Fireplaces, Hot Chocolate, and Marshmallows

Chapter #9

Britney walked into the Great Hall, looking every which way for Pansy, while walking over to sit by Harry. "Where's Hermione?" she asked him, pouring some coffee.

"Library. Where else?" he answered.

Britney nodded as Ron asked, "How can you drink that stuff?"

She shrugged. "It just tastes good," she replied, adding lots of sugar and cream (and noticing the disgusted look on Ron's face). As she lifted her mug to take a swig, she spotted Pansy. 'That slut is passing out pictures to make sure everyone here sees!' she thought, choking on her coffee.

"Are you okay, Brit?" Harry and Ron asked in unison.

Britney nodded. "Yeah, just trying to drink it too fast," she replied, then smiled. 'I've got an evil idea...' she thought to herself, grabbing the closest thing to her, which was a big bowl of biscuit gravy.

She called, "Hey, Pansy!" and signaled for her to come over. Pansy strutted over, looking absolutely triumphant about her exposing Draco and Britney's picture all over the school.

Pansy smirked. "Yes, Britney?" she asked, holding the large pile of pictures to her hips.

"You know what I think would go just great with your hair color?" Britney taunted.

"No. What is it?" Pansy inquired, batting her eyes and trying to sound sweet and innocent.

"Gravy!" Britney yelled. Before Pansy could even calculate what she had said, she had biscuit gravy in her hair and all over her face, dripping down her robes.

"Ugh!" she managed to squeal, before running out of the Hall to clean it off.

The Gryffindor table exploded with laughter and cheers, but the Slytherins were boiling mad, and before anyone knew what hit them, biscuits, eggs, and every other breakfast food was flying through the air in all directions.

By the time anyone and everyone had some kind of food on them, Professor Snape walked in, followed by Pansy.

"There! There she is! She's the one who threw gravy in my hair!" Pansy shouted, pointing to Britney and then dramatically holding her face in her hands. Britney noticed that her hair was still caked in gravy, and started giggling.

"May I ask what is so funny?" Snape hissed at her. He smirked, and looked around the Hall at the food strewn everywhere. "I suppose you are also responsible for starting the food fight as well, no doubt?" he asked Britney.

Britney didn't answer.

"Handley?!" he barked.

Britney slowly nodded, and grimaced at the thought of the evil punishment he'd probably come up with, but looking at Pansy, she knew it was definitely worth it.

"Follow me," Snape said, turning and walking out. Pansy turned to follow, but he said, "Stay here." Pansy frowned and sulked off to the Slytherin table.

As they were walking out, they passed Draco. Britney noted that her was holding one of the pictures in his fist, and he flashed her a slight grin. Out in the entrance hall, it looked like a battlefield. Pictures were layered so thickly on the floor that it looked like the floor was covered in newspapers.

She followed Snape all the way to the dungeons, and down to his office. "Have a seat," he said, pointing toward a musty armchair in front of a large desk.

She defiantly sat down, thinking about all the damage that all that dust would do to her freshly cleaned robes, not that vanity really mattered to her. 'Surely he's had more frequent visitors with all the people he tries to expel?" she thought.

"Miss Handley," Snape said, leaning forward on the desk and smiling menacingly. "I regret to inform you that PMS does not account for your rude behavior.

Britney sneered. 'He thinks that was PMS? Man is he unsocial!'

"If you were one of my students, I would expel you," he said, his lips now curling in disgust. "However, I'm afraid Professor McGonagall will have to determine your punishment."

As if on cue, Professor McGonagall waltzed into the room, looking slightly amused about the situation. Behind her came a rather flustered looking Pansy. "Snape, I'll take Handley with me," McGonagall said. Britney gratefully stood up and began to dust off her cloak. "Miss Parkinson was responsible for the photographs littered all over the entrance hall. I suggest that since you are her head teacher that you punish her accordingly," she added.

Britney could've jumped for joy. 'Yes! Good ole McGonagall saves the day again!' she thought, trying hard not to smile at Pansy's demise.

"Come with me, Handley," McGonagall ordered.

Britney had to skip to keep up with her. 'Gosh she walks fast,' she noted to herself, having finally caught up and matched her stride.

"Miss Handley, I will be deducting twenty points from Gyffindor. I would normally give you detention, but I think cleaning the Great Hall without magic should suffice," she said.

Britney groaned. 'As if I don't get enough of this at home.'

"And you'll need to do it during your first class, which has already started," she added. "If it takes you longer than that, you will not be excused from the overlapping classes. Is that clear?"

Britney nodded. So, that gave her about an hour or so to get it done. 'Great, just great,' she thought, now reaching the entrance hall.

"I leave you here," McGonagall said. Britney nodded. "And good luck."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Britney spent the next hour cleaning the whole Great Hall. Luckily, the plates and silverware cleaned themselves and magically set themselves back on the table. At least she didn't have to do dishes. After about the first fifteen minutes, the tables, windows, and benches were clean.

Britney sighed. 'Now for the hard part,' she thought, grabbing the broom that Filch had given her earlier off of the closest wall.

Just then, the door opened, and Pansy peeked in, holding, once again, a huge pile of pictures in front of her. She grinned. "Still working, I see?" she asked.

Britney grunted.

"See you in class," she said malevolently, bouncing off and slamming the door unintentionally.

Britney smirked. 'This could be fun,' she thought, going back to sweeping.