Update, update UPDATE!! YAY! Read and enjoy!

Oh, if you're wondering why there are two chapter sevens, I messed up on the actual document. So here's the REAL chapter seven.

SEVEN

McGonagall

Dumbledore

Flitwick

Sprout

Slughorn

Pomfery

Minerva? Where are you? We were supposed to have a finance meeting!

Currently? I'm sitting on a hospital bed, trying to hide my notebook from Poppy like some ill-experienced first year.

Hospital bed? What happened?

-sigh- Well, I've a rather nasty cut on my leg, and – Poppy's coming back. I'll tell you later.

WHAT? NO! You can't just leave me in this state of curiosity! Minerva!

What happened now?

Pomona, you truly are the Queen of Gossip.

Why, thank you, Albus! Now tell me what happened!

I'd love to, but I don't know myself.

Albus? This is Poppy.

No need to explain, dear, I'm familiar with your handwriting.

Yes, well I'm writing in Minerva's book.

Ohhhh, she got caught, did she?

In more ways than one. You need to find a substitute for tomorrow.

Really? Why?

Ack! Minerva McGonagall! Come back here! I'll tell you later. In the mean time, I have some arguing to do!

Why is everyone leaving without telling me what's going on?

Make way for the Queen! She's off to gossip!

You'd better come back with the explanation for all the cliffhangers I'm getting.

Goodness! Albus, is Minerva alright?

YOU know what happened?

No, not entirely. I just saw her limping back to the school. Poppy came and met her halfway, but that's all I know.

Well you know more than I do! Wait… limping back from where?

Far as I could tell, she was heading back from the forest.

Hmmm…

Oh! Look at the moon! It's so nice and full… and pretty… and shiny… I think I'll go outside for a while.

NO YOU WON'T!! Stay inside, Horace! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get to the hospital wing, pronto.

You can't just leave and not tell me why or why I can't go outside!

I can and I will! I don't have time to explain, just DO NOT GO OUTSIDE! Don't let ANYONE go outside!

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Dumbledore burst into the hospital wing. "Poppy!"

Poppy Pomfery popped her head out of her office and started hissing at Dumbledore as she walked towards him, "Albus! How DARE you come into the hospital wing so loudly? I have patients who need sleep, you know!"

"Where's Minerva? What happened?"

"She wasn't bitten. She just needs rest!"

Dumbledore looked visibly relieved. "Well, can I talk to her anyway?"

"No."

"If that's Dumbledore, you better let him in, Poppy!" Minerva's voice floated from inside the office.

"Go to SLEEP, Minerva!"

"I can't, not yet at least!"

Madam Pomfery stomped her foot in anger, but allowed Dumbledore to talk to his deputy.

"Minerva, what happened? Do I need to go find him?" began Dumbledore immediately. He with held a gasp as he saw that the bottom of Minerva's robes were covered in blood.

"No. I managed to get him into the forest. Potter, Black, and Pettigrew were playing some sort of joke or tying to get Lupin to tell them something, but that reason isn't important right now. The important thing is that they were holding him down, and he didn't want to blow his cover by getting right back up. I really thought he was smarter than that. I managed to find them, but the process was already beginning. He was deep enough into the forest just in time, but I didn't get out fast enough. Lucky that the centaurs were around to distract him."

Albus collapsed into a chair. He couldn't keep endangering the students and staff of Hogwarts like this. "I'll have the house elves start working on a secret passageway tomorrow."

"Where will it lead to?"

"That old abandoned house outside of Hogsmeade. I'll go fix it up tomorrow."

Minerva allowed herself to yawn, which through some odd force of nature, Madam Pomfery heard. Dumbledore was shooed out of the wing.

"Now why did Poppy let you in?" said a voice in the hallway skeptically.

"Because I'm awesome like that, Pomona!" Dumbledore responded.

"No, you just assure she gets paid," Sprout said slyly.

Dumbledore gasped in mock offense, "You don't think I'm BRIBING her, do you?"

"As a matter a fact – "

"Shhhhh!" hissed Dumbledore suddenly, "someone's here under an invisibility cloak."

It was Professor Sprout's turn to gasp.

"No matter of high importance. They'll all know soon enough, more than likely. Who do you know that can come in to teach for Minerva tomorrow on this short of notice?"

"Is it really that bad?"

"Poppy won't let her out, and will probably make her use a walking stick for a while."

"She wasn't bitten, was she?"

"No, just clawed." Sprout sighed in relief and Dumbledore continued, "Now, I'm off to go owl Mr. Riddle and tell him his interview will have to wait, and to go find a substitute. Good night, Pomona!"

"Night, Albus."

James Potter watched from under his invisibility cloak as the headmaster and professor went their separate ways before rushing back to his dormitory.

Alright, I've managed to cut a deal with the goblins. They'll give me 100 e-galleons for every review, so I can split it 50-50 with reviewers! Unless you still want cockroach clusters... Just by reviewing, you'll allow me to quit my current job... which is Filch's. Dumbledore made him go on vacation and I stepped in, and lo and behold, Filch tripped over Mrs. Norris and hit his head... he'll be gone longer than expected...