Greta felt her heart sink at the pronouncement that Gryffindor had lost fifteen points for Jimmys antics - yes, she blamed Jimmy because Mateo wouldn't have laughed if it had not been for Jimmy acting the clown. She was also rather disappointed that she hadn't earned herself any points to make up for their misdemeanors and resolved to blame Jimmy for that too since maybe his antics had coloured the teachers opinions of her house.

She had heard somewhere that the teacher had been a Slytherin and wondered if that was partly one of the reasons that she had awarded Slytherin a whole fifteen points, and the only other house to get points was Hufflepuff but she knew enough about etiquette to know from a mere observation that indeed Slytherin were just much better at this than the others. She wished she'd managed to stop Jimmy from acting the fool - it would've stopped everything no matter what Anne said. She felt herself colour for quite a different reason than her seatmate had....

She took her dessert without comment and heard his remark, but unfortunately for his vain attempts at conversation she was not in a mood to reply - still caught up in the injustice of the lost marks and Slytherins now lead in class and answered with a mere nod.

  

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Thanks go to the marvelous MJ for her sensational set.

Yuri sniggered into his food, as the plate cleared and the desserts appeared. This was always Yuri's favourite part of the Hogwarts meals - well all of it was. He watched the girl that the professor indicated - she did seem to have more control of over her cutlery in a way that Yuri couldn't imagine having.

He abandoned his fork and knife for a spoon and dug into the nearest trifle which was probably meant for more people to serve themselves from.

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MJ Made Beautiful Things!

Oh, boo. The most entertaining part of the class had gotten the boot. He did have the sense to look apologetic in response to the scolding though which mostly a conditioned response rather than a genuine one in this case. He perked up as dessert appeared and he even managed to partake a little more properly.

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Well, it had been fun while it lasted. Jimmy had been too embroiled at the centre of his own one-man-show to notice the professor until she was looming right over him with a shattering rebuke.

He’d lost points and he was supposed to go. Oops. His shoulders shaking slightly with unexpelled laughter, he figured that Professor Benwick wouldn’t much want him to hang around and finish chewing, so - as an encore for his more appreciative onlookers - Jimmy leant forwards and hacked the too-large mouthful of potato back up and onto his plate (the potato half mashed now, and looking somewhat more like cat sick).

With that, he clambered from the bench and trotted out, perfectly cheerfully.

The thought of remedial etiquette lessons might have ruined his day, if Jimmy had had the faintest idea what remedial meant.

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Hesper was sure she was turning a vibrant shade of pink as the professor brought the class' attention to her. "Thank you, Professor," she replied, her voice almost so quiet as to be inaudible. Yes, it was technically for a good reason (unlike Mr. Fletcher) but she didn't fancy having every working class student in the room take a disliking to her. It wasn't as though she was trying to show off!

The color drained from her face as she was transfixed by the sight of Mr. Fletcher's food freefalling from his mouth like an owl regurgitating a pellet of vole bits. She felt vaguely nauseated by the sight and yet still couldn't immediately tear her eyes away. He was grotesque! Horrified as she was, she felt a tug of envy too at how blithe he was having been asked to leave the classroom.

The arrival of the dessert course tugged her attention back to the class. Hesper went about acquiring for herself a cup of tea and dainty helping of cake. This time she tried even harder not to look at her classmates. "The cake is quite pleasant," she remarked in Linnet's direction. After everything that had happened since the professor had intervened Hesper had forgotten entirely that she had yet to answer her earlier question.

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Yuri glanced between Hesper and Billie, both were girls but couldn't be more different. Gamp was 'pretty' in that sort of 'clean' way girls were - or at least that's what he thought counted as pretty. Billie was clean, the house matrons kept an eye to make sure that all of the junior students washed regularly, but somehow it was different to the way that girls like Gamp were clean, she was shiney, polite and stiff - like one of those creepy dolls that sat on velvet cushions in the window of the toy shop

'Gamp' Yuri started with his question, a mouth full of trifle, and then vaguely remembering the first etiquette class he corrected himself, swelling deeply to force the trifle down his throat before trying again, 'Miss Gamp' he asked, a little over loud as though reading from a script, 'What flavour is the cake?' he asked, licking a blob of fresh cream the corner of his mouth, already reaching for a much less dainty serving of the quite pleasant cake.

---

  

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MJ Made Beautiful Things!

Despite her best efforts, Alina found this class utterly ridiculous. Still, at least she was making an effort. Watching Fletcher leave reminded her of how careful she had to be around these people. "I believe this is the finest dessert I have had the pleasure of tasting." Though it ran through her head that this was one of the first desserts she had ever tasted.

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Magic by Lady!

Deanna's ire rose again as she watched in horror as that Fletcher boy spat his potato back onto his plate. It was one of the most disgusting displays she had ever laid her eyes on. Her tone was just a step below shouting as she reared on the boy. "And that shall be a week's detention, Mr. Fletcher." She tacked on, being clear that remedial lessons and detention were not one in the same. Of course, not all of the detentions would be with her. She would consult her fellow faculty members.

In a huff, she returned to monitoring the rest of Hogwarts youngest students and picked at their postures and the way they gripped their utensils. It seemed, after that irritating display, she was in no mood to grant anymore points. Only Miss Gamp and Mr. Vainart continued to be passable.

What was wizard society coming to?

When dessert concluded, she waved a weary hand, dismissing them all. "That will be the end of our exercise. It seems we may need further practice on the subject."

  

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