Courage

-67-

Harry then left with Hedwig. Hermione, who was sat beside Layla as always, leant towards the Lupin girl.

"It's Hedwig."

"What about her?" asked Layla quietly, not paying much attention to what Hermione was saying about Harry's owl, continuing to doodle.

"She's hurt. Her wing, it's injured. That's why Harry just left, to get Hedwig treated."

"What?" said Layla, looking up, and she showed genuine concern.

After History of Magic, Ron and Hermione went to meet Harry while Layla trudged alone down the stone steps to the dungeons for Potions, lost in thought, but as she reached the bottom of the steps, she was recalled to herself by the voice of Draco Malfoy, who was standing just outside Snape's classroom door, waving around an official-looking piece of parchment and talking much louder than was necessary.

"Yeah, Umbridge gave the Slytherin Quidditch team permission to continue playing straightaway, I went to ask her first thing this morning. Well, it was pretty much automatic, I mean, she knows my father really well, he's always popping in and out of the Ministry... it'll be interesting to see whether Gryffindor are allowed to keep playing, won't it? I mean, if it's a question of influence with the Ministry, I don't think they've got much chance... from what my father says, they've been looking for an excuse to sack Arthur Weasley for years... and, I mean, Gryffindor has werewolf girl on their team, and we all know Umbridge hates Lupin... and as for Potter, my father says it's a matter of time before the Ministry has him carted off to St Mungo's... apparently they've got a special ward for people whose brains have been addled by magic."

Draco made a grotesque face, his mouth sagging open and his eyes rolling. Crabbe and Goyle gave their usual grunts of laughter; Pansy Parkinson shrieked with glee.

Someone pushed past Layla, taking her by surprise. A split second later, she realised that Neville had just charged past her, heading straight for Draco.

"Neville, no!" called Layla as Harry and Ron seized the back of Neville's robes; Neville struggled frantically, his fists flailing, trying desperately to get at Draco who looked, for a moment, extremely shocked.

Crabbe and Goyle were flexing their arms as they stepped in front of Draco, ready for the fight. Neville's face was scarlet as Harry and Ron dragged him back, odd words spluttering from his mouth.

"Not... funny... don't... Mungo's... show... him..."

The dungeon door opened. Snape appeared there. His black eyes swept up the Gryffindor line to the point where Harry and Ron were wrestling with Neville.

"Fighting, Potter, Weasley, Longbottom?" Snape said in his cold, sneering voice. "Ten points from Gryffindor. Release Longbottom, Potter, or it will be detention. Inside, all of you."

Layla waited until everyone else had filed into the classroom before grabbing Neville's arm as he was at the back.

"Neville, are you alright?" she asked quietly, concerned. "What was all that about?"

"It's nothing, Layla. I'm fine," said Neville before he turned and entered the classroom. Layla sighed before following him.

She took her usual seat near the back of the class beside Hermione, and pulled out parchment, quills and her copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. The class around her was whispering about what Neville had just done, but when Snape closed the dungeon door with an echoing bang, everybody immediately fell silent.

"You will notice," said Snape, in his low, sneering voice, "that we have a guest with us today."

He gestured towards the dim corner of the dungeon and Layla saw Professor Umbridge sitting there, clipboard on her knee. She glanced sideways at Hermione, her eyebrows raised. Snape and Umbridge, the two teachers Layla hated most. It was hard to decide which one she wanted to triumph over the other.