Half-breeds at Hogwarts: PART 1 [COMPLETED]

7. Detention

Professor McGonagall looked positively wrathful. Lila was herded into the Headmistress's office by Aurors, her hands still bound by magic behind her back.

Lila adverted her eyes from her Headmistress, and hardly noticed the beautiful circular room.

"Untie her," Professor McGonagall barked at the Aurors, "and you may go."

The Aurors exited the office and left Lila alone to face the blistering stare of her Headmistress.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Lila gulped and stammered, "P-professor, I'm so sorry. I didn't even want to go this party!"

"Then why did you?" Professor McGonagall hissed, her eyebrows retracting into a severe line.

"I thought I could... I can't explain, but I thought I could do something..."

Professor McGonagall stood and towered over Lila.

"Do what exactly?" Professor McGonagall barked.

Lila squirmed. How could she explain this? There was so much she wasn't allowed to speak out about.

"It's not that I don't want to say... I do, really, but I can't," Lila said. "My family would never... I mean, I only wanted to... sort something out, cause less pain if I accomplished it... "

"And you can't say how a party fits into your noble plan?" Professor McGonagall asked haughtily.

Lila tried to find a way to explain, but finally shrugged her shoulders in defeat.

"Honestly, I wish I could take it back Professor. I'm really sorry," Lila said.

"I am very disappointed in you, Miss Malnufigira," said Professor McGonagall.

"I know," Lila replied, crestfallen.

Professor McGonagall was watching Lila closely when she said, "Lila, I know the world you've lived in had different rules, but now that you're here, you have to abide by our rules. But if you say that you were acting for the best, I believe you."

Lila looked up, shocked. She noticed a large, moving painting directly behind Professor McGonagall's desk - Albus Dumbledore gave Lila a wink.

Professor McGonagall still looked grim as she said, "You understand that I have to punish you. I'll be writing to your parents and giving you detention. Professor Longbottom will be deducting points from Hufflepuff."

Lila nodded jerkily and said, "I understand."

With this Professor Longbottom knocked on the door, and entered, saying, "Professor McGonagall, I have the other one here."

Lila was wondering why her Head of House was bringing Tom in, when Professor Longbottom ushered Teddy Lupin into the office. Teddy quickly avoided Lila's eyes, shaking his head imperturbably, as Lila opened her mouth to say something. Lila look helplessly at Teddy.

"Right this way, Lila," Professor Longbottom said, showing Lila out of the door and onto a rotating staircase. Lila didn't want to say the wrong thing, so she bit her tongue and left.

Lila had no idea what happened to Teddy. He didn't appear at the Christmas Feast - a decadent spread for the few remaining students and teachers). She didn't see him around the common room even though she spent hours on a fireside sofa everyday waiting. Lila didn't know if the rumours spread by Peeves the Poltergeist were true that legendary Harry Potter had been seen meeting with Professor McGonagall.

Soon the Hufflepuffs returned in the first week of January thinking there had been a mistake with the hourglasses that recorded the houses points. Before Christmas Hufflepuff was neck-and-neck against Gryffindor, but when they returned to school more than half of the yellow gemstones were missing. Slytherin's hourglass was also greatly depleted. The news soon spread that the new girl had foolishly been caught sneaking out of school, and disgraced her house and the head boy.

Angry whispers followed Lila everywhere around the school.

"I heard she blackmailed Teddy," said one girl to her friend noticing Lila approach.

"That's not surprising, because I heard her whole family is a bunch of criminals," the friend replied scathingly.

"I heard she seduced him," said another girl chiming in. "She thinks she's really something, like she's dust to a pixie."

"Debbie, didn't I tell you I always thought she was stuck up?" said a fellow Hufflepuff.

"You were right. I can see she's a real bitch," said Debbie in agreement.

The rumours grew wilder and wilder as different houses swapped stories during shared classes, so that soon Lila was unwelcome wherever she went.

Lila walked alone to all her classes and was frequently tripped up in the corridors by random students sticking out their feet. The other houses were just as mad at Lila for making the Hufflepuffs so grief-stricken. No one wanted to sit with her, let alone talk to her. And she still had no idea what happened to Teddy.

Snow swirled around the castle so thick and deep that Care of Magical Creatures lessons were moved to an unused classroom on the second floor. Being as unpopular as she was, no one bothered to let Lila know. Soaking wet from battling through knee-deep snow, Lila returned to the castle shaking snowflakes out of her hair with no idea where to go to.

"I hope you're not cutting class Miss Malnufigira," said Professor Biddable emerging from the Great Hall, clutching a towering stack of books.

"No Professor," Lila said. "I think it's been cancelled..."

Lila gestured a hand to the windows and the flurry of snow coming down outside. Professor Biddable squinted suspiciously at Lila, before using her wand to Vanish her books and said, "Well, yes I see. Anyway, Professor Longbottom is aware of all the Defence projects I'm tackling, so I will be arranging your detention. I'll send for you as soon as I've prepared your workload."

"Yes Professor," Lila replied gloomily as the little witch shuffled away while consulting a long list.

With everyone against her and nothing but a tedious detention to look forward to, Lila felt miserable. She didn't feel comfortable in the common room with everyone shooting dirty looks at her. Her roommates were taciturn with her, after she refused to divulge anything that happened over Christmas. Lila didn't feel like having another solitary meal in the Great Hall. Even time perfecting how to scale and jump off the castle rooftops wasn't enjoyable in the constant cold weather. Lila futilely wished she could get out of the school, but she was banned from future Hogsmeade trips, and wouldn't think about escaping again. Lila wandered aimlessly about the castle until a walk up to the seventh-floor corridor gave Lila an idea of where to hide out.