An Eventful Dinner

An alluring scent traveled across Hogwarts, its smell enthralling to students. It was as if it urged them to come to 'The Great Hall.' 

Dinner was served, and William wouldn't miss it for the world. William ate his turkey rabbit stew with some garlic bread, surrounded by his acquaintances. The flavor was average, but his hunger after a day of flying was immense.

The hall was loud, very loud, but that didn't stop everyone from talking as they scraped their forks against their plates and bowls. 

After emptying his plate, William looked across the table. Ominis, Sebastian, and Nerida Roberts, the girl Sebastian likes, sat in front of William, and Imelda sat to his left. They were all in their little groups, talking to one another. Sebastian was flirting with Nerida, while Ominis was their third wheel, injecting himself into conversation whenever he could. Looking to his left, he saw Imelda talking with a friend of hers, apparently named Grace Pinch-Smedley. Grace was a beautiful blonde girl with a quiet brilliance about her, but William only briefly spoke to her before downing his meal.

William then looked at the plates of the people surrounding him. All the plates were half eaten and sullied by their owner's saliva, except Ominis's meal. The stew, along with his garlic bread, made William's mouth water; it was untouched and still warm. William could see the steam from not only the bowl of stew but also from the garlic bread. "...Would any of you three mind sharing?" He said, testing the waters. William scanned their faces, seemingly looking for any signs of weakness, any signs of opportunity, but what he truly wanted was for Ominis to relent.

The silence from the three in front of him was loud, but his eyes focused on Ominis, a smile appearing on his face. "Oh, Ominis, would you care to help this young man out?" William questioned, his voice as smooth as a corrupt official and his smile akin to an actor, although Ominis couldn't see it.

"Sure," Ominis said, handing over his bowl. I'm going to keep this garlic bread. I'm not that hungry, but I still need something."

"Thanks, man, you're a saint," William said, grabbing the plate.

"You're welcome," Ominis said in a quiet tone.

"...So, I heard you liked tending to plants; are they, by chance, magical in nature?" William inquired after a moment of silence between the two.

Ominis held a slight smile on his face before saying, "Yes, I own a small garden of 'Chinese Chomping Cabbages.' They're quite the unique plant, with their biology superior to almost all other plants. They could easily maul and kill a human, but that's just the prowess of one plant. If you get a whole field full of them, they could eat a dragon whole; lord knows they've done it before."

Ominis returned to eating his garlic bread as if he hadn't said the most ludicrous thing William had ever heard. William almost spit out his food as he heard that last part. He spoke, "Woah, woah, woah; you can't just say that and not explain! Give me the details."

Ominis wiped his mouth as he finished eating his bread, "In… 1635, I think, there was a trader who was exploring the Chinese mainland, along with some muggles. He wrote in excruciating detail about a dragon who was tired from flying and landed on a field of these plants. Its escapes were futile as the plants first bit holes through the dragon's wings, then its legs. The only thing left was the mighty beast's bloody, skeletal remains. It is quite the bit of famous trivia; I'm astonished you've never heard of it."

"That is… fascinating. Horrifying but fascinating," William said, his voice a mixture of fear and trepidation. He looked down at his bowl of stew with only one thought in his mind. "I wonder what dragon would taste like?" He thought aloud.

"Haha!" Ominis chuckled heartily. "I don't think anyone has heard that story and thought the taste. Horror or fascination, maybe, but taste, no."

With a small laugh, William said, "Can you blame me? A hungry man will eat just about anything."

"A hungry man wouldn't dare pick a fight with a dragon; you, my friend, are mad," Ominis said in a cheerful tone.

"Frankenstein was both a genius and a madman; if he can do it, why can't I be as well?" William looked to the hall's ceeling and positioned his hands in the air like a prophet.

"Frankenstein? The fictional character? Haha, sure, why not?! If you want to eat a dragon, I'll attend your funeral; hell, I'll pay for it."

"That's a damn good deal. Swear on it!" William said, like a general commanding his troops.

"What are you two talking about?" Sebastian said, turning away from Nerida.

"I want to eat a dragon, but Ominis here thinks I'll die in my pursuit. Can you believe it?"

"Well, right now, you surely would," Sebastian said.

"How about an egg? I could set my expectations low and make a dragon omelet!" William said 

Imelda, who sat beside William, looked away from her Grace and stared at William. Her face was the picture of disbelief, "What?" Only one word left her mouth, which summed up what everyone around William felt.

"Oh, come on, Imelda. With your obsession with flying, I'm sure you can understand my obsession with food."

"Don't compare the nobility of flying with your glutinous obsession." 

"But food is so enthralling: its taste, its texture, its appearance. They all combine to create the essence of perfection." William spoke with his tone filled with glee. Then, abruptly, a young man sat beside him.

The man had light brown hair and was quite handsome, but the cruel smirk on his face made him look… sadistic. "Of course, a dirty mud-blood would be obsessed with food," he said, turning to William. "They're all the same. Filthy. Dirty. Pigs."

Gloom suddenly surrounded the table as everyone, with the exception of William, looked at the young man. Sebastian held a look of disgust, and Nerida held one of fear. Imelda looked like a bear ready to maul its victim, but Ominis was the first to speak up.

"What do you want, Marvolo?" Ominis said with a hint of hostility in his voice.

"Oh, nothing much, just wondering how this trash got into our house," he said, looking towards the eating William, then back to Ominis. "Slytherin would roll over in his grave if he saw this filth dining at our table. And Ominis, you should know better than to talk to a lesser being; you do know better, right?" He said it with fake concern as he stared at Ominis.

"Just go away, Marvolo." Sebastian interrupted with a raising his voice, "Or do you need me to beat your ass in a duel."

"Oh, you might just be surprised at the outcome. I've grown a surprising amount in two years, seventh-year's freedom and all. But no, I don't want to duel you. I want to get rid of this maggot."

Marvolo turned to William and reached for his arm, saying, "Come on, let's go somewhere… secluded."

As Marvolo touched William's arm, Marvolo found his hand gripped. William turned away from the bowl he was eating from and just stared into Marvolo's eyes.

"Don't touch me," William said with the utmost seriousness. He stared daggers into the seventh-year's eyes.

Marvolo's uncanny smile intensified as he picked up William's bowl and quickly poured it on his head. 

Nerida gasped, and Sebastian slammed his fist on the table. Everyone around them was stunned. 

The stew flowed into William's black hair and down his head and face, his grip still tight on Marvolo's wrist. His left hand tightened into a fist as he swung it towards Marvolo's face.

*Crack*

The sound of bones breaking reverberated through the area. Blood flowed down Marvolo's face as his nose broke. "AAHHH!" His scream pierced the ears of all around; more and more students gossiped loudly as they watched the unfolding chaos

William turned in his seat and got up, his wrist still in hand. He pulled Marvolo's wrist towards himself, and Marvolo's body came with it.

*Bang*

William's fist collided with Marvolo's eye socket, causing another screech to escape the latter's mouth.

William dropped Marvolo's wrist, causing him to fall to the ground, blood oozing from his nose. 

William pulled back his foot and started kicking. With each kick, another bone was broken, and another erie sound emanated from Marvolo's body.

"Yeah! Kill him, William!" Imelda yelled with hatred lining her beautiful, tanned face.

By now, the hall was deafening as the students watched the beatdown, the brutalization of a seventh-year. It could have only been a few minutes, but that was enough for William to strike back with no mercy. Due to the mass of people now watching from all tables, the teachers finally saw what was happening and decided to act.

"LEVIOSO!" Professor Ronen called, lifting William into the air as he walked down the rows of students. "You two get him to the nurse!" Ronen yelled at two random students nearest to Marvolo's body.

"Wingardium Leviosa," one student casted towards the broken and battered young man. As for the Marvolo himself, he released pained grunts as he was picked up. As he was levitated out of the great hall, he turned his head to Professor Ronen, and through the pain, he said, "thanks… darkie."

"And you! Follow me!" Ronen said, looking at William, now free from the levitation charm. Ronen walked out of the great hall, with William following him. The room was filled with a nervous silence, as no one wanted to speak.

"Continue your eating!" Headmaster black shouted across the great hall, his voice laced with intensity. 

For all the people who have interacted with William up to that point, the only thing going through their minds was, 'That was absurd.'