ᴀ ᴅ ʀ ɪ ᴇ ɴ ɴ ᴇ [1]

23. mars is bright tonight

chapter twenty-three

MARS IS BRIGHT TONIGHT

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AT ELEVEN O'CLOCK THAT NIGHT, a forlorn Harry, Sas, Hermione and I trudge down to the entrance hall, where Neville, Malfoy and Filch are waiting. We'd all received notes this morning, courtesy of Professor McGonagall, telling us to gather here at this time for the second half of our punishment. I'd forgotten we had to serve a detention over the furor of lost points, and expected Hermione to complain over a whole night of lost studying. She, however, feels just like me; we deserve all we get.

As we step off the marble staircase, Malfoy hurries up to Sas, who pulls him sideways.

"I'm so sorry," I hear him hiss. "Sierra said-"

Sas cuts him off, placing a finger over his lips.

"I know - thanks. No-"

"Enough chit-chat," says Filch, igniting an oil lamp. "You're here for detention, not friendly catch-ups. Follow me."

He leads us through the grand oak doors, out into the grounds, and though I can't feel it, I can almost see the biting cold as Malfoy and Sas recoil against it, being the first out. Harry tenses next to me, and I shrug off my cloak, draping it around his shoulders.

"Ada," he begins, surely to protest, but I cut him off.

"Keep it," I hiss. "I don't need it - can't feel cold, remember?"

Harry sighs to show his obvious displeasure, but keeps the cloak tight around his shoulders, grateful for the extra warmth it brings.

"Good boy," I grin, ruffling his hair. "We can't have the Boy Who Lived contracting hypothermia, now can we?"

"Shut up."

"I bet you'll think twice about breaking school rules again, eh?" Filch sneers as he leads us down the sloping lawns, leering at us. "Oh yes . . . hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me . . . it's just a pity they let the old punishments die out . . . hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've still got the chains in my office, keep 'em well oiled in the case they're ever needed . . . And don't think of running off now, it'll be worse if you do."

We continue marching across the moonlit grounds, clouds occasionally scudding across the silver orb in the sky, flooding the world in inky darkness. Neville sniffs, and I wonder what our detention will include. To cause Filch such an obvious delight, it must be something rather horrible. Pinpricks of light stab out of the darkness ahead, glowing from the windows of Hagrid's cabin. A shout rings out across the empty grounds, Hagrid's gruff voice lightening the foreboding weight on my chest considerably.

"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."

I can feel the relief in Harry's posture as he relaxes next to me, and know that he's thinking along the same lines as me. If we're going to be with Hagrid, then detention won't be all that bad. The reassurance, however, must have shown on my face, because Filch says, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, girl - it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece."

Neville lets out a little moan, and Malfoy, in the middle of a quick conversation with Sas, stops dead in his tracks.

"The forest?" Malfoy blanches, sounding not nearly as cool nor indifferent as usual. "We can't go in a night - there's all sorts of things in there - werewolves, I heard."