𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 ✓

𝟏𝟕

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𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟕: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭

Things couldn't have been worse. Filch took us down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where we sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Hermione was trembling. We were cornered. How could we have been so stupid as to forget the cloak? There was no reason on earth that ProfessorMcGonagall would accept for being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes. 

Add Norbert and the invisibility cloak, and we might as well be packing our bags already. Can anything get worse? Oh yes. 

 When ProfessorMcGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville. 

"Harry!" Neville burst out, the moment he saw us. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag—" 

 Harry shook his head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the three of them. 

 "I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves." 

It was the first time Hermione had ever failed to answer a teacher's question. She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue. 

 "I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on," said Professor McGonagall. "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?" 

 Harry caught Neville's eye and tried to tell him without words that this wasn't true because Neville was looking stunned and hurt. Poor, blundering Neville — I knew what it must have cost him to try and find them in the dark, to warn them. 

 "I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall. "Four students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr.Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions— yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous — and you, Miss Dursley!" She shot at me. "What on earth were you thinking going after your cousin like that? Don't you understand that sometimes you have to make hard choices?" 

I was stuck with silence. All these years... I always thought of Harry as my other self — a best friend who knew everything about me ... I went along with his plans... I rescued him a couple of times... and now Professor McGonagall wants me to make hard choices and go along with my plans sometimes. 

"And fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor." 

"Fifty?" Harry gasped — we would lose the lead, the lead Harry had won in the last Quidditch match. 

 "Fifty points each," said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose. 

 "Professor — please —" 

 "You can't —"

 "Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."