I Open at the Close

1

Harry fell back on his bed. He'd had a long day of classes. Snape had taken five points from Gryffindor when Harry had dropped some of the ingredients for the potion they'd been making.

"You'll need to be more careful Potter." Snape had said, "Drop your cauldron like that and you'll kill us all."

Harry had only dropped his ingredients because Goyle had knocked his shoulder pushing past him. But Snape seemed to miss that.

"How far along are you in your transfiguration home work?" Ron asked from his bed, "I haven't started. Can I copy off you?"

Harry rolled over, picking his scroll out of his bag, "Here." He tossed it to Ron, "Be carful though, McGonagal will notice if ours are the same. And she's not afraid of taking points away from us." He rolled back on to his back, "Unlike Snape." He grumbled

Harry was beginning to contemplate going to bed early when Neville came bursting into the room.

"Harry! Harry!" Neville's eyes were wide open, he looked crazed, wide eyed and out of breath. His cheeks were pink, likely from running.

"Are you ok?" Harry shot up to a sitting position

Ron looked up from his own scroll, "Is Malfoy bothering you again?"

Neville shook his head wordlessly, taking a moment to catch his breath, "You need to go to Dumbledore's office." Neville looked at Ron, "You too Ron."

"We didn't even do anything!" Ron tossed his homework aside

Harry slid off of his bed, "We did sneak out to duel Malfoy."

"That was months ago. And we didn't get caught anyway." Ron put his wand in the pocket of his robe, "And we didn't get in trouble for the thing with the troll."

Harry looked at Neville, whose pink cheeks were now pale, as if he'd seen something awful, "Did Dumbledore tell you why he wants us?"

"I'm not allowed to say." Neville's voice shook, he wrung his hands, "You should go now, and get there quick." He added, "McGonagal is going to take you"

Harry and Ron shared a confused look, but did as they were told. They walked down the steps leading to the common room. Where McGonagal was waiting with a very nervous looking Hermione.

"You too?" Ron asked Hermione, "What's going on?" He asked McGonagal

She didn't answer his question, "Come along. I'll be taking you to see Professor Dumbledore."

The other students in the common room began to whisper as the four walked out of the portrait hole. What could have three first years done to deserve a trip to the Headmasters office?

Ron and Harry kept asking Professor McGonagal  questions that she continued to ignore until Ron turned his head to Hermione.

"Do you know anything?" He asked

"No." Hermione shook her head, "Professor McGonagal just came and got me from my room."

"Yea." Harry nodded, "Neville came running in."

"Interrupted my Transfiguration work," Ron glanced at McGonagal. "Whatever it is, he looked upset."

They arrived at a small one statue of a griffin.

"Acid Pop." McGonagal said to the statue.

The statue rotated to reveal a staircase.