"BAM!" The door opened, bounced back off the wall, admitting their furious
Head Teacher followed by Snape in much higher spirits than before.
"What is the meaning of this?" McGonagall asked them shrewdly, "and hurry up, Professor Snape summoned me out of class to listen to you."
Speaking of whom, Snape leaned casually across his desk, arms folded, expression gratified...it irked Gaby, but she remained in full attention to her Head. "We had a situation in class," she stopped, passed a glance at Snape sneering and then looked back at McGonagal.
"Well? What is it then?"
"We've been wrongfully accused, "she was now looking at Snape a little apprehensively.
"Oh...do continue," McGonagall snapped, but with a hint of interest on her felloe peer's part. Gaby continued to look at Snape and when she thought it would be of no use, McGonagall turned to do the same. "Professor, do you mind excusing us for a while, if it pleases you?"
"It most certainly doesn't," said Snape, the smiling disappearing off his livid face to be replaced by a look of resentment. "This is my office, they committed crime in my classroom, I'm here to see then admit the truth!" he finished in a defiant whisper.
"Severus," McGonagall said lazily, "with all respect due to you...I hardly think you know anything- of the truth I mean, concerning these young Gryffindors-"
"Don't tell me what I know!" spat Snape, "Malfoy made a confession-"
"Of course, there are other alternatives, I could take them up to my office...or perhaps, to see the Headmaster."
Snape's lips curled and they could see the look of loathing he now held for his fellow teacher.
"Do what you want and be over with it! They must be punished for their crime!" he lifted himself off of the desk and began to stride powerfully across to the door.
"I'm sure they will receive what they deserve," McGonagall assured him with contentment as he slammed the office door behind them.
She raised her hand and Gaby's breath caught in her throat, a fire rekindled itself in the dungeon fireplace on her accord, then she turned to them. Gaby half-expected for her to shout again, scream at them, anything of the sort, but it was that her expectations would, for the second time for the day, be proven wrong.
"It's funny, dealing with the people you work with," she told them, tirelessly. Gaby was appalled. "Now, what is your problem."?
"Like we said," Smith took the steam," we've been wrongfully accused, Sn- Professor Snape walked into his class and saw me and Malfoy with our wands out and dragged us in here without an explanation."
"Oh!" McGonagall exclaimed, "Would you care to tell me why you had your wand revealed in this particular unattended session?"
"Well, Sn- Professor Snape took Malfoy's excuse about me having snuck up on him when he was trying to clean up the cauldron Gaby cracked."
"And what really did happen, why were you caught in such a suspicious situation?"
"Professor Snape paired me with Malfoy," Gaby said," we were doing work he left for us- well, I was doing it alone then Malfoy refused to get his foot of the Pelican Powder-"
"What? - Whi- What potion were you doing?"
"Bird wounds elixir, I think it was," Gaby answered. McGonagall gasped. "Highly advanced," she muttered," only learned at N.E.W.T level- and even then students find difficulty- you were OK with it?"
"We finished it in half and hour...it was allright, Smith did too, with Donald..."
McGonagall was staring at them with a serious expression Gaby never knew before, she felt uneasy.
"Well- then- tell me what happened..."
"When I asked him for it he refused, and when I tried to get it he kicked it off the table and I had to use the repair and collectable charms to retrieve it before the potion frothed over...
"He told me I wasn't supposed to use magic I asked him what he was going to do about it...then he advanced on me..."
"With the wand?"
Gaby shook her head, "attempted to push me into the wall-"
"Great gargoyles! What did you do?"
"I think I dropped my wand and the vial to block then I noticed him pointing his wand at me..."
"I advanced," Smith took over," with my wand and on impulse Prince covered Gaby just as Donald covered Kara behind me."
McGonagall was silent for a long moment; she was now looking at Smith. "Did you attack?" she asked slowly.
"No," he told her," neither- they looked like they were going to forget it then Prince suddenly turned around and tried to hit Gaby with a curse, but it hit the cauldron instead- that's how it spilled...that's when Snape came in-
"Professor Snape"
"Sorry, him- then he took Malfoy's bull excuse and accused us..."
***
"What is the meaning of this?" McGonagall asked them shrewdly, "and hurry up, Professor Snape summoned me out of class to listen to you."
Speaking of whom, Snape leaned casually across his desk, arms folded, expression gratified...it irked Gaby, but she remained in full attention to her Head. "We had a situation in class," she stopped, passed a glance at Snape sneering and then looked back at McGonagal.
"Well? What is it then?"
"We've been wrongfully accused, "she was now looking at Snape a little apprehensively.
"Oh...do continue," McGonagall snapped, but with a hint of interest on her felloe peer's part. Gaby continued to look at Snape and when she thought it would be of no use, McGonagall turned to do the same. "Professor, do you mind excusing us for a while, if it pleases you?"
"It most certainly doesn't," said Snape, the smiling disappearing off his livid face to be replaced by a look of resentment. "This is my office, they committed crime in my classroom, I'm here to see then admit the truth!" he finished in a defiant whisper.
"Severus," McGonagall said lazily, "with all respect due to you...I hardly think you know anything- of the truth I mean, concerning these young Gryffindors-"
"Don't tell me what I know!" spat Snape, "Malfoy made a confession-"
"Of course, there are other alternatives, I could take them up to my office...or perhaps, to see the Headmaster."
Snape's lips curled and they could see the look of loathing he now held for his fellow teacher.
"Do what you want and be over with it! They must be punished for their crime!" he lifted himself off of the desk and began to stride powerfully across to the door.
"I'm sure they will receive what they deserve," McGonagall assured him with contentment as he slammed the office door behind them.
She raised her hand and Gaby's breath caught in her throat, a fire rekindled itself in the dungeon fireplace on her accord, then she turned to them. Gaby half-expected for her to shout again, scream at them, anything of the sort, but it was that her expectations would, for the second time for the day, be proven wrong.
"It's funny, dealing with the people you work with," she told them, tirelessly. Gaby was appalled. "Now, what is your problem."?
"Like we said," Smith took the steam," we've been wrongfully accused, Sn- Professor Snape walked into his class and saw me and Malfoy with our wands out and dragged us in here without an explanation."
"Oh!" McGonagall exclaimed, "Would you care to tell me why you had your wand revealed in this particular unattended session?"
"Well, Sn- Professor Snape took Malfoy's excuse about me having snuck up on him when he was trying to clean up the cauldron Gaby cracked."
"And what really did happen, why were you caught in such a suspicious situation?"
"Professor Snape paired me with Malfoy," Gaby said," we were doing work he left for us- well, I was doing it alone then Malfoy refused to get his foot of the Pelican Powder-"
"What? - Whi- What potion were you doing?"
"Bird wounds elixir, I think it was," Gaby answered. McGonagall gasped. "Highly advanced," she muttered," only learned at N.E.W.T level- and even then students find difficulty- you were OK with it?"
"We finished it in half and hour...it was allright, Smith did too, with Donald..."
McGonagall was staring at them with a serious expression Gaby never knew before, she felt uneasy.
"Well- then- tell me what happened..."
"When I asked him for it he refused, and when I tried to get it he kicked it off the table and I had to use the repair and collectable charms to retrieve it before the potion frothed over...
"He told me I wasn't supposed to use magic I asked him what he was going to do about it...then he advanced on me..."
"With the wand?"
Gaby shook her head, "attempted to push me into the wall-"
"Great gargoyles! What did you do?"
"I think I dropped my wand and the vial to block then I noticed him pointing his wand at me..."
"I advanced," Smith took over," with my wand and on impulse Prince covered Gaby just as Donald covered Kara behind me."
McGonagall was silent for a long moment; she was now looking at Smith. "Did you attack?" she asked slowly.
"No," he told her," neither- they looked like they were going to forget it then Prince suddenly turned around and tried to hit Gaby with a curse, but it hit the cauldron instead- that's how it spilled...that's when Snape came in-
"Professor Snape"
"Sorry, him- then he took Malfoy's bull excuse and accused us..."
***