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Aurora Areli
THINGS COULDN'T HAVE BEEN worse.
Filch took us down to Professor McGonagall's study, where we sat and waited, not speaking a word to each other. I tried desperately to think of an excuse that McGonagall might believe, but came up blank. How could we have been so stupid to forget the Cloak?
So I sat in between Harry and Hermione (who was trembling) and tried to will myself not to cry. If any of the teachers found out what we had been doing, we were done for.
Professor McGonagall came in a few minutes later, and, much to my surprise, was leading Neville with her.
"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ー"
Harry and I shook our heads vigorously to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the four of us.
"I would have never have believed it any of you," she seethed. "Mr Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves."
I bit my lip, lowering my head to hide the tears that threatened to spill over.
"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?"
I tried not to imagine the hurt look on Neville's face, wanting so badly to tell him that we would never do that. I knew what it must've cost him to try and warn us.
"I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall. "Five students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You two, Miss Granger and Miss Areli, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All four 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 fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor."
"Fifty?" Harry gasped, and my mouth dropped open in surprise and disbelief.
If she took away fifty points, Gryffindor would lose 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 —" I pleaded, the tears finally escaping from my eyes.
"You can't —" Harry protested.
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter," said Professor McGonagall sternly. "Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."
