Questioning and Questions
"What's going on here? What's going on?"
I winced internally, this was not going to go well. Argus Filch, the school hall monitor shouldered his way through the crowd and nearly tumbled over in shock when he saw Mrs. Norris.
"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?!" He shrieked.
His popping eyes fell upon Harry. His eyes seemed wild in anger.
"You!" He Screeched. "You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you!"
"Argus!"
Honestly I'd never seen him so wild and out of control, it was frightening. Professor Dumbledore arrived on the scene, followed by the other teachers. In seconds, he swept past us and detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket.
"Come with me Argus," He said to Filch. "You too Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger, Ms. Evans."
Lockhart stepped up eagerly, reminding me of a giddy schoolgirl.
"My office is nearest, Headmaster – just upstairs – please feel free – "
"Thank you, Gilderoy," Dumbledore replied.
The silent crowd parted to allow us to pass. Although the temperature in the castle was not cold, I trembled and shivered. I was aware of Professor McGonagall and Snape trailing behind us. As we entered Lockhart's darkened office there was a flurry of movement on the walls. Several of the portraits dodged out of sight, their hair in rollers. It would have been comical had there been a humor left in me after the sight I had seen. I sunk into an armchair and stared blankly at the stiff car while Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore examined her. Even though Filch wasn't my favorite person, I felt horrible for him. He was hopelessly attached to that cat. Dumbledore was muttering spells and tapping Mrs. Norris with his wand. I was tuning Lockhart out but he was trying very hard to seem important. I ignored him for the most part, I was trying to calm my nerves and not to shiver and tremble. The even left me unsettled and on edge.
"She's not dead, Argus." Dumbledore said softly.
That shut both Lockhart and Filch up. Filch from blubbering and Lockhart from his rant.
"Not dead?" Filch choked out, peering at Mrs. Norris through his fingers.
"She has been petrified," Dumbledore said. "How I cannot say…"
"Ask him!" Filch shriek, I winced at the tone, as he pointed a bony finger at Harry.
"No second year could have done this," Dumbledore said firmly. "It would take Dark Magic of the most advanced…"
I tuned out as Harry and Filch began shouting.
"Potter and his friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time," Professor Snape said softly.
Something told me by the tone of his voice that he didn't believe that. There was a point coming, I could feel it.
"But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was he at the upstairs cooridor at all? Why wasn't he at the Halloween feast?"
"Annnnd now he's making it personal…" I thought morosely.
I clenched my eyes closed and rubbed my temples at the impending headache that approached.
"We were at Sir Nicholas's death day party," I said tiredly.
Snape regarded me quietly.
"Why not join the feast afterwards? Why go up that corridor?" He pressed.
Ron and Hermione looked lost and looked to Harry. I closed my eyes again, head pounding like a drum.
"Because we were tired and wanted to go to bed,"
I wanted to slap my forehead, even I could have come up with a better fib that that.
"Without supper? I didn't think ghosts provided food fit for the living at their parties." He stated with a triumphant smirk upon his face.
My stomach churned at the memory of the rotting food. It heaved mutinously at the thought. I vaguely wondered if he had attended many death day parties. I noticed he was smiling nastily, I wondered what his vendetta was against my cousin.
"I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful. It may be a good idea if he were deprived certain privileges until he is ready to tell the whole story. I personally feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest."
I felt my mouth drop open. He must've really wanted Slytherin to win the House Cup.
"Really Severus," Professor McGonagall said sharply. "I see no reason to stop the boy from Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter was involved."
Dumbledore was giving Harry a searching look, something akin that of a x-ray. It was kind of unnerving as he didn't blink.
"Innocent until proven guilty, Severus." He said firmly.
Both Professor Snape and Filch looked furious.
"My cat has been petrified! I want to see some punishment!" Filch bellowed, eyes bulging.
"We will be able to cure her, Argus." Dumbledore said patiently. "Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes (I scowled at the thought). As soon as they are at their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris."
"I'll make it," Lockhart butted in. "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Drought in my sleep – "
I swallowed nervously, I didn't trust him to restore a household plant.
"Excuse me," Snape said icily. "But I believe I am the Potions Master at this school."
There was a very awkward pause and part of me wanted to snicker at Lockhart's discomfort. The twins were right. They were becoming a bad influence.
"You three may go, however Mrs. Evans, I ask that you stay for a moment more."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at me wide eyed before all but running from the room. Snape looked just as baffled as Filch and Lockhart.
"Gilderoy, why don't you take Filch and Mrs. Norris to Poppy in the Hospital Wing? I'm certain she'll be able to help possibly ease the symptoms."
Filch looked as though he rather chew his own leg off, but nonetheless scooped up Mrs. Norris from the desk and trailed behind Lockhart out of the office. It wasn't until the door clicked shut that there were three eyes upon me. Suddenly I was anxious again.
"Is everything all right Ms. Evans? You're trembling," Professor McGonagall asked, concerned.
"Whoever or whatever did that to Mrs. Norris, wasn't Harry. Everything about this feels wrong." I murmured.
"Did you notice anything aside from what we saw?" Dumbledore asked.
My head was still pounding but I furrowed my brow.
"There was water on the ground, someone flooded the bathrooms I think," I said quietly.
No one said anything.
"Thank you Ms. Evans. You may go."
Nodding, I hastened out of the room as well, not wanting to spend another minute there. Whatever petrified Mrs. Norris and left the writing on the wall had the teachers rattled. And frankly, it rattled me too, something didn't sit well with me. It made me want to crawl out of skin. Apparently Harry was able to HEAR whatever it was that I felt. Even Muggles knew hearing voices wasn't normal. Something weird was going on at Hogwarts, and it was out of sorts even for a magical school.
