Chapter 702 - Resolve (2/2)
Severus nods his head in apology as Rowan turns to say, ”I am afraid not as I really do have a prior engagement, Professor Slughorn. However, I will make time on my calendar to attend for an hour or two.”
”That will be more than enough time to become suitably acquainted,” Slughorn beamed, before adding, ”Now run alone.”
Rowan and Severus stiffly walk away as the door is shut behind them. ”The bastard!” Severus muttered under his breath. ”He couldn't have spoken to us at less of an ungodly hour!”
Rowan stifles a yawn, ”It's Slughorn, and he always has a point to make.”
Severus snorts as they make their way to the Great Hall. They are the first ones there as they study at the house table until breakfast appears on the tables. At least the meal brightened up the start of their day as they happily dug into the meal.
Rowan hadn't even gotten a third way through her meal when the cheerful face of Terry popped up in between Rowan and Severus, who gazed expectantly at them. Bethanie, Sylvia, and Tiffany took their usual seat across from them as Sylvia exasperatedly says, ”You might as well let him say what he has to say.”
”Fine,” Rowan grudgingly grumbled as she set her fork down for the moment, before resuming as loud flapping of hundreds of wings is heard in the Great Hall as owls swoop in with packets mostly copies of the Daily Prophet. The owls immediately drop the letters and packages into the laps of their rightful owners, before fluttering away to the tower to rest.
Terry takes a sip of his warm Caramel Crème Brulee hot chocolate and makes a sound of approval. The house elves of Hogwarts really knew their cooking! It was practically an art form!
Licking his lips clean, Terry unfolds the Daily Prophet from his lap, before letting out an excited shriek causing his friends to flinch. ”What is it?” Tiffany was the first one to warily ask the cause of their friends' excitement.
”Why do you even bother to read that trash in the first place?” Rowan mumbled under her breath, before taking a bit of her food.
”It's for gathering knowledge of course,” Terry pointedly said as he rolled his eyes, before eagerly answering Tiffany's question. ”Well, naturally it is because Thorfinn Rowle went missing from Durmstrang!” And showed them the main page of the Daily Prophet that he held up before them.
”You finally killed someone!” Tiffany whispered horrified. ”I knew that it was only a matter of time until Terry became a murderer!” She wasn't the only one as Bethanie, Severus, and Rowan all had wary expressions on their faces. But really, if he had killed Thorfinn Rowle, he had the perfect alibi. He was thousands of miles away from the scene of the crime at Hogwarts.
Rowan and Severus share a pointed glance until Rowan with a dubious arched her brow asks, ”And you know this exactly how, Terry?”
”I'm not telling,” Terry cheerfully hummed and deliberately cut into his sausages causing his friends to flinch at his every silverware movement.
Seeing her friend's rather disturbed expressions, Sylvia lets out a tired sigh as Bethanie pats her back, and Tiffany mutters, ”Well, it could always be worse. At least, Terry loves you even if he is a vile spider.”
”I heard that!” Terry growled through a mouthful of food and glanced away shyly from his courted lady, Sylvia. ”And besides, I'm not spider-like! I am just a natural purveyor of information!”
Rowan shivers with revulsion at Terry's actions as does Severus. Bethanie tactfully does not say anything while Tiffany rolls her eyes and snorts into her plate of food. Rubbing her forehead tiredly, Sylvia says, ”It wasn't that Terry learned through some mystical means, it's just one of my cousins from Durmstrang wrote and explained that the teachers were in a panic at the disappearance of Thorfinn Rowle. The Rowle parents are furiously demanding an explanation and the rest of the parents are Durmstrang are just as concerned. The more wary ones have already begun to pull out their children from school, it's quite the scandal.”
”Then is Durmstrang going to close?” Severus mumbled with a mouthful of food.
Sylvia shakes her head and answers, ”It is very unlikely to occur, although, Durmstrang may close temporarily until the start of the new year. Rumor has it that the Headmaster will retire, and there will be a new headmaster for the new year. So, we will just have to wait and see.”
”Oh goody,” Terry brightly said. ”Do you think that Igor Kakaroff will be pulled and be returning to Hogwarts to take his N.E.W.T. exams due to the Triwizard Tournament last year?”
All of his friends just stare at Terry, while Rowan mumbles under her breath, ”Remind to kill Terry off first should we ever become enemies.”
”Mm count me in,” Severus muttered in agreement as to the two focus solely on their food, while Terry in vain protests his innocence. There was absolutely nothing innocent from his remark. If anything, it was an indication of his diabolical plotting.