The Professors Unwind

The Professors Unwind

"Those Weasley twins are going to be trouble," said Professor Pomona Sprout as she took another pumpkin pasty from a platter in the middle of a small round table.

Her companions mumbled their agreement. Sprout sat in the corner of the The Three Broomsticks with her fellow professors, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick.

Flitwick shook his head over a mug of Butterbeer. "They're really sweet boys, just like their brothers. But, oh my, are they mischievous."

Minerva rested the back of her head against the wall. "One of them, I couldn't tell which, turned a bucket of quills into a teeming bowl of inchworms last week. There were screaming girls everywhere. I've never had such a pair of first-year troublemakers."

Severus folded his arms over his chest. "I've heard there are two more Weasleys at home."

Minerva nodded and reached for the slim glass in front of her. "You're right. Another boy and then a girl."

"A girl?" Professor Sprout asked. "Have we ever had a Weasley girl?"

Minerva said, "Not as long as I've been teaching at Hogwarts."

"I hope she's as good at charms as the twins," said Flitwick with a fond smile.

"Bite your tongue, Filius," Severus said. "Those twins are a menace. I know they sprayed skunk powder on one of the suits of armor in the dungeon."

Sprout wrinkled her nose. "You can tell when something else stinks in the dungeon besides your potions?"

Severus gave Sprout a withering look.

But Sprout just snorted. "Don't you give me one of those looks, Severus Snape. I'm not one of your first years."

Minerva's lips twitched into a smile. She lifted her red currant rum to her lips and took a delicate sip. "Well everyone, I'm glad this year is over."

Flitwick said, "Oh, me too. I can't wait to leave tomorrow. My wife and I are going to India for the summer. A friend of mine has some magic oil lamps he wants me to look into."

Minerva asked Serverus, "And where are you off to?"

"Camping, where no one can bother me."

Sprout looked impressed. "I never imagined you camping, Severus. I'm impressed. I love to camp. Where are you going?"

Through clenched teeth, he said, "Where no one can bother me."

"Fine then." Sprout rolled her eyes. "I'm just staying in Hogsmeade. My brother is coming to visit, though. He wants to see the Forbidden Forest again. He was terrified of it when he was a kid. He thinks it might be less scary now."

"With Hagrid's creatures running around in there?" Severus shook his head. "I've seen Dumbledore look nervous when he was in that forest."

Flitwick said, "Severus, I haven't seen Albus frightened in seven years."

The other three professors were silent for a moment. Even the vague reference to Voldemort's disappearance made them all look uncomfortable.

Sprout looked around at her companions. Then she took a fourth pumpkin pasty and said, "Minerva, where are you spending your holiday?"

Minerva's expression changed from somber to a radiant, self-indulgent grin. "I'm going to the south of France. And I'm going to eat cheese and drink wine until I can't move."

Sprout laughed so hard she sprayed pasty crumbs on the table. "Good for you, Minerva."

Severus's cheeks turned a pale green color. "I thought you were working on a research paper?"

Minerva's eyes twinkled with excitement. "Not for the next two weeks."

Flitwick clapped his hands. "Minerva, you deserve a vacation. You work so hard all year round."

"That's what Albus has been telling me for 40 years. You should have seen his face when I told him I was finally taking his advice."

Sprout snickered. "I bet he told you to buy a bathing suit."

Minerva's face turned pink. "He did not."

Severus cleared his throat. "Do you think our dinner will be here in the next decade?"

Sprout rolled her eyes. " Be patient. We're having fun. Now have a pasty."

Sprout waved the pasty under his nose.

"No, thank you." Severus looked at the dessert like it might start to wiggle.

Minerva suddenly raised her glass of red currant rum. "Everyone, I would like to propose a toast. To another year over. To another class of graduating seventh years."

Even Severus raised his glass, even if his gesture looked half-hearted.

Professor Flitwick had to stand to touch his co-worker's glass with his own. He said, "And to us, a fine bunch of professors. May our next year be peaceful."

Sprout sighed. "Not with the Weasely twins around."

"I could take care of them," Severus said with a vicious gleam in his eye.

"Severus Snape, a student would have to do much worse than spread skunk powder in the dungeon before I'd let you take care of him."

Flitwick chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, his expression was serious. He said, "I don't know about the rest of you, but if Fred and George Weasley are the worst of the problems at Hogwarts, then we should consider ourselves lucky. It could be much worse, you know?"

Everyone was silent for a moment, their eyes cast downwards toward the table or the floor."

"True," said Sprout. Then she laughed and lifted her glass higher. "To the Weasleys then. May we never see anything more serious at Hogwarts than two red heads with a fondness for inch worms and skunk powder."

"Here! Here!" Flitwick cried and everyone clicked their glasses together.