Chapter 109 Picnic Time
"Pass me that sandwich over there, Ellian."
"It's almost right there in your hand," Aryan said, smiling as she handed the sandwich in the basket to the golden-haired Lyanna Gillie.
"It's a nice day today. It's still this warm in November." said Vera Larson from Ravenclaw.
"And they picked Tuesday when we're all free. It's such a blessing." Lindy Houghton from Slytherin stretched her hands towards the sun and stretched with satisfaction.
"We should get together more often like this," agreed Bar Frithius of Hufflepuff.
......
In the warm sun near noon, eleven or twelve girls sat on a large plain placemat. They gathered around several elaborately decorated lunch baskets, chatting in groups of three or four.
Della was also on the placemat. She was invited by Aryan and was the only one here who did not have a family member working in the Ministry of Magic.
"Oh! Look at Maggie! She's so smart that she always makes me think I can talk to snakes!" Marcia Fell of Hufflepuff shouted, pointing at the small blue-gray snake coiled on her arm.
"You're always so excited."
"Don't always monopolize our heartthrob, Marcia!"
The girls around were talking and laughing. Aryan also looked over with a smile. She was no longer arrogant at this time. "It's as if you are the Slytherins."
"If I had known Maggie was here, I would have been able to accept going to Slytherin." Marcia rubbed Maggie's snake head.
"You would only say that because the Quidditch match hasn't started yet." Eloda Mayor of Ravenclaw said immediately.
"If we had the picnic after Quidditch started, this would have become a battlefield." Aryan smiled and shook her head.
The girls started making noise again. Della, who was beside Aryan, only occasionally interjected a few words. Most of the time, she just listened with a smile. However, she would say a few more words when Maggie was mentioned or there was a suitable topic.
After all, this is Arrian's home court, and as a junior student who has benefited from Maggie's help, she has to put herself in the right position, and there is another participant who doesn't talk much beside her.
"Aurora, would you like a sandwich?" Della spoke to Aurora, pointing to the food basket she had asked the house-elves for.
"Please, please give me one, Della," Aurora retracted her gaze from Maggie, pursed her lips and nodded at Della, "He is so beautiful."
"I'm so sorry that what happened on Halloween night made me forget my promise to you," Della said in a low voice so that only the two of them could hear it, and then she slowly raised her voice, "I'll remember it this time. If you want to find Maggie, just tell me, Aurora."
"No, it's okay. I was also scared by what happened that day," Aurora smiled friendly and slowly opened her eyes. "How about this Friday?"
It seems that this shy senior student really likes Maggie. Looking at Aurora's expression, Della guessed that she had never fed Maggie on the long table. After all, such a moment was quite eye-catching.
"Of course, senior, Maggie will like you." Della agreed with a smile.
"Hey! Aurora! How was Aunt Birla's trip to Italy? I noticed that you received a letter yesterday!" Janice Cullen, a sixth-year Ravenclaw, suddenly shouted at Aurora.
"Mom and Dad went to the Alps, Sister Yanis," Aurora rubbed her knuckles and looked at Yanis with half-long black hair. Her face gradually turned red. "Dad said it's beautiful there, and he is painting it."
"Will it be sold?" Eloda asked with his head tilted.
Aurora shook her head and lowered her head. This angle made her eyes, which were always shining with water, look even bigger. "I'll hang it at home. My sisters can come and see it when the time comes."
"We won't go over and cause trouble," said Ellian, and several other seventh-year girls like her laughed. "As soon as Aunt Billao saw us, the prospective interns from the Ministry of Magic, she knew that her leisurely working hours were over."
"I'm so envious. Aunt Billao spends half of the year traveling. She only sits in the office when the Ministry of Magic is recruiting interns on a large scale." Yannis curled her lips.
"This is also the reason why my mom has maintained the same position for more than ten years." Speaking of her family, Aurora looked much better. She smiled slightly, her face still red. "No one can compete with her desire to go out and play."
"It sounds like Mrs. Billau has turned her work into a hobby." Della looked around and added.
"That's right, Della," Ellian nodded at her. She reached out and took Maggie back from Marcia. "It's a miracle that Aunt Billao can still hold that position."
"You talk as if Uncle Linde hasn't been on the review panel for eight years," Eloda said as she picked up a sandwich.
"Ailian also has a mother who has been staying in the archives," Lindy, who was next to Eloda, also picked up a sandwich and looked at Ailian. "There is no better family than this."
"Lindy, we all know that Uncle Holden is going to be promoted recently," Ellian retorted. She raised Maggie's raised head, "It will be us soon. I believe everyone's resume is well completed."
“But for a long time, we have been fighting for survival instead of glory. It’s really sad.” Vera pouted and shook her head.
"Oh? A dreamer was born in the Disaster Department?" Marcia immediately joked about Vera's father's position in the Disaster Department.
"Come on, I know you're not interested in the law enforcement department that Aunt Fair wants you to join." Vera nudged Marcia rudely with her elbow.
"They are such control freaks at this time. I will miss Hogwarts after graduation." Lyanna shook her blonde hair, and the other girls immediately complained.
"Parents always hope that we will avoid their crooked ways," Ellian shrugged. She seemed much calmer than the others. "Let's talk about it again. One of us will compromise."
"You guys are such a bummer, bringing this up right now. I'm already tired of preparing for the exam," Bar Follies stretched out her hand, flexed her arms and pointed at the girls present one by one, "We can talk about this annoying topic anytime. We can't get together like this often in the future."
"That's absolutely true." Lyanna nodded.
"Let's talk about something else," Vera said.
"I know what to talk about." Baer raised her voice.
"Aidan!" the girls said in unison, all looking at Alian.
"It was only after meeting him that I understood for the first time why there is such a thing as the American accent." Marcia laughed.
"He must be a typical American guy." Eloda smiled and glanced at Alian.
"Oh!" Aryan sighed helplessly, "Now you guys are just picking topics with me."
As Ariane said this, she handed Maggie back to Della. The senior girls' conversation became lively again, and Aurora finally got to know Maggie.
"Consider this an advance contact, Aurora." Della smiled and sent Maggie over.
"He's really beautiful," Aurora took it carefully. She looked at the regular blue-gray pattern on Maggie's body and stroked it back and forth. "And he's also very smart."
"They seem to call him a heartthrob in private. You really flatter him." Looking at Maggie, who was playing well in Aurora's arms, Della laughed twice.
There has actually been an interesting change in everyone's attitude towards Maggie. At first, everyone would only say that the little snake was docile, but now, everyone only praises him for being smart.
He is more capable of subtly changing other people's impression of him than he is himself.
"The heir who committed the attack must not cause any more trouble."
Among the girls who were talking enthusiastically, someone suddenly blurted out this sentence, and the picnic mat fell silent. They looked at each other with their eyes open, and no one spoke for a while.
"I think we will all be very safe." Eloda said slowly with a stiff smile on her face.
"But Salazar lived more than a thousand years ago. What if the wizarding family he was talking about was pure?" Vera frowned. Both her parents were mixed-blood.
"......" After this sentence was said, the atmosphere on the field became even more awkward, and the girls all pursed their lips and tightened their muscles.
"But I'm a Slytherin, seniors," Della spoke up at this time, with her usual smile on her face as she looked at the girls present, "and my adoptive father, everyone knows that Dean Snape is a half-blood, but we were all chosen by Salazar."
"Della is right. Look at me and you will know Salazar's will." Ellian also laughed, and her smile was filled with her usual gentleness and majesty. "You also know that my father is a half-blood, and my mother is a Muggle."
"And Uncle Linde is also a Slytherin." Eloda followed, and she shook Vera's hand.
"Yep."
"I know we're all going to be okay."
The atmosphere on the placemat slowly recovered and everyone started chatting again, this time deliberately talking about some recent gossip.
As Della listened to the overview of the senior couples at Hogwarts, Aryan squeezed her arm and they looked at each other and smiled.