Chapter 4:
Ron and Harry had caused such a great commotion stumbling out of the great hall that they had caught the attention of Professor Snape, who eyed them suspiciously with his lips pursed.
They finally arrived panting at the door of the Gryffindor common room but the Fat lady was not in her frame.
"Tessera" Ron bellowed.
"She's obviously gone Ron, she can't hear you" Harry emphasised with an eye roll.
Just as Harry reached for the edge of the frame, Hermione pulled the door open with a flustered expression on her face. She stepped out into the corridor, leaving the frame ajar and jumped back in surprise when she saw Harry and Ron standing directly in her way.
"Where the bloody hell did you go?" questioned Ron with his arms folded across his chest. Harry elbowed him in the ribs and subtly shook his head at Ron.
"I think what Ron means is…" Harry continued.
Hermione nervously shifted from foot to foot and glanced sideways to avoid Ron's gaze. She hated herself for causing so much trouble and she especially disliked fighting with Ron.
"What I mean is; why are you lying to us? What's going on between you and Malfoy?" Ron interrupted Harry and glared at Hermione accusingly.
I suppose I should tell them… Hermione thought to herself. I should, I know, but Draco loathes Harry and Ron. She wanted to find out for herself and she didn't think Malfoy would appreciate her telling anyone to come with her.
As Hermione was about to open her mouth, she heard some swift yet heavy footsteps and spun around to see who it was.
"Potter, Granger, Weasley!" Snape snarled
"This is your fault Hermione" moaned Ron as he turned to face the potions master.
"Yes Professor?" Harry replied slyly.
Snape gave Harry a withering look then continued, "You three are to report to my office at once, you have detention," Snape eyed the door to the common room then quickly back to Hermione and added "now."
Hermione looked back at the empty picture frame and sighing, pulled it shut, then she followed the professor and her two friends down the stairs to Snape's office.
Snape's black robes dragged across the polished marble floor in front of them as they followed quietly, each one wishing they had stayed in the Great Hall to enjoy the feast. Harry and Ron slightly lagged behind Hermione. Ron shuffled his feet and Harry avoided the angry stares Ron was throwing his way. Hermione quickened her step so she would not be forced to converse with Ron, whom she felt would soon burn a hole in the back of her skull with the glares he was giving her from behind.
Snape spun around, his garment swishing around his black leather shoes and looked down on the three students. He whisked out his wand and cast a spell on the damp brick wall opposite the staircase leading down to the Slytherin common room. An arched wooden door appeared and Snape tucked his wand back into his robe pockets and stormed inside.
The Gryffindors stood in the doorway not wanting to enter the musty, cramped office of the professor they all detested. Snape sat in an old and torn leather chair which had lost its colour a long time ago. He pulled open a desk drawer to his left and took out some quills and a few pieces of parchment.
"Sit down here Potter," he grunted and motioned to a wooden stool facing the middle of the mahogany desk. "Granger, Weasley, would you care to join your friend? " Snape almost spat out the last word of his sentence and gave them all withering stares with his left eyebrow slightly raised.
Ron and Hermione eyed each other furtively then quickly took the other two stools on either side of Harry and waited for further instruction. If this were any other day, the three of them would have been smiling secretively at each other and joke about the whole situation afterwards. But the tension in the air was unbearable and the three of them wished they were anywhere but in the dingy, old potion master's office.
Snape gave each of them a piece of rectangular parchment and a feather quill and then he finally spoke again. "Before you start your detention, I must ask you one question," His eyes gazed across the three students, then directly into Hermione's eyes, it felt like an eternity before he finished his gaze, "Where is Malfoy?"
NB: Thanks for your reviews! I hope this chapter wasn't too boring, I promise the pace will pick up again soon! Just need to set the scene :) Please enjoy! let me know if there's anything I should fix/clarify :)