𝐉𝐈𝐆𝐒𝐀𝐖

Chapter 6

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Chapter Six:

Birthday Surprise

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Everyone had just sat down to dinner when Contessa and Draco decided to enter the room. There weren't that many people that had stayed, those being Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Lupin, Dumbledore, and of course, Harry. Mrs. Weasley had made a rather traditional Sunday dinner, consisting of excellent Yorkshire puddings, roast beef and potatoes, and tender green beans with gravy.

Dumbledore leapt to his feet and beamed at them. Contessa looked imperious and Draco just scowled. "How wonderful! I was hoping you'd join us for dinner," Dumbledore said, adding length and two chairs to the table with a flick of his wand.

Draco stalked over to his seat. Contessa paused by Lupin, staring at his drink. It was the same pumpkin juice they were all drinking. Contessa gave him a magnificent scowl and then with no warning, she tapped his glass with her wand and said, "Evanesco."

Lupin sighed heavily as Contessa frowned on him. "I've told you repeatedly that you need to watch your diet. Pumpkin juice has too much sugar in it. I'm sure you've also been stuffing your face with chocolate," she said in a tone that reminded Harry very strongly of Madame Pomfrey.

"I'm a grown man," Lupin said, working his jaw.

"I did not spend countless months patching you back together after your monthly escapades or brewing large quantities of Wolfsbane Potion--which is quite tedious by the way--for you to ignore my medical advice," Contessa said.

"It's not as though you care whether I live or die," Lupin said coolly, not looking at her.

"I'm a Healer, not to mention a Necromancer, Lupin. I care about whether anyone lives or dies. I just don't like you much. Mostly because you are a mopey, wishy-washy little man. Don't confuse the issue," Contessa said evenly and then tapped Lupin's glass again with her wand. A yellow liquid filled it, with a bit of ice and a piece of lemon. "This is lemonade. Lemons are good for lycanthrope constitutions." And with that, Contessa swept off to sit beside Draco.

"You should listen to her," Mrs. Weasley told Lupin severely. "Because all of the rest us here not only care whether you live or die, but happen to like you."

Draco snorted and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Speak for yourself."

Lupin sighed and began to drink the lemonade resolutely. He said nothing. As they began to eat, the room filled mostly with only the sounds of chewing and swallowing. After several minutes of this, Dumbledore cast a small smile at Harry and then looked at Contessa.

"Harry's birthday is in two days," Dumbledore told her.

Contessa paused in the middle of bringing a fork full of potatoes to her mouth. "So?" she asked.

"We're going to have a birthday party for him," Dumbledore said. Harry turned to him in surprise as everyone else beamed at him. Everyone except Draco, who wore a scowl.

"So?" Contessa repeated.

"It would be a nice gesture on your part to take the responsibility to decorate, coordinate, and of course, prepare the meals. As I recall, you learned how to cook from Narcissa Malfoy. She's quite the epicure. Didn't your grandmother teach her?" Dumbledore said as though he was giving Contessa a Christmas present.

Contessa sighed, closing, and then re-opening her eyes. "I don't even know him," she said through gritted teeth.

"Well, just ask him what he likes," Dumbledore suggested, casting a glance at Harry and winking at him. Draco's face was twisted up in dislike.