Chapter 59: Busted

Unfortunately, the delight I felt in the first few days of using the no-sleep spell didn't last. After only a week, I discovered that I had returned to my irritable self. Even the sight of a classmate approaching to ask a question made me want to scream in frustration. I was very short-tempered and I think Harry and Ron realized it, because they made sure to keep others a safe distance away from me while I was working, creating an invisible bubble around me that no one could enter. I tried to keep the snapping to a minimum around them though, because it would be all too easy to set Ron off again.

As time went on, I found that the spell seemed to have a lesser effect each time I cast it. The exhaustion began to return much quicker and even when I was under its effects, I felt wide awake but sluggish. It took more effort to do even the simplest things, like pick up a quill. However, I was able to get through the enormous workload that was assigned over the Easter holidays and even made it all the way to the end of term without completely losing it again.

I knew that Professor McGonagall had warned me against this, but the end of the year was so close, I really didn't see any harm in using the spell until the end of exams. Then I would have to hand the time turner in anyway, though I was still trying to find a way to convince Professor McGonagall that I could keep it. Even without divination, I needed a time turner to keep all four of my elective classes.

The final quidditch match arrived and Gryffindor won the quidditch cup for the first time since I'd been at Hogwarts. Harry had made a spectacular dive for the snitch and Malfoy never stood a chance.

Finally, it was the last day of classes before exams were scheduled to begin. Despite the no-sleep spell, I was becoming very frantic and nervous. If I didn't ace all of them, Professor McGonagall would take away the time turner. It was crucial that I get no less than one hundred percent on everything.

My final potions, charms and ancient runes classes flew by, and then I was eating lunch in the Great Hall. Next, I had defence against the dark arts and herbology, and finally, my last class of the day, history of magic.

As much as the class normally interested me, today Professor Binns simply did not have my attention. At least he was doing review, so I wasn't missing any new information as I read about cheering charms in my charms book. Though I had mastered them a while back, I was determined to make sure I knew absolutely everything about them since I'd missed the actual lesson.

When class was over, I practically bounced over to Professor McGonagall's office for my weekly meeting. She greeted me with her usual greeting and I handed over my time turner, waiting while she examined it to ensure I had only used it for classes. When she was satisfied, she handed it back to me and performed the spell on me. Though I hardly needed her to, I didn't say anything, because that would reveal that I was using it on myself, which I wasn't supposed to be doing.

As I thanked her and turned to leave, she stopped me. "I presume you are ready for your transfiguration exam on Monday morning?" she asked me lightly, assuming of course that I was completely prepared. "I know you're always prepared, but with all the extra pressure you've been under with your classes, I thought I'd ask."

I took a minute to think about it and then remembered one spell from the beginning of the year that I had been able to do then that I could no longer do properly. If she was offering to give me a pointer or two, I wasn't going to turn my nose up at it.

"Professor, I've actually been having a bit of trouble with one spell," I said tentatively.

"Which one?" she asked.

"The lapifors spell," I replied. That was a spell that turned small objects into rabbits. "When I do the spell, I'm able to turn the object into a rabbit, but it's always asleep and I can never wake it up," I explained. "I couldn't find a reference to that happening anywhere in the textbook."

Professor McGonagall's face transformed into a mask of shock, horror, and fury. I shrunk back and wondered why she was so upset all of a sudden. I was only transfiguring sleeping bunnies, what was wrong with that?

"Ms. Granger, I'm going to ask you this once, and I want you to answer me honestly," Professor McGonagall said, her voice controlled, but shaking.

"Okay," I said my heart pounding. What was she going to ask?

"Have you been using a spell known as somno exhaustio on yourself?" Professor McGonagall asked.

I suddenly felt like a weight had sunk into the bottom of my stomach. My heart stopped for a second while I processed what Professor McGonagall was saying. How did she know? I had been hiding it so well. It was almost the end of the year, and if I could just have made it through the next week, I would have been fine.

I tried to speak, but my mouth refused to open, so I nodded. Professor McGonagall closed her eyes and took a deep breath before asking me the next question.

"And did you happen to read the side effects, by any chance?" Professor McGonagall asked.

I still couldn't speak, so I shook my head. I hadn't had a chance to read more than the spell's incantation and wand movement. I had been in the restricted section and I had panicked that Madam Pince would return any second.

Professor McGonagall took another deep breath, and then finally addressed me again. "Wait here, Ms. Granger. I will be back shortly," she said before standing up and leaving, shutting and probably locking the classroom door behind her.

My heartbeat had started back up again, and now it was beating wildly. What was she going to do to me? Probably take away my time turner, I realized. And just before the exams, this was a nightmare. What else would she do? How many detentions could I serve before we had to go home for the summer? I would probably be in detention every day until the end of seventh year for this. She'd told me outright that I wasn't to use the spell on myself and I'd gone behind her back to learn it anyway.

Suddenly, a horrible though occurred to me. What if I was expelled? That was probably the worst thing that could possibly happen, and I decided that it was exactly what she was going to do. Professor McGonagall had left to get Professor Dumbledore and they were going to expel me. I would have to return to the Muggle world and go to the secondary school near my parent's house. I would have to tell everyone that I had been expelled from the school for gifted they thought I was attending. Worse still, I would have to tell my parents what I had done. It would be humiliating, especially after everything that I'd gone through the previous summer to get them to let me stay at Hogwarts.

By the time I heard Professor McGonagall opening the door again, I was nowhere near the picture of calmness I had wanted to be when she returned. If I was going to be expelled, I wanted to be expelled with dignity, but I was still a complete mess.

I turned slowly towards her, convinced Professor Dumbledore would be there as well, but it was only Professor McGonagall. She was holding a book in her hand that I recognized as the book from the restricted section.

In utter and complete silence, Professor McGonagall returned to her seat behind the desk and flipped the book open to a specific page. Then she turned it around and I saw before me the same page I'd used to learn the spell in the first place.

I glanced up at Professor McGonagall questioningly, but her stony glare told me I was meant to read. I skipped the beginning where the mechanics of the spell were described and read the part I'd ignored the last time.

When performed correctly, the no-sleep spell allows the caster to absorb all feelings of tiredness and exhaustion from the recipient, and transfers their energy and strength to the recipient. This allows the recipient to remain awake much longer than should be physically possible. When performed, the caster should be well rested and should be prepared to sleep longer than usual as they will be twice as tired after casting.

This spell should not be used frequently by either the caster or the recipient. Results of the overuse of the spell for the caster include, but are not limited to, excessive grouchiness, increased headaches, loss of ability to do any form of physical activity, and possibility of falling into an exhaustion coma. Results of the overuse of the spell for the recipient include, but are not limited to, dizziness, increased heart palpitations, increased agitation, and increased exhaustion when the spell wears off.

Under no circumstances should the recipient and the caster be the same individual. A lack of differentiated recipient and caster will cause the magic to find a substitute for the caster. Upon one casting of the spell by the recipient on themselves, they will feel much the same as if there had been a separate caster. However, the exhaustion that would have been transferred to the caster will instead manifest itself in the recipient's wand, making any and all magic they attempt subsequent to casting the spell extremely hazardous. Should the recipient continue casting the spell on themselves, the benefits of the spell will be lessened with each casting of the spell, as a wand cannot rest and thus cannot regain energy over time. Any magic attempted with this wand will grow more and more hazardous and unpredictable with each casting of the no-sleep spell which is why it is forbidden for this to occur.

When I finished reading, I kept my head down as though I wasn't. I was terrified of what Professor McGonagall would say when I did. I stayed in the same position for five minutes, my heart thumping harder with every minute that went by, until Professor McGonagall finally spoke.

"I know you're finished reading," she said, causing me to hesitantly raise my head. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" she asked.

"I... I didn't... didn't think..." I started, looking up. But I couldn't control my thoughts enough to figure out how I wanted to finish my sentence.

"That much is clear," Professor McGonagall said.

"I'm sorry," I said, bowing my head in shame. I couldn't continue to look her in the eyes. They contained too much disappointment for me to handle.

"Ms. Granger, when we spoke in the fall, the terms of our agreement were that I would allow you to keep the time turner provided you were responsible," Professor McGonagall said. "And from what I can deduce, you have been anything but responsible. I ought to take away your time turner right now."

My head snapped back up. No matter how ashamed I was feeling, even the thought of losing my time turner now was so unspeakable that it chased all other thoughts from my mind. I had one more week left. I just had to make it to Thursday and I would be through all my exams. Without my time turner, I wouldn't be able to write them all. Worse still, it would be arithmancy and ancient runes that I wouldn't have the time to write; two of my favorite subjects.

"What? No! You can't take it away now!" I cried. "Besides, I haven't technically been abusing the time turner!" It was the wrong thing to say, but I said it anyway.

"Ms. Granger, I don't think you are in any position to argue with me. Without the time turner, you would have had no need to use the spell, because you would not be registered in as many classes as you currently are," Professor McGonagall replied.

I lowered my head again. She was right, of course. I knew better than to use a spell before reading about it. I had just been so nervous in the restricted section that I didn't want to linger any longer than it took to get the spell itself. Reluctantly, I reached for the chain around my neck and took off my time turner, wordlessly handing it out to Professor McGonagall.

"What are you doing?" Professor McGonagall asked.

I looked up, confused at her question. "I thought you said you were taking away my time turner," I explained.

"I said I ought to, not that I will. As it is the end of term, I will allow you to keep it for one last week," Professor McGonagall said.

A rush of gratitude swept over me and I began thanking Professor McGonagall profusely. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you so much, you don't know what this means to me,"

"However," Professor McGonagall interrupted, "that is not to say you will not be punished." I sobered and waited for the worst. "Fifty points from Gryffindor, detention with me tomorrow and Sunday evening, and I will be writing to your parents immediately."

The only thing that really registered was the part about the detentions. "But Professor, I can't do detention this weekend. I've got to study for my exams!" I cried in shock.

"I think you'll find that you can do detention this weekend. You can and you will. Unless you'd rather I took the time turner away now? But then you won't be able to use it to write your exams," Professor McGonagall said. "In fact, if I took away your time turner now, you wouldn't be able to use it this weekend either," she continued, giving me a pointed look.

"You mean I can..." I started to say, but I was interrupted once more.

"I said nothing of the sort," Professor McGonagall said. "This will be the last time I check your time turner, and you will return it to me Thursday evening when your exams are finished. In the meantime, I suggest you consider the seriousness and gravity of what you have done."

I nodded and rose to leave, recognizing the dismissal. As I approached the door, I paused and turned around. "Professor, what made you realize I was using the spell?" I asked.

"Energy is neither created nor destroyed, only transformed," Professor McGonagall said. I wondered for a second why she was stating a scientific principle I had learned in muggle school, but then she continued. "When you used the spell on yourself, you were removing exhaustion and giving yourself energy, but energy doesn't come out of nowhere. You drew energy from your wand and all the exhaustion was in turn drained from you and back into the wand. When you transfigured the rabbits, they were sleeping because your wand needed to transfer the tiredness somewhere else and the easiest outlet was the creature it was making."

I nodded and left, pondering over what Professor McGonagall had said. While I was walking back to Gryffindor Tower, I came to an abrupt halt when I came to another realization. The book had said that the caster of the spell received all the tiredness from the recipient. That meant that once a week all term, Professor McGonagall had been on the receiving end of all my exhaustion. She had been sleeping for me, had taken all the risks outlined by the book for me.

I felt horrible. After everything she had been doing for me, I had gone and broken her trust. I felt like the absolute worst student to ever roam the halls of Hogwarts. She'd let me off easy for what I'd done. A couple of detentions, fifty points, and a letter home? The talk with my parents wouldn't be fun, but it couldn't be worse than what I'd just sat through.

Regaining the use of my legs, I made it back to the common room and sat at my usual table, where Harry and Ron were playing wizard's chess.

"You two had better start studying," I said, my authoritative tone covering up the shame and humiliation I was still feeling.

"Later," Ron said, waving a hand in my direction. "Got all weekend."

I rolled my eyes and opened my own books. Whether or not Harry and Ron wished to succeed on their exams, I was determined to do my absolute best and prove that giving me with the time turner hadn't been a mistake.