THC/The Houses Competition

House:Gryffindor

Category: Drabble

Class: DADA

Prompt(s): [Object] A pile of Hippogriff manure

Word Count: 577

Summary: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Luna got in trouble and now must face detention

Title: Detention

It was an unusually sunny Saturday morning on the grounds of Hogwarts. Many older students were getting ready to head down to Hogsmeade, wearing their everyday clothes instead of their school uniforms. The Ravenclaw Quidditch team were running plays and Hagrid was doing his groundskeeping duties. Professor Snape even managed to make his way out of the cold, wet dungeon and could be seen walking around, perhaps collecting potions ingredients or trying to find students to get in trouble. Everyone was enjoying their Saturday morning, except for Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna. The six stood in silence at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, listening to their toad-faced Professor Umbridge told them what they were doing for detention.

Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust when she heard what they would be doing. Not like their task could be explained any less obviously.. The six stood in front of a giant pile of Hippogriff manure with shovels. For Detention they had to shovel the manure into the wheelbarrows that were provided with and take them to the greenhouse to be used on the newly sprouted Mandrake seedlings.

Umbridge hummed and laughed as the six got started on the task that would likely take hours to complete.

The manure was thick and gooey; the consistency of Sticky toffee. The smell was revolting, a mixture of rotten, pickled eggs weeks and raw sewage. Ginny bend over and throw up her breakfast were the maggots that were wiggling around in the manure.

Hermione dug her shovel into the thick mess, sending a death glare at Umbridge who watched with a smile which could only be described as one of a serial killer stood above their latest victim.

"I want to kill her," Hermione grumbled.

"Ya? Take a number," Harry replied as he placed a shovel full of manure in the wheelbarrow.

"Even Snape isn't this cruel," Ron commented "She doesn't even have any proof that we did anything."

"We won't talk, that's proof enough" Harry said as he dug the shovel into the manure once more, feeling a beam of sweat drip down his temple.

"What ever happened to being innocent until proven guilty?" Ginny chimed in, bringing her arms up and placing her long hair into a ponytail, her clothes clinging to her curves with sweat.

Harry averted his eyes as he continued to scoop up manure, the detention reminding him of the summers when he would tend to Aunt Petunia's garden.

"We are guilty," Neville said as he walked up to the four. Luna was by his side, her eyes glazed over as she stared off into space, not part of the conversation or this world at the moment.

"Yeah, but old toad-face doesn't know that," Ron said as he placed his shovel in the ground and leaned up against it.

"I suspect the nargles told her what we were up to," Luna said before quickly looking off into space once again.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, that could be a possibility," she said sarcastically. "Or, we are being punished for no reason."

"No talking." The six looked up at Umbridge's happy, chipper toned voice, glaring daggers at her as the six got back to work.

After hours of long hard work the six were able to get all the manure to the greenhouse for the Mandrakes before going for a long cold shower and crashing in the Gryffindor common room for the rest of the day.