Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Sorry it's been a few weeks. End of the semester is crazy! But this is a bit longer than normal, so hopefully that redeems me a bit. Enjoy!

Chapter 21: The (Almost) Great Escape

Saturday evening found Hermione and Harry cramped under Harry's invisibility cloak. They were stuck just outside the entrance – Peeves was busy playing tennis with himself. Harry suggested that they walk through; after all, they were invisible. However, Hermione wasn't sure if a poltergeist would be fooled by an invisibility cloak, and even if he was fooled, if he was able to hear anything, Peeves was sure to cause havoc in order for the students to be caught. This was the reason that they were late getting to Hagrid's hut that evening.

Luckily, it was a dark, cloudy night that evening, which hid them even more. Although the cloak was an adult's size and easily covered them when they were still, it was a bit more difficult when they were walking. This difficulty would certainly increase exponentially when they were carrying a crate with a dragon inside later. Hermione hoped that Hagrid would be able to put some form of a feather-weight charm on the crate. Although she had learned the theory behind the charm, she had not yet mastered it.

Hagrid quickly, although not very quietly, ushered them into his house when they arrived. Lucky for them, Norbert was already packed up in his crate.

"He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey. An' I've packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely." Hagrid said, gruffly.

Hermione noticed a loud riiip coming from the crate at that point. She assumed that Norbert was already beginning his quality time with his teddy bear for the journey. Harry looked at Hermione and nodded – they covered the crate with the invisibility cloak before stepping underneath the cloak themselves. They could hear Hagrid sobbing and telling Norbert goodbye as they began to walk away.

It became readily apparent to both of them that Hagrid either did not think about putting a feather-weight charm on the crate, or that he was unable to complete the charm. Norbert had to weigh at least fifty pounds by now, plus the amount of food and drink in the crate, and the crate itself, was an incredible weight for the eleven and twelve years olds to manage. They trudged up the hill, back to the castle, through the entrance hall (luckily, Peeves had not returned. Hermione hoped they wouldn't run into him in the long journey ahead).

Harry had managed to learn many of the short cuts during his first year at Hogwarts, but even these short cuts did not make this journey easier. Hermione repeatedly told herself to just make it one more step. When she made that one step, she reminded herself to take another, and so on and so forth. They trudged on in silence, apart from the sounds of Norbert attacking his teddy bear.

Finally, what seemed like hours later, Hermione heard Harry whisper – "Nearly there!" Sure enough, they were at the stairs leading to the tallest tower. Just as they were about to go up the stairs, a sudden movement caused them to halt. Instinctively, they both shrunk against the shadows, even though they were underneath the invisibility cloak. Who could be out this late? And how long would they be there? They needed to get Norbert up those stairs, and soon! Midnight was fast approaching.

Suddenly, a lamp flared before them. It was Professor McGonagall and….Draco? She was in her tartan bathrobe and a hair net, and she looked very perturbed at the fact that she was having to be out of bed at this time of night. She hauled Draco by the ear past the hiding trio.

"Detention! Twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you?!" Professor McGonagall shouted at Draco. Both Hermione and Harry had to stifle laughter; however, Draco yelled back at Professor McGonagall and covered the noise.

"You don't understand, Professor! Harry Potter is coming! He's got a dragon!"

Professor McGonagall simply yanked Draco farther down the hall. They could hear her yell at him again, "What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on – I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!"

When they felt it safe, they began the climb up the steep, spiral staircase. However, after that scene, it seemed like the easiest part of the trip. Draco finally – finally – got was coming for him! That would show him to stop shoving his nose in business that did not belong to him. They reached the outside of the tower and threw the invisibility cloak off of themselves and gulped in clean, cool air. Hermione couldn't help herself; she started dancing out of pure joy and exhilaration. She was breaking the rules, helping an illegal dragon escape, and had seen Draco get in trouble! How much better could her night get?

"Malfoy's got detention! I could sing!"

"Don't" was Harry's only reply. She stuck her tongue out at her friend and he grinned back at her. He was just as happy, if not happier than Hermione, that Draco had been caught sneaking around tonight. Hopefully the professors would hear Draco's story about a dragon and react the same way as Professor McGonagall – that it was utter rubbish. That would keep the professors and Filch from checking back here again that evening.

Harry and Hermione sat beside Norbert's crate and waited for the rescuers. Norbert, apparently unused to being confined to this small of a space, was thrashing about and trying to escape. Hermione was the first to spot the four, small dots growing larger in the night sky.

"Look!" she cried to Harry, as she pointed their way. Within ten minutes of Harry and Hermione arriving at the top of the tower, Charlie's friends had arrived. They were a cheery lot, especially considering that they were about to transport an illegal dragon by broom. Hermione was not sure how they were going to manage that until they showed Harry and herself the harness that they had rigged in order to put Norbert between the four of them. They buckled him in while Harry and Hermione stood off to the side.

"Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to us. Give Charlie our best!" exclaimed Hermione. She and Harry shook the hands of the four, and then waved goodbye as they disappeared from view. Quickly and quietly, they slipped down the spiral staircase to go back to Gryffindor Tower and get some much needed rest. Hermione believed that the night could not have gone any smoother – sure, Peeves had delayed them, but they had arrived earlier than the agreed time, Charlie's friends were able to get Norbert out quickly, and Draco had detention! However, just as she was about to exclaim their good luck again to Harry, their luck ran out.

"Well, well, well. We are in trouble." Filch's face loomed out of the darkness at the bottom of the spiral staircase. Hermione suddenly felt the air around her and looked at Harry beside her. They shared a thought instantly – they'd left the invisibility cloak on top of the tower. Filch marched them quickly down to Professor McGonagall's study, which was on the first floor. Hermione hazarded a glance at Harry, and he looked like he was about to be sick. Hermione had heard that the invisibility cloak had once belonged to Harry's father, and she was pretty sure that it was one of the only things he had to remember his parents by. She couldn't imagine the grief he must have at the thought of the cloak being gone.

Once they finally arrived at the study, Hermione realized the amount of trouble that they would be in. Would Professor McGonagall believe that they had actually had a dragon? They were in the same tower where she had found Draco. Could she prove that they had a dragon with them? Would this cause Hagrid to lose his job? She was slightly angered at the thought of Hagrid. She could understand his desire of having a dragon, but actually taking one home! And to make matters worse, why had they ever agreed to deliver the dragon to safety? Hagrid was able to walk around the grounds and castle when it pleased him – they could have easily loaned him the cloak and he could have walked it up himself! Though at this thought, Hermione was sure that Hagrid would have done no such thing – he would never have been able to give up his "pet".

When Professor McGonagall walked into the room, she wasn't alone. She was dragging Neville behind her. Hermione was baffled – why was Neville here? Was Professor McGonagall going to question him about the story that Draco had told her?

"Harry! I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag-"

Hermione saw Harry violently shaking his head in order to get Neville to stop talking. Hermione sighed – that made them look even guiltier. She saw Professor McGonagall's eyes narrow at them when saw Harry's motions, and Hermione knew that Professor McGonagall agreed. She sat Neville next to the two other Gryffindors and towered over them.

"I would never have believed if of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the Astronomy Tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves." With these last two words, her voice hardened even more. Hermione gulped and stared at the floor, unable to meet her favourite Professor's eyes. When no one spoke up, Professor McGonagall continued.

"I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on." Hermione's heart began to race – did she actually know? Should she begin packing her trunk now for her immediate expulsion?

"It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it too?"

Hermione's mouth fell open and she tried to speak, that she had never wanted Neville to get in trouble (Draco she could care less about, but Professor McGonagall didn't need to know that), she never wanted to break the rules, but how were they to explain that without telling Professor McGonagall what they had actually been doing? She tried to look at Neville and shake her head, tell him that it wasn't anything like that. But she could see the hurt and confusion in his eyes. She sighed; she would have to find him tomorrow, talk to him and let him know what was actually going on.

"I'm disgusted. Four students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions – yes you too, Mr. Longbottom. Nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous-"

Hermione had begun to question what Professor McGonagall had meant – why was the school more dangerous these days? It had to be the Stone! But before she could even complete this thought, she heard Professor McGonagall's last words "-and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor!"

Hermione gasped and Harry exclaimed "Fifty?" This would cause Gryffindor to lose the lead. Hermione hung her head in shame.

Professor McGonagall, however, did not appreciate the outbursts. Her eyes narrowed and she replied, "Fifty points each!"

Hermione's stomach sank. One hundred and fifty points lost, in the blink of an eye. This put them in dead last – and it was almost the end of term! There was no way they could make up those points again. Harry, however, did not have the ability to keep his thoughts in his head.

"You can't-"

Hermione didn't think Professor McGonagall could become angrier, but she did. She turned on Harry and practically seethed, "Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."

Neville walked out first, away from Harry and Hermione. Hermione didn't bother to try and catch up with him, not yet. She would explain tomorrow. She and Harry trudged up to Gryffindor silently. They parted at the staircases and simply gave each other a sad look. Hermione sighed and walked up the stairs and went to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a hard day, explaining how Gryffindor had gone from first to fourth in one night. This wasn't going to be fun.