Chapter 7: Fun with Snape
As they neared the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Hermione took out her vial of invisibility potion and swallowed some of it before handing the rest to Fred and Georde, who split the rest. They quickly dumped the canoe behind Hagrid's hut with a note explaining its sudden appearance, hoping he would understand. Harry pulled his invisibility cloak over Ginny, Ron, and himself and they walked across the field towards Hogwarts.
Harry reached into his pocket for the Marauder's Map and found nothing. "Oh, no." He searched all of his pockets again only to get the same result. No map. "Crap," Harry muttered.
Ron looked over at Harry, "What's wrong?" He whispered. "The map…I can't find it." They approached the door and opened it slowly.
"Well, well, well," a voice Harry would know in his sleep said. "If it's not Potter and his fan club out for a midnight stroll." Harry stopped dead in his tracks and looked up to see Snape, holding the Marauder's Map in one hand and his wand in the other.
"Ow!" Fred, George and Hermione, due to their inability to see Ron, Harry, and Ginny stopped in front of them, ran smack into them.
"Ah and here are the rest of them." Snape pulled out his wand and said, "Apparatum," and the three of them appeared. Fred swore loudly.
"Potter, off with that ridiculous cloak. You really don't think I don't know there's three of you under there?" Harry sighed and pulled off the cloak. Snape smirked and said, "Into my office now, all of you."
Once they arrived, the six of them stood in front of Snape's desk like souls awaiting judgement day as Snape paced behind it. "Now, to decide on the perfect punishment. Sneaking around outside after dark, removing materials from the potions classroom," he pointed to Hermione then reached over and pulled a twig out of Ron's hair. "And going into the Forbidden Forest, which, as its name reveals, is strictly forbidden." He sighed in mock sorrow. "Potter, Potter, Potter. Ever since you came to this school you have been granted more leeway than anyone else. It is, I believe, time for that to stop." He paused and stared each of them in the eye in turn. "There is a Hogsmeade visit next Saturday. None of you will be going ,except for Fred and George Weasly. They are beyond hope for redemption." Fred's face broke into an evil grin. " You, Weasly, howeer," Snape said, pointing at Fred, "will receive a detention."
Fred looked at Snape, surprised. "Why?"
"For swearing. Now, consider yourselves lucky. You should be expelled." He paused. " Not that that couldn't still happen, but it seems to be a school policy that Potter and His Fan Club are beyond reproach. I shall mention this to Professor Dumbledore anyway." He ushered them out of his office and slammed the door shut behind them with his usual friendly addittude.
"You do that," Fred muttered bitterly as they walked towards Gryffindor Tower. "Think of the shame! A detention just for swearing! I'll never live it down." He frowned at the frayed edge of his robe.
Hermione plucked another twig out of her hair and dropped it to the floor. "Don't worry, Fred. I'm sure the more sane of us would consider it a nice respite from your typical escapades. Snape was right, he did let us off pretty easily."
"Yeah," Ron said, barely concealing the sneer in his voice, "You didn't lose your precious Prefect badge, after all."
"Honestly! Is that all you think I care about? Because if it is, you are dead wrong. We could have been expelled, punished what not. Snape was being nicer than I ever remember him being."
"Gee, he must be getting soft in his old age," Ron said sarcastically. "I must have known something was up when he decided we weren't worth his time instead of making our lives a living hell."
Harry rolled his eyes as another Hermione-Ron conflict started. His eyes met Ginny's and she shook her head in disgust. George and Fred suddenly seemed particularly interested in picking their robes clean of stickers and fuzz.
"They are always like this now and it is really starting to get on my nerves," Ginny whispered.
"I know. It's been like this since about the Yule Ball, over a year ago. So, do you think they'll ever shut up and start being nice to each other?"
"Is Voldemort a kind, charitable old man?" She asked rhetorically.
"I guess not."
They reached the tower and the first thing that caught Harry'seyes was the rowing maching, propped up against the wall. He swallowed, trying to dislodge the lump in his throat. Sirius had sent it to him a while ago and other than that, he hadn't answered any letters. Not a single word. Harry tried not to worry and he tried even harder not to look worried, but still, it bothered him. What if he did have trouble with the ministry? What if he was caught by Voldemort? His fate would be the same, the Dementors had quickly left their posts at Azkaban for more profitable employment under Voldemort. Ron stopped sniping at Hermione long enough to notice where Harry's gaze fell.
"Hey, mate, what are you worried about?"
Harry jumped slightly, then replied in his calmest manner, "Nothing, just our mission really. I think we should start taking turns training on that machine every night, for at least 20 minutes. Then we'll take the boat out on Friday if the weather's fine. Alright?"
The team nodded its approval and they climbed up the stairs to their respective dorms, their feet dragging with weariness and worry.
As they neared the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Hermione took out her vial of invisibility potion and swallowed some of it before handing the rest to Fred and Georde, who split the rest. They quickly dumped the canoe behind Hagrid's hut with a note explaining its sudden appearance, hoping he would understand. Harry pulled his invisibility cloak over Ginny, Ron, and himself and they walked across the field towards Hogwarts.
Harry reached into his pocket for the Marauder's Map and found nothing. "Oh, no." He searched all of his pockets again only to get the same result. No map. "Crap," Harry muttered.
Ron looked over at Harry, "What's wrong?" He whispered. "The map…I can't find it." They approached the door and opened it slowly.
"Well, well, well," a voice Harry would know in his sleep said. "If it's not Potter and his fan club out for a midnight stroll." Harry stopped dead in his tracks and looked up to see Snape, holding the Marauder's Map in one hand and his wand in the other.
"Ow!" Fred, George and Hermione, due to their inability to see Ron, Harry, and Ginny stopped in front of them, ran smack into them.
"Ah and here are the rest of them." Snape pulled out his wand and said, "Apparatum," and the three of them appeared. Fred swore loudly.
"Potter, off with that ridiculous cloak. You really don't think I don't know there's three of you under there?" Harry sighed and pulled off the cloak. Snape smirked and said, "Into my office now, all of you."
Once they arrived, the six of them stood in front of Snape's desk like souls awaiting judgement day as Snape paced behind it. "Now, to decide on the perfect punishment. Sneaking around outside after dark, removing materials from the potions classroom," he pointed to Hermione then reached over and pulled a twig out of Ron's hair. "And going into the Forbidden Forest, which, as its name reveals, is strictly forbidden." He sighed in mock sorrow. "Potter, Potter, Potter. Ever since you came to this school you have been granted more leeway than anyone else. It is, I believe, time for that to stop." He paused and stared each of them in the eye in turn. "There is a Hogsmeade visit next Saturday. None of you will be going ,except for Fred and George Weasly. They are beyond hope for redemption." Fred's face broke into an evil grin. " You, Weasly, howeer," Snape said, pointing at Fred, "will receive a detention."
Fred looked at Snape, surprised. "Why?"
"For swearing. Now, consider yourselves lucky. You should be expelled." He paused. " Not that that couldn't still happen, but it seems to be a school policy that Potter and His Fan Club are beyond reproach. I shall mention this to Professor Dumbledore anyway." He ushered them out of his office and slammed the door shut behind them with his usual friendly addittude.
"You do that," Fred muttered bitterly as they walked towards Gryffindor Tower. "Think of the shame! A detention just for swearing! I'll never live it down." He frowned at the frayed edge of his robe.
Hermione plucked another twig out of her hair and dropped it to the floor. "Don't worry, Fred. I'm sure the more sane of us would consider it a nice respite from your typical escapades. Snape was right, he did let us off pretty easily."
"Yeah," Ron said, barely concealing the sneer in his voice, "You didn't lose your precious Prefect badge, after all."
"Honestly! Is that all you think I care about? Because if it is, you are dead wrong. We could have been expelled, punished what not. Snape was being nicer than I ever remember him being."
"Gee, he must be getting soft in his old age," Ron said sarcastically. "I must have known something was up when he decided we weren't worth his time instead of making our lives a living hell."
Harry rolled his eyes as another Hermione-Ron conflict started. His eyes met Ginny's and she shook her head in disgust. George and Fred suddenly seemed particularly interested in picking their robes clean of stickers and fuzz.
"They are always like this now and it is really starting to get on my nerves," Ginny whispered.
"I know. It's been like this since about the Yule Ball, over a year ago. So, do you think they'll ever shut up and start being nice to each other?"
"Is Voldemort a kind, charitable old man?" She asked rhetorically.
"I guess not."
They reached the tower and the first thing that caught Harry'seyes was the rowing maching, propped up against the wall. He swallowed, trying to dislodge the lump in his throat. Sirius had sent it to him a while ago and other than that, he hadn't answered any letters. Not a single word. Harry tried not to worry and he tried even harder not to look worried, but still, it bothered him. What if he did have trouble with the ministry? What if he was caught by Voldemort? His fate would be the same, the Dementors had quickly left their posts at Azkaban for more profitable employment under Voldemort. Ron stopped sniping at Hermione long enough to notice where Harry's gaze fell.
"Hey, mate, what are you worried about?"
Harry jumped slightly, then replied in his calmest manner, "Nothing, just our mission really. I think we should start taking turns training on that machine every night, for at least 20 minutes. Then we'll take the boat out on Friday if the weather's fine. Alright?"
The team nodded its approval and they climbed up the stairs to their respective dorms, their feet dragging with weariness and worry.