Lucy Snape and the Half-Blood Princess (Book Six)

Peculiar Plan

Chapter 23: Peculiar Plan 

"There you are!" 

Lucy, Matt and Dean all spun around to see Mr Filch thundering towards them. They hadn't long been in the castle despite their short trek up to it. They had just talked so much they'd lost track of time and where they were going.

Filch ignored the presence of Lucy and Dean, instead he grabbed hold of the collar on Matt's coat. Filch looked at him in disgust. 

"You've got a detention with Professor Snape tonight, arranged by me, young man," Filch hissed in his face, or just about. Matt could possibly be the tallest student in the school. Matt flinched away, Filch's breath was vile. "It's just as well I saw you here, isn't it? Otherwise you would have been tardy." 

"No I wasn't, I was just heading there now," Matt lied as Mrs Norris circled him like he was her prey. 

"Well considering you're heading in the direction of the dungeons, I don't think you are. Now hurry up, we don't want to keep Professor Snape waiting." 

Filch dragged Matt away, Matt turned around to face Lucy. "You'll meet me up there?" 

"Of course," Lucy nodded, she and Dean tagged slowly behind while Filch dragged Matt up to Snape's classroom. 

They were there in no time at all and so they were not noticed, Lucy and Dean hid in a nearby cupboard. They would enter shortly after Matt had, after all, they couldn't make it too obvious to Snape about Lucy being with Matt. 

"Here's your latest student for detention!" Lucy heard Filch announce proudly to Snape as he entered the classroom with a miserable looking Matt. 

"Another one? So glad he could join us but I fear I haven't got enough company today," Snape sighed as he looked up at Shona who was the only other person to have a detention today. 

"Who'd want to keep you company?" Shona snorted. 

"Nobody asked for your opinion, McGuire," Snape groaned then turned back to Filch. "Sit him down, before he writes lines we have to discuss why he's here." 

"He's the stubborn type, Professor," Filch warned but Snape's mouth just twisted into a crooked grin. 

"Do you really think a stubborn teenage boy bothers me, Mr Filch?" 

"Of course not," Filch did a small bow before running out with Mrs Norris who stuck her tail up in the air proudly. 

Snape set down the quill he had been writing with and then paid full attention to Matt. "Mr Jarvin, yes?" 

Matt nodded. 

Snape stood up and walked around his desk with a small smile. "I thought I'd be hearing your name a bit more often than usual, after all, you are supposed to be the biggest trouble maker in the school," Snape's smile dropped. He slammed his hand down on the desk in front of him. "Not anymore." 

"Sir?" Matt wondered in confusion. 

"I am fed up of you being an ignorant boy who thinks it's his God given right to parade the halls of Hogwarts, causing some kind of trouble wherever he goes! It is in no way accepted or tolerated here at Hogwarts!" 

"What have I done here that makes you say that?" 

"Many things, too many to list." 

Matt was starting to get annoyed. "Go on then, list them. I've got all night." 

"We both know what you've done, why state the obvious?" Snape then darted forward and placed his hands on Matt's desk. "And if it carries on, Jarvin, I will personally have you expelled from this school!"