A Hogwarts Legend: Round Two [2]

Chapter Seven

I'm soooo hungry......

"In!" Snape says, opening a door halfway down the cold passageway and pointing.

We enter Snape's office, shivering. The shadowy walls are lined with shelves of large glass jars, in which floats all manner of revolting things I don't want to know the names of. The fireplace is dark and empty. Snape closes the door and turn to look at us.

"So," he says softly, "the train isn't good enough for the famous Harry Potter and his faithful sidekicks Weasley and Swift. Wanted to arrive with a bang, did we?"

"Bitch, I ain't no sidekick," I say and snap my fingers. "And it was the barrier at King's Cross, it -"

"Silence!" says Snape coldly. "What have you done with the car?"

"I ate it," I blurt out. All three of them stare at me.

"You ate it," Harry says slowly.

"Yep, well no," I blush, "I say what I'm thinking when I get nervous."

Bad habit that is.....

Snape shakes his head slowly, then unrolls today's issue of the Evening Prophet.

"You were seen," he hisses, showing us the headline: FLYING FORD ANGLIA MYSTIFIES MUGGLES. He begins to read aloud. "'Two Muggles in London, convinced they saw an old car flying over the Post Office tower ... at noon in Norfolk, Mrs Hetty Bayliss, while hanging out her washing ... Mr Angus Fleet, of Peebles, reported to police' ... six or seven Muggles in all. I believe your father works in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office?" he says, looking up at Ron and smiling still more nastily. "Dear, dear ... his own son ..."

I feel as though I've just been walloped in the stomach by one of the mad tree's large branches. If anyone finds out Mr Weasley bewitched the car ...

"I noticed, in my search of the grounds, that considerable damage seems to have been done to a very valuable Whomping Willow," Snape goes on.

"That tree did more damage to us than we -" Ron blurts out.

"Silence!" snaps Snape again. "Most unfortunately, you are not in my house and the decision to expel you does not rest with me. I shall go and fetch the people who do have that happy power. You will wait here."

As soon as the door shuts behind him, I look up at the boys, both of which are very white.

"Whoops?" I say shakily.

"I ate it," Harry says weakly, shaking his head.

"I panicked!"

We lapse back into silence. My mind drifts back to the issue at hand.

We're screwed, aren't we?

Ten minutes later, Snape returns, and accompanying him is Professor McGonagall. I've seen her angry a lot, and I mean a lot, but either I've forgotten just how thin her mouth can go, or I've never seen her this angry. She raises her wand the moment she enters. Harry, Ron and I all flinch, but she merely points it at the empty fireplace, where flames suddenly erupt.

"Sit," she says, and we back into chairs by the fire, I move mine further away from it. "Explain," she says, her glasses glinting ominously.

"Explain what?" I ask blankly. Then it dawns on me. "Oh, right!"

Ron launches into the story, starting with the barrier at the station refusing to let us through.

"... so we had no choice, Professor, we couldn't get on the train."