What can I say except, "I'm sorry!" for taking so long to update, "Hey it's okay!" you say, but I'm sorry!—*ahem* Anyway, I'm back (maybe?) with a shorter chapter and an updated writing style. Fits my personality better. What has it been since I last updated, six months? Yeah, six months. Nearly seven.
Read on and enjoy, unless you don't want to!
The space by Envy's elbow was empty.
If Colin had been gone from it for any reason other than petrification (or, you know, death), he would have been celebrating his new-found elbow room. Unfortunately, this elbow room was not there for a good reason, and was therefore unwelcome.
Envy had spent the last few days trudging around with unhappy grumbles on the tip of his tongue and snappish remarks ready to strike at even the slightest inkling of provocation. Even with their friendship with him restored, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were tiptoeing around him as though he were about to explode—which he kinda was, but it was still annoying.
He was currently lounging around in the Gryffindor common room. Harry had lent him a Gryffindor tie so he could get in, but after a second glance, even the dimmest of first years couldn't be fooled by his measly disguise. No one mentioned it anyway, except for a bossy prefect who he'd diligently ignored. No idea where she was anymore.
He tossed his wand into the air, ignoring both the flames in the fireplace before him and the stares and whispers of the actual Gryffindors, who were wondering why their common room was being invaded by someone who clearly was not meant to be there.
His friends had yet to arrive, in spite of the fact that they were the ones who had said they'd meet him here.
He caught his wand.
Come to think of it, maybe when Hermione had said, "Meet us at Gryffindor tower," she'd meant, "Meet us in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady." Oh well. He'd just wait until they came in to drop off their books.
Envy tossed his wand in the air again, and almost forgot to catch it when he heard the portrait hole open. He peered around, hoping to be greeted by the sight of his friends coming to meet him, and his heart sank when instead he saw the prefect from earlier weaving her way through the room, accompanied be a very stern-looking Professor Mcgonagall. Aaand they were coming his way. Perfect.
The moment she spotted him, Professor McGonagall's lips pressed into a line thin enough to rival the stick figures Envy doodled on the edges of his homework. "Mr. Novus!" she shrilled.
The common room went silent.
"What in Merlin's name are you doing in here?" She stormed closer. "This is not your common room! How did you get in?"
"Uh . . ." Envy turned briefly to tuck the Gryffindor tie out of sight before giving his answer. "Waiting for my friends."
McGonagall's nostrils flared. "I don't suppose these friends of yours have given you the password?"
". . . Nnnooo. No, they have not."
"Then how exactly did you get in?"
"Through the door."
McGonagall fixed him with a stern glare. "Come with me, Mr. Novus. We will be talking to Professor Snape about what to do with you."
Envy cringed, but as much as he would have liked to jump out the window, there was no escaping once you had been struck with the McGonagall Glare™. So he shouldered his bag, stuffed his wand in his pocket, stuck his tongue out at the smug prefect, and followed McGonagall out of the common room.
Halfway down the corridor, they were met with the startled trio of Ron, Hermione, and Harry.
McGonagall stopped short of them and peered at them over her square spectacles. "You three wouldn't happen to be the reason why Mr. Novus was found lounging around the Gryffindor common room, would you?"
Three pair of eyes widened in shock. Harry's and Ron's mouths dropped open, and Hermione's face had adopted a despairing expression. Envy was pretty sure he knew exactly what was going on in her head; she didn't want to get herself or her friends in trouble (there was no saving Envy), but she couldn't lie to a teacher.
"W-well . . ." she stuttered.
Envy would have groaned if it wouldn't have made things more suspicious.
"All I—all we told him was to meet us by Gryffindor tower. We didn't tell him to go inside."
McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "And did you tell him the password?"
Envy glanced between his friends; Ron looked horror-struck, and he was shaking his head frantically at Hermione; Harry's face was a mix of nervous and confused; Hermione was biting her lip pensively. She bowed her head in shame.
Ron's head-shaking grew in intensity, and he mouthed the word, "No", at Hermione, who couldn't see it anyway since she had her back to him and was staring at her shoes. Harry slowly took up the head-shaking as well.
"Yes," Hermione mumbled, "we did."
Ron and Harry looked devastated.
McGonagall sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "As much as I appreciate inter-house relations, Miss Granger, as a Slytherin, Mr. Novus is not allowed in any common room other than his own." She glanced over the three Gryffindors who were cowering before her. "You three will be coming with us as well."
With all that said and done, Hermione, Harry, and Ron joined their probably detention-bound group, and they were on their way once again. The atmosphere grew steadily more uncomfortable until Ron broke the silence. "Why were you in the common room?" he whispered.
"Misinterpreted Hermione's invitation," Envy muttered.
Hermione groaned. "I knew it, I knew I should have been clearer."
Envy shrugged. "Might've done it anyway." That was completely untrue.
They reached Snape's office about six minutes later. McGonagall knocked, and after a minute of waiting and impatient foot tapping, the door was opened.
Snape stared at their unimpressive group without a hint of surprise. "In trouble again?"
Mcgonagall cleared her throat. "May we come in?"
"Of course," Snape sneered. He opened the door wider and stepped aside, allowing everyone to file into his office. The manner in which he closed the door felt like an omen of the punishment they would soon be receiving.
Snape strode around his desk and sat down in his chair. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
Envy plopped himself in the chair across from Snape, who glared at him, but did not reprimand him for neglecting to wait for permission to sit.
"Mr. Novus was found in the Gryffindor common room—breaking no less than three school rules in the process," McGonagall stated. "We came here to discuss his punishment."
Snape raised an eyebrow. "Ah. And those three?" He gestured to Ron, Hermione, and Harry.
"They are the ones responsible for telling him the password."
Snape looked like he was trying to contain an evil cackle—though Envy couldn't actually imagine him ever laughing. "Is that so? Well, I would be more than happy to help arrange their detentions."
McGonagall sighed. "As their head of house, I will be handling their punishments. We're here to discuss Mr. Novus."
Snape nodded with a displeased downturn of the lips. "Very well. Mr. Novus will have detention with me for the next two days."
"As well as twenty points from Slytherin," McGonagall pushed. Snape nodded, and McGonagall straightened up. "I will be leaving Mr. Novus with you, Professor Snape. Good day." She swept around and strode out the door, Hermione, Harry, and Ron trailing behind her. Hermione sent Envy a guilty glance.
Well, that was fun. Too bad about the detentions, though.
Snape sighed when the door closed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Mr. Novus, I can understand that you might find it enjoyable to break certain rules, but sometimes you need to restrain yourself." He leaned forward. "Try not to lose any more house points—or gain more detentions. You're sending Slytherin house's reputation down the drain."
Envy grinned. "Right on!—I mean, yes sir." He didn't mean it.
"Meet me here after dinner tomorrow for your detention. Dismissed."
Well, I had a lot more fun writing that than I've had with a lot of things lately. Haven't really been in a mood to write anything for the last several months, least of all this.
This chapter wasn't really important at all, but I wanted to write something for this story. Maybe the detentions will do something important, I dunno. I have a vague idea of what happens next chapter.
I'm considering skipping ahead a few years to get to things that are more relevant to the plot, if there even is one. If I were to do that, I'm not really sure what year we'd end up at. Have to do some thinking first.
Hope you enjoyed, please review!
-Quiet Leaf