Till The End | h.p

dinner party

Harry, Hermione and Sam are all currently sitting at a large, round, dinner table for Slughorn's supper party.

"So tell me, Cormac, do you see anything of your Uncle Tiberius these days?" Slughorn inquires as they all eat their dessert.

"Yes, sir. In fact, I'm meant to go hunting with him and the Minister for Magic over the holidays."

Sam sits back and watches their conversation as she leans over to Hermione, "That boy is always staring at you."

Hermione blushes and looks away quickly, "He's really not my type."

Sam smirks, "You can't deny, apart from his personality, he is fairly attractive."

"Hey, I'm sitting right here," Harry whispers.

Sam chuckles, "Don't worry, you're much more fanciable."

He gives a smile as he looks down at the table.

"What about your uncle, Belby?" Slughorn continues, "For those of you who don't know, Marcus' uncle invented the Wolfsbane Potion. Is he working on anything new?"

Belby is digging into his ice cream quite ferociously, "Don't know. Him and Dad don't get on. Probably because me dad says potions are rubbish. Says the only potion worth having is a stiff one at the end of the day."

Slughorn quickly changes the subject, "What about you, Miss Granger? What does your family do in the muggle world?"

Hermione hesitates, "My parents are dentists."

Everyone stares at her in confusion except for Sam and Harry as she continues, "They tend to people's teeth."

"Fascinating. And is that considered a dangerous profession?"

"No," Hermione answers before laughing slightly and Sam and Harry both smile at her, "Although, a boy, Robbie Fenwick, did bite my father once. He needed ten stitches."

Everyone once again looks at her in confusion, but Slughorn, once again, changes topic, "And you, Miss Black, tell us about your extraordinary capabilities."

Sam widens her eyes as Hermione and Harry look at her, "Well, they're quite dangerous, really. I don't really practice anymore."

Harry tries to ease the tension and perhaps intrigue Slughorn further to improve their relationship, "They are really cool, though. She's saved my life loads of times."

"Mine too," Hermione adds, "I've seen her master her scream. She can control the intensity to only target certain things."

"Oh my, I'd love to witness that someday," Slughorn remarks in fascination.

Sam gives a smile and nods, "Certainly, professor."

As the students begin to file out, Harry pulls Sam back, "We should stay and talk to him."

"I'm going to be honest with you... I'd really rather not."

He rolls his eyes and chuckles, but still keeps her close by. Slughorn shuts his door and turns around.

"Potter. Black."

"Sorry, sir. We were just admiring your hourglass," Harry covers as he points at the intricate design.

He walks closer to it, "Oh, yes. A most interesting object. The sand runs in accordance with the quality of the conversation. If it is stimulating, the sand runs slowly. If it is not..."

"Perhaps, we should get going," Sam notes as she watches the sand.

"Nonsense. You have nothing to fear, Miss Black. As for some of your classmates... well, let's just say they're unlikely to make the shelf."