There's Another Riddle? (Harry Potter) ON HOLD

Chapter 16 The So Called Forbidden Forest

Chapter 16

“Harry!” Neville burst out, the moment the other two were in sight. “I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag—” 

  Harry shook his head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the four of us. 

  “I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It’s one o’clock in the morning. Explain yourselves.” 

  It was the first time Hermione had ever failed to answer a teacher’s question. She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue. I was just as speechless, an angry McGonnagall is not fun.

  “I think I’ve got a good idea of what’s been going on,” said Professor McGonagall. “It doesn’t take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I’ve already caught him. I suppose you think it’s funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too? Jess here was probably trying to keep Neville out of your dirty plan, but failed.” 

  Neville was looking stunned and hurt I shot him a sympathetic smile, hoping to later explain better. Harry owed Neville big time, it took us a lot to try and find them and poor Neville doesn't even fully know whats going on.

  “I’m disgusted,” said Professor McGonagall. “Five students out of bed in one night! I’ve never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All four of you will receive detentions — yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom and Ms. Dekeyrel, nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it’s very dangerous — and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor.” 

“Fifty?” Harry gasped — we would lose the lead, the lead Harry had won in the last Quidditch match. 

  “Fifty points each,” said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose. 

 “Professor — please —” 

 “You can’t —” 

  “Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I’ve never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students.” 

  Two hundred points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, we’d ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup. How could we ever make up for it? Plus Snape's going to kill me, oh dear. I had forgotten all about him. I'm ruined.

  At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there’d been a mistake. How could they suddenly have two hundred points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, him and a couple of other stupid first years. 

 When Snape found out he was beyond pissed. Sherlock was even scared of him, and he isn't scared easily.

"How could you be so irresponsible!" He shouted. Snape made me go to his home in the dungeons for sake of privacy. "As much as I enjoy the fact that Gryffindor is now losing. I cannot condone your actions. On top of your other detention you will have one with me the week after. Understood."

I meekly nodded, and left as quick as I could. Sherlock and I couldn't wait to get out.

  Harry was having a very bad time, everyone was mad at him. Hermione, Neville, and myself were suffering, too. We didn’t have as bad a time as Harry, because we weren’t as well-known, but nobody would speak to Hermione or Neville, either. They spoke to me because I made up for my failures in classes and my charm. Hermione had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence. Poor Neville was already feeling bad this year, but this made it worse on the kid. I tried keeping him company as often as I could.