Chapter 11
Headmistress McGonagall sighed with disappointment when she saw the two students waiting in her office.
Potter was flushed, a stripe of icing sugar obscuring his famous scar and dusting the hair pulled back from his face.
Malfoy was even paler than usual, the green edible glitter staining his finger tips and a rouge jelly-tot lodged in the collar of his robes the only sign that he’d ever even heard the words “food fight”.
“Mr Potter, Mr Malfoy,” she said, taking a seat. “Professor Flitwick informs me that you are the pair responsible for disrupting the Gingerbread Hogwarts Tournament?”
“He started it-”
“Potter was the one who-”
“Gentlemen,” McGonagall raised a hand. “I am not interested in the whys and wherefores of this regrettable situation. My concern lies with the younger students who saw hours of hard work destroyed by your selfish and tediously predictable actions.”
To their credit, both men looked immediately concerned.
“Are the firsties alright?” Potter asked. “We didn’t mean to frighten anyone, Headmistress.”
“It was supposed to be a bit of fun,” said Malfoy, leaning forward and dislodging the rouge jelly-tot. “Some casual banter among friends. I am very sorry that it got so-”
“Banter,” Potter snorted, causing Malfoy to sit up straight again.
“Yes banter, Potter.”
“Alright,” Potter held up both hands, smirking as he mouthed “banter” to himself.
“Do we have a problem, Potter?” demanded Malfoy, his voice laced with sugar and poison. “Perhaps I am mispronouncing the word, should I deploy a soft “ahhh” or is it the German-”
“I don’t know Malfoy, maybe you should check with your boyfriend. Seeing as you clearly picked it up from him.”
“My… I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“He’s lying,” Potter turned to inform the Headmistress, who in turn reassured Potter that she really, really, did not care. “You do, I saw you with Ben in Hogsmeade,” Potter turned back to Malfoy. “There’s no way you started using words like “banter” on your own.”
“I assume you are talking about Ben,” said Malfoy, glaring at Potter. “Pansy’s boyfriend.”
“A likely- what? He’s… Pansy boyfriend.”
“Exactly.”
“But you were in Hogsmeade…”
“With Pansy.”
“Oh.”
“Quite.”
Silence fell as the two men stared at one another. Malfoy appeared to be trying not to smile while Potter turned purple and nervously playing with the hem of his own jumper.
Sensing that they might be here for a while, the Headmistress sat back and summoned her emergency biscuits.