Jane Fizzle and the Philosophers Stone

Chapter 16

    Things can't have been worse.

    Flint takes them down to Professor B's study on the first floor, where they sit and wait without saying a word to each other. Gavin is trembling. Excuses, alibis, and wild cover- up stories chase each other around Jane's brain, each more feeble than the last. She can't see how they are going to get out of trouble this time. They are cornered. How could they have been so stupid as to forget the cloak? There is no reason on earth that Professor B would accept them for being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which is out-of-bounds except for classes. Add Kirito and the invisibility cloak, and they might as well be packing their bags already.

    Jane doesn't know how this can get any worse. But the answer comes when Professor B appears, leading William in with him gently. William's hair is bright red, clearly embarrassed. "William!" Jane gasps, all of them looking at him with shock. William weakly looks at Jane with a frown, Jane knowing why he's out. "You were trying to find us to warn us about Zane, right?"

    William nods weakly. Jane hasn't seen Professor B angry, and let's just say, Jane doesn't want to see him mad. "I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Flint says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves."

    It's the first time Gavin has ever failed to answer a teacher's question. He is staring at his slippers, as still as a statue.

    "I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on," Professor B starts, holding his two index fingers out in front of him, resuming his awkwardness, like he doesn't want to give the kids detention. "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Zane Sharp 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 Cipher here has heard the story and believed it, too?"

    Jane catches William's eye and tries to tell him without words that this isn't true, because William is looking stunned and hurt, his hair turning dark yellow for betrayal and his eyes tears up a little. Jane knows what it must've cost him to try and find them in the dark, to warn them, especially because Philip is his brother. He'll never hear the end of it.

    "I'm disgusted," Professor B sighs. "Four students out of bed in one night. I've never heard of such a thing before. You, Mr Woods, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Miss. Fizzle, I thought Slytherin meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions — yes, you too, Mr. Cipher, 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 Slytherin."

    "Fifty?" Jane gasps — they will lose the lead, the lead she's won in the last Quidditch match. And this is the first time Professor B addressed them as their last names. He normally calls them by their first names, like how everyone does for Robin.

    "Fifty points each," Professor B adds, breathing heavily through his nose, his eyes flashing green every few seconds and the four of them getting a little more nervous each time it happens.

    "Professor — please —"

    "You can't —"

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

    A hundred and fifty points lost. That puts Slytherin in last place. In one night, they ruined any chance for Slytherin to win the House Cup. Jane feels her stomach fall all the way down. How can they ever make up for this?

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    Jane doesn't sleep all night. She knows how scared William is, feeling it from all the way into her dorm room. The room feels colder than usual and Jane can hear the Black Lake move around like a hurricane is happening out there. She knows William, like herself, is dreading the dawn. What will happen when the rest of Slytherin finds out what they'd done?