Et Serpens album

Part 20 a

  Things couldn't have been worse.

        Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Excuses, alibis, and wild cover-up stories chased each other around Neville's mind. He couldn't see how they were going to get out of trouble this time. They were cornered. How could they have been so stupid as to forget the cloak? Vivienne is going to fold them like a lawn chair, what will he say. If Professor McGonagall won't kill them she will. 

        There was no reason on earth that Professor McGonagall would accept for their being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes. Add Norbert and the invisibility cloak, and they might as well be packing their bags already.

      Had Harry thought that things couldn't have been worse? He was wrong. When Professor McGonagall appeared but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the three of them.

"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 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. " 

Neville cursed in his head if only that fool kept his mouth shut. 

"I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall. "Four 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 Longbottom, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. 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. "

They were slightly relived but they know the real punishment is explaining this to Vivienne without her pulling his intestines out of his mouth and hanging him on the astronomy tower. 

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

Neville honestly didnt care much for the house cup it was clearly a load of dung but the the pair behind him could differ.

"Professor -- please--"

"You can't--"

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Weasley, Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students. "

 A hundred and fifty points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup. Harry felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. How could they ever make up for this?

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 a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread:   the famous Longbottom, had lost them all those points, him and a couple of other stupid first years.

Vivienne alomst glared them to death, Ron would swear on his life that they saw the gate way to tarturus in her eyes, they glowed a horrifying colour, they now knew she didnt have normal eyes.

"They'll all forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them. "

"They've never lost a hundred and fifty points in one go, though, have they?" said Neville sarcasticlly.

"Well ,no," Ron admitted.

"Ahh yes the third years glaring at us from the corner is a good tell," they looked to see the two ravenclaw girls givening them a dirty look. 

Neville noticed that in their infamy Vivienne had bbecome more famous the Slytherin house seem to mind their selves more around her and once she made eye contact with a girl in their year Tracy Davis she bursted out into tears. 

Ron was picking up on it too "Vivienne, we know you dont have the ,most comforting personality but why are they looking at you like a god of war," he asked confused. 

Vivienne remembers and said "I broke Draco's arm," 

They stop what they were doing and stared at their friend. "What!" they shout. 

Vivienne put her finger over her lips "It is a house secret," she calmly eplained how Draco chocked her and she broke his arm in self defence. 

"Snaping the bone of someones wrist, that is a bit, excessive," Nevile said he saw Draco arm in a slinger and Band-Aids for a while but Vivienne did that. He found it hard to believe Vivienne who was always the weakest broke someone's hand with her small hands. 

"Small hand imagine how soft Draco bones must be," Ron mumbled causing Neville to giggle. 

"Napoleon fingers," Neville said back as they laughed. They noticed the students in the hall clared like the red sea looking at them in pity. They looked at the end of the hall to see Vivienne standing their looking at them. 

This is how mice see a boa when they are about to be eaten. Neville felt the urge to pray to Jesus to make peace if their is a god. She smiled and walked away with is some how the most terrifing thing they saw. 

Neville sighed he cant believe finals are coming up and the year ending, he was glad that he could flex his herbology muscles he had a passion for this and charms. He sighed he wants to change his wand it was his fathers and did little for him but this gran insisted that it is best he used it. Vivienne caught on and decided to bring him to Ollivanders and get him a new one. 

He studied late into the night getting tutored by Vivienne on Potions and History his weaker subjects and now he know what he is doing. She covered everything from complcated potions,  learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions he could probably tell you all the goblin kings half cousins and disown grand children by heart. 

  The following morning, notes were delivered to Neville and Hermione at the breakfast table. They were all the same:

Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight.

Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.

Professor McGonagall

Neville felt the usuall urge to strangle Draco but he buried that urge down. 

At eleven o'clock that night, they said good-bye to Ron in the common room and went down to the entrance hall Draco standing their looking displeased. It put a smile on his face, but he stoped because it was rather unsettling for him to be grinning like an idiot at detention. 

 "Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside. He had a 5 meter distance between him and Filch. 

  "I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them. Hermione cringed moving closer to Neville."Oh yes, hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me. . . It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out, hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed,  Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do. "

Neville never wanted to kink shame so bad in his life. 

He wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted.The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout.

"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started. "