Orphic » Sirius Black

Chapter 4 - Conventions, Sort Of

Almost all Hogwarts spent the afternoon laughing uncontrollably as a result of the prank, which amused the marauders genuinely. The giggles lasted for a couple hours or almost until dinner, depending on how much pumpkin juice a person had had. They hid every single evidence, and even though professor McGonagall suspected them, she had no way of proving so. Once again, they succeeded without getting caught, which served as a reward.

There was not a house that did not suffer the effects of the potion. Professors decided to take groups to Madame Pomfrey so they could carry on with their lessons. Suddenly, the infirmary was full of completely crazy teenagers, all losing their compusture every time a door creaked.

Judson really considered taking his friends to the hospital wing too, or just locking them in the common room and not letting them out until it was dark. Ophelia and Uma were snorting as elegantly as they could, trying to pass unnoticed, but there was no way to control Juniper and Maverick from bursting out of laughter. Gradually they all calmed down, and came back to their ordinary selves when dusk fell.

Friday arrived quickly, bringing with it Slughorn's supper party. Juniper and Ophelia got ready early, and when it was time, they walked together to Slughorn's office. They knocked on the door, and a cheery professor Slughorn welcomed them.

"Welcome, welcome, ladies!" squeaked professor Slughorn as he escorted them to the round table, where a few other students sat in silence. "Please, take a seat! We have Miss Evans, Mr. Cresswell, Mr. Zhong, Mr. Black, and of course, more to come!"

At the mention of the last person, Juniper winced slightly in confusion and turned her head from the office's windows to look at the other members. She wasn't aware of Sirius' inclusion into the Slug Club.

But when she studied the table, she did not see Sirius. Instead, she saw a smaller and slighter boy, with dark hair and similar facial features to the one she was hoping to see. She grinned slightly, still confused. He must be his brother, she thought, or some family.

Ophelia grabbed her arm and pulled her to a free pair of seats next to each other, almost in front of the Black boy and a seat away from Lily Evans, the Gryffindor prefect. The space between Juniper and Lily was soon occupied by a Slytherin boy, Severus Snape.

The food was then served. A pair of lamb chops were accompanied with asparagus and some mash, meticulously decorated with some herbs Juniper did not recognize.

It was known by the club's members that professor Slughorn liked to brag and talk about the student's personal lives and achievements, so when he started to ask questions to each of them, especially the oldest members, Juniper and the others were not surprised.

"Miss Wildsmith, I hope your father is doing well!" Slughorn chuckled, then addressed the other students. "For the ones who don't know, Miss Wildsmith's family is the proportioner of the Floo powder! They've been doing it for centuries now, since her ancestor, Ignatia Wildsmith, invented it. His father nicely sends me a pot of it every year! Do you happen to know, Miss Wildsmith, of what it is made of?"

"Can't possibly tell you, sir," answered Ophelia, "is a family secret."

"Very well, very well!" laughed Slughorn. "Sometimes it is good to keep secrets."

An awkward silence formed in the room. Ophelia looked at Juniper, and they contained their laugh. Juniper took another bite of her dinner.

"Oh, and Miss Callister, one of the best in Transfiguration of her year," continued Slughorn, and then took a sip of his champagne. "I remember your parents, fearless wizards! And... Well, your brother too. A magnificent wizard, he was... So young, and gone already, what a shame... Is your mother still working at the ministry? I heard she has been promoted."