Redemption

47

The twittering of hurried whispers emanating from the Great Hall the following morning was the unmistakeable sign of gossip. Another day of drama at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Careful not to injure myself further, I pushed the door open with my right hand, keeping my left glued to my body. I had some difficulty given the awkwardness of the task, though I managed all the same, my arm nearly catching on the handle.

Minerva pulled out my chair as I approached the staff. I offered her a small smile in thanks, before remembering that she had been one of the people to walk in on the effects of the love potion. My face heated very quickly, my heart twanging in pain.

I felt I should apologise for what she saw. It was so improper and against the school code of conduct. "Headmistress..."

She waved me off. "Take a look at the paper, dearie."

I swallowed thickly, horror widening my eyes like saucers. Oh gods, this couldn't be good.

I gingerly took the rolled newspaper from the fingers, hand shaking uncontrollably. I lay it flat on the table, smoothing out the page.

Big bold letters decorated the headline. They were precisely what I had been expecting.

Scandal at Hogwarts

The subtitle and following story, however, were completely out of the ordinary. I would have never even hoped to se something different adorning the cover of the most read paper in wizarding Britain.

Hogwarts: Safe Place or Devil's Playground?

Aurors Harry J. Potter and Ronald B. Weasley are responsible for the discovery of illegal substances smuggled into the ancient castle sometime yesterday afternoon. It has been reported that they were stolen from Malfoy Manor several weeks prior, following the disappearance of Miss Ella Mitchell, Head of the Board of Education.

Coincidence? We beg to differ. Residue of Polyjuice Potion and excessively potent Cupiditas Carnis mixed with Amortentia was found in a lavatory sink in the dungeons.

Continuous events seem to affect the Potions' Master and his apprentice in particular. Why? We have reason to believe Miss Mitchell is behind the acts.

Is she working alone? Does she have an accomplice? No one knows.

All we know is that she is a known murderer out and about with dangerous substances and access to the school's interior.

Tread lightly.

I couldn't believe what I was reading. They discovered that we had been drugged. It was too good to be true. There was no way Rita Skeeter would miss out on writing such a juicy article.

I ripped through the rest of the paper hurriedly. Not a single mention of the incident.

I looked up at McGonagall, a million questions racing through my mind. "Potter and Weasley are in my office awaiting your arrival. They will have more answers."

Without so much as a word, I ran through the Hall, grazing by Snape on my way own. He had called out to me, but I couldn't stop now. I needed to know what the devil was going on.

I spat the password, sprinting up the steps, barging through the door. Surely enough, Harry and Ron were waiting for me. They both came to me quickly, wrapping their arms around me.