Always Together

20. Trouble

Omg, I'm soooooo sorry! I meant to upload yesterday, but I got distracted watching Emma, or whatever that  enormous film is called ... Well, thank you very much for reading and supporting me! I'll update tomorrow between my hours — okay, minutes — studying History.

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Chapter 20 | trouble

They all spun around. There, his black robes rippling in a cold breeze, stood Severus Snape. He was a thin man with sallow skin, a hooked nose, and greasy, shoulder-length black hair, and at this moment, he was smiling in a way that told Caitlyn that she, Ron and Harry were in very deep trouble.

"Follow me," said Snape.

Not daring even to look at each other, Harry, Ron and Caitlyn followed Snape up the steps into the vast, echoing entrance hall, which was lit with flaming torches to the dungeons.

"In!" he demanded, opening a door halfway down the cold passageway and pointing.

They entered Snape's office, shivering. The shadowy walls were lined with shelves of large glass ars, in which floated all manner of revolting things Caitlyn didn't really want to know the name of at the moment. The fireplace was dark and empty. Snape closed the door and turned to look at them.

"So," he said softly, "the train isn't good enough for the famous Harry Potter, his faithful sidekick Weasley and, for my surprise, Caitlyn Montrose. Wanted to arrive with a bang, did we, now?"

"No, sir, it was the barrier at King's Cross, it —" started Harry, but was later interrupted.

"Silence!" said Snape coldly. "What have you done with the car?"

Ron gulped. This wasn't the first time Snape had given Harry the impression of being able to read minds. But a moment later, he, Ron and Caitlyn understood, as Snape unrolled today's issue of the Evening Prophet.

"You were seen," he hissed, showing them the headline: 'Flying Ford Anglia Mystifies Muggles'. He began to read aloud: "Two muggles in London, convinced they saw an old car flying over the Post Office tower ... at noon in Norfolk, Mrs Hetty Bayliss, while hanging out her washing ... Mr Angus Fleet, of Peebles, reported to police ... Six or seven muggles in all. I believe your father works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office?" he said, looking up at Ron and smiling still more nastily. "Dear, dear ... his own son ..."

If anyone found out Mr Weasley had bewitched the car ... he hadn't thought of that ....

"I noticed, in my search of the park, that considerable damage seems to have been done to a very valuable Whomping Willow," Snape went on.

"That tree did more damage to us than we —" Ron blurted out.

"Silence!" snapped Snape again. "Most unfortunately, you are not in my House, Potter and Weasley, and the decision to expel you does not rest with me. I shall go and fetch the people who do have that happy power. However, Montrose, you are indeed in my house and I tell you that you are in a great deal of trouble. You will wait here."

Harry and Ron stared at each other, white-faced.

Then they looked at Caitlyn, who was even paler than the two of them together. She felt dizzy and sick — blood still on her hands and face, her hair very badly combed. She was actually a little bit scared. Had Snape said the word 'expel'? She was in a lot of trouble indeed. She couldn't be expelled! She couldn't! Plus, Uncle Lucius and Aunt Narcissa would be very much angry and they'd probably sent her to Beauxbatons, and she didn't know any French — oh, the horror!

Ten minutes later, Snape returned, and sure enough it was Professor McGonagall who accompanied him. Harry had seen Professor McGonagall angry on several occasions, but either he had forgotten just how thin her mouth could go, or he had never seen her this angry before. She raised her wand the moment she entered; Harry and Ron both flinched, but she merely pointed it at the empty fireplace, where flames suddenly erupted.