A Changed Lestrange (1-2) (under editing)

14: No Leverage

"All right - all right," Harry heard Quirrell sob. The next second, the pale Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was straightening his purple turban and hurrying out. Harry waited until Quirrell had disappeared and peered into the classroom. Harry was halfway towards the door until he remembered what he had said about meddling.

Ashton was willing to gamble twelve of the Philosopher's Stone that Snape had left the classroom. He must have been pleased with himself - he had finally got poor Quirrell to give in.

Harry hurried back to the library where Hermione had been testing Ashton and Ron on Astronomy. He quickly told them what he'd heard.

"So Snape's done it, then!" exclaimed Ron, throwing his hands up in frustration. "If Quirrell told him about the Anti-Dark Force spell--"

"Wait!" said Ashton. "There's still Fluffy!"

"But I bet Snape's found a way to get past Fluffy without Hagrid," said Harry, looking at how many books Hermione had put around Ashton and Ron. "I bet there's probably some book there telling you what to do to get past a three-headed dog. What do we do, Ashton?"

"How am I supposed to know? But I guess..." Hermione answered before Ashton could complete what he was saying.

"Go to Dumbledore. If we do anything ourselves we'll be expelled for sure."

"No!" said Ashton as if that was the worst idea in the world. "We have zero proof! What, you expect a wimp like Quirrell to back us up? Snape can just waltz in and say he didn't let the troll in and Dumbledore'll believe him. I mean, who'd he believe - his Potions professor or four already untrustworthy first-years? And Filch wouldn't help us even if his life depended on it - he'd probably pay his life's worth to see one of us get expelled. And, to top it off, we're not even supposed to know about the Philosopher's stone or Fluffy! How'll we get out of that one?"

Hermione looked sold, but Ron and Harry didn't.

"What about if we just do a little poking around--"

"No." said Harry flatly, switching sides. "We've done way too much poking around."

"He's right. If we go to Dumbledore or poke around it'll just create more problems than there already were."

The next morning, notes were delivered to Ashton, Harry and Hermione at the breakfast table. After checking (or in Hermione's case, reading twenty times), they were all the same:

Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr Filch in the Entrance Hall.

Prof. M. McGonagall

Ashton had forgotten they still had detentions to serve. He expected Hermione to complain that she was going to lose a lot of revision time, but she stayed silent. 

At eleven o'clock that night Ashton, Harry and Hermione had said goodbye to Ron and went down to the entrance hall. Filch - of course - was already there, as was Malfoy. At least Malfoy had a detention as well. That made some of the pain bearable.

"Follow me," said Filch, leading the four of them outside. "bet you'll think about breaking a school rule again, won't ya, eh?" he leered at them. "Oh yes... pity they let the old punishments die out, hanging you by the wrists from the ceiling fer a few days, still got the chains in me office, well oiled if anything ever happened. Lestrange, yer lucky I haven't done it to you before."

"Did anyone ask for your opinion, you lowly, creepy caretaker? You make me absolutely sick, your view of children."

"You filthy--" Filch was cut off as he tripped on an invisible rock and hit his face hard on the ground as Ashton had a hard time containing his laughter.