This is a really stupid thing to do.
Shut up, I told my head, it's not stupid. It's actually quite logical.
Logical, how exactly? Merlin, even the voices in my head sounded sarcastic. I struggled for a scathing comment to put myself down.
Struggling, are we?
Oh, shut up, I thought miserably as I ran quietly down a corridor, following the sound of boyish voices. It's logical because Mrs Norris has already caught me once, so the chances are she won't catch me again.
Oh, and where did you get that conclusion from? The sky?
No, actually, I didn't. It's based on the whole 'lightning never strikes twice' theory. So ha. Stick that in your proverbial pipe and smoke it.
All I got was a long, sarcastic silence from my head. Triumphant, I stopped at a corner and peered around it, just glimpsing their backs going down a staircase. I was being sensible this time, and following them at a very long distance, so none of their ultra-sensitive ears could hear me. I waited a while to give them a head start, then set off in pursuit.
Yes, yes, alright. Maybe it was a bit foolish of me to go stalking them at night again, especially after what happened last time. But come on. The gits had made the whole of Gryffindor think I had done some super-sonic fart. Wouldn't you leap at any chance for revenge? Who knows what I could catch them doing…I could dig up loads of dirt on them…
So intent was I on dreaming the things I could dig up on Potter, I hadn't even realised exactly what staircase I was descending, until I spotted the Entrance Hall doors looming up in front of me, and I felt a freezing cold breeze blow on my arms. Shivering, I stopped at the foot of the stairs, keeping my eyes wide open for Potter. I jumped and pressed my back to the wall as I heard their voices, and then Potter himself appeared at the open Entrance Hall doors, his hair standing on end in the wind.
"Are you sure?" I heard him say in a low voice. No-one answered, but as I tried hard to keep myself hidden a rat ran out from behind the door and started scurrying right towards me.
Now, I'm not scared of rats. Not most of the time. But when a huge one just leaps out at you like that…oh, alright. I screamed. Very loudly.
"Evans!" Shit, shit, shit! Potter had stepped out from the door and stood staring right at me. The rat gave a loud squeak and started running back towards him, slipping between Potter's feet and disappearing out the door. Weirdly, he didn't even flinch, but shuffled over to give it room, and watched it go over his shoulder. I thought I saw him widen his eyes and mouth something, but it was so subtle I couldn't have been sure. He then moved towards me, eyes two ghostly hollow pits in his face. I felt myself tremble. Not because he scared me. Because I was bloody freezing standing there.
"What are you doing here?" he snapped at me, and his voice sounded harsh, brutal. "Go back to bed, Evans!"
I felt myself bristle. I mean, no-one talks to me like that. It's just not done. "Go back to bed yourself!" I all but shouted, my voice echoing magnificently around the Entrance chamber. "And what are you doing here, going out at this time?"
His face looked weirdly tense and pale. "Don't argue with me," he growled, "Just go away. Why do you keep following us? You're a fucking stalker!"
I clenched my fists to stop myself punching him. "I am a Prefect!" I shouted back at him, "I have the right to stop you breaking the rules!"
Oh, brilliant, that was sure going to impress him. Right on cue, he raised his eyebrows at me. "Oh, and you're not breaking them? You really are stupid."
Right, that did it. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" I screamed at him, my wand 'falling' into my hand as it did with Mrs Norris. He eyed it for a moment, and then snorted with laughter.
"Oh, yeah, like a nerd like you could ever have the guts to stun me."
His sneering face was now outlined by a steaming red border in my vision. Suddenly the opened Entrance Hall door caught my eye. "Where are Black and the rest of your posse, then?"
For a split second, Potter's eyes widened. "Nowhere important," he replied. I sneered back at him.
"Nowhere important, huh? So you wouldn't mind if I just…went to look for them?" I started walking towards the doors. Potter started towards me, hands violently pushing me backwards.
"Don't be stupid!" he snarled at me, "Just GO BACK TO BED!"
For a second our eyes locked. His were furious, panicky, and I could see I'd hit a very raw nerve. But I didn't care. There was something he was hiding out there, something against the rules, and it was my job as a Prefect…oh, fine, I just wanted to satisfy my burning curiosity. Happy now?
"I am giving you to the count of three to get out of my way," I said softly. Ohhh, yes, I could do scary as well. Just call me…er, Scary Woman. "One…"
His wand was out as well now, and he still showed no signs of moving. His eyes were boring into mine, and my confidence was starting to waver. He wasn't going to move. Could I really force him? Too late now, I had started the countdown. You can't just start a countdown and stop half way through. That would look incredibly silly.
"Two…" Come on, Potter, move! Please?
I swallowed hard. What was I doing? I couldn't take on Potter! He was bigger than me! Wildly, I cast around for ideas, couldn't think of anything, so I threw caution to the winds and pointed a finger over his shoulder and screamed: "OH MY GOD! WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT DISTRACTION!"
To my total disbelief, Potter whipped his head around to look over his shoulder, and I ran for it, legging it to the Hall doors as fast as I could. I was just at the doors, my hand on the handle when Potter shrieked something at me, and the next thing I knew my legs were doing some weird kind of jig. Furious, I looked down at my merrily skipping legs, and tried to direct them out the doors. When that failed, I raised my wand and screamed a random hex at him. He dodged it and started running towards me, wand out, and he tackled me to the floor. So there I was, with my legs still trying desperately to dance, with Potter's hands pinning me down and with me swearing and him yelling and the wind howling and that was when McGonagall walked in.
"WHAT IN GOD'S NAME ARE YOU TWO DOING?"
0o0
I don't think I could remember a time I had ever been more mortified. I mean, there was me, Potter sprawled all over me like a wet blanket, my legs bouncing up and down like a demented rabbit, and a prune faced McGonagall standing over us in a tartan night dress.
TARTAN.
She spoke as though someone had just thrust a stick up her bottom. "Potter. Evans. Would you both like to disentangle yourselves and come with me?"
Nah, I'll pass thanks, I very nearly said, but Potter was standing up and my legs were still bucking furiously, which was sort of a distraction. McGonagall's nostrils flared out, and (hey presto!) went snow white. "Miss Evans, stand up immediately!"
"They've been hexed!" I tried to say, but Potter chose that moment to point his wand at me and mutter "Finite." My legs fell as limp as cabbages on the floor. I climbed unsteadily to my feet. McGonagall gave one, tight nod and turned and walked swiftly away, and I had no choice but to follow.
And now, here I was, in McGonagall's office. Everything around me was tartan. It was like I was drowning a sea of tartaness. McGonagall was practically camouflaged in here.
"Do either of you," spoke the largest piece of tartan, "Have any reason for why I should not throw you both out the school tonight?"
Oh, come on. That wasn't fair. I had only been walking around at night and fighting with Potter. It's not like I was trying to kill someone…wait, maybe I was.
I think it was a rhetorical question anyway. Good. That meant I could just sit there and look awkward.
McGonagall, alias Tartan Queen, leant over her desk. I just kept looking at my knees. If I kept looking at all that green, red and black my eyes would explode.
"Miss Evans, look at me! Do you have any explanation for what you have been caught doing tonight?"
Reluctantly, I looked up. McGonagall glared at me, and to my horror, I saw that from my position I could see straight down her nightdress. I hastily looked at her face. For crying out loud, who the hell does she wear such low cut night clothes for, anyway? Dumbledore?
Her cleavage wiggled in annoyance, and my mouth fell open in disgust. Put it away! We are too young to be exposed to such pornography! "I take it that you have no explanation, Miss Evans?"
I wordlessly shook my head, then dived my eyes down to look at the floor. Even the tartan was better than…that. Ewwwww.
"Mr Potter?"
He didn't say anything either. I could only guess he had shaken his head. McGonagall straightened up again (Oh thank the Lord!) and glared beadily at us. "I am ashamed to call you my House students," she said, her voice a mere whisper, yet still shaking with rage. "I would never have believed this of you, Miss Evans. I am appalled at your atrocious behaviour. Both of you!"
I chanced a glance up at her face, then hastily looked away again. Her face looked as though it were being sucked into a hoover.
"I can't even begin to say how disappointed I am in you. Fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor. And you will both receive three months worth of detention."
Ah well that wasn't so bad. Fifty points wasn't that much, we could always catch up…
Hang on, what did she say?
"Three months?" Potter repeated incredulously, "Professor, you can't - "
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter!" She sounded so dangerous Potter's jaw closed with an audible snap. McGonagall breathed heavily through her nose. I sincerely hoped she didn't have any bogies up there, because if one shot out of her nostril and landed on my face I don't think I could hold back a scream…
"I have nothing more to say to either of you," she snarled, "You will both go straight back to Gryffindor tower. Details of your detentions will be sent to you tomorrow. Now get out of my sight!"
With pleasure, I thought miserably as me and Potter rose and started walking out.
In the name of Merlin's socks, what was I going to do now?
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
This is probably my favourite chapter so far. And so! The plotline mentioned in the summary finally begins! Wow, I actually have a story with plot...it's a miricle! All of my stories are usually just one-shots...
Well? What did you think? Good, bad, terrible, excruciatingly horrible, wonderful...?
Peace out xxx