He took them to a familiar gargoyle.

"Fizzing Whizbee."

The gargoyle opened to reveal the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore peered up from what he was reading to see Snape.

"Can I help you, Severus?"

"One of these students set my office on fire," Snape snarled, "I find it your duty to commend their punishment for this serious crime."

"I will attend to it, Severus," Dumbledore spoke very gravely.

"I wish to oversee it."

"As you wish," Dumbledore answered. Meredith, Maya, Liz, and Tina lined up alongside Jeff, Harry and Sirius to be questioned.

"They were all in your office?" Dumbledore asked Snape. Snape pointed accusingly at Jeff, Harry and Sirius, "These three were in my office. The others were possibly spying outside."

The students remained silent.

"Did Potter, Black or Mastrianni murmur anything suspicious to be a spell?"

"No," Snape responded. Dumbledore looked at them. "You three may leave."

Harry, Jeff, and Sirius left the office wordlessly, but looking back at the other four with worried expressions. Maya was, for a first, panicking as Liz was. Tina and Meredith didn't know what to think. Their minds were blank out of fear. What punishments would they undeservingly receive? Every one of them glanced at the other suspiciously. Everyone was a suspect to them, as well as Snape and Dumbledore.

"Now I know why Adam ran," Meredith murmured ever so quietly to herself, "I should've done the same."

"Miss Brooks," Dumbledore said, "Step forward please."

Meredith gulped and a million excuses and truths raced through her mind. I wasn't spying I was walking down the hall and I saw all of them run out from a burning office which I did NOT set on fire!

"Name your wand for me, please."

Meredith blinked. "My wand?"

"What type of wand do you have?"

"Um…" she held it out for him to see, "Phoenix feather, eight inches, birch."

Dumbledore nodded. "You may step back, now." Meredith did as she was told. He then looked at Maya.

"Miss Lane, please step forward."

Why am I so worried? I didn't do anything! I was just watching and then the place just went in flames –

"Your wand, Miss Lane?"

Maya replied, "Dragon heartstring, eleven inches, hickory."

"Mmhm." Dumbledore nodded again and said, "You may step back." Maya looked at Liz next. Liz appeared to be very nervous, if not flat out scared.

"Miss Parke?"

She stepped forward, but said nothing.

"Miss Parke, your wand."

She remained as she was. Snape growled, "Silence is a full confession, Miss Parke, I suggest that you speak."

"Miss Parke, I will ask you once more. What is your wand?"

"Siren feather," Liz replied, "nine inches, spruce."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows slightly. "That will do, Miss Parke. You may step back."

Liz fixed her gaze to the floor of Dumbledore's office. Tina was staring at her in disbelief, until Dumbledore called on her. She stepped forward and replied, "Unicorn hair, seven and a half inches, cherry wood," in complete confidence. She had nothing to fear. After all, she did not set off the fire and justice always prevailed.

"Step back, Miss Knox." Dumbledore stared at all of them in a judging manner.

"Miss Knox, Miss Parke – you may leave. Miss Lane and Miss Brooks, please remain here with me."

Liz and Tina gave Maya and Meredith the same anxious looks as Harry, Sirius and Jeff had given them before they had left. As Liz and Tina exited Dumbledore's office, Harry and Sirius were found waiting for them around one of the corridors.

"What happened? Where's Meredith and Maya?"

"They're still in there. Dumbledore asked us what kinds of wands we had and then he asked us to leave."

"Why did you get to leave?" Sirius asked. Liz shrugged, "No idea."

"I know."

Harry, Liz and Sirius looked at Tina. "How? Why?"

"Meredith and Maya have fire powered wands. Meredith has a phoenix feather and Maya has a part of a dragon. Fire based wands are more powerful when it comes to fire-powered spells."

Liz blinked, "How did you know that?"

Tina growled at her, "Since when do you care?"

Liz frowned, "Since now."

Tina advanced on her, "You know what, I may not be the smartest out of the four of us, but I do know some things, Liz!"

"Well, I was just wondering, you freak! What do you flip out over everything!"

("What are they talking about?" Sirius mumbled to Harry, "Their Yankee slang is confusing me."

"I think they're fighting," Harry answered in the same low voice.)

"Me? Who FALSELY accused me of ditching my friends for a guy? I would NEVER do that to you guys!"

"YOU'RE the one that attacked Maya!"

"And like you've never lost your temper!"

"Wait, WHAT?"

Tina and Liz both fell silent as Harry broke in.

"You attacked Maya?" Tina looked down at the floor, but nodded nonetheless. Harry rounded on Liz, "You told me Malfoy attacked Maya!"

"You did?" Tina asked incredulously. Liz was now trying to search frantically for an answer.

"I-I told Harry that Malfoy was the one who attacked Maya, b-because…I don't know…I just didn't want him to think that one of my best friends would attack one of us. I didn't want him to think of you as a threat."

"Me? A threat?"

"For one, I can't believe that you bloody lied to me! And for another, you," Harry turned to Tina, "You attacked one of your best friends? How do we know you won't attack Liz? Meredith? Us?"

"I-I won't! I just lost my temper, I can't control it sometimes!" Tina tried to sputter out, but she was helpless. It was the first time she had ever seriously attacked one of her friends, but wait a second…

"Liz, you've lost your temper plenty of times!" Tina turned the tables, "You have a worse temper than I do! I'm not a threat," she hissed, "The threat is you."