Once Hermione and Colin were collected, they, Oliver, Lindsay and Katie
made their way down to the Great Hall for an important assembly of the
houses. They sat all together. Katie and Hermione on one side and Oliver,
Colin and Lindsay on the other. They watched as Professor McGonagall made
her way to the front and looked at all of the students.
"Silence, please." She said, looking around seriously at the students. They all quieted down at once by her stare.
"Now, as many of you know, there was a strange happening outside the school one night recently." She said, looking around. "And I would just like to say, that no, it was not the sign of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named."
There was a slight murmur in the crowd of students, but she tapped her wand against the podium she was standing in front of.
"We have reason to believe either someone from the outside did it," she said, a whisper spreading throughout the crowd "Or, a group of students, maybe?"
Oliver felt his stomach knot as Professor McGonagall glanced over at him. He tried to act surprised by lifting his eyebrows and looking at Katie the same way. She seemed nervous, even with her disguised face.
Colin and Lindsay had their same expressionless faces on. Blank and uncaring. Hermione just sat there, looking at the table. She felt a sharp kick from Lindsay to look surprised. She looked up quickly and her mouth dropped open.
'Brilliant' Oliver thought sarcastically.
"Therefor," McGonagall continued, "The schools hallways will be patrolled on a regular basis by our staff, making sure no one is out of bed when they are not supposed to be."
Colin glanced over at Oliver and then to Katie, a somewhat frustrated, but also worried look on his face.
"That is all. You may return to your activities." Professor McGonagall said. The five of them got up quickly, and walked out together.
They headed up the stairs and did not stop walking until they were inside the Gryffindor Common Room, and were sure they were alone.
"How are we going to do this?" Katie said, worriedly.
"I don't know," said Oliver, "But we need to figure it out quickly."
"Maybe this is a sign," Hermione said, looking at all of them "Maybe we're not supposed to do this at all!"
"Oh stop with the dramatics, Granger." Lindsay said. Hermione glared at Lindsay slightly.
"I think she knows we did it." Colin said.
"And how would she know that?" Oliver asked. Colin looked at them all for a moment before saying two words.
"Harry Potter."
"Oh, come off it, Colin!" Hermione exclaimed. "Harry would never tell!"
"Then you explain it!" Colin said. "First, we don't have Harry in on this and everything is going well. Then, Katie puts the whole thing out in the open, followed by Granger filling in the spaces, and then of course entry into the circle. Now all of a sudden we're in trouble? That's rather ironic, isn't it?"
There was a slight silence in the room, everyone thinking about the sequence of events. Finally, Hermione broke the silence.
"I still don't think he did it." she said boldly. Oliver glanced over at her, and saw Hermione's face. It had seemed like she didn't even believe the words that were escaping her lips anymore.
"Well," Oliver said, "It does make some sense."
"Finally, you come around." Colin said. Oliver shot him a look, telling him to stop but Colin glared back.
"Do you think we should ask Harry?" Katie asked Oliver, glancing at him. Oliver shrugged.
"I suppose so." He replied.
"I volunteer!" Colin said, with an innocent smile on his face.
"Funny." Oliver said sarcastically.
"I'm serious," Colin said, "You are all way too easy on him."
"That's because we don't want to scare him off." Katie chimed in.
"Going to hold his hand through the robbery too, then, right?" Colin snapped at Katie. Oliver stepped in at this.
"Katie's right." He said. "If we want any co-operation from Harry, we need him to trust us and…"
Oliver was interrupted by the sound of the picture moving in the porthole. They all looked over and stepping out of it was none other than Professor McGonagall.
"Oh," she said, "You're all together."
Oliver gulped and watched the elderly teacher. If it was possible, her serious face turned into even more of a frown when she spoke.
"All of you, come with me," she said, "Professor Dumbledore wants to speak with you."
"Silence, please." She said, looking around seriously at the students. They all quieted down at once by her stare.
"Now, as many of you know, there was a strange happening outside the school one night recently." She said, looking around. "And I would just like to say, that no, it was not the sign of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named."
There was a slight murmur in the crowd of students, but she tapped her wand against the podium she was standing in front of.
"We have reason to believe either someone from the outside did it," she said, a whisper spreading throughout the crowd "Or, a group of students, maybe?"
Oliver felt his stomach knot as Professor McGonagall glanced over at him. He tried to act surprised by lifting his eyebrows and looking at Katie the same way. She seemed nervous, even with her disguised face.
Colin and Lindsay had their same expressionless faces on. Blank and uncaring. Hermione just sat there, looking at the table. She felt a sharp kick from Lindsay to look surprised. She looked up quickly and her mouth dropped open.
'Brilliant' Oliver thought sarcastically.
"Therefor," McGonagall continued, "The schools hallways will be patrolled on a regular basis by our staff, making sure no one is out of bed when they are not supposed to be."
Colin glanced over at Oliver and then to Katie, a somewhat frustrated, but also worried look on his face.
"That is all. You may return to your activities." Professor McGonagall said. The five of them got up quickly, and walked out together.
They headed up the stairs and did not stop walking until they were inside the Gryffindor Common Room, and were sure they were alone.
"How are we going to do this?" Katie said, worriedly.
"I don't know," said Oliver, "But we need to figure it out quickly."
"Maybe this is a sign," Hermione said, looking at all of them "Maybe we're not supposed to do this at all!"
"Oh stop with the dramatics, Granger." Lindsay said. Hermione glared at Lindsay slightly.
"I think she knows we did it." Colin said.
"And how would she know that?" Oliver asked. Colin looked at them all for a moment before saying two words.
"Harry Potter."
"Oh, come off it, Colin!" Hermione exclaimed. "Harry would never tell!"
"Then you explain it!" Colin said. "First, we don't have Harry in on this and everything is going well. Then, Katie puts the whole thing out in the open, followed by Granger filling in the spaces, and then of course entry into the circle. Now all of a sudden we're in trouble? That's rather ironic, isn't it?"
There was a slight silence in the room, everyone thinking about the sequence of events. Finally, Hermione broke the silence.
"I still don't think he did it." she said boldly. Oliver glanced over at her, and saw Hermione's face. It had seemed like she didn't even believe the words that were escaping her lips anymore.
"Well," Oliver said, "It does make some sense."
"Finally, you come around." Colin said. Oliver shot him a look, telling him to stop but Colin glared back.
"Do you think we should ask Harry?" Katie asked Oliver, glancing at him. Oliver shrugged.
"I suppose so." He replied.
"I volunteer!" Colin said, with an innocent smile on his face.
"Funny." Oliver said sarcastically.
"I'm serious," Colin said, "You are all way too easy on him."
"That's because we don't want to scare him off." Katie chimed in.
"Going to hold his hand through the robbery too, then, right?" Colin snapped at Katie. Oliver stepped in at this.
"Katie's right." He said. "If we want any co-operation from Harry, we need him to trust us and…"
Oliver was interrupted by the sound of the picture moving in the porthole. They all looked over and stepping out of it was none other than Professor McGonagall.
"Oh," she said, "You're all together."
Oliver gulped and watched the elderly teacher. If it was possible, her serious face turned into even more of a frown when she spoke.
"All of you, come with me," she said, "Professor Dumbledore wants to speak with you."