Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own it. Vswimming12 makes this readable, thanks to her brilliant English skills and amazing patience with me. Love ya. P.S if anyone is willing to do art for this story, please let me know.

Christmas Ball continued…

I danced the rest of the night away with Severus, but also had a dance each with Ron, Harry, Neville, Remus, Sirius, and Hagrid. Severus sat down while this happened. Refusing to dance with anybody else, save for Madam Hooch and Poppy.

It was amusing to watch him sulk in a corner, while the lads swing me 'round the dance floor. It was a few minutes to midnight, so I excused myself from Neville and headed over to Severus.

"Remembered me did you?" he sneered.

"Of course. How could I forget such a face," I said while trying not to crack up at the face he was pulling. "I know something that will cheer you up. Follow me." I said as I held out my hand.

He ignored it, but followed all the same. "Sirius, Remus. Get over here. I have something for you. It's your Christmas presents." Like flash they were at my side, hands out, with wide innocent eyes.

"You pulled me over here to watch you give out Christmas presents to these two dunderheads?" exclaimed Severus. "Yep," I replied as I turned towards Severus' chest. Catching his eye, I slid my hand down inside the front of my dress, grabbing the presents and slowly retracting it. It was funny how quickly his normally serious and strict façade was gone.

"Here you are, Remus," I said as I turned back around to the two men, leaving Severus' jaw hanging open. "And you Sirius. The only thing is that you have to open them right now and not on Christmas morning." I say as they begin to unwrap said presents.

Sirius was the first to unwrap his present. As soon as the wrapping was removed it jumped, and attached itself onto his neck.

It was a bright green flea collar, with silver paw prints embedded into it.

I thought it looked smashing. It was a real crowd pleaser, or so I thought.

The stunned silence finished abruptly when Severus started a sort of snort/sod/laugh right from the gut.

This started everyone else off, not because of Sirius, but because of the absurd, spectacle the potions master was making of himself.

"Well Remus. Let's see what you got!" said Sirius, who by this stage had given up struggling to remove the collar. Which as it happens, had a hex that tightened it every time someone tired to remove it.

Remus tore off the wrapping and began to read the label on the bottle aloud.

"Have you got an itchy problem….than look no further….it's mutts best friend…..flea free shampoo….it will have them fleeing away in no time!" "Erm, Hermione, thanks but…well. How did you know?" Remus asked.

I froze, screamed, and promptly fled with half the girls on my heels.

Half way up the second floor staircase, it dawned on me that it could possible be Remus' revenge. I started to head back down the stairs and sure enough I could here the gales of laughter coming from the Great Hall.

I stopped, pulled out my wand and transfigured a scrap of tinsel into a pump and spray can for flea extermination. Spray can in hand I stormed back into the Great Hall, all guns blazing. Or in this case all pump n' spray cans blazing.

"Let it be known that no one messes with the know it all," I screamed as I drenched Remus and Sirius in flea control. Severus joined in and together we cured Hogwarts of fleas.

Unfortunately, it turns out that Sirius was allergic, and so ended up in the hospital wing for the rest of the night, while I was escorted down to the dungeons to receive my new detention schedule for after the Yule holiday.