October 30, 1976 – Serena PoV
The day before had been just as annoying as I had feared, after an annoying talk with Slughorn that ended with me being dragged to the hospital wing for Pomfrey to check me over once more only to be given a clean bill of health, I had to try to avoid a lot of people who were trying to get close to me.
The most annoying one was Hagrid, I couldn't really tell him to fuck off, he was a giant cinnamon roll, and I also had the bad luck of running into him while trying to run away from a student with a note from Dumbledore.
So I spent a whole hour in Hagrid's hut after school while he stared at Cia, Cia in her infinite vanity, which again, I didn't know she had, she gladly let me inspect her, much to my suffering.
Luckily it seems that Slughorn had passed the grade and my 'explanation' of the 'potions accident' so the other teachers didn't ask me anything at all apart from giving me all the assignments I had skipped the week I was absent, a pain, but with my time bubble I could complete it before next Monday.
Now, what was my excuse for the 'potions accident'? I sent Dumbledore forward, basically told Slughorn that I was working on a complicated, difficult, volatile potion at Dumbledore's request and it was a secret, that I couldn't say any more and if he wanted more details he should ask Dumbledore.
The last thing was Dumbledore's notes that the students were trying to give me, I grabbed the first one and obviously burned it immediately and proceeded to ignore it, only for another student to come back a couple of hours later with another note, which I then summarily ignored, I wanted nothing to do with Dumbledore, much less if it meant being locked in a room with him.
My paranoia was at its peak when I felt like I was being watched but couldn't find anyone around me, it was annoying, luckily it stopped completely when I swallowed copper and summoned my invisible copper cloud around me, this was annoying but I'd have to start burning copper as I moved around the castle to avoid Dumbledore's surveillance, luckily copper was the least addictive as it was the slowest burning metal.
"Serena are you listening to me!?" Narcissa exclaimed and began to tap the ground with her foot, I rolled my eyes, I was protected by my canopy, I had enchanted it so that it couldn't be opened from the outside, but if noise could get through, the last thing I wanted was for them to see me without my diminished form of Baiser, my eyes and stars were already too well known for them to appear and disappear out of nowhere.
"No Narcissa, it's 6am on a Saturday, let me sleep" I growled as I made my way back to the safety of my bed.
"Serena!" Narcissa hissed, I just placed a pillow over my head to try and ignore her. "Serena, I really need your help," Narcissa pleaded.
"Can't my help wait until, say, 10?" I growled under my breath.
"Serena!" I let out a tired sigh.
" Oood " I growled sitting back up, I muffliated and gulped copper before transforming, once I was back to my diminished form and hiding my tail under the covers I lowered my shields, opened the canopy and glared at her "what?" Narcissa shifted uncomfortably back and forth, bit her lip nervously and was silent for a few seconds "if you don't talk I'm going to sleep" I growled at her.
"No!" I exclaimed louder than I intended and we both stopped to see if the rest of our roommates were awake, Narcissa sighed when nothing happened "Move" she demanded as she kicked my legs, I rolled my eyes and curled up on the side of my bed, next to where Cia was asleep on a pillow she had placed near my head the night before, Narcissa quickly got in and closed the curtain "muffliato" I raised an eyebrow in her direction.
"so?"
"Well, as you know, today is the weekend trip to Hogsmeade" she started slowly and I nodded, it was a day before Halloween and the first weekend to visit the village of the school year, we had today and tomorrow to have fun there "well, well, well" she licked her lips nervously "so, also as you know, Lucius and I have been engaged for a little over a year officially" I nodded once again, they had actually been courting for a little over three years, but the papers were officially signed between both families exactly the time she said "and... well, I wanted to do... something special for Lucius" she said shyly and I gave her a flat look.
"Narcissa, my dear and only friend, you are asking the wrong person for advice," I said dryly, she pouted.
"Just... listen" she pleaded once more, I sighed and nodded "I..." she muttered something unintelligible, but turned completely red.
"Repeat that?" I blinked in confusion, Narcissa took a deep breath before looking away shyly as she blushed even more.
"I want to make love to Lucy" my eyebrows rose completely, I was now 100% awake and I shuddered.
"How disgusting, you're going to have sex with Lucius, and on purpose" just saying those words made me gag with disgust.
"Serena!!" Narcissa slapped my shoulder and I rolled my eyes in amusement, before my expressions softened.
"Is this your first time?" I took Narcissa's hands and massaged them gently, she nodded shyly "then I'll leave my comments about Lucius aside-" "Serena!" "-then how can I help you?" I asked ignoring her reprimand.
"I... don't know?" she said dumbly and I paled slightly.
"You-" I approached her "-need me to give you 'the talk'?" I whispered, praying that I was wrong.
"What?! I don't know how it works! " Narcissa pulled her hands out of mine completely mortified as she blushed.
"Thanks to Morgana," I muttered under my breath, Narcissa glared at me, I rolled my eyes, "So, again, what do you need?" I asked again.
"Everything? I... I have no idea what to do," Narcissa sighed almost defeatedly, "I was planning on a date in Hogsmeade first, dinner, and then going from there? " I nodded slightly.
"Okay, it's a good plan, basic but effective and leaves enough room to improvise, now, where?" She looked at me confused. "Although we are of legal age, we have a curfew so we have to return to the castle before dinner, so I doubt you can get a room in the village." Narcissa paled.
"Oh Morgana, I forgot and now what am I going to do?! Neither of us have single rooms! We can't do this in the rooms, much less in an empty classroom! M-maybe I can pay one of the Head Boys to let me borrow their rooms for the night?! Who are they this year? I didn't bother memorizing their names!! " Narcissa began to panic, I took her hands once more.
"Hey!" I interrupted her ramblings. "Okay, I know a comfortable room for the two of you to stay in, no one will bother you and I'm sure no one will find you there, so calm down." Narcissa looked at me hopefully.
"Really?!" I nodded with a soft smile.
"Of course !" I moaned at the strong hug I received from the blonde, I gently hit her back.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she squealed with happiness.
"Okay, now we have to plan the rest, first, does Lucius know about your... decision?" Narcissa looked at me confused.
"No, why would I?" she moaned loudly.
"Narcissa, my absent-minded friend-""hey!""-even men have to prepare themselves, if you drop this on her all at once it could go very wrong." Narcissa gasped.
"Really?!" she asked almost horrified.
"Yes but don't worry, you still have time, just tell him after breakfast I don't know, that after his date in Hogsmeade you have something like a surprise for the evening and that he won't be returning to his rooms until tomorrow, that'll give him an idea of what's going to happen" I dismissed his worries, Narcissa blushed but clenched her fists and nodded firmly "well that's one thing, I don't think we need to set up the date in Hogsmeade, there's not much to do in the village so basically anything you two do alone will be fine" Narcissa nodded agreeing with me, the first few times it was something special going to Hogsmeade but after that it got kind of boring, it still served as an escape from the monotony of the castle but there was never anything new in the village so it was just more of a routine "so, dinner, what do you have planned?" Narcissa grimaced before pouting.
"Now? Nothing, you ruined my few ideas by mentioning the curfew" I rolled my eyes.
"It's your fault for not thinking of it" I replied, Narcissa continued to pout so I snorted "well, what time are you meeting Lucius at Hogsmeade?" she blinked.
"Oh, we were going to meet at noon so we had some time to spend with our other friends before," I nodded consideringly.
"Well, after breakfast we'll head to the kitchens, can you prepare something, or are we going to have to ask the house elves?" Narcissa looked genuinely horrified.
"Me?! Prepare something?!" The horror in her voice made me laugh out loud.
"It's just food Narcissa and sometimes home-cooked food is more valuable than having the elves prepare it, it would make it more... special by taking the time for it" Narcissa's eyes widened.
"But I don't know how to cook!" I reassured her once again.
"Don't worry, I will, I'll help you prepare something easy and delicious." Narcissa seemed quite distrustful, but nodded reluctantly, how difficult could it be to help a pureblood princess cook something? I had Faery Feast on my side so I hoped she would be like a fish in water.
"How?" I asked incredulously as I looked at the complete mess in front of me.
" Serenaaaa " Narcissa moaned under her breath as she covered her completely red face with her hands, I looked around once more and the kitchen was in chaos, there were elves running around full of food, a pot of water on fire which surprised me because we never used our wands so I wasn't really sure how it happened and lastly, I looked at the plate in front of me, it looked completely normal but-
"How did you make it taste like that Narcissa? I was watching you the whole time" it was genuine curiosity coupled with a lot of disbelief, I never took my eyes off Narcissa while she cooked, but somehow I had ended up with... whatever was on that plate .
" Serenaaaa " Narcissa moaned once more.
"No, seriously, I'm sure I kept an eye on all the ingredients you used, there's no way it could taste like... this!"
" Serenaaaaa " I could feel the embarrassment through her moans "it's not that bad for my first try?" Narcissa tried to appeal pleadingly as she removed her hands from her face and I looked at her in disbelief.
"Narcissa, an elf fainted and another one is crying over your food!" I pointed at both house elves, one was unconscious face down and looked like he was foaming at the mouth, a group of elves were running around crying except for one who was curled up in the fetal position on a stool, rocking back and forth while holding his ears and crying loudly, they had been like this ever since we asked both of them to try Narcissa's food, Narcissa turned even redder and looked like she was about to cry.
"Serena!"
"I'm sure if I sent this to Mary she could sell it as poison," I said as I stabbed the offending food with a piece of fork.
"Serena!!!"
" Oooood , fine, I won't say anything more, but with this... result it's safe to say that you better not prepare anything for tonight, in fact, never enter the kitchen again if you want Lucius to live a long life."
"SERENA!!!!" I raised my hands in surrender saying that it was over, Narcissa dropped onto a stool and groaned.
"Don't worry Narcissa, we'll ask the elves to cook something for dinner" I looked at the elves who were still screaming around the fainted elf "after we revive that one"
"I... I guess it's for the best," Narcissa said defeatedly. "I just... wanted it to be more special." I rolled my eyes.
"It's going to be special either way and not because of the food, but if it bothers you that much, I'll prepare something for you." Narcissa turned her head so quickly that I heard a whiplash.
"Will you do it?!" she asked hopefully.
"Yes, I will,, but now we have to go up and get you ready for your date, I'll have everything ready for tonight -ugh " Narcissa hugged me tightly again "we have to do something about these hugs"
"thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"You're welcome, but seriously, you have to go get ready before it gets late" Narcissa gasped and grabbed my wrist before starting to run "W-wait! The elf! " I tried to say, but Narcissa ignored me, I let out a tired sigh and let myself be dragged along, I really hoped the elf didn't die from Narcissa's cooking.