"Samantha, I need to talk to you," Neville muttered to her at breakfast.
The girl stifled a groan. She had already been stressing out about that night, it was already Saturday. "Yeah, Neville?"
"Malfoy has been talking -"
"I know," Samantha interrupted. "I know. Look, I'm going to help them, okay?"
Neville nodded, looking more relaxed.
But Samantha was not at all comforted. She had a bad feeling about it.
Samantha heard Hermione leaving the dorm. She took a deep breath, waited a couple of minutes, then left the dorm.
She wrapped her robe tighter around her body as she went snuck into the common room. She saw Harry and Hermione standing close together. In one swift moment, Harry threw a cloak around them and they both disappeared.
Samantha's eyes widened. The portrait door swung open and she heard them leave the common room.
"Okay," she breathed, waiting a few minutes before making her way out of the common room. She heard soft footsteps down the corridor. They would be going to get the dragon. She decided she would wait up at the tower.
Making her way up the stairs, she stayed silent and sneaky. About halfway up, Samantha saw Mrs. Norris. The cat stared at her with those red eyes. Samantha froze and groaned when she felt a presence behind her.
"Hello, Miss Jones," Filch's voice rang out and seemed much too loud for the silent castle.
Spinning on her heel, she smiled at the caretaker. "Hello, Mr. Filch, how are you doing this lovely night?"
The old man's face split into a grin. "I've found two students out tonight, you and Mr. Longbottom. I am doing just fine."
Samantha's stomach sank. Neville?
Filch led her to his office. When he opened the door, Neville was sitting in a chair. He looked up and gave Samantha a cringe-like smile.
"Stay here," Filch said after Mrs. Norris meowed. He left the office and Samantha heard the door lock.
"Neville, what are you doing?" she demanded. "I told you I was going to handle it!"
"I know! I'm sorry. It's just, I heard Harry and Hermione leave, then I saw you leave and I couldn't let my best friend go alone!"
Samantha took a deep breath. "It's alright. But we're gonna get detention, you know?"
Neville nodded. "Yeah."
Samantha copied her friend before sitting down in the chair next to him.
They sat there for a while, waiting for Filch to come back. Although, when the door opened, it was not Filch. It was Professor McGonagall. She gave the two a look that told them not to mess her with.
Samantha and Neville followed the professor down to her office. When the door opened, Samantha found Harry and Hermione.
"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 -"
Harry started to shake his head and Samantha grabbed Neville's arm. Neville cringed and all four students looked up at Professor McGonagall.
As she scooped out the punishment, Samantha stood still and took it better than her housemates. She knew Neville would probably take it the hardest, throughout the whole time she held his hand.
Two-hundred points lost. As the four made their way back up to the Gryffindor common room, they stayed silent.
The four split up and went to their separate dorms.
"Tomorrow is gonna be hell," Samantha said, crawling into her bed, knowing she would not be able to fall asleep.
Hermione nodded before closing the curtains around her bed.
Samantha sighed heavily. At that moment, she wished she was back at the orphanage with Betty.
"Samantha, what happened last night?" George asked. They were in the Gryffindor common room and Samantha was doing school work in a secluded corner.
The twins stood in front of her.
She looked up for a second, before turning back to her book. "What are the rumors?" she asked, cool and collected. Having everyone hate her wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. She actually enjoyed it. No one was trying to be her friend anymore.
"That Harry and Hermione told Malfoy a lie about a dragon and both you and Neville overheard. But we know you better, Sam." George sat across from her. "What really happened?"
Turning the page to her book, Samantha replied, "I wanted to help Harry and Hermione. But I just ended up making everything worse. That's really all that happened." She bit her lip before turning to her friends. "Are you, you know, still my friends?"
"Of course," Fred answered, grabbing a chair and sitting backwards on it.
"We know you were just trying to help, even though you guys lost us two-hundred points." George smiled at her to show he was just kidding.
She smiled at them. "Yeah, oh well. Help me with this? I really have no idea what I'm doing."
The twins chuckled.
Samantha, Harry, Hermione, and Neville made their way to the entrance hall at eleven o'clock for their detention. Filch stood there with Malfoy.
The boy gave Samantha a sneer. A few days ago, she had almost beaten him after he picked on Neville for losing so many points.
"Follow me," Filch said, lighting a lamp. He led them outside. "I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" He leered at them and Samantha rolled her eyes. "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."
Samantha wasn't sure how many times she would roll her eyes while Filch spoke. He was an annoying old man.
"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, it'll be worse for you if you do."
The group marched off across the grounds.
"Why are we doing this at night?" Samantha asked, her arms crossed against her chest.
"Scarier for you five," was Filch's simple answer.
Samantha hummed. It made sense.
"Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started," a voice called. Samantha recognized the voice as Hagrid's.
She saw Harry's face flood with relief.
"I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, boy - it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece," Filch said when he saw Harry's face.
Samantha perked up from behind the group. She had been wanting to see what was in the Forbidden Forest since Dumbledore mentioned it on September 1st.
Malfoy stopped and she bumped into him. She expected him to turn and yell at her but he didn't seem to notice her body hitting against his.
"The forest?" he asked. Samantha could hear the tiniest squeak in his voice. A slow smirk slid across her face. "We can't go in there at night - there's all sorts of things in there - werewolves, I heard."
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Neville clutch Harry's sleeve. Her stomach twisted for her friend but she couldn't pass up the chance to poke fun at Malfoy. "Scared, are you, Malfoy?" she muttered beside him.
The boy sent her a glare.
"That's your problem, isn't it? Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?" Filch said with a gleeful smile on his face.
A moment later, Hagrid came out of the dark. Samantha noted the quiver of arrows over his shoulder. "Abou' time. I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Hermione?"
"I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," Filch said coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all."
Hagrid frowned at Filch. "That's why yer late, is it? Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."
"I'll be back for them at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left for them," he added nastily.
As he started back toward the castle, Samantha waved and called, "Bye, Filch! See you later!"
Neville let out a shaky laugh and Samantha smiled, glad she could make him feel a bit better.
"I'm not going in that forest," Malfoy said. Samantha smirked at the panic in his voice. Oh, he was scared.
"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts. Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay for it," Hagrid said.
"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 -"
Samantha stepped on Malfoy's toe just as Hagrid interrupted him. "Tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts. Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful of 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!"
Samantha watched as Malfoy held his breath and glared at Hagrid. She knew he noticed that and that he would most definitely retaliate, but it was so worth the look on his face.
"Right then, now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me over here a moment."
As soon as Hagrid turned around, Malfoy elbowed Samantha in the side. She bit her lip to keep in the squeak of pain and shock. Harry, Hermione, and Neville sent Malfoy a glare.
They followed Hagrid over to the edge of the forest, Samantha and Malfoy hitting and pushing each other.
"Quit it!" Hermione whispered harshly.
Samantha pinched Malfoy's arm one last time, jumping away from his clenched hand that was being aimed at her face. She sent Malfoy a huge grin, he sent her a glare that probably would have killed her - if glares could kill, that is.
"Look here, see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery."
Samantha stared at the blood. She felt sick to her stomach. Who would want to hurt something so pure? She had read a few books on unicorns and they were so amazing in her eyes.
"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" asked Malfoy. Samantha didn't smirk at the fear in his voice. She was now somewhat scared herself.
"There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang. An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least."
Samantha's nausea became stronger. She grabbed her stomach and breathed heavily.
"I want Fang," Malfoy said, motioning to the dog.
"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward." Malfoy sent the dog a look as Fang licked his nose. "So me, Harry, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Neville, Samantha, an' Fang'll go the other. Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now -"
The group sent up green sparks, although Neville's was more like a Muggle sparkler.
"That's it - an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh - so, be careful - let's go."
The group walked into the forest. Samantha noted how dark it was. She was never really scared of the dark but the shimmering pools of blood made everything that much more eerily. The nausea intensified and she found it hard to keep in her dinner.
The group drew to a fork. Samantha's group took the path to the right, and the other group went left.
Soon, Samantha could no longer hear Hagrid's booming footsteps and all was quiet. A branch snapping made Samantha run forward and grab Neville's hand. Only, it didn't feel like Neville's hand. She looked at Malfoy. He was looking down at their conjoined hands. Within seconds, Samantha had let go of his hand and grabbed Neville's. She was blushing madly.
The three walked forward and soon, Samantha noticed that Malfoy had disappeared. "Malfoy?" she whispered, looking around and drawing Neville closer to her. She couldn't see the boy anywhere. Panic rising to her throat, she called, a bit louder, "Malfoy?"
A hand grabbed her shoulder and both she and Neville let out screams. Neville, who had been holding his wand like a life-line, raised his wand to the sky and sent out bright red sparks. If Samantha hadn't been fearing for her life, she would have been impressed.
The girl swung around and shouted the first spell that came to mind. It was an advanced one she had been reading up on. "Stupefy!"
As soon as she had cast it, she knew she had done it wrong. Malfoy flew backward and landed on the ground. He was awake and staring wide-eyed at the canopied sky.
"Oh, Merlin," Samantha muttered, rushing forward. She knelt down beside the boy and he looked at her with angry eyes.
"What the bloody hell was that?" he demanded in a wheezing voice.
Samantha almost laughed. "Stunning spell. I've been learning about it. I didn't cast it right, though."
Malfoy glared at her as he sat up. "I hate you."
"Aww, really? I hadn't noticed," Samantha said with a snort
The sound of Hagrid's footsteps echoed around the clearing they were in. As he came into view, he was waving his crossbow around, searching for the danger.
"Malfoy scared us, Hagrid," Samantha said, leaving the boy to get up himself. "He came up behind Neville and I and scared us out of our wits."
Hagrid narrowed his eyes at Malfoy. "Why is he all the way ov'r there?"
Samantha wrung her hands together. "I, uh, accidentally sent the stunning spell at him. It didn't work."
"Good. Hopefully, that'll teach 'im a lesson. Come on, you lot."
As they made their way back to Hermione and Harry, Samantha steered clear from Malfoy. She was irritated with herself that she had actually been worried about him when he had disappeared.
A/N: Hey, guys! Here we have chapter twenty and it is long! I think it's the longest chapter yet. Just an FYI, but I used Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone a lot for this chapter and I normally do not like doing that, but I like this chapter. I promise it won't be for every chapter. And I might just be updating this book just once a week. I think updating on Mondays and Fridays is a little much, plus I think that's what caused me to write such short chapters, you know? I also want to write ahead and that too is also hard to do when updating that often. So, I will be updating every Monday starting today. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
