Bella and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Ron seemed to be having the same thoughts as he stumbled forward, a panicked look on his face.

"You'd both better run for it! If Malfoy tells anyone - you'd better get back to the castle, quick -"

"See you later," Harry said, and without another word, we tore back down the path towards Hogsmeade.

Would Malfoy believe what he had seen? Would anyone believe Malfoy? Nobody knew about the Invisibility Cloak - well, nobody except Dumbledore. My stomach turned over - Dumbledore would know exactly what had happened... if Malfoy said anything...

Back into Honeydukes, back down the cellar steps, across the stone floor, through the trapdoor - I pulled off the Cloak, passed it Harry who tucked it under his arm, and ran, flat out along the passage...Malfoy would get back first...how long would it take him to find a teacher? Panting, a sharp pain in my side, we didn't slow down until we reached the stone slide. We both decided we would have to leave the Cloak where it was, it was too much of a giveaway if Malfoy had tipped off a teacher. Harry hid it in a shadowy corner, then we started to climb, fast as we could, our sweaty hands slipping on the sides of the chute. We reached inside the witch's hump, I tapped it with my wand, stuck my head through and hoisted myself out, Harry following; the hump closed, and just as we jumped out from behind the statue, we heard quick footsteps approaching. 

It was Snape. He approached us at a swift walk, his black robes swishing, then stopped in front of us. 

"So," he said.

There was a look of suppressed triumph about him. I tried to look innocent, all too aware of my sweaty face and my muddy hands, which I quickly hid in my pockets.

"Come with me, the both of you," Snape said.

We followed him downstairs, I was trying to wipe my hands clean on the inside of my robes without Snape noticing. We walked down the stairs into the dungeons and then into Snape's office. I had only been in here once before, and I had been in very serious trouble then, too. Snape had acquired a few more horrible slimy things in jars since last time, all standing on shelves behind his desk, glinting in the firelight and adding to the threatening atmosphere.

"Sit," Snape ordered.

We sat. Snape, however, remained standing.

"Mr Malfoy has just been to see me with a strange story, Potter," Snape said. 

Crap. 

We didn't say anything. 

"He tells me that he was up by the Shrieking Shack when he ran into Weasley - apparently alone"

Still, we didn't speak.

"Mr Malfoy states he was standing talking to Weasley, when a large amount of mud hit him on the back of the head. How do you think that could have happened?"

I looked at Harry who was clearly trying to look mildly surprised. 

"I don't know, Professor," he answered. 

"I've heard the Shrieking Shack is very haunted," I said, playing with my fingers.

Snape's eyes were boring into mine and Harry's. It was exactly like trying to stare out a Hippogriff. I tried so hard not to blink.

"Mr Malfoy then saw an extraordinary apparition. Can you imagine what it might have been, Potter?"

"No," Harry said, now trying to sound innocently curious.

"It was your head, Potter. Floating in mid-air"

There was a long silence. Time for me to try and fix this.