UNBREAK | D.M (UNRAVEL BOOK 5)

[ 22 ]

Aine gave a deep sigh when she stood outside Professor Slughorn's office. It was her first social gathering dinner with the rest of the members of the Slug Club formed by their new potions professor. After meeting Slughorn in the Three Broomsticks where he had invited her for a casual dinner, Aine received a letter subsequent days later informing her of the date and time. Thankfully, it was on a day when she was free or rather, had little schedules that would conflict with the appointment.

She was hesitant to head in, knowing she was slightly late after overextended her time in the Room of Requirement fixing the bloody Vanishing Cabinet. As Draco had detention earlier, she decided to do a bit of work in his stead. He seems to have quite a lot going around in his life despite not saying anything. Her fingers tapped anxiously at her side before plucking up her courage to knock on the door.

"Ah! Estoileon! We were beginning to wonder if you will be able to make it!" Slughorn greeted merrily, gesturing to an empty seat on the round table filled with desserts.

Aine raises her chin confidently, paying no mind to the pair of girls who were staring way too intensely at her. "I apologize for my tardiness, professor. I hope I have not kept you waiting for long," she replies bashfully. 

She took a quick skim of the members of the Slug Club, mostly were only faces she has seen before in school but have never interacted with. It was only a handful of them that she had known. She met Harry's nervous eyes on her and she gave him a courteous smile. Things were still a little rough between them even though Aine had let bygones be bygones. It was mostly Harry who was still making things uncomfortable as he just couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy and wariness. He didn't know why he was being this way too but he just can't change his feelings according to his will.

She smiled at Hermione and Neville who were both delighted to see her join them. Her eyes flickered past Cormac McLaggen's flirty grin, finding herself shuddering when he licks the ice cream off his fingers. She cleared a throat and sat in between an empty seat and a recognizable face.

Blaise simply gave a friendly wave to Aine, happy to see a familiar face amongst the other members of the Slug Club. Although he was friends with Aine who was a Gryffindor, he had not given many reactions to her friends and only exchanged mutual eye contact with Harry, Hermione and Neville. There wasn't much interaction between Aine's friends to him too. There was an unspoken relationship between the two houses after all: Gryffindor and Slytherin students loathed each other in principle. Despite the fact that some had not cared about it, many still had that tainted affinity for each other.

Slughorn waved his wand and a tall glass cup with several scoops of ice cream piled in it floated to Aine and she nearly drools at the sight. There were five different flavours on it: mint chocolate, caramel fudge, coffee, earl grey and hazelnut creme all topped with chocolate sticks and drizzle over it. Aine gapes at it, her eyes wandering around the huge cup not knowing which to try first since they were flavours she had liked. Honestly, it was a little too overwhelming for her.

Blaise chuckles at Aine who was holding her spoon over her dessert. "You should try the earl grey flavour one first. It's good," he recommended and Aine glistened at the perfectly rounded scoop of ice cream. She nodded a 'thanks' before digging in herself, the sweet but fragrant tea flavour spreading across her mouth as it melts and she had to bite down a moan to describe how delicious it was. 

Perhaps this dinner party wasn't as bad as she thought. The food was great to say at least.

While Aine was concentrating on her ice cream, Cormac gave a small snicker to her and she looks up at him, narrowing her eyes and wondering what was so funny. She could hear his thoughts across the broad circular table and she only prayed she hadn't. Luckily, Slughorn had diverted his attention away with a question, "So tell me, Cormac, do you see anything of your uncle Tiberius these days?"