Me and Harry were quite fearful of what was going to happen next. I gripped his hand tightly, scared.
He squeezed my hand, and the two of us were waiting for the big blow up.
We waited in McGonagall's study and she came in, with Neville. "Harry, Joy, I tried to find you so I could warn you, Malfoy said you guys had a.."
One look from McGonagall shut him up.
"This is unbelievable!" McGonagall scolded us. "Never would I have imagined that students would be on the Astronomy Tower when they should be in bed! Explain!"
I opened my mouth but no words came out. I couldn't betray Hagrid so I didn't speak.
"I'm disgusted, four students out of bed in one night! I thought Gryffindor meant more to you, Mr Potter and I thought you had more sense, Miss Jones. The three of you will receive detention and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor!"
"Fifty?!" Harry gasped.
"Fifty points each!"
"But Professor, you can't.." I stuttered. "Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Jones, bed! All of you!"
We hung our heads in shame and we went back to the tower. One hundred and fifty points gone in one night.
I crawled into bed and Hermione tip toed over. "How did it go?"
"Filch caught us," I told her. She gaped. "And we got a lot of points taken off us and detention."
"Oh, Joy."
"Don't say 'I told you so', please?"
Hermione sat on my bed and wrapped her arm around me. "It's okay, I won't."
"My aunt will be so disappointed in me," I sighed. "Not if you don't tell her," Hermione pointed out.
"I wonder what my dad would think," I murmured.
***
Me and Harry were bloody miserable the next morning. It wasn't just the Gryffindors who were mad at us, but the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws too.
They focused on Harry the most as he was more well known in the school, as for me and Neville, we were just the accomplices.
I was still mad that we got more points taken off us than bloody Malfoy.
One of the Slytherins clapped me on the back, saying thanks, which I didn't appreciate.
One of the Prefects gave me a note in the morning. Harry and I had lost all interest in stopping Snape from getting the Stone.
Detention was at eleven tonight according to the note.
But relief reached my face once I knew we'd be with Hagrid for detention.
"I don't think you'll enjoy yourself," Filch taunted me. "You're going into the Forest."
"The Forest?" Malfoy stuttered. "But there's werewolves in there!"
It's not even a full moon! That idiot.
I scoffed loudly. "You're scared, just admit it."
"Am not!" Malfoy insisted.
"Are too!" I retorted.
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"AM NOT!"
"ARE TOO!"
"You two shut up!" Filch scolded us. "Alright, Harry? Joy?" Hagrid greeted us. "They're in trouble, remember that," Filch grunted.
"I'm not going into that forest!" Malfoy insisted after Filch left. "Then you should've thought twice before sticking your nose where it doesn't belong," I mumbled under my breath.
"Did you say something, Jones?"
"Oh, I have plenty to say to you, you utter..."
"Joy!" Harry elbowed me. "Later."
I sighed and rolled my eyes.
"Do you see this silver pool?" Hagrid pointed at the edge of the forest. "This is unicorn blood. We are going to try to find the unicorn but we might have to put it out of its misery, there are three paths we could possibly take. Harry, take Fang and go down the middle, I'll go with Neville and Joy, you and Malfoy will go down that way. Now, if you find the unicorn, send up green sparks, if you get into trouble, send up red sparks."
Harry gave me a sad smile as me and Malfoy went down the path. "Lumos," I whispered and my wand lit up. "So..Jones.."
"Don't talk to me," I grumbled. "Now I know your mother is Alivia Jones but what about Daddy dearest? Where's he?" he asked me. "Geez, don't you have a verbal filter?" I groaned.
"I was just asking," Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Well, don't," I rolled my eyes back at him.
"It's not werewolves, is it?"
"It's not a full moon," I pointed out. "You won't get ripped to pieces."
"So, anyway, why is your father not around?"
I sighed angrily and faced Malfoy. "Why do you want to know about him?"
"I was just curious!"
"Well, don't be!"
I bit my lip and kept walking. "I don't ask about your life so don't ask me about mine."
"I wonder why that oaf paired us up?"
"Because I'm the one that tolerates your crap," I sighed. "How's that black eye?"
It was Malfoy's turn to roll his eyes.
A twig snapped and Malfoy clutched onto my robes out of fear. "Get off!" I scolded him.
"But there's something in there!"
"Malfoy, there's nothing there, now shut up," I grumbled.
I heard something growl and my eyes widened. "What was that?"
"There! I was right and you were wrong!" Malfoy stated. "I told you there was something there!"
"Do you want a medal?!"
Something came out of the bushes and growled at us. Malfoy screamed like a little girl and he ran away.
It was a wolf, not a werewolf, just a wolf.
Okay, maybe Malfoy had a point.
It was looking at me with its dark eyes, at least I knew it wasn't a werewolf because I'd be dead by now.
"Easy there, boy," I whispered to it. "I'm not gonna hurt you."
It slowly walked up to me and sniffed my hand. It whined and gave my hand a small lick before running off.
That wolf was going to rip Malfoy to pieces but it didn't want to hurt me. Maybe it could sense that part of me.
It hit me that I was alone in the forest. "Oh crud," I sighed and I started to make my way back.
I heard voices, human voices. I knew I was at the edge. "You left her there?!"
"It was a big wolf!"
It was Harry and Malfoy. "Relax boys!" I came out of the forest. "I'm okay."
Harry breathed a sigh of relief and hugged me. "Was there a wolf?" Neville asked me. "It didn't want to hurt me," I told him.
"It wanted to hurt me!" Malfoy protested. "Understandable," Harry murmured to me.
***
Although, Harry's journey in the forest was way more fascinating than mine.
"You saw You-Know-Who?" I gasped.
"Snape is trying to get the Stone for Voldemort," Harry explained to me and Ron. I flinched once I heard his name, as did Ron. "He'll be strong again if he gets his hands on it."
I stood up. "Then to hell with the House Cup!" I stated. "I care more about stopping You-Know-Who!"
Harry and Ron looked surprised by my sudden change of heart. "Stopping him is way more important than winning the cup, we have six more years here but we won't be able to do that if we're dead, are you guys with me?"
"Yes," Hermione said from the doorway. "Yes," Ron nodded. I looked at Harry and he gave a small nod.
"Yes."
"We have to figure out how to get past Fluffy first," Hermione said. "I may have a theory about the other enchantments," I piped up.
We gathered in a small circle as I shared my theory.