Shabbat at Hogwarts was a special time. The elves had a rest day that began as soon as the elaborate Hogwarts Shabbas candles had been kindled, so the evening meal was held in each house common room, and the heads of house presided over a family style gathering, with everyone pitching in afterwards to tidy up and place the dishes in the pre-spelled clean up area.
Professor Minucha McGonnagal surveyed her young lions of Judah with satisfaction as they enthusiastically tucked into the tantalizing meal of pumpkin kugel, chicken, and challah with honey cake for dessert. All the same, she kept a wary eye out for disruption as the long suffering head of house of Freilich and Jacob Weasely, who were already responsible for several of her gray hairs.
Or at least she thought she was keeping a wary eye. But it was hard not to be distracted by the earnest and thoughtful questions of one of her students.
"Professor," began Channah Granger, her tight, dark curly hair shining in the candlelight with the enthusiasm of her questioning, "Why is written that …"
"Ah, but Gverret Granger, why is that…"
And soon the two earnest scholars were lost in a world of their own, citing chapter and verse, searching the shelves in the common room for references to illuminate their discussion
It may have been several moments later when the sound of squawking began to tug at the edges of Minucha's awareness. Followed by the hushed giggle of young red headed Ginevra, seeming to elbow the equally oblivious Gveret Granger.
Minucha slowly directed her attention back to the main table, only to be met by a surprising site:
A red headed, chicken footed, feathered fellow who appeared remarkably like young Ronald ran by, squawking out of a shiny yellow beak. Minucha had to push back her spectacles to reach and firmly pinch the bridge of her nose as she observed a room full of now feathered and squawking students, while the featherless but now animated chicken at the center of the table slowly rose as if levitated and began singing a rousing chorus of "Shabbat Shalom", punctuated with rhythmic squawks from the students, who seemed to be joining along in the singing in unison and good cheer, conducted by the widely grinning Weasley twins, perched on the back of an overstuffed sofa and waving loaves of challah at the singers.
As if things could not get any worse, the svelte portrait creaked open to reveal the sharp angles of none other than Simcha Snape, apparently drawn by the ruckus.
Surveying the scene with his trademark sneer, Minucha knew he was formulating some choice remark for her and her lions.
Next, the food began to pelt itself towards the faces of the squawking students, and just as Minucha opened her mouth to begin berating two students conspicuously absent from the table, "Freilich & Jakob, what on earth is the meaning of…" she found her mouth blocked by a slab of pumpkin Kugel.
"Well, well, well, Mr. Filch," observed the sardonic voice of Snape, now apparently joined by the Caretaker peering through the portrait hole, "It appears that our two earnest lions were so caught up in discussion, they neglected to eat any of Weasely's booby trapped chicken. However the true, chicken hearted soul of most of these lions has perhaps been revealed."
Having had just about enough of these antics, and particularly the observations of one Simcha Snape, Minucha reached deep into her store of wandless wordless magic. A flash of light engulfed the common room, followed by a low hissing sound as the feathers detached themselves from the young lions of Judah and formed themselves into a humongous, threatening, feathery snake, slithering towards a wide eyed Simcha who slowly began backing his way towards the escape of the portrait hole. Seeing the angular features of Snape disappear through the exit, Minucha quietly remarked, "Who is the chicken heart now, Simcha?"
Years later, Channa and Genevra would laugh together over the story and gently tease their beloved mentor with it, swearing that they had seen her smile broadly, if wickedly, towards the now sealed portrait hole as it snicked close behind the departing figure of Snape, before stealing herself into a stony expression and turning back to the room of now hushed students as the fierce, feathery snake advanced on the couch behind which crouched the sniggering figures of Freilich and Jakob.
Although they knew there would be many detentions in their future, they must have also suspected that there might be some mercy shown as long as they could guarantee that future pranks might redound upon a certain rival professor and house.