AN: This will be the third night in a row that I've updated, and I must put it out there that I'm very proud of myself, and appreciative to Vienne who keeps me on task all the time. (At the expense of her own entertainment, as I've recently taken to living with her, and as such spend hours a day writing and virtually ignoring my poor dear.) So here comes another, rather long chapter, that marks the 125 page on Microsoft word I've typed. Please leave me some reviews everyone, and thank you again to faithful readers.
–Richard S.
Picking and Choosing (Tales of Hogwarts Romance) Chapter 29
The great hall still hadn't cleared from the trickle of students who had been stopping in for a bit of toast before running off to find someone or pack something. Illy sighed in relief, as she would still be able to wish her friends a good holiday, despite her odd run in with the dementors just a few moments beforehand. She headed first towards her own dorms, ignoring the fact that she was still pajama clad in flannel pants borrowed from Ron and a thick tan sweater borrowed from Hermione. Her converse sneakers squelched loudly beneath her feet in protest to their now soaking wet state and the rubber soles squeaked whenever she didn't pick her foot up just right, but aside from the glances people gave her disheveled appearance she seemed to not even notice how queer she must have looked.
The common room was surprisingly messy, being strewn with people clothing and books, and even more surprisingly packed with people as they searched for objects they had left and gave out quick hugs. It seemed as though no one had thought of packing before this moment in time, but most of the crowd was first year students with an ample mixture of just plain forgetful goon looking types like Crabbe and Goyle. Illy waved at the two but was uninterested in actually wishing them a farewell, and instead decided to get straight to her human destinations in the easiest way possible. And so with a smile Illy headed for the boys dorm.
"CHRISTIAN! DOLAN! BLAISE! DRACO!" She called from the hall, paying special attention to resist the urge to just have a go around peaking into each of the doors. Moments later three shirtless, trouserless, and trunkless boys appeared with broad grins and open arms. Illy paid no mind to the fact that the boys not only were in nothing but boxers, but also seemed to have just crawled from their beds, and instead she collided with Dolan's chest and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"I'm going to miss you so much over break Dolan!" She said in a meaningful but not excessive way. He smiled and kissed her once on the forehead. "You should owl Jacky too…which means if you don't I'll have your balls." She winked at his now grimacing face and gave Blaise a small hug next. "I'll see you soon." Was all he said to her. They were silent friends in the way that they didn't exactly appreciate one another or even talk, but as all their friends were rather close to the both of them, they behaved. Where Illy might have liked to gut Blaise like a fish, she only smiled and waved as he left for his packing again. She always got bad feelings about him…
"Alright, now I'm feeling just plain neglected and I don't think that a hug will do it." Christian smiled devilishly at Illy, who in turn threw two arms around his neck at giggled.
"What would do it?" She asked when he released her again.
"I don't know?...but you are the woman whom I always have scandalous affairs with, so you could give me a good bye fuck." He suggested triumphantly. Illy and Dolan laughed at his now heroic pose.
"I'll see you when you get back Christian." She finished and turned to leave. Christian playfully slapped her bum as she walked away and only winked in the face of her clearly irritated looks. Before she reached the stairs she stopped though, realizing something very important had not been present in her goodbyes.
"Where's Draco?" Both boys dropped their smiles and began to scratch their heads.
"Umm, funny thing see…" Christian began. Apparently their head scratching was not indicating their lack of an answer, but more their lack of a way to present the answer at hand.
"His mum and da' showed up early to get him..." Dolan continued.
"But he did send his best wishes…" Christian alternated yet again,
"And uh…" Dolan looked to his companion desperately.
"This." Christian finished before stepping forward to plant a kiss on Illy's lips. She was silent for three or four seconds, only taking in sharp breaths.
"Did he actually kiss you?" She finally asked.
"Bloody hell! Of course he didn't do you think we're some kind of ninny couple or bullocks like that?" Christian exploded, making Dolan shudder and drop his gaze to the floor.
"So what, he just said kiss Illy for me and tell her I say g'bye and best wishes, just to piss her off?"
"Actually…yeah, it was real funny, he was laughing at the thought."
"Yeah? Well if you see him over break make sure you tell him that Harry pulled the same thing this morning and I didn't think it was funny then either!" She crossed her arms and put out a pouting lip, impersonating Jackquinn's expression from earlier that morning to the best of her ability. Dolan and Christian began to chuckle.
"Aw calm down Ill's it's nuffin' to worry about so don't get your knickers in a twist." Christian slapped her on the shoulder and waited for her to laugh with them. But she stood silent with her pouting expression for several moments longer…
"Actually, I can't get my knickers in a twist…I haven't got any on." She smiled and flipped her hair before turning to leave, leaving both boys half laughing and half confused.
"She really is something isn't she?" Christian asked Dolan as they headed back to their rooms.
"Yeah, she's going to give Draco a run for his money."
"Good thing he's got plenty of it."
"No, it's a good thing I made us pack last night, or we would be up with all these shmucks throwing things in trunks like maniacs and not sleeping."
"D'you think Draco'll be mad when he finds out I threw that last bit in there."
"Nah, he'll laugh…or break your leg, but either way, I'll laugh."
"Guess it was worth it either way though, just to see that ticked off look on her face."
"Almost like the first time she kissed you."
"Shut up!" Christian shoved Dolan into a fellow student and threw himself onto his bed.
"So he just left without so much of a goodbye?" Hermione asked Illy under her breath. Illy smiled at Harry who was still engaged in discussion with Ron, just to make sure he wouldn't be paying attention.
"Yep, just left Dolan and Christian to say 'goodbye, best wishes and kiss me'"
"Wow…what a jerk."
"Not really, it's just how Draco is. He likes to be dramatic and overly romantic about nothing. It's in his blood I guess, have you ever seen his house, its ridiculous. Besides the kiss was more like a private joke, so in a way, is was funny."
"Did you send him an owl to tell him how thick headed he was?"
"Nope, I'm enjoying only having to keep up with five friends at the moment. Besides six days isn't even all that long." Illy smiled and closed the book in front of her. "We should get to dinner before these two get us kicked out again." She suggested as she nodded towards Ron who was now yelling about the validity of a snitch in a world cup from several years ago, as it was really just a bewitched gold lump, and not a genuine snitch.
"It shouldn't have counted!" He snapped at Harry who just shook his head.
"Ron, if it passed the referees without anyone making a fuss, then it's legal" Harry argued as Illy pulled him from his seat. He stood up without much fuss, taking the moment as a queue to keep his hand in hers.
"Besides, the snitch replacement was one hundred percent goblin gold and if you've ever read The Making of a Game you would know that Snitch's are considered genuine as long as they are properly bewitched and made of pure gold." Illy said with a triumphant look.
"What are you, the Hermione of sports?" Ron asked with irritation. Harry just shook his head and stepped ahead of the pair to talk to Hermione all the way to the great hall. Illy took Harry's place in the row with Ron and was doing a much better and more spirited job of presenting her side of the argument.
"Look Ron, rules are rules and just because your team got their tales whipped doesn't mean that you can pout about it for five whole years! You probably weren't even at the game!" She exclaimed in exasperation as the two stopped to fight just in side the door of the great hall. Ron screwed up his face indignantly and continued the argument, even though Christmas carols were now playing and it was hard to fight over such a serene and jovial ruckus.
"But the snitch was never officially weighed, meaning that its size could have been larger or smaller than and normal snitch."
"Ron the bewitching is applied per millimeter of gold, so it wouldn't mater! Each snitch becomes proportionally faster or slower in pace with size and diameter." The carols were now roaring in the air obnoxiously as people in the hall turned to watch the two's quarrel.
"Who cares if a snitch is a few kilometers slower, if the thing is so small you can't even see it anymore? That's just not fair!" Ron shouted over the song.
"But they could see it you dunce! Someone caught it so obviously you could see it! Are you going to claim that the seeker had paranormal abilities and those should be outlawed too?" Illy's voice strained to be heard over the freakishly loud singing.
"But Williams' hands are bigger than Oschlerts' were!" Ron screamed back indignantly, though mostly it just sounded like he was screaming in general as the singing had gotten so loud no one in the hall could not look, or gawk rather at the fiery duo. Illy had, had enough. She stomped her foot loudly and screamed as loud as she could, her body shaking with frustration as she hollered over the carols violently.
"What in the bloody hell is that friggin' noise!?" Everyone in the hall pointed up above her head with a unified and slightly creepy motion. Just above her, pinned neatly to the decorative ribbons, where a few little pieces of mistletoe; which were bellowing out a Christmas tune with vigorous insistence. "How do I get it to shut the hell up?" She screamed once again. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Fred and George grinning like fools. Fred made a kissing face and pointed at Ron rather than burning out his voice on yelling. Ron's face went scarlet but Illy ignored it entirely, choosing the good of mankind's ears over Ron's embarrassment. She put a neat little kiss on Ron's cheek, but the singing didn't so much as slow pace for a breath. She turned back to Fred who was sporting a still larger smile. He pointed mischievously to his lips, and then George made a few obscene tongue motions that Illy chose to ignore with bleak hope that they were not necessarily mandatory.
"You're shitting me." She said before turning to Ron again and this time placing a small kiss on his lips. Ron's face was now so red he looked at though his head was going to explode, or his ears were going to issue forth a generous amount of steam in a cartoon like motion. But they did no such thing and everyone just took their seats, grateful for the break in noise, everyone that is except Harry and Hermione, who seemed inexplicably upset by the whole scene.
"Who would have put up such a horrible thing? Even more, who would have made such a thing! It's preposterous!" Hermione began. Ron and Illy sat down next to each other, but Hermione managed to squeeze herself into the inch and a half between the two, and Harry motioned for Illy to come sit next to him.
"Well we did of course!" Both of the twins sang out proudly.
"What do you think Illy?" Fred began,
"It's the prototype." George finished.
"I think its smashing! Just a bit too loud, and doesn't it sing more than one carol? You need to fix that. Also, if it could make some sort of announcement after a few moments as to who was standing under the mistletoe so that you could avoid such a loud scene…" Illy started suggesting.
"How can you be trying to help them?" Harry snapped incredulously.
"Easy, that was hysterical!" Ron chuckled. "Well…now it is, at the moment it was a bit mortifying, but I think that that's just a volume issue, you might want to start out slower and not get quite so loud."
"Yeah, bringing it down a decibel or so is something we thought of." George informed.
"Haven't you been in trouble for those horrible things yet?" Hermione jutted a thumb at the door as two more students stood baffled beneath the once again singing mistletoe.
"Oi! Just kiss, you're under the mistletoe!" Fred shouted. The music stopped before George could even begin answering Hermione's question.
"Nah, Dumbledore loves 'em, thinks they add to holiday spirit. Asked us to make a whole bunch of them to be put up every year 'round the castle!"
"That's ridiculous." Harry muttered.
"All in good fun." Illy nodded at Fred, who seemed bewildered, until he turned to see an approaching Snape. He then realized that the message was not for himself, but instead for the nearing teacher.
"Miss Enquirous, if you cannot keep your public displays of affection to a minimum I will have to take points from my own house, and that's something I rather loathe." He started.
"It's Dumbledore approved Servius, er, Professor Snape, I mean." She smiled and winked.
"Ah yes, the singing garbage behind that out of place nonsense," Snape narrowed his eyes on Fred and George. "If I find so much as ONE of those obnoxious leaves in my dungeons, I will have you expelled." He snapped viciously.
"But we don't have control of that, the house elves are putting them up, not us." Fred whined.
"Well then, you had better hope that they are smarter than the two of you." Snape half shouted before turning to leave.
The mood of the table shifted uncomfortable around Illy, who still wore a smile. Everyone was now seething with frustration of one kind or another, whether it be jealousy or indignation.
"Oh he's just grumpy, just get something to eat, I'll talk to him later." Illy offered as she started scooping out servings of a not so festive shepherd's pie. She was just about to serve herself some of the dish when she had a change of heart and instead took a pile of greens. It looked like Fred and George were about to tease her due to her choice in food, but they were interrupted by the sound of carols and a round of clapping as Lupin and Hagrid came walking through the door of the great hall. Everyone in the room stood to laugh when the two gave utterly befuddled looks at the suggestion of their kissing. It took even longer for the two of them to follow through with the act than it had taken Ron and Illy, but in the end they had to give in and the entire hall erupted in laughter, including Dumbledore, who gave the scene a standing ovation. The table's mood was lifted again from that point on and the meal was spent alternating between discussions about nothing, and laughing at the unsuspecting victims who came in the door and were uninformed enough to stop and talk there.
"It only works if you stop for at least two seconds, you know, just to be fair." Fred explained as they all quite swiftly ducked out of the hall.
"Alright, well I'm going to go change, and then I'll meet you all outside for a quick match. Hermione, you'll have to play or the teams won't be even!" Illy complained to the brunette and she stopped by the dungeon stairs.
"Illy I'm not playing any sort of quidditch match with anyone, and especially not to settle a bet over who could eat more pudding when you could just eat the damned pudding to determine who could eat the most!" Hermione said with exasperation. Since they had seen Dean Thomas put down four servings of pudding half way through the meal no one could stop fighting about who could eat more, Illy or Ron. While Harry, Ron, and Hermione did believe that Ron would undoubtedly win, Fred, George, and Illy maintained that Illy could secretly out eat everyone present, even though their assumptions had no references to speak of.
"Hermione, this is more than just a match about pudding, this is a match about whether assumptions or facts are more reliable? Are you really going to let facts be shunned and left in the cold, just to have assumption win because it has more players?" Ron challenged. Hermione looked down at the ground for a moment, playing with her fingers.
"Well…well I guess, in a way it is in the namesake of education and scientific method isn't it?" Hermione asked.
"Sure, whatever you say." Harry nodded.
"Oh, alright, lets go get changed." Hermione said, and everyone started to rush towards their dorms.
Fifteen minutes later the group had made it out to a clear stretch of lawn, brooms in hand, and warm but not too thick clothing, due to the fact that their activities would leave them sweating in a mater of moments if they had sweaters on.
"Ok, so no rushing, no bludgers to the head especially since we're only playing with the one and it could kind of slow the game down, and that tree there," George said point forward "And that tree there," He said orienting himself in the opposite direction, "Are the goals, now just to clear up teams, who thinks that Illy could out eat Ron?" He asked. Fred and Illy moved to stand next to him.
"Wait, you've got three members of house quidditch teams! How's that fair?" Ron asked suddenly.
"Well Ronny, you could eat an entire home and Illy can barely stomach a muffin, so shut up!" Fred retorted. Illy smiled and threw a leg over her broom.
"Now, if Ron doesn't have problems with it we're not going to use an authentic snitch…or quaffle, or anything else for that matter. In fact, why don't we just go ahead and change point values for the kicks of it, first to ten, snitch is worth ten and each regular score is one." Illy said, pulling a tough looking volleyball, a softball, and a ping pong ball from her jacket. Ron rolled his eyes and shook his head to give an ok.
"Alright, we went with the volleyball mostly for Hermione's sake, can't be beating her brains out with a real bludger if it's her first time." Illy chuckled, but Hermione just gave her a nervous look and bit her lip. "And now, I'll do the honors, if you'd hold the snitch still George." She said handing him the ping pong ball. He sniggered but clasped the little plastic ball tightly in his hand to keep it from flying away when it was bewitched. Illy took turns bewitching each ball slowly and then instructed everyone to straddle their broom after taking the make shift snitch back from George.
"On your marks, get set, go!" She shouted, just after releasing the snitch.
Everyone was in the air in seconds, except Hermione who was sort of just floating about two feet off the ground and ducking at the sight of anyone dipping, or any balls coming near her. Fred had the volleyball flying for her within seconds but Ron managed to divert it, and sent it towards Harry so that he could use it, but he seemed to be trying to decide if he should chase the snitch or try and score a couple of points using the softball, but Illy had chosen for him by nearly knocking him off his broom in swift pursuit of the snitch. Harry jumped onto the tail of her broom emphatically, but he was distractedly suddenly by Lupin's voice,
"And that's a point to George!" He shouted from the ground.
"We're pro-Illy and their pro-Ron" Fred shouted back.
"One point for pro-Illy, and Harry is in position to make that point back for pro-Ron!" Professor Lupin began to narrate.
"But Illy steals it back and abandon's her search for the snitch!"
"Oh! Ron misses the bludger and it collides with Hermione! She's fallen from her broom, only a few feet mind you, but Ron and Illy have cast aside the game to help her and Harry scores point for pro-Ron!" But Illy had stopped listening and was now trying to help Hermione to her feet.
"You need to sit out Herm, this really isn't your game, why don't you narrate, we'll get Lupin to play." Illy half suggested and half informed as she found Hermione a decent place to sit. Lupin stopped narrating and looked dazed at the demand.
"Now Illy, I don't even know what you guys are fighting about, I'm not going to get involved." Lupin put his hands out in front of himself in defense. Illy slapped them away and moved so that she was within inches of his body.
"Don't be a pussy."
"Don't be a what?" He asked in amazement.
"Don't be a pussy, don't cop out, don't act like a coward, don't be yellow, don't be a woman, you know pussy derived from pusillanimous?"
"Oh…I know what it means…it's just, entirely out of place for you to say something like that to me. I'm your teacher Killious." Lupin stammered out, seeming quite flustered.
"And what?" Illy spoke harshly but quietly enough for Ron to not hear what she was saying. "It's not sort of out of place for a teacher to come watch a bunch of his students play quidditch? And is it not totally out of place for a teacher to come to said quidditch match and stare down their student's cleavage?" Lupin now averted his gaze from Illy's low cut, skin tight longsleeve shirt, "Even if said student happens to be a bit shy on the asset." Lupin's cheeks now colored red. "And moreover, is it not entirely wrong in every way to send a student into a panic attack at the sight of their worst fear when they clearly stated that they were uninterested in facing said fear in front of anyone? Don't think that Snape didn't tell me what happened. I may forget things, but I have friends who remind me." She stepped back from her spot by his ear and smiled brightly.
"All is forgiven. You may resume watch of my meager assets." She chimed to him in a still low voice before resuming a loud and audible volume level.
"Now, I'd like to be friends with you, seeing as many of my current friends admire you and you have the guts to teach us something usefully, but you must tell me…" Lupin took in a breath, worried that she might ask him something he didn't want to answer in public, like maybe if he was a werewolf. "Do you think that Ron or I could eat more pudding?" Lupin smiled in relief and looked over to Ron who gave him a thumbs up and lifted his shirt to reveal a meager looking attempt at a belly. He looked back to Illy, who turned to her profile and lifted her shirt some, her ribs and hips protruded and her stomach sported a small bruise from Harry's hand, which she hid by turning to the side opposite of it. Lupin grimaced at the site, but chose not to get on Illy's bad side again, and clapped his hands together.
"I must say Illy, your reputation precedes you, and I choose Ron." He smiled and took Hermione's broom from her.
"And Fred scores a point for pro-Illy, in the absence of two players on the pro-Ron side!" Hermione shouted gaily. This job suited her much better.
"Ron, Killious, and Professor Lupin are in the air!" Illy caught sight of the snitch and headed for it fast as lighting, tailing just behind Harry.
"Looks like Illy make take that snitch before Harry though, as she's now cut ahead of him!"
"But Lupin's not playing nice he's sent a bludger straight into her head! Fred and George were no where to be seen on that one, it looks like their chasing Ron down now, he's got the quaffle and he's heading to make a score, but Illy's sent that bludger at him, its struck! He's dropped the quaffle and now George has it! One more point for pro-Illy, that's three to one!" Hermione was really getting into the game at this point. Illy smiled and cut off Harry on his way to the snitch, leaving him dangling from his broom for just a moment.
"Harry's almost been de-broomed! What a sight, but he pulls himself up and continues on his quest for that snitch that Illy's almost caught!" Lupin ran headlong into Killious, sending her flying from her broom and called down to her, as Fred and George did their best to support her weight between the two of them,
"Don't play nasty Illy!"
"Looks like Lupin's playing just as dirty as Illy now! Though Ron has taken back the quaffle and it's so close…HE SCORES!" Hermione jumped up shouting, now totally immersed in the fun of the game that was turning rough. Illy was back on her broom in seconds; flying towards Lupin with brutal force.
"Here comes Illy again, and it looks like she's got an agenda! Fred's passed her the bludger, George has the quaffle, no Lupin, no George, Lupin's been hit square in the knee with the bludger, Ron's gone after Illy but she's too fast and, ANOTHER POINT! Made by George. And quite a nasty hit follows it! Illy's hit Lupin's other knee and passed the bludger on to Fred who seems just as set on vengeance as Illy, he has sent Lupin spiraling towards the ground!" Lupin fell to the ground bellow with a thud, but he seemed uninjured as he had headed down on his broom before Fred knocked him off.
"Look's like he knew what was coming, but who was expecting this amidst the distraction? Ron's scored a point for pro-Ron, that makes the score four to three! This is getting close!
"You're so vicious!" Fred shouted to Illy, who giggled and put on a face of confused innocence.
"Keep your eye on Harry's he's getting close!" She called back when she noticed Harry had almost caught the snitch.
"Harry's almost got it, but no! George's sent a bludger! Illy steals the quaffle from Lupin, who received it moments ago from Ron, but Illy's headed for him, she's cut him off and he throws back to Ron, but it's intercepted by Fred! That's another point taken for pro-Illy. The score's five to three now people" Hermione continued her narration with unrequited enthusiasm.
"Harry's knocked into Fred by what seems to be an accident, but look there! Illy's got the quaffle and is having another go at a point so quickly, Ron and Lupin had better pick up the pace or ask Harry to abandon the snitch or they'll find themselves loosing before the snitch can make a difference!" At this Harry reluctantly veered off his course to try and stop Illy, "But she's passed the quaffle to Fred and ANOTHER POINT! That makes it six, and they've doubled pro-Ron's points. It looks like Ron's black hole of a stomach just might be defeated here today!"
"Illy's caught site of the snitch again and taken off, though it seems that Harry's following again, she makes a grab, but of course Harry's playing a bit tricky today too and it seems he's knocked her off course with a very unorthodox shake to her broomtail!"
"Fred's headed the bludger for Harry though, and given him a good scolding smack to the back of the head with it, but now Lupin's taken hold of the quaffle. George isn't letting him keep it though, he's got it out of his arm and it's fallen to Ron! Both of the twins are now neck-in-neck with Ronald and he's looking a bit frightened, oh there it goes, he's dropped the quaffle now that George has instated foul play! Shoving your own brother towards the ground like that, really George!" Hermione shouted up as she watched Ron recover.
"Ron's alright though, and Fred's scored another point, this is getting dangerously close. Lupin seems to be just about as much of an asset as myself!" Hermione jeered at the Professor who did not seem quite up to par in Hermione's mind.
"Oh, now he's going for the bludger though, and he's hurled it towards George, but of course George blocks it and sends it hurtling towards Ron, forcing him to drop the quaffle he's picked up once again…and in swoops Illy from above, stealing the quaffle and making a point!
"Boy's you'd better hurry or this little game is going to go straight to a certain young lady with no appetite at all! That's eight to three, a sad score indeed." Hermione shook her head.
"But what's this? A new tactic! Both Lupin and Ron have cornered Illy, with the quaffle tucked tightly in Lupin's grasp and Fred and George's bludgers are having no effect. It looks as though they just might stall long enough for Harry to catch that snitch!"
Illy's eyes danced from Ron to Lupin and back again, no matter which way she tried to escape one of the two headed her off and cornered her again. She could see Fred from between the two, but his bludgers weren't doing enough to the duos backs for them to budge, and every time he tried to get around them, they managed to turn their back to him and keep Illy cornered. They were abusing the fact that the bludger was a volleyball to stop any form of play except Harry's pursuit of the snitch.
"Looks like Illy's got a plan though, she's diving right into Lupin! He's dropped the quaffle and Fred's caught it, but he's not going for a goal! He's thrown the quaffle right into the back of Lupin's head now! But Illy's caught it and managed to get Ron in the stomach too, before dropping the quaffle down to George, who makes another point, as pro-Ron seems totally incapacitated by their own pain!" Illy smirked from affar and shoved a longish thumbnail in between the stitches of the volleyball, deflating the ball.
"We're going to loose guys!" Hermione shouted. Everyone sniggered, but continued to play.
"Ron's not even gotten the quaffle this time though, and neither has Lupin, Illy has the quaffle and is making a beautiful tri pass with it between Fred and George, who have left the nearly useless and deflated bludger, rendering it as pointless against pro-Illy as it was against Lupin and Ron." Hermione grimaced as Illy sped towards the goal, but was distracted when she heard Harry's shouting.
"HARRY'S GOT IT! HARRY'S GOT IT! HE'S CAUGHT THE SNITCH! WE WIN NINE TO THIRTEEN!" Hermione was up and shouting, dancing a little jig in joyful celebration.
Everyone soared back to the ground with a soft thud and laughed. After a long while of comparing battle wounds, which made Ron and Lupin blush softly as Illy almost pulled her shirt off to show them the bruise just below her dark blue, white polka dotted bra, and then again when she pulled down her pants to reveal matching boyshorts and a nasty softball sized mark on her thigh, but everyone seemed to just laugh off the moment and continue to half strip in the dark to reveal their own cuts and bruises, of which there were many. When the sky finally got so dark that everyone had to go inside, laughing heartily they headed directly towards the common room, loosing Lupin to Snape, who was keen to yell at him.
"We need to settle this in reality," Illy told a little house elf as she and Fred gathered up puddings. "I want as many puddings as you can get us without making more." She smiled and soon toddled out of the kitchen with dozens of pudding bowls. The group stayed up for the entire night eating pudding as Illy surprised everyone again and again by downing one after the next. By the time she fell sleep, sick to her stomach with over exposure to delicious puddings, she had consumed twenty-three in comparison with Ron's nineteen, Fred's twenty, George's fifteen, Hermione's five, Harry's eleven, and Lupin's, rather lately added, but still appreciated, seven. The next morning Snape woke the whole castle up yelling, his student was missing, there was singing mistletoe over his office door, and Lupin had not behaved as a teacher should have, by staying up until four am with students. All in all, it was a perfect night, and Illy was void of dreams, for the first time in a long time, not to mention that she was looking forward to seeing Snape so early, and greeted him with a booming hug, that was made almost as loud as him by the laughter of everyone peering at the spectacle from behind the fat lady, who herself was giggling madly.
(AN: If you loved it, if you hated it, I don't care, just tell me so. I need some feedback from anyone who's interested in seeing more, except Sam of course who constantly brightens up my posting of new chapters with reviews.)
