Parseltongue Pandemonium - a Drarry fanfic

Chapter 7 - The Sentence

The two boys got to Transfiguration on time, but Harry's essay, which hadn't even been started at breakfast, was still far from done, and Professor McGonagall was far from pleased.

"Mr Potter! Mr Malfoy!!" Their professor's sharp voice echoed through the classroom, loud enough to be heard by everyone, even over the babble of talk that had broken out when the bell had rung seconds before.

"I have yet to get your completed essay," McGonagall told them sternly.

"I'm sorry," Harry muttered. "I was busy last night."

"Surely you could have done it before last night, Mr Potter?" McGonagall said resignedly, shaking her head.

"Well, you see Professor," Harry rambled, "I didn't know I was going to be busy. Something er, came up."

"Well Mr Potter, I should hope you manage your time more efficiently in the future. It is quite impolite to treat your assignments so carelessly, seeing as your grade is shared by Mr Malfoy."

"I'm really sorry," mumbled Harry, staring at his shoes. Draco could feel the distinct slump of his shoulders from his spot there.

McGonagall then started on Draco.

"Mr Malfoy, I would have thought you would have reminded Mr Potter of this piece of homework? I hope for your sake that you did not expect Mr Potter to do all of your work for you. Just because you are in a bit of a predicament, does not mean you cannot assist in the writing of essays at least. Wand movements I understand, but I am certain you can narrate an essay."

"I can Professor. I normally do. I was just... busy last night as well."

Harry rolled his eyes and recited, "I can Professor. I normally do. I was just... bust last night as well."

Professor McGonagall stared down at the pair in disappointment. "Boys," she said finally, "I've been teaching here for more than thirty years! Did you really not expect me to catch your avoidance of the topic and your rather lame excuses? Tell me, what were you really doing last night?"

"We... were..." Harry mumbled, racking his head for a cover up story.

"Please get on with it, Mr Potter, or I will have to take five points from Gryffindor for withholding information!"

"Ok, sorry Professor," Harry waffled. McGonagall gave him a very stern look and Harry gave up. He spoke into the near empty room; everyone else had left already.

"Well Professor," He began, "Last night me and Draco-"

"Draco and I!" muttered the snake.

"Draco and I," Harry amended. "Well, we were in the library, and we had a bit of an argument."

"We didn't argue!" Draco argued. "You were just being a drama queen. I was very polite and mannerly!"

Harry sighed. "So maybe we didn't argue. I might have overreacted to part of our conversation and left."

McGonagall stared at Harry shrewdly. Keeping the obvious displeasure from her voice she said, "Am I to assume, Mr Potter, that when you left the library you were very much alone?" When Harry nodded glumly she shook her head. "Very well, what happened next?"

"I left the library, and then went down to the Quidditch pitch. I wasn't really thinking. I was mad, and ashamed by my behavior, so I really didn't want to see Draco. It didn't really occur to me until later that evening, how much danger he might have been in."

"Then what did you do?" McGonagall asked despairingly.

"Well, I went back to the library to look for him, but he wasn't there. I was confused and so I kept looking for him. I asked some people who had been in the library at the same time, and they hadn't seen him. I didn't know what else to do, so I just kept searching the school."