Drucy skipped a couple of steps to keep up with Brian, and he obligingly slowed his pace for her. "Where are we going?" she asked shakily. The question presented itself a little differently in her head. Where are you taking me?

"We're going straight up to Headmistress McGonagall. Drucilla, I know you haven't seemed to like me much, and I've stayed back and let you work things out for yourself. But I am your prefect, and you have to know that I have your best interests in mind. If you don't trust me for yourself, trust me for your House. You can do that, can't you?"

Drucy nodded, eyes wide. She didn't even know what to think, or how to feel. She wondered how the Gryffindor kid trailing them, Matt's buddy, felt about this House talk. She didn't even know his name. The kid remained silent as Brian spoke again, his voice firm, but not ungentle. "Good, because when we get there, I want you to tell the truth, the whole truth, and don't hold anything back." The tone of his voice suggested that he knew more than she'd hoped. Drucy realized that he had probably stepped in just in time to hear her speak Parseltongue to her wand - it had to have been Parseltongue, though of course it always sounded like English to her - and he had to have guessed even more. She started shaking again as they reached the entrance to her office. The gargoyle guarding it merely grunted at the sight of them and moved aside. "She's already expecting us," Brian explained quietly to Drucy. This did not make her feel any braver. He ushered her up the stairs, letting the Gryffindor boy follow behind, and rested his hand against her back as they entered. Drucy knew that she wanted to keep hating Brian, but it was very hard right now, so she gave up her vendetta for the moment and let his presence comfort her.

Professor McGonagall's office, Drucy couldn't help thinking, was a very beautiful place. It was a circular room, much of it lined with bookshelves full of textbooks and the occasional curious little gadget and gizmo. Drucy's eyes widened as she recognize the shape of an empty base sitting on one shelf near the Headmistress's desk. It looked a lot like her Butterfly-Maker! Her eyes shifted to the Headmistress Herself as McGonagall rose from her seat, and Drucy started trembling again. McGonagall didn't look much like a woman who owned a Butterfly-Maker. She looked grave and a bit stern as she stepped out from behind her desk. She motioned the students to a small group of chairs by the fireplace and seated herself in the largest, a wingbacked chair. Drucy noticed that its fabric was a green brocade, and this led her to take another glance around the room and notice how all four school colors were carefully, tastefully, and equally combined. "Alright," McGonagall said to Brian, as they finished settling down. "Explain."

"I was on my way to dinner from History of Magic, which ran long, and I heard an odd screaming," Brian explained. "I entered the classroom to find three Gryffindors and one Slytherin. Matt Briar was holding Drucilla Bulstrode's wand, curling up on the floor, and screaming. His buddies stood back, looking confused. Drucilla was speaking to the wand. I couldn't understand her, but I could see that she looked terrified. I Disarmed Matt. Her wand was hard to hold. It stung me. I gave it back to Drucy and gave Matt some first aid. I'm still not sure what happened to him. I knew you would have heard about the commotion through the portraits, so I anticipated that you would like to see us as soon as feasible. I also asked-"

Brian was interrupted by the door opening. Slughorn entered first, walking with that odd, light, quick gait often shared by the chronically overweight, but never quite expected by everyone else. Longbottom entered right behind them. Drucy thought for a moment that Longbottom, oddly enough, the Gryffindor Head of House, looked more nervous than she felt! McGonagall offered the two professors a couple of quick words of greeting, drew her wand, and conjured up two more comfortable chairs for them. The entire group, students and adults, now sat very nearly in a circle. Slughorn and Brian flanked Drucy now, and Longbottom sat between McGonagall and his own student. Brian turned to Drucy. "It's your turn now," he told her, and the look he gave her made her remember his instructions.

Drucy started at the end of Transfiguration class, explaining how she was kept back by Professor Krum to demonstrate her improvement. She told the whole story as thoroughly as she could, how Matt had grabbed her wand, and how it had started doing something to him and wouldn't listen to her. By the time she had finished with "And then my prefect brought us into the office," McGonagall's eyebrows were raised, and Longbottom's eyes were wide.

McGonagall turned her stern gaze next to the Gryffindor boy. The boy didn't speak at first. Longbottom spoke quietly in his ear, and then he shakily admitted that Matt had waited with intent to bully Drucy, and that he had taken her wand. Longbottom rested his arm around the boy's shoulders comfortingly and looked back at the Headmistress, troubled. "I have heard of Briar causing some trouble. I was keeping an eye on him. I should have done a better job of it…"

McGonagall cut him off with a quick shake of her head and turned back to Drucy. "I think we can all agree that the truth is being told here. Matt Briar took Drucilla Bulstrode's wand without permission and against both her will and her warning. However it was accomplished, we can agree that her wand did something harmful to him. He appears to be out of immediate danger, and is receiving medical aid. We have no witnesses capable of reporting what Miss Bulstrode said to her wand, but the witnesses of her expression and demeanor seem to reinforce that she is telling the truth about trying to call it off." She took a breath and her lips thinned. "Professors, do either of you request any action?"

Slughorn shook his head. "I don't think Drucy did anything wrong. As for punishment… I reserve judgment, but for now, I'd say it looked like Matt Briar got no less than what he deserved. I imagine he won't be grabbing Slytherin wands for a while."

Longbottom gave a nod in response to Slughorn's statement. "I don't see any use in pursuing action against Miss Bulstrode, not with his own buddy admitting that he'd been the one to take her wand against her will and warning. I may request that her family defray the expenses if he has to be sent to St. Mungo's, but if a prefect could ease the pain, I don't think we'll have to worry about it."

McGonagall nodded and let a moment of silence fall. Drucy had nothing to say, so she said nothing. "Alright," said the Headmistress of Hogwarts. "I have decided that no action is needed in this matter, as long as Matt Briar makes a quick recovery. Longbottom, I'll expect you to handle his bullying behavior, as his Head of House. Brian, you acted quickly and did the right thing. As a prefect, you were well-chosen. Miss Bulstrode, I'd like you to remain for a moment. The rest of you may go."

The Gryffindors left the office gladly. Both Slughorn and Brian paused at the threshold. Drucy started shaking worse than ever. She didn't want to be left alone with the formidable Headmistress. McGonagall glanced up at the two hesitating Slytherins and smiled slightly. "Horace, you may want to make sure Drucilla has someone waiting to escort her back from the office. Brian, please send word for Professor Bones."

Drucy relaxed slightly. Professor Susan Bones, her Defense Against Dark Arts teacher, was the Hufflepuff head of house and known for being both friendly and fair. Drucy respected, her, but was not afraid of her. As the Slytherins left Drucy alone with McGonagall, though, her anxiety rose again. Until Professor Bones arrived, it was just her and her Headmistress. There was something about the way the woman looked at her. It wasn't hostile at all. Yet somehow, Drucy felt horribly guilty for every single minor infraction she had ever made upon the school rules. The seconds ticked by, as the pressure in the room seemed more and more unbearable. When Drucy suddenly spoke, she wondered at her own words. She had been thinking it, but certainly hadn't planned to say it. "I have a snake," she said all in a rush.

McGonagall's eyebrows rose again. "A snake?" she repeated. She looked surprised, but not angry, and Drucy picked up just a little bit of courage. "She's a pet," she explained shakily. "She's with Hagrid. I… I went to him this afternoon. She's molting. I…" McGonagall remained silent, the look of surprise still on her face, and Drucy finished lamely. "I-I'm sorry, I know… I know it's against the rules… a toad, an owl, or a cat… and.. I didn't want… any of… them…"

The Headmistress remained silent in thought for a moment, then rose from her chair and stepped back to her desk. She waved her wand. A cabinet drawer opened behind her desk, and a piece of parchment, already written on, swooped out and landed on her desk. "What kind of snake, Drucilla?" she asked directly.

"A greensnake," Drucy said truthfully and desperately.

Like Hagrid and Snape, McGongall's expression changed into an odd mixture of relief and amusement. "A greensnake," she repeated. She took her quill and quickly scratched along the parchment, filling out a couple of empty lines and signing the bottom with a flourish, again muttering, "a greensnake.". Drucy wondered if it was a reprimand, a detention, or - worse - an expulsion. She didn't have long to wonder. McGonagall divided the parchment into two equal copies with another wave of her wand. One flew up and into a different cabinet drawer, and Drucy caught the other as it wafted up to her.

Waiver of First-Year Familiar

_Drucilla Bulstrode_ is hereby given permission to bring a _common_greensnake_ into Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a substitution for the usual guideline regarding animals kept for this purpose.

Signed: _Minerva_McGonagall__

"There," McGonagall said briskly. "That's solved that problem, right?" And in that moment, Drucy suddenly realized that the Headmistress wasn't as stern as she seemed… she just showed her kindness differently. Suddenly it was all too much for Drucy… and she burst into tears on the spot.