𝐎𝐟 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐬 {𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲}

𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐄 (*TW)

TW: PTS symptoms
Note: lil spicy scene!

Retrograde refers to the period when a planet or asteroid appears to stop briefly and backtrack in the sky because of the changing viewing perspective caused by Earth's orbital motion.

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"-and then Ron here, said - very bravely, might I add - 'you let my girlfriend go!' But then! He drops his wand!" Hermione touched Ron's shoulder as she giggled.

"Sounds like you've got the makings of a fantastic Auror, Ronald!" Hannah guffawed. Everyone at the table joined in the laughter, and Ron turned pink. "Piss off, Hannah!"

"What happened next?" asked Susan as she popped a cherry tomato into her mouth.

"I had to save the day, of course," Hermione chattered on. "Kicked Abigor in the shin and wriggled out. That distracted him enough, then Harry blasted him with the Jelly-Legs curse. He fell down all... floopy and weird."

"Jelly-Legs curse?" I interjected suddenly. They turned to look at me in surprise, and across me, Hannah rolled her eyes at my insolence. "I didn't know Aurors used amateur spells like that."

"They have to incapacitate them first, you see," explained Hermione politely for Ron. "Then they can arrest and take them in for questioning. They can't just barge in there and attack them. There are rules to be followed as proper Aurors. Funny spells like the Jelly-Legs curse make their job so much more interesting!"

I scoffed, bringing the wine glass to my lips. All this talk about Abigor was making me uncomfortable. I had not forgotten what his son had tried to do, but it bloody well seemed like everyone else had.

"So what happened to him?" I enquired casually.

"Oh, his son?" Ron jumped in. "No worries, mate, he'll be trialed too. You know... for attempted murder... and whatnot..." He trailed off and a dull thump sounded from under the table as Hermione kicked him.

A silence befell the table as everyone turned back to their food awkwardly. Some Christmas, this was.

Susan cleared her throat and opened her mouth to say something when Angel burst from the kitchen, carrying two plates of cakes. "Pudding!" she sang.

A round of cheers and 'yes!'s circled the table, everyone grateful for the distraction. "That looks amazing, Angel!" Neville grinned, already poised to cut a piece for himself. "I reckon it's the best pudding in Britain!"

"Careful you don't choke, Longbottom," I muttered under my breath.

"Alright, that's it!" Hannah threw down her fork suddenly, startling everyone. "You know, you don't have to be such a twat all the time, Malfoy."

"I'm just worried about your stupid boyfriend here," I shot back. "Don't want him falling down on his fat arse again now, do we!"

"Don't get smart. If you don't shut that gob of yours..."

"What, you're going to set me on fire?"

"Oh, there's definitely something of yours I'd like to set on fire," said Hannah sweetly.

"DRACO! HANNAH! Stop it, the BOTH of you!"

I don't think anyone had ever heard Angel raise her voice in anger before. It was harsh, piercing, and frankly, rather intimidating. Hannah and I shrank back into our seats obediently.

"It's Christmas," Angel sighed, sinking into the chair next to me. "Well, not for another two days. But can't we all just... get along for once?"

I very much wanted to argue that it was not my fault Longbottom was such a greedy git. But of course, I couldn't ever say no when she was looking at me like that. I nodded reluctantly, and so did Hannah.