The Hollow Beneath Hogwarts

47. Black Magic

Professor McGonagall actually gasped. An honest-to-Merlin gasp. Not because she thought Sloane was wrong.

Quite the opposite.

She knew all too well that the girl had just highlighted a very real issue.The problem was that she'd done it with all the subtlety of a Blasting Curse. Several members of the board looked equally stunned.

Others simply looked uncomfortable.

"Excuse me?" Nicola asked, blinking rapidly.

The room had gone from laughter to awkward silence in record time.

Before Sloane could respond, Joanna spoke. "She is not wrong." The room turned towards her. Joanna folded her arms. "I certainly don't like the idea of sending my daughter to school only for someone to slip her a love potion."

Her expression hardened. "Especially if that potion leaves her vulnerable to behaving completely out of character."

Evanora gave a small, dismissive smile. "I think that says more about your daughter than it does the potion."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. Joanna slowly turned her head.

Blaise sat forward. "Would you be willing to take a love potion right here and now to see how you react?"

The question hit Evanora like a Stunning Spell. "Absolutely not!"

"Why not?" Blaise asked innocently.

Evanora opened her mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again. "Because that's absurd."

"Is it?" Blaise leaned back in his chair. "Or is it because you know perfectly well that you would behave differently than you normally would?"

Several people shifted uncomfortably.

Sloane folded her arms. "Perhaps more impulsively?"

Evanora's face darkened. "Miss Sage—"

"Perhaps more emotionally?" Sloane continued. "Perhaps more recklessly?" A few people exchanged looks. "Perhaps even more..." Sloane paused deliberately. "Promiscuously?"

Evanora immediately blushed. The silence that followed was deafening.

Sloane nodded. "My point exactly."

Several members of the panel suddenly found their booklets fascinating.

Sloane continued. "Using a love potion on someone should be a serious offence." The humour vanished entirely. "Not detention." She shook her head. "Not losing house points." Her voice became firmer. "It should be treated as a criminal act."

Now even Nicola was listening carefully.

"If somebody slips a love potion into your drink without your knowledge and it leads to sexual activity..."

Sloane paused.

"...then there is a very strong argument that a crime has been committed. Rape being the one that springs to mind."

The room went completely silent. "Miss Sage!" Nicola gasped.

"I am serious." For once, there wasn't a trace of humour in Sloane's voice. She looked around the room.

"Let's use a hypothetical example." She turned towards Harry and Draco. "Sorry, boys."

Draco immediately looked concerned. Harry looked equally worried. Neither trusted where this was heading.

"Let's imagine that I am dating Draco."

Several people immediately glanced between them. Draco suddenly found the ceiling fascinating.