Hermione Granger and the Sorcerer's Stone

The Centaurs

Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall's study.

Hermione was trembling as she and Harry sat down waiting for her.

How could she have been so stupid as to let him leave the Invisibility Cloak?! There was no point in lying now! She might as well just expel them at a moment's notice. No excuse could get them out of this.

Hermione was not ready to leave Hogwarts.

She was really enjoying herself and if Professr McGonagalll knew that they were out of bed, invisible, carrying a dragon, and going to the out-of-bounds Astronomy Tower.

When Professor McGonagall came she was with Neville.

Not him too! thought Hermione.

"Harry!" cried Neville. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag -"

Harry was shaking his head vigorously.

They were dead meat.

Neville had just confessed that the dragon story was true.

Hermione could see her King's Cross Station already. She was bound to end up expelled. She'd have to attend a Muggle school again. Could things get worse?

McGonagall looked as if she was about to breath fire.

"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."

Hermione wished she could answer, but the truth would lead to their expulsion.

She couldn't bring herself to answer. She stared at her slippers stiffly.

"I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on. It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco 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 Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?"

McGonagall couldn't have made up a more far off story.

Neville looked completely betrayed and upset. He had been so loyal he got out of bed, risked expulsion for them and this is what he got. Hermione couldn't feel more sorry for him.

"I'm disgusted. Four students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions - yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, 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."

Hermione knew what they did was wrong, but fifty points?!

"Fifty?" gasped Harry. They would now be behind Slytherin.

Fifty points each," breathed Professor McGonagall.

Now they would be behind every single House in the school! They'd lose toHufflepuff!

Hermione gasped. "Professor - please -!" she cried.

"You can't -!" cried Harry.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."

They all stalked back to Gryffindor Tower.

Neville was teary-eyed, Harry was dreading the following day, and Hermione was ashamed. She had lost all faith from Professor McGonagall in one night. It was pathetic. She was pathetic. She didn't understand how they could ever possibly forget Harry's Invisibility Cloak.