After a few more hours of the night drifted past, the inhabitants of the cell found themselves tossing and turning in an unsuccessful attempt to sleep on the hard wooden benches. The austere portrait had also managed a quick snooze, though she woke regularly to check on the jailbirds. Kryten was the only one who actually heard footsteps once again signalling approach, though Cat's head flicked back momentarly. He might have heard but he did not wake.

The guard opened the jail cell with surprising quietness, and the android saw the bespectaled woman quietly cross the room to stand over the tousled-haired young man-Harry. She drew in a deep breath.

"POTTER!" she bellowed, startling the cellmates awake.

Harry himself woke with an incomparable grimace. "Aggh!" he moaned, and grabbed his head. "Shh . . . not so bloody loud." He attempted to roll over and go back to sleep. "Tell Snape I'm ill. Not going to Potions . . ." he drifted off again.

"Tell him yourself," McGonagall replied, her tone crisp and loud. If one didn't know better, they might suspect it was the most possibly offensive tone to use on a boy with a severe hangover. One really might suspect. "I'm sure Professor Snape will also be happy to explain to me exactly why you have decided to miss Transfiguration as well."

"Sod off . . . tell you what?" Harry opened one eye, winced, and struggled to a sitting position. "Oh, no. Oh, shit." He eyed McGonagall with dismay. Harry's memories of the last night were all present, yes, but somehow incomplete. His brain was like an oil painting that hadn't dried, and someone had smeared the canvas. Blurry, colorful, and with meaning, but indefinite all the same. And messy to boot.

McGonagall eyed him with suppressed amusement, but she kept her face stoic, with a hint of fury around the mouth and eyes. "Get up, Mr. Potter. We will discuss your postively disgraceful behavior further. For now, you will attend all scheduled classes, you will not visit Madam Pomfrey, and any student found to give you so much as an Asperio, or even an aspirin, for that matter, will certainly regret it. You will find that this part of your punishment may be the most effective bit of all. Your own action's natural consequences will certainly suffice to make you reconsider acting in such a fashion again. And later, we shall discuss other penalties. For now, just to ensure that no one's pity encourages them to alleviate your suffering, fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor."

Harry stood, acknowledging to himself as he ran for the cell's basin that McGonagall might be right about how much he would suffer naturally. He certainly was in no shape to argue about any of the things she had said. The Transfigurations professor turned away from him as he began to empty the contents of his stomach.

"And you must be the other ones I received notice concerning." She smiled warmly at them. "Do not allow my harsh treatment of Mr. Potter to frighten you. I think you will find Hogwarts to be a pleasant place, and your education most beneficial. As soon as your new schoolmate finishes with his task, we will depart from here and return via Apparition to Hogsmeade, the village neighboring Hogwarts school. I have never supported depriving even the oldest of entering students the full first-year experience, so Hagrid will greet you, the carriages will transport you, and tonight at dinner, you will be sorted in front of the whole school. Meanwhile, I will escort Mr. Potter back to Hogwarts on foot. He has a less than pleasant day ahead of him, yes, but I hope that you will find what you see enjoyable."

Lister stared at the woman. He had grown used to many things beng unexplained, and this certainly left many questions unanswered. He decided to begin with the obvious. "Who the smeg are you?" His manner was far different than Rimmer's when he had inquired the same of Antonus MacLaghlan. "Ma'am," he added, wisely interpreting her position of authority.

She raised an eyebrow. "Minerva McGonagall, Professor of Transfiguration and head of Gryffindor house . . . but we'll see if that matters to either of you who are to be sorted."

Harry finished with the toilet and stood. "I'm ready," he said, "but I'm not too happy about it. Can't I just stay in jail for now?"

"Very amusing, Mr. Potter, but no, you cannot." She looked back at the Dawrfers. "Are there any questions before we depart? Yes? Keep those in mind, then. I'm sure they will be answered in time. If you will come this way . . ." And with that, Minerva McGonagall led them out of the cell.

Harry felt a twinge of pity for the man beside him. The sharp-toothed non-human-Cat-had not taken kindly to the ride-along Apparation. He didn't watch too closely, as the indelicate state of his own stomach argued against watching another person vomit. Not a good idea, that.