Late October always came with a chill in the air, and this year was no exception. The castle was blanketed with darkness as midnight approached. Draco Malfoy shivered as he drew his robes closer around him and complained about the cold for the fourth time in as many minutes.
Professor McGonagall pursed her lips. "You wouldn't be cold if you had decided to stay in bed rather than wander the corridors in the middle of the night," she said without sympathy.
Draco scowled at her in response, though after making sure she faced the other direction. He couldn't believe he was getting in trouble just because he and his girlfriend, Pansy Parkinson, had lost track of time while kissing in a deserted classroom. They had heard McGonagall's footsteps coming down the corridor and sprinted in the other direction. Pansy had been lucky enough to turn the corner before the professor arrived, but Draco had tripped and now sullenly walked with McGonagall to her office to hear his punishment.
"Ten points from Slytherin next time you complain, Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall announced, hoping to forestall yet another protest from the spoiled sixteen year old walking next to her. "You're not getting out of detention, no matter how rich and influential your family is." Even with Lucius in Azkaban, she thought.
"No, that's not it! I hear voices coming from that corridor."
She looked over at him. "This better not be another attempt to get out of trouble."
Raising her wand, she extinguished the light it emitted and gestured for Draco to stay where he was.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione crept through the second floor corridor, past two suits of armor and a snoring portrait of a gray haired wizard. They had been lucky enough to avoid Peeves so far.
"Where the bloody hell are we," Ron hissed after stubbing his toe in the darkness for the second time.
"Shut up," Harry whispered. "Do you want to get caught?"
"I can't believe we didn't realize we left the invisibility cloak at Hagrid's!" Hermione's disbelief at their stupidity (especially after having done the same thing on a different adventure during their first year) had not yet dissipated. The three of them peered around the corner to check for teachers.
"I should have known."
Ron jumped as he heard the stern voice of Professor McGonagall coming from right behind them. Harry and Hermione, similarly startled, exchanged a hopeless look before turning to face their head of house. They knew that their records, not to mention lack of any good explanation, ensured that they would again be spending quite some time in detention...
"I can't believe you three are wandering the corridors again after all that has happened to you. Follow me to my office."
Harry wracked his brain, trying to think of some excuse that would explain away their rule-breaking. Nothing presented itself to him. He glanced hopefully at Hermione for help, but she was staring at the ground angrily as she followed McGonagall through the hallway. He sighed. Hopefully McGonagall was in a good mood and would just give them detention instead of taking away house points like she had the last time she caught them.
Ron nudged Harry, jarring him out of his thoughts. "What's he doing here?"
Harry looked up to see a familiar sneer pointed in his direction. He sighed again and revised his early wish: All he wanted was not to be stuck in detention with Malfoy, forced to listen to his snide comments.