✓ | RECKLESS AND BRAVE | Draco Malfoy

83 | ERLEBNISSE

"Into nonbeing, which is to say, everything."

"Nicely phrased," the eagle door knocker said, and the door swung open.

As soon as Amycus Carrow bursted into the scene, the rest of the Ravenclaws sprinted up the stairs at once and disappeared. When his eyes fell on his unconscious sister, he shouted furiously.

"What've they done, the little whelps? I'll Cruciate the lot of 'em till they tell me who did it — and what's the Dark Lord going to say? We haven't got them, and they've gorn and killed her!"

"She's only Stunned," McGonagall said impatiently after leaning over to inspect Alecto. "She'll be perfectly all right."

"No she bludgering well won't!" Amycus bellowed. "Not after the Dark Lord gets hold of her! She's gorn and sent for him, I felt me Mark burn, and he thinks we've got the Potters!"

"'Got the Potters'?" McGonagall repeated. "What do you mean, 'got the Potters'?"

"He told us the Potters might try and get inside Ravenclaw Tower, and to send for him if we caught them!"

Tessa paled as her stomach dropped to her feet. She shared a thunderstruck look with Harry who seemed just as appalled as she was.

"Why would Harry and Tessa Potter try to get inside Ravenclaw Tower? The Potters belong in my House!"

"We was told he might come in here!" Amycus said. "I dunno why, do I?"

     Exhaling sharply through her nose.m, McGonagall straightened herself and glanced around the room carefully. She looked passed where Tessa, Harry, and Luna stood twice.

     "We can push it off on the kids. Yeah, that's what we'll do. We'll say Alecto was ambushed by the kids, them kids up there and we'll say they forced her to press her Mark, and that's why he got a false alarm. He can punish them. Couple of kids more or less, what's the difference?"

     "Only the difference between truth and lies, courage and cowardice," McGonagall said stiffly, "a difference, in short, which you and your sister seem unable to appreciate. But let me make one thing very clear. You are not going to pass off your many ineptitudes on the students of Hogwarts. I shall not permit it."

     Amycus blinked once and stepped forward menacingly. "Excuse me?"

     McGonagall stood rooted to her spot, refusing to look away as she kept her stern gaze transfixed at him.

     "It's not a case of what you'll permit, Minerva McGonagall. Your time's over. It's us what's in charge here now, and you'll back me up or you'll pay the price."

     Then Amycus Carrow spat in her face.

     Luna didn't even have time to breathe before Harry pulled the Cloak off himself and Tessa. As Harry raised his wand, Tessa said coldly, "Hey, asshole — you shouldn't have done that."

     And when Amycus spun on his heel to face them, Harry shouted, "CRUCIO!"

     At once, he was lifted into the air and started writing miserably as he howled and shouted in pain. After what sounded like a bone crunching, he was sent crashing to the floor.

     "I see what Bellatrix meant," Harry said casually albeit through gritted teeth, "you need to really mean it."

     "Potters!" McGonagall exclaimed, a hand over her heart in surprise. "Potters — you're here! You're both here! What — ? How — ? Potters, that was foolish!"