A/N: I got this one up so fast because I just want this story to be done so I can start on the Chamber of Secrets. I've been watching the movie non-stop for about four days now and I'm simply bursting with ideas. It's truly insane! Pleeeeeease review and enjoy!

Malfoy walked beside Gwen while Professor McGonagall marched them down to her study. Her expression was completely unreadable. About the time they reached the second floor, she reached into the shadows and pulled a worried Neville out by the arm. She had caught him out of bed as well and told him to wait for her there.

"Gwen! Harry!" he called, running up to them. "I came to warn you! I heard Malfoy saying that he was going to catch you with a dragon!"

Gwen, Harry and Hermione looked at each other, stomachs sinking with guilt. They had accidentally dragged Neville into their business again. First Fluffy and now this?

When they reached her study, Professor McGonagall sat down at her desk and observed them harshly over her glasses.

"What on earth could you all be doing out of bed at this hour? It's one o'clock in the morning! Explain yourselves!"

But how could they explain?

"Well then, I think I've got a pretty good grasp on what's going on here!" she said sternly. "You thought it would be amusing to feed Mr. Malfoy some ridiculous story about a dragon to get him out of bed and in trouble. You three came up here to get a good laugh about it but you got caught. And Mr. Longbottom caught the story somewhere and came to warn you. Did it add to your amusement that he got caught as well?"

Neville whimpered sadly. Gwen hung her head.

"I am simply appalled! Five students out of bed in one-"

"Draco!" a voice screeched from the doorway. "I thought I saw you go! What are you doing?"

Filch stomped into the room dragging a girl by the arm. Apparently when Filch didn't catch them in the astronomy tower he continued his patrol and he found…

"Miss Parkinson! What are you doing out of bed?" Professor McGonagall barked.

"I was just following Draco here, to get him back to bed. So if you would excuse us-"

"I hardly think so. Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense than this! Miss Montgomery, how could you be so reckless? And Mr. Potter, your disrespect for Gryffindor House is absolutely appalling! Fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor. And fifty from Slytherin as well, Miss Parkinson."

"Fifty?" gasped Harry.

"Each!"

"Professor - please-"

"This isn't quite fair!"

"You can't-"

"Do not tell me what I can and cannot do, Mr. Potter. All six of you will receive detentions - yes, six Miss. Parkinson! Now get back to bed immediately!"

oo0O0oo

The next days were the worst Harry had ever had and Gwen had a rough time about it as well. All of a sudden not even Seamus would talk to her. Ron stuck by Harry and Gwen had the twins. They seemed to be a little unsure, but they were still nice to her. Lucky they were really, otherwise Harry's Quidditch practices would have been a lot worse. At one point the offered to resign but Wood shot that idea down right away.

The three of them launched themselves straight into exam studying to get away from it all. One afternoon, Ron, Gwen and Hermione were in the library quizzing each other on Astronomy when Harry ran in, looking panicked. They looked up. Harry glanced at Ron.

"I heard Snape and Quirrell in an empty classroom, arguing," he gasped. "Snape was bullying Quirrell and it sounded like Quirrell just gave in to him. I feel really bad for him."

"Should we go to Dumbledore?" Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"No, we haven't got any proof. Its his word against Snape's!" Gwen pointed out.

"I guess that's it then. Snape and Quirrell will have to work this out themselves," Ron sighed, buying their story.

The owls came the next morning at breakfast with their detentions. Eleven o'clock that night with Filch. Neville, Harry, Gwen and Hermione all got them. So at eleven o'clock that night, Ron gave them his sympathies and they left to go endure whatever punishment Filch had planned for them.

When they got to the entrance hall, Malfoy and Pansy were already there, Malfoy looking very much like he was ready to complain and Pansy's expression twisted into a face that read "I should not have to be here!"

"Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside.

"I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them. "Oh yes… hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me… It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out… hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed…

Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do."

They marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffing. They knew that their punishment had to be something truly awful, else Filch wouldn't look quite so pleased.

The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, they could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout.

"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started."

"And don't be thinking that that oaf'll give you an easy time. No, no - you'll be lucky enough to come out of the forest alive," Filch smiled, showing all his crooked teeth.

"Yer late!" Hagrid called. "Bin lecturing' them again? Well, don't do it again. Snot your place ter do that. I'll take them now."

"Well, I'll be back at dawn," Filch turned around and called over his shoulder, "for what's left of them anyways."

Hagrid turned to them. "C'mon then!"

"I-I'm not going in there!" Malfoy's voice shook.

"Well, this is yer detention and this is how yeh'll stay at Hogwarts - go in ter the forest."

"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd—"

"—tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on."

Malfoy didn't move.

He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze.

"Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me a moment."

Hagrid showed them some silvery fluid on the ground. He explained that it was unicorn blood. And they were going into the forest to find what had been hurting them. When Hagrid explained that they'd be split into two groups - one with him and one with Fang - Malfoy immediately claimed he wanted Fang.

And so, some minutes later, Neville, Gwen and Malfoy were trekking off into the deep of the forest while Pansy, Hermione and Harry went the other way with Hagrid.

A slithering sound echoed through the forest.

"Did you hear that?" Malfoy whimpered.

"No I didn't bloody hear it," Gwen growled sarcastically.

Neville just paled and inched closer to Fang.

"What do you think could be killing the unicorns?"

"I don't know, Malfoy. Maybe a snake?"

"Well, you can stop being so sarcastic with me, it is your fault that I'm here anyways. If my father were here…"

"You say that a lot, don't you?" Neville muttered bravely.

"Why you-"

"Shh! Listen!" Gwen pulled them behind a rock.

A loud clattering could be heard, like the hooves of several large horses. It was coming from the left and getting louder. The three of them huddled together, mostly forgetting that Malfoy didn't like them and they didn't like him either. Soon, the sound faded away as it traveled by them and deeper into the forest.

"O-okay. It wasn't anything too bad. Let's keep going. I'll lead," Gwen took a step forward and accidentally stepped on a stick, making them all flinch.

Malfoy scoffed.

And then a horrid scream came from behind and she saw red sparks above her. Turning around, she found Neville fainted on the ground and Malfoy standing over him, hands outstretched and a smirk plastered on his face. Gwen was quick to slap it off.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Hey! You just slapped me!"

"Uh, yeah! We're supposed to be searching for a monster - NOT ENCOURAGING IT TO SEARCH FOR US!" She yelled at him.

Malfoy paled as he thought about what Malfoy's scream might have attracted. Gwen had just barely gotten Neville to wake up from his faint when Hagrid came rushing to them.

"What happened?" He bellowed.

"Malfoy here thought that it would be simply hilarious to sneak behind Neville and ump at him. Neville got so scared he fainted and let out a terrible scream and sent out sparks, thinking it was something worse than a self-righteous snake."

"What am I going to do with you?" Hagrid grabbed Malfoy by the shoulder.

"I say leave him in the forest. He monster enough to blend in with the rest of them," Gwen crossed her arms.

Silently, they were led back to the other three, who were waiting with fearful expressions on their faces.

"It'll be a miracle ter catch anything' now, what with all that racket you caused. All right, we're changing' groups now - Harry, you switch with this idiot. Neville, stay with Gwen and Harry and Malfoy, Hermione and Pansy stay with me."

The three of them wandered for what seemed like forever. Neville kept whimpering, frightened and Gwen would always gently move beside him and put her hand on his shoulder. It seemed to comfort him. Suddenly, they came to a clearing. Harry reached out his arm to stop Neville and Gwen.

"Look-"

Harry was motioning to further into the clearing. There was a beautiful and tragic white beast. It's blood was thick around it and it had long since ceased all movement. Gwen could have cried for the sadness she felt. The thing was so pure and innocent and yet it had been slain.

And then the strange slithering began again.

A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered… Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. Harry, Gwen, Neville, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood.

"AAAAAAAARRGGGHHH!" Gwen and Neville cried. Fang went scuttling away from the creature, yowling the whole way. Neville went sprinting away as fast as he could and Gwen began to run as well.

"Harry! Go! Come on! Get away!" She screeched, leaning out to grab him. But the creature lifted its head and began to stalk at Harry. Gwen had absolutely reached her bravery limit for the night and bloted without a second thought towards her friend - her mind was completely blank with the most intense fear she'd ever felt.

Ron had fallen asleep waiting for them in the common room. They went to the other side of the room while Harry explained about the hooded figure and what a centaur named Firenze had told him.

Snape wants the stone for Voldemort… and Voldemort's waiting in the forest… and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich…"

"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so… Bane was furious… he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen… They must show that Voldemort's coming back… Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me… I suppose that's written in the stars as well."

"Don't say that Harry. Don't even think that!" Gwen insisted. She noticed how Hermione kept flinching whenever Harry said Voldemort. The name gave her a strange feeling as well - one of fear and paranoia - but it didn't bother her too much when Harry said it.

"So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone," Harry went on feverishly, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off… Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy."

"But he can't come kill you. Dumbledore is the only wizard You-Know-Who has ever been afraid of. As long as he's around, you're safe," Hermione comforted.

They continued talking through the night but eventually went to bed. And when they woke up, Harry had something to show them.

Just in case.