A/N: Hey, sorry for not updating this fic in a lo-ong time. I've been busy and I'll probably be more busier in the coming weeks. Also I'd like to have you know that I'll be discontinuing this fic (as well as Dear Mudblood) for a short while. Really sorry once again. Glad you liked the last chapter very much and I'm sorry that the chapters seem short. I'll try to make them a little longer if possible. Anyway, thank you guys for reviewing this fanfic so far especially those who reviewed more than once or twice throughout the story. I hope you like this chapter as well. Take care and God bless!
Chapter 6
"Minerva, Severus," Professor Dumbledore greeted the two professors as they entered Professor Dumbledore's office. He was fully dressed and very cheerful. Behind him half the portraits were asleep. Some were still awake and were looking at the two professors with interest.
Harry and Ginny, under the Invisibility cloak, quietly made their way in before the door shut behind them. Harry could see that Fawkes was on its perch wide awake as the headmaster was. And Fawkes seemed to be looking directly at him.
Could it see Ginny and him?
Harry sure hoped not. Maybe it could sense the both of them..
"Please, sit down, sit down," said Professor Dumbledore as he conjured up two chairs with his wand.
Professor Mcgonagall and Snape both glanced at each other and sat down reluctantly.
"I am sure the both of you are wondering by now why I have called you to my office at a time like this," started Professor Dumbledore.
Snape looked as if he had wanted to say something but was trying not to. His mouth was set in a grim line and he stared expectedly at Professor Dumbledore.
"Pray tell Albus, what is it?" asked Professor Mcgonagall. Harry and Ginny edged a little closer to Professor Dumbledore wanting to know why he had called the two teachers to his office.
"I asked the two of you here to inform you about 8 of your students," replied Professor Dumbledore. He looked at Professor Mcgonagall and then at Snape. "4 of them from your house Minerva, and 4 of them from your own house Severus. All of them in 7th year of course,"
"What of them Professor?" asked Snape.
"Currently at this very moment, they are locked in a classroom together," replied Professor Dumbledore. There was a twinkle in his eyes. Harry's eyes widened. So did Ginny's eyes. Surely Ron and Hermione were two of the four Gryffindors stuck in that classroom.
Professor Mcgonagall looked somewhat worried and puzzled. Snape just looked gloomy. As usual.
"Surely they can manage to get out of there Albus?" asked Professor Mcgonagall a bit disbelivingly.
Professor Dumbledore chuckled. "I'm afraid not Minerva for you see, I have set a charm on the door preventing the students to escape even using their wands," He replied.
Professor Mcgonagall gaped at him as if he had gone mad. "You locked them in there?" She gasped.
"With a little help from Peeves of course who seemed quite delighted to accept the offer," said Professor Dumbledore.
"Professor, you do know of the rivalry between these two - ah - houses," said Snape with a wary glance at Professor Mcgonagall. "And since the beginning of the school year Professor, this rivalry has heightened rather alarmingly,"
"Of course," said the headmaster. "Ever since the Second War began, everyone began to take sides once again. And even with the war over, even with Lord Voldemort-" Professor Mcgonagall and Snape both flinched. Ginny flinched a little as well. "-gone, the rivalry ensues. Well it's mostly between the older students but the younger ones have seem to caught on as well,"
"Would you like to know how many times I've caught students from these two houses trying to hex one another when they think I'm not watching them?" asked Professor Dumbledore.
"Quite atrocious!" A lady in the portrait behind Professor Dumbledore exclaimed shaking her head. "It has never happened before back in my time ..,"
Professor shook her own head and muttered something under her breath.
"I believe now is a good time to end this," started Professor Dumbledore suddenly looking serious. "I do not mean to end the rivalry entirely but I merely suggest that the students from both of your houses be civil to one another,"
"By trapping some of these students in a classroom?" asked Snape. "Professor, this is clearly unheard of," For a moment he seemed as if he was almost glaring at the headmaster.
"Severus, I assure you it will work. I have thought about this a great deal and I believe that they would soon forget about their hatred and form .. a certain bond with one another. They would be a great example for their peers as well as for the younger students," There was that twinkle in his eyes once again. "As soon as they manage to come out that is,"
"And when will that be Albus?" asked Professor Mcgonagall tiredly.
"Soon Minerva. Not now but soon," replied the headmaster.
"And what about food and water-"
"That has been taken cared of Minerva. I have cast several charms around the classroom ensuring that they be safe there during their ... stay,"
Professor Mcgonagall stared at him for a while longer and then she nodded. "I suppose I haven't a reason to say no to this. After all, I believe it's for .. the best?"
"Quite right Minerva," Professor Dumbledore agreed. Then he looked at Snape. "And you Severus?"
Snape merely nodded though Harry knew he didn't seem to agree just by looking at the expression on his face.
"Albus would you mind telling us who are the students whom you have locked up in that classroom?" asked Professor Mcgonagall.
"Certainly Minerva. The students from Gryffindor happen to be misters Weasley and Finnigan as well as Miss Brown and Miss Granger," replied Professor Dumbledore. "And as from your house Severus, I do believe they are Miss Parkinson and misters Malfoy, Goyle and Zabini,"
Professor Dumbledore stood up and smiled warmly at the two professors. "I'm glad we've had this talk. You need not worry about your students for they are quite safe. Good night now," he said as he ushered them to the door.
"Oh and one last reminder before you go off," said Professor Dumbledore as the two professors (as well as Harry and Ginny) stepped down from the staircase. "You won't be able to look for the classroom if you are to search for it. I have had it bewitched so that only Peeves and I can find it. Good night," Harry was almost sure that Professor Dumbledore had winked at him.
Goyle didn't answer. Instead he just looked more uncomfortable and more worried.
"He'd probably have to do it in a corner of the classroom," said Seamus, a smile playing on his lips. His smile disappeared when everyone in the classroom stared at him in disbelief. "What?"
"Very smart plan Finnigan! Really clever. Asking him to do it in a corner in this very classroom itself....," Pansy sneered at him.
"Well you come up with a better plan than him!" Lavender jumped to her boyfriend's defence, challenging the Slytherin girl. "Go on. You think you're smart don't you?"
"Well-" Pansy was trying her hardest to come up with a better plan. Of course it required alot of thinking. And unfortunately for Pansy, thinking was sort of a problem for her. It required her to actually use her own brain. Her face brightened up. "Well he can hold it in!"
"Hold it in?! He'll kill himself if he ever tries that!" snapped Draco. He paused for a moment.
"Not that that would be terrible at all," He added with a strange sort of smile on his pale face. But the smile soon disappeared and he turned to Blaise, his grey eyes filled with fury. "This is all your bloody fault Zabini -"
"Oh yes. As if I actually wanted us all stuck in here," said Blaise rather sarcastically.
"OH STOP IT!" yelled Hermione all of a sudden. Her hands were on her hips once more as she glared at the small group before her. Everyone in the room stopped and stared at her. The classroom became very silent and still except for Goyle jumping around.
"Much better," said Hermione in a calmer voice. But she still glared at her friends and the Slytherins. "Look, we can't just go on arguing and fighting forever,"
"Try me," suggested Pansy sulkily.
"Oh shut it Parkinson and let Hermione talk," said Lavender huffily.
Pansy threw her a look of pure venom. "I'm not going to listen to some mud-" She started.
"SHUT UP! BOTH OF YOU!" Hermione had to yell again. She kept her fists clenched at her sides, trying not to reach for the wand inside her pocket and try to hex the two girls. The two girls fell silent and Pansy suddenly found herself momentarily afraid of Hermione though she was too ashamed and embarrassed to admit it.
"Start quarrelling again - any one of you - and I'll hex you to the other end of the world and back," threatened Hermione.
"Only we can't," Blaise spoke up. "There's that charm Dumbledore placed on this classroom remember?"
Hermione gave him an odd look "Right. There's that. Well, I just don't want any one of us to start bickering or worse - start a fight again and really, we're in our seventh and final year now and we're almost adults and look at us! We're fighting and quarrelling as if we're in first year all over again-"
"That's a very nice speech Granger but you're forgetting about Goyle over here," Draco cut in dryly. He nodded his head over at Goyle who now seemed to be jumping around.
Hermione blushed and then frowned at Goyle. "Yes. We'll figure something out-"
"Well there has to be a secret bathroom here," said Ron looking around. It was his turn to be stared at by everybody else.
"What?" He asked, annoyed that everyone was staring at him. "We're in Hogwarts. Anything can happen here at Hogwarts,"
Blaise let out a snort. "Oh really ...," He muttered.
"Ron's right," said Hermione slowly. A smile spread slowly across her face. "Anything can happen here,""Even if we're stuck in a classroom with no toilet?" asked Pansy confusedly.
Hermione didn't answer her. Her eyes were on the empty bookshelf at the end of the classroom. The smile still on her face, she strode across the classroom to the bookshelf and stared at it wonderingly.
"The mudblood's gone mad," Pansy told Draco who was watching Hermione. "She truly has," Then she looked at Goyle. "Oh Merlin! Look at him! His face! He's turning all purple," Goyle looked as if he was about to cry.
"Granger hasn't gone mad," said Draco. He had seen the look on Hermione's face. He knew that look. He had seen it before. Dozens of times actually.
"Well I think you're mad now," said Pansy, offended that Draco had actually contradicted her. "What has the bookshelf got to do with solving the problem of that jumping gorilla over there eh?" asked Ron as he joined Hermione by the bookshelf.
"Ron, Fred and George have always talked about the hidden passageways and places they've found around here haven't they?" asked Hermione.
"'Course they have 'Mione. Boasted about them, more like it," replied Ron and he studied the bookshelf and then stared at Hermione in amazement. "You don't think-"
"Could be possible," said Hermione. One hand ran over the side of the bookshelf. It was made of oak and rather dusty. She rapped on it a few times.
Suddenly there was a click and the bookshelf swung slowly towards them with a groan causing the two Gryffindors to step back in surprise. The bookshelf revealed a rather large bathroom. It looked almost like the Prefect's bathroom except a little smaller and there was a toilet seat at the far end.
"There," said Hermione looking rather pleased with herself.