Snippet: Raising a Black 101
Cygnus made sure to scrape a last spoonful of the delicious dessert off his plate and cram it into his mouth, before making his way over to the prefects. He recognized one of them as his distant cousin Araminta and gave her a small wave—which she ignored in favour of marshalling the Slytherin first-years out of the Great Hall.
She came to an abrupt halt as a colourful spectacle swooped by. A sharp laughter followed as the ghost-like being dropped something on the Hufflepuffs on their way down the staircase to the dungeons. A green cloud of smoke erupted, and their shrieks and coughs only spurred on the clown's maniacal cackling.
"Ickle firsties! We will have so much fun together!" he shrieked. Someone in the cloud cast a spell his way, but he effortlessly dodged out of the way. "Better luck next time!" He blew a raspberry before swooping up the Grand Staircase, no doubt on his way to find his next victims.
Araminta took a step backwards, covering her nose and mouth with her sleeve as the stench spread out into the hall. The Hufflepuff prefect had made a run for it down the stairs, and the rest of the badgers followed.
"Ugh—Peeves!" Araminta growled.
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