Chapter 448 - Applause (1/2)
Brunch was a wonderful affair as friends and Severus greeted Rowan in the Great Hall. The Slytherin's cheered for her and personally thought that she should have been the rightful winner of the tournament cup. The rest of the houses add their own applause as they too thought that Rowan Prince should have won. It was a damn shame and they all knew it.
Taking a seat at the Slytherin table, Delilah Pizzaro sitting a short way away leans out with a big smirk on her face. The sixth-year girl winks and says, ”Don't worry, Prince, you have been properly avenged in a Slytherin manner. Greengrass and I made the Champion Ceremony, a most memorable evening the likes which won't easily be forgotten and is now recorded in a Hogwarts's History.”
Staring rather wide eyed at the older Slytherin, Rowan turns to glance at Terry, who innocently bats his eyes at her. Shaking her head with fear, she realizes she really does not want to know after all, what these two are capable of. And they called her scary!
With a loud cough, Terry grins at reclaiming Rowans attention and says, ”I thought to make up a bit for my last prank against you,” while Silvia and Bethanie looked away as if embarrassed.
Glancing at Severus, who was pointedly poking at his full English breakfast on his plate, Rowan turns to Tiffany, who purses her lips playfully at her. Seeing that no one is talking, Rowan says, ”So is anyone going to tell me just what happened during the Triwizard Tournament Ceremony last night?”
”Nothing much,” Tiffany smugly said, ”only that it was so awkward that a chirp of a cricket could be heard. Not even the Durmstrang students were pleased. According to them, Karkaroff was a coward for abandoning you and leaving you to make your way back. As such, when Karkaroff's trousers mysteriously ripped last night, there was a slew of laugher from everyone, while the Headmaster of Durmstrang looked as though he wanted to cover his face in shame.”
”How very mysterious,” Rowan drily said as she nibbled on her toast. ”Let me guess, the mischievous culprits remain yet at large?”
”Exactly! The unknown pranksters have yet to be caught!” Tiffany grinned for a moment, before her grin faded away. ”Though Professor Lye mysteriously disappeared as well just like Professor Adric. Everyone's starting to think that the DADA position is cursed.”
”Yes, how very strange,” was all that Rowan said. She wasn't about to tell the truth. Nor much less any of the many other versions of what happened. It was best to stick to the official lie with vague details.
After brunch, Rowan changed into some loose clothes, before heading out to the green lawn to relax under the shade by the lake much like everyone else was. It was simply wonderful just to relax with friends and not have to worry about the Triwizard Tournament. It was simply perfect.
Later that evening despite being tired, Rowan risked teleporting to the lake to visit Nadira. To her absolute relief, nothing terrible happened, which gave her hope that the incident in the lavatory had been just a onetime thing. Wearing just a light jumper in the cool lake breeze, Rowan calls out in parseltongue, ”Nadira,” and waits.
There is not a hint of sound until she hears a large splash as something large, glistening in the moonlight bursts out from the middle of the lake. Hurtling just over the waves, a glistening albino serpent can be seen flying over the lake causing Rowan to gasp in delight, before her eyes turn strange at seeing the sheer size of Nadira. Nadira had grown once again and was now as thick as an anaconda. Just what were the merpeople in the lake feeding her?!