MAGIC AND MYSTERY

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Part 10

Filch took them down to McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Hermione was trembling. When McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.

"Harry!" Neville burst out, the moment he saw the other two. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag–"

Harry shook his head violently to shut Neville up, but McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the three of them.

There was a round of laughter at the statement.

"I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr Filch says you were up 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," McGonagall said. "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. I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?"

"Not at all what happened."

Neville was looking stunned and hurt. 

"I'm disgusted," McGonagall said. "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 Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions – yes, you too, Mr Longbottom, 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."

"Fifty?" Harry gasped.

"Fifty points each," McGonagall said, breathing heavily.

"Professor – please –"

"You can't –"

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

"Even us? We did worse than that Minnie, and we did not loose that many points," James said.

"Yeah but she was used to it and didn't want to set Gryffindor back too much," Remus explained.

"Sounds accurate," Marlene nodded. "And maybe if she taught Harry that it was wrong early enough he wouldn't turn out like James."

"Sounds more accurate," Lily nodded.

Harry didn't sleep all night. He could hear Neville sobbing into his pillow for hours. 

At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hour-glasses that recorded the house points 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: Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, him and a couple of other stupid first years.

"STUPID!" 

"You're not stupid, Hermione."

"I know, I most definitely am not."