ON MY WAY {HP X SHADOWHUNTERS} [DISCONTINUED]

THE FORBIDDEN FOREST

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. Teddy was trembling. Excuses, alibis, and wild cover- up stories chased each other around Hayley's brain, each more feeble than the last. She 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? 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 Hayley thought that things couldn't have been worse? She was wrong. When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Draco. 

"Hayley! Teddy!" Draco 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 --" Hayley shook her head violently to shut Draco up, 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 Teddy had ever failed to answer a teacher's question. He 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 Aries 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 Malfoy here heard the story and believed it, too?" Draco gulped as he and Hayley glanced at each other.

"I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall. "Four students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Mr. Lupin, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Ms. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions --yes, you too, Mr. Malfoy, 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." McGonagall announced "Fifty?" Hayley gasped -- they would lose the lead, the lead she'd won in the last Quidditch match. "Fifty points each," said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose.

"That's unfair," James cried.

"Yeah we've done worse things and still haven't lost that many points" Sirius protested. 

"Pads, Prongs. its just not about some silly points, there's clearly much more going on" Remus said, frowning slightly. 

"Exactly," Lily said, agreeing with Remus.

"Professor -- please" Teddy stuttered. "You can't --" Draco and Hayley protested "Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter, Malfoy. 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. Hayley felt as though the bottom had dropped out of her stomach. How could they ever make up for this?Hayley didn't sleep all night. She could hear Teddy sobbing into his pillow for what seemed like hours. Hayley couldn't think of anything to say to comfort him. She knew, Teddy and Draco, like herself, were dreading the dawn. What would happen when the rest of Gryffindor found out what they'd done? 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: Hayley Potter, the famous Hayley Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, her and her stupid friends. From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school, Hayley was suddenly the most hated.