fast.
"Mr Malfoy I am pleased you have learned the error of your ways and I hope you will listen to more people now as you nearly died from choosing to not believe me. I will let this be an example to the house. We win together and we lose together. I accept your apology and no detention will be issued at this time. Poppy while I have you here Pansy Parkinson, Melody Snipe and Rachel Grosswait are allergic to nuts. Please note it in their files. Good day to you ma'am" he said as she smiled at him.
"It has been so noted. Good day to you sir" she said leaving and smiling at all of the students as she went.
"Now then Miss Greengrass, Ladies please join me here at the top of the room. You are to pick a book of your choice from the selection in my hand here. Ok great. Now please place the book on your head balancing it there and walk slowly to the other end of the hall. If you can successfully do it without the book falling it will mean you walk and move with grace. The movement does not need to be fast it just needs to be successful. Everyone watch her please as I believe she will be a good example to us all. Remember now long back of neck and short front of neck" he said as she chose her book and started to walk. It did fall three times but soon enough she was walking with eloquence and poise like she had never done before. All the girls joined her while the men watched.
"Ladies think about how you present yourselves. Are you presenting your best selves? Do you wear too much makeup or perfume? Is your uniform embellished in a way unbecoming of you or do your shoes not suit you practically? Should you wear a lot of jewellery or a minimal amount of it? That is up to you and it is not fair to judge someone who chooses either way. Support them all however if you see any girl friends of yours and they do not look up to par please tell them directly and gently" he said guiding them to a corner of the room where they could practice and converse with one another. He had all the men move to the front of the tables and watch him closely.
"Now gentlemen we will deal with you. You see manners and a posh outlook on life are not everything if you are not doing it correctly. Are you choosing to shave? If so does that type of shave suit the shape of your face? If the answer is no are you grooming your beard so it is respectable? Are you using some beard oil? Also about your hair. Is it the length you like? Would you like it longer or shorter? Would you prefer it to be slicked back, slightly back or loose and flowing? What kind of cologne do you wear and does it suit you? I would suggest getting a girl to answer this last question as they have very sensitive smells and will tell you for sure" he said as all the men looked around at each other in awe.
They had never thought of this before. It would even seem that some of them had never been asked these questions as their parents had not thought to ask them or had not cared to know the answer. This was freedom he was granting them and they were very excited about it but did not do much to show their excitement as that would not have looked good.
"You also need to think about showers gentlemen. The smell after quidditch practices is no joke and sometimes that common room smells like a damn farmhouse, well no more. Either shower properly or get out of the common room. You can be any way you want to in your own rooms but in the common room we respect one another and that includes smells both good and bad. Wearing too much of any good smelling cologne will also be off putting. One spray on either side of the neck is all that is needed. The common room will be getting an update too as it is too dark and dank for my liking. It is much too depressing. There will be new green furnishings in there tomorrow and it will be brighter" he said as most people seemed shocked he was changing things so much.
He went to check on the girls and found them discussing feminine hygiene and grimaced slightly. "Sir we are discussing if we should be excused from class to shower if our period leeks by accident? It happens to most of us from time to time and it is uncomfortable for us to continue lessons when we are not clean. Also sometimes the pain at that time of the month is bad and pepper up is not always available so could we have access to the prefects bathroom from time to time if it truly gets bad obviously with your permission first?" she asked as he looked at them all thoughtfully.
"I will be honest Miss Bulstrode I had not realised this could be a problem for young women but then again I am not one myself so wouldn't know that. I must forbid you leaving class but I will permit you being excused from your next lesson to clean up. I will be informing the staff of this development and you will be expected to catch up on anything you missed out on in those lesson slots. As you say yourself this doesn't happen often so you should all be fine. As for the prefects bath if it is truly free I see no problems with that but please ask me first!" he responded pausing before he once again continued.
"Also my female friend tells me you all get cravings from time to time and that is ok too. If you wish to eat something a little strange request it from a house elf and just eat it with normal manners. The men will be trained to not question it too!" he said as he observed the changes going on in the students before him.
They were all communicating more and thinking more about the kinds of young men and women they wanted to be and how they wanted to present themselves. As they all returned to their rooms and slept that night he set about making changes to the common room. The dark green light shades were removed and replaced with plain glass ones letting in so much more light. The walls were cleaned thoroughly. The couches were replaced with brand new dark green Chesterfields and soft leather couches. The armchairs were now recliners and the stone floor was covered in a light marble which reflected the new sense of light in the room. It was overall brighter and more comfortable. He went to bed himself that night proud of himself and all of the changes he was installing in Slytherin as a whole.