Lionheart (A Harry Potter Fanfic)

Chapter 14: Knight

Chapter 14: Knight

Professor McGonagall called me to her office today. I thought for a moment that she had discovered that I was the one who turned Malfoy's hair blue and not Siri and James. She told me to sit down and offered me a biscuit. It was very bizarre. All she wanted to do was talk. She didn't force me to talk about what happened over Christmas but instead told me stories. She talked about the war with Grindewald and some of the fights she had been in. Her life growing up with a Muggle father and witch mother. It was nice to just listen for a change. She scheduled an appointment for next week for us to talk again. I'm looking forward to it.

**

Leo was not the only one caught out of bounds that night. Hermione, Harry, and – surprisingly – Neville were all caught and escorted to McGonagall's office. They lost fifty points each and were given detention. The three of them were quite upset. Their actions had caused a grand total of a hundred eighty points to be taken from Gryffindor, wiping away any chances they may have had of winning the house cup.

At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have almost two hundred points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, him and three other stupid first years.

From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school, Harry was suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on him, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup. Everywhere Harry went, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him - though they took great care not to do so within earshot of Leo, given his propensity to defend his cousin with violence. Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, whistling and cheering, "Thanks Potter, we owe you one!"

Draco had the decency to look ashamed. He pulled Leo aside the next day, demanding to know why Leo had lied to save him. Leo had frowned, seeming confused at the question and surprised that Draco even had to ask.

"Because we're mates. Mates always have each other's backs."

"But - we were fighting -"

"That doesn't stop us from being friends, Draco," Leo shrugged. "I always stand up for and protect my friends, even if we aren't on good terms."

He then left, leaving Draco standing there, a shocked expression on his face. Students jeered at him as he passed by, the same insults he had heard earlier that year returning with a vengeance. There was, however, one crucial difference: he knew the truth. Sirius was innocent and his father was a good man. Those two facts kept his spirits up, allowing him to ignore what everyone else was saying.

Aside from Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the Weasley twins were the only ones who still spoke to Leo. They were under the impression that he had been caught pulling a prank unrelated to what the other three Gryffindors were doing that cost them all those points. Leo didn't bother to correct them. He wouldn't have been able to bear it if the first friends he had ever made turned against him.

A week before exams started, notes were delivered to Harry, Hermione, Leo, and Neville at the breakfast table. They were all the same:

Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight.

Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.

Professor McGonagall

At eleven o'clock that night, they said good-bye to Ron in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there waiting for them. Leo didn't think he'd ever seen him look so gleeful.