Ooooooooh meeting in Dumbledores office! Whats gonna happen? I KNOW! But you have to read to find out, suckers! (Perhaps someone needs to monitor my sugar intake…) ENJOY! Also, I know that I swore only to use Severus and Harry's POV, but its fanfiction, I can do what I want and I do this crap for fun. I think that this part of the story comes best from Oliver's POV, its cooler that way. :D
Oliver Wood POV
Neither of the Hufflepuffs would look Headmaster Dumbledore nor myself in the eyes. But while I was glowering at the boys, the Headmaster was simply sitting in his chair, smiling down at them sympathetically. I was sitting in a chair to the Headmasters left, while the boys were in two chairs directly in front of the Headmaster.
"Now Mr. Presgraves and Mr. Hemmer, Mr. Wood here tells me that you two were found fighting in the corridors?" Dumbledore started, folding his hands on his desk. I frowned. Why hadn't the Headmaster summoned Madame Sprout? Or Professor Snape? Professor McGonagall was always there when a Gryffindor was getting in trouble.
"Not just a fight Headmaster, they were hexing unarmed first years who didn't have their wands out." I corrected.
"Did you see the entire fight Mr. Wood? How can you be sure that these two were the two that started it?"
Before I could explain to the Headmaster what had happened because he didn't seem to have understood it the first time I did so, the office door flew open and Snape stalked in, his robes doing that creepy billowing thing around him as he came stalking up to the right of the Headmasters desk, the only place that wasn't occupied.
"Severus, I wasn't expecting you." The Headmaster said cheerfully, sitting up a bit. "Would you like a lemon drop?"
"No Albus, I do not want any of your disgusting muggle candy that you so love. I am here to oversee the punishment of these two boys who attacked two members of my house, as is traditional. When will Pomona be here?" Snape drawled, giving the Headmaster the look of distain he normally saved for Gryffindors.
"I hadn't called her; this is a simple matter that I thought could be easily resolved by myself and the boys." Dumbledore said, smiling at the now scowling Snape.
"This matter is anything but simple Headmaster. Two first years could have been killed; I do not understand how you can think this is not an issue. I would have thought that Mr. Wood would have made the situation clear to you- as he did when he told it to me." I wasn't positive if there had actually been a mocking undertone to that, or if I had just imagined Snape suggesting that the Headmaster couldn't understand.
"Surely you understand Severus that first years exaggerate when they tell stories. You've been a teacher for many years now." The Headmaster said, looking over his glasses at Snape as if scolding my potions professor. I watched them, frowning in confusion.
"I suggest Headmaster, that you summon Pomona. We have much to discuss." Snape said sharply. "Feel free to use your personal floo; I will wait here with the students."
"Very well Severus, if you insist on blowing this out of proportion and complicating everyone's day, I will fetch her." The Headmaster heaved a sigh, standing up from his chair.
"My son is asleep curled around his best friend in my guest bedroom, both exhausted from the stress of today. In my opinion, Headmaster, preventing that from happening to other students is a priority I find worthy of my attention." Snape said in that weird drawling tone. Dumbledore just smiled and moved towards a door in the back of the office, vanishing through it.
For once Snape's glare was not on the Gryffindor in the room, and for that I was grateful.
"Mr. Wood, I trust that you do not have any prior obligations this evening? This may take a while." Snape said, not looking at me even as he spoke, keeping the two Hufflepuffs cowering in their seats.
"Just curfew Professor Snape." I said, unused to the snarky dungeons bat being polite to me. In my first year he was snarky and hated the Gryffindors with a passion, and he hadn't changed a bit in the four years he was gone. Except now he would sometimes blame our incompetence on the professor that had replaced him. "Are Harry and Pansy alright? The twins will have my head if I let something happen to them, inadvertently or not."
"Both are fine, no thanks to these two." Growled the Professor. Internally I winced. I had been trying to create small talk, not get Snape even angrier with the two third years I was nearly starting to feel bad for.
By the time Dumbledore returned with Madam Sprout, I was standing awkwardly to the side while the two boys looked ready to sell their souls to anyone who promised to make Snape stop looking at them like he was decided which illegal potion would be best to use their body parts in.
Severus POV
I looked up when Dumbledore and Pomona walked into the room from the Headmasters private office, Pomona looking confused as she was led into the room. When she saw me standing next to her two students, her expression darkened.
"Severus? What has happened?" she asked, walking up to stand next to me. "As none of your students are here, I assume that it was mine at fault. No one is in the hospital wing I hope?"
"Now, there is no pr-"
"I think that Mr. Wood would be the best person to tell us what exactly happened earlier today, as the other four involved are either indisposed or in the wrong." I cut in smoothly, ignoring the Headmaster in favor of giving the older Gryffindor my best 'do-as-I-say-or-no-one-will-find-your-body' look.
"Of course Professor Snape." Wood said, nodding his head in my direction before turning to Pomona. The Herbology teacher looked a bit surprised, and I smirked. A Gryffindor showing me respect; seems the apocalypse has come.
"I was walking down the corridors during last hour today, as I have just my perfect duties last hour, and I came across them in the hall. These two had cornered two Slytherin first years, neither of which had their wands out. I was just in time, because as I came around the corner the Adustio curse was cast. I was able to shield the first years from it in time, but had I not been there it would have been fatal."
"They attempted to murder first year students?" Pomona exclaimed, looking at her students in horrified shock.
"No Madam Sprout, they did not know what the spell would do. They had simply found it in their history books and thought it sounded funny. The expression on their faces when I told them what it would have done is enough to show they had no idea what they were doing." Wood said firmly, nodding as if supporting his own observations.
"There was no malicious intent I believe." The Headmaster said, smiling at the two third year boys who were still cowering in their chairs.
"Regardless of their intent, this is unacceptable! I expect better of my Puff's, both of you know that!" Pomona had moved to stand in front of her students, her hands on her hips as she scowled down at them, lips pursed.
This is why I respect Pomona so much. Besides the fact that as the potions master of the school I nearly had to be on good terms with the master of the greenhouses, the Herbology professor and I understood each other, and had something similar to friendship between us. Unlike most of the professors, Pomona doesn't look down upon my snakes- and therefore would not let her students get away with doing something this heinous, not even with Dumbledore pushing her.
Her students knew this as well, as both boys began babbling.
"Madam Sprout, we didn't know it would do that, the spell I mean, if we had known that we would never have used it, Franny made it sound like it wasn't a curse, more like a joke hex when we were writing our essays for history of magic, and since she always gets good marks-"
"It doesn't matter! You should not even have been casting joke spells at first years, first years without their wands out! For the love of Merlin, hexing first years is a high offence as it is, but first years with no wands-"
"Pomona, it cannot be proved that the first years never had their wands out, as Mr. Wood was not there for the entire fight." Dumbledore protested. "You needn't be so harsh on the boys; they are just being boys, trying to prank younger students."
"The intent to prank becomes invalid when there is intent to harm along with it." Pomona said shortly. "There is one easy way to clear up what happened though isn't there Headmaster? Boys, did either Mr. Snape or Miss. Parkinson have their wands out at any time during your encounter? I'll know if either of you try to lie to me."
"No, no they didn't have their wands out; I don't even know if they had their wands!" Presgraves said, wringing his hands together.
"We approached them with our wands out, but they never drew theirs!" Hemmer added, looking just as frightened as his companion.
"We just saw them walking around in the corridors during class, and we thought they might be up to something sneaking around like that…so….umm…"
"What damage, exactly Mr. Presgraves, did the two of you think that two first years were going to cause?" Pomona growled, he arms that had been crossed over her chest moving to her hips. "Well? I'm waiting for an answer boys."
"I don't know, their Slytherins, their always up to something!"
Oliver POV
My frowned deepened at the Hufflepuff boy's defense for their actions. Sure, when I saw a group of Slytherins walking down the hall way I tended to keep on my toes, everyone did, but they weren't always up to something…not always something bad anyway. I highly doubted that two Slytherin first years walking down the corridor at the beginning of class appeared threatening. Two first years of any house were normally just dismissed, unless a perfect or older year students stopped to see if they needed help finding their way!
Even with Dumbledore advocating for the two boys, Madam Sprout seemed to be following with my line of thinking, and Professor Snape was staying oddly quiet.
"They are eleven years old! What could they possibly be up to boys?" both boys looked down at their feet, refusing to meet their enraged head of house's gaze. "As third year students, your job is to see if you can assist the first years of any house that you find wandering in the hall, not curse them! You have shamed our house, acting like this! One hundred points from Hufflepuff- EACH. And detention with me every other night until the end of this school year!"
"But…that's five months!" protested one of the boys.
"I've very aware of how long that is Mr. Presgraves." Madam Sprout said coldly. "Don't test me or it will be every night, do you understand me?"
"Yes Madam Sprout." The boy said quietly, sinking into his chair.
"You're both lucky that I haven't decided to expel you! One more toe out of line and don't doubt that I will!"
"Pomona, I still think that you are over reacting-"
"Well it doesn't really matter, as it's my right as head of house to decide their punishment. I've heard your input Headmaster, and I respectfully disagree." Madam Sprout said firmly, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You may leave Mr. Wood. Thank you for your assistance." Professor Snape said quietly from next to me, making me jump. When the potions master raised his eyebrow at me, I gave a quick nod and hurried out of the room, taking a deep breath when the door closed behind me.
Why did the Headmaster try so hard to get those Hufflepuffs off the hook? It was ridiculous; they had almost killed two first years, accident or not something like that couldn't go unpunished!
Starting down the corridor, I clenched my teeth. If the two first years that were almost killed were in Gryffindor, the uproar would demand that whatever students that did it were punished, and even once they were punished my house mates would extract their own revenge for the wrongs done against us. Ravenclaws would all crack open their wizarding law books, and if Hufflepuffs had been attacked everyone would have been offended on behalf of the sweet innocent Hufflepuffs.
So why was it so different with Slytherin?
Severus POV
"Thank you Pomona." I said softly as we walked back down the stairs towards the main hall.
"Don't thank me Severus; I only did what was right. You know that as well as I do." Pomona said with a scoff.
"What was right, yes. What everyone else would have done, no. Most of the Professors here would be happy to do everything our esteemed Headmaster suggests, without question. I suppose thinking further than their mastered subject is hard for them…" Pomona snorted at my comment, and nodded.
"Well, us brainiacs have to stick together don't we Severus?" the plump woman teased me, her eyes sparkling.
"That we do Pomona." I agreed.
"I'll see you tomorrow when you come get your ingredients from my greenhouses, yes?"
"Of course."
"Goodnight dungeon dweller- I don't know how you stand that…"
"Goodnight Pomona, do have fun with your dirt."
SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG! D:
