𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 - ʰᵖ

29.

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TWENTY-NINE:
PETRIFIED

The four friends hardly had time process the sight before the doors to the Great Hall were thrown open and students began to flood through the corridors, stopping once they caught sight of the cat and message.

"Enemies of the heir beware, you'll be next mudbloods!" Malfoy called, cutting through the silence like a hot knife.

"Whats going on here?" Filch pushed his way through the students to see what the commotion was about. Elsie felt her stomach drop, this wasn't going to be good.

"What are you..." Filch stopped, words dying on his tongue when he saw Mrs. Norris. After a harsh beat of silence Filch turned to Harry, looking furious, "You-murdered my cat,"

Filch grabbed Harry by the collar of his shirt, "I'll kill ya!"

Elsie grabbed ahold of Harrys arm, pulling away from the angry man. She knew this didn't look good, they looked suspicious, but the girl knew they needed to stay calm. "It wasn't us sir. We found her like this,"

"Liar!" Filch roared starting towards the girl but freezing when Dumbledore arrived. "Argus!"

Then he to saw the message on the wall. He shared a fearful look with McGonagall before turning back to the students, "Everyone is to return to the dormitories imminently."

Elsie caught Hermione's eye from across the hall. The bushy haired girl was staring at them wide eyed before Lavender dragged her away with the others.

Elsie, Harry, and Ron started to follow but were stopped when Dumbledore said, "Everyone except you three."

"My office is nearest headmaster!" Lockhart stepped forward eagerly.

"Thank you Gilderoy," Dumbledore started off to the mans office with Lockhart, McGonagall and Snape right behind him.

The walk was one of shame. Elsie knew people thought they were guilty, but she knew that they hadn't done this.

So then who did?

Elsie, whom had tuned out Lockharts rambling about how if he had been there he could've stopped this, started listening when Dumbledore said, "She's not dead Argus, she's been petrified."

"Ah. Thought so. So unlucky I wasn't there. I know exactly the countercurse that could've spared her." Lockhart shook his head causing the girl to roll her eyes along with McGonagall.

Dumbledore ignored the man, "Only how she's been petrified I cannot say,"

Filch pointed an accusing finger to the three, "Ask them. It's them that done it. You saw what they wrote on the wall."

"Its not true sir, I swear I've never touched Mrs. Norris," Harry defended.

The man sneered and shook his head, "Rubbish,"

"If I might, headmaster. Perhaps Potter and his friends were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." The three struggled to hide their surprise, Snape standing up for them? "However, the circumstances are suspicious. I for one don't recall seeing Potter at dinner."