The HRH gang sat down in front of McGonagall's office, and Hermione began to tremble with just the sight of McGonagall's door.
"Okay," said Ron, "we were just going to finish some of our Astronomy homework, and since we're first years we didn't know that it was against the rules!"
"McGonagall is nuh-not that stu-stupid R-r-r-Ron," Hermione trembled.
Suddenly McGonagall's door flew open, beckoning them to enter. Harry led the way, with a deep in thought Ron following, and a shaking Hermione trampling in last.
"Take a seat!" McGonagall commanded, waving her wand and conjuring three chairs out of midair. Harry looked to his right to see that the snob Draco was sitting in a chair on the other side. "So," McGonagall mused, "Draco told me that you three were out late so you could deliver a Dragon out of the school."
Harry spoke first, "Dragon? ...those are real?"
"Of course they're real Potter, and you know it!" McGonagall shouted, "We all know you fed some stupid story to Draco to get him out of bed and in trouble, but I can't believe that you actually would go to the Astronomy Tower for no reason!"
"We wanted to finish our homework," squeaked Ron.
"Mr. Weasley that is the stupidest excuse I have heard in all of my years, but I'm not surprised that it was you who came up with it." Ron mouthed, 'It was worth a try,' to Harry.
"Now for punishment!" Hermione was turning white at an alarming rate. "All four of you will have detention and fifty points will be deducted from your house!"
"There are three of us!" shouted Hermione.
"What about Mr. Malfoy? He was also out of bed at night." Harry snickered mischievously at McGonagall's comment. Draco began to say something, but McGonagall cut him off, "Now all of you off to bed right this instant and you will also report to your detention tomorrow night outside of the school beside Hagrid's Hu-house."
Harry was astounded that McGonagall was able to get out that sentence out without any pauses. The HRH gang moped back to their dorm (that's short for dormitory (Credit Wikipedia.).).
Harry slept very well that night. Maybe it was just that rule breaking came naturally, like the sleep that was covering him now, or maybe, it was just what Fred and George had slipped into his Pumpkin Juice. Harry didn't even awake when a sleepwalking Neville leapt on top of him and put him in a Full Nelson (Credit Wikipedia also.).
Harry woke up extremely early for himself. Maybe it was just the fact that he had such a good sleep last night, or maybe it was the fact, that the Whomping Willow had hurled a mockingbird through his window.
Harry strutted into the Common Room, where he saw Hermione perched in one of the couches. "Whatcha doin'?" Harry asked.
"I have to write a paper on Tagglejum so I'm Wizipedia-ing it."
"Wizipedia is a writer's best dang tool."
"Dang straight!" answered Hermione as she typed vigorously. Two hours later and after peoples the size of a small neighborhood migrated into the one Common Room, Ron emerged through the door.
"Last person out of bed I see," said Hermione as she recopied her notes into a separate notebook.
"Nuh-uh!" said Ron who was trying to get his hair to stay down, "I beat Neville out!"
"Neville's always last!" said Harry who was now pushed up against the wall by the crowd of Gryffindors. "He's missed Snape's entire class once!"
"I wonder how many toad buttocks he had to peel," mumbled Ron.
The HRH gang set down in the Great Hall in front of a steaming pile of bacon, except for Ron who was sitting in front of some stewed cabbage.
"I hate being poor!" he said, stabbing his fork into his cabbage, which was now shooting some juice at the late to breakfast Neville.
Dumbledore was not attending. A rumor was circling that he had put his underwear on over his pants and had to go change.
Harry turned around to grab some ketchup, (Some people like it on eggs guys!) but saw McGonagall say something to Snape.
"You smell like wet dog, Severus!" she said laughing, as Harry saw whatever color that had been left in his stone cold grey face disappear.
"Did you hear that?" said Harry.
"You know what that means," said Hermione.
"It's just strange," said Ron, "I never thought of Snape as a pet guy."
"No you idiot," Hermione shouted, ripping a few strands of bushy hair out of her scalp as her eyes rippled with bloodshot…ness, "It means he was trying to get past Fluffy."
Suddenly Harry heard a few students leave their tables (The entire Ravenclaw table had left half an hour ago.).
Harry felt alone. No one talked to the HRH gang during all of the day's classes, but gave them intensive stares of anguish and hate.
Snape was never as excited as he was that day. He snickered every time he stepped passed Harry and Seamus' desk (Seamus wasn't talking either). Snape was so happy he announced it to the class. "As you will soon find out Mr. Potter and his two accomplices were caught out of bed last night. If you're in Slytherin you should personally thank them for their help in handing us the House Cup!" He snickered loudly.
"Today we will be creating a potion that will turn fabrics green. We will obviously be using it to change all the tapestries to our favorite color."
Harry was in a never-ending daze for the rest of the day. He didn't fall asleep in History of Magic, but he didn't hear anything either. Hermione read How to Become Teacher's Pet After a Mistake as Professor Binns droned on.
For lunch they sat with only themselves as the rest of the school exiled them. Slytherin students congratulated them on their success as they passed the table. They made no conversation. Hagrid simply walked by and nodded his head sympathetically.
In Transfiguration McGonagall began with a speech on conduct. "While some of us dishonor the name of their houses," her eyes opened wide as she stared at Harry, "others should realize that the integrity to their houses is more important than their personal enjoyment."
School was finally over. The whole day led up to this. Detention.
Filch walked them to Hagrid's going on and on about all the torturous devices they used on kids back in the day.
"So there was once a kid who was too fat to fit in the school commissioned Iron Maiden. Built him a larger one myself I did. But he was so large…well…sniff he broke into tiny chunks of wood. I loved her…sniff named her Molly I did"
"All righ' you c'n shu' up now," Hagrid said.
"Oh…yes. Didn't notice we were here." He walked back to the castle, his tears cascading to the ground.
"He's a brok'n man he is. I mean it gets wurse whun yuh see whut happ'ns to his ca-" Hagrid stopped. "Uh-an'way we're goin' inter the Ferbidd'n Furest turday."
"But we can't go in there," Draco piped, "It is forbidden!"
"Now why wouldya think 'at?" asked Hagrid incredulously.
"Well, it has to be forbidden if that's what the name states!"
Hagrid seemed to not understand what Draco was saying. "Anyway wur goin' inter thuh furest ter help pertect the unicurns. I mean, who can purtect the pur cretchers if we don'. Thur has to be a stand against this untulerable tretment of these hopeless little beins."
"Shut up you old oaf."
"Who said 'at?" screamed Hagrid.
Hermione raised her hand.
"Uh-anyway, lets –er- go."
They trekked through the woods for a few minutes before they came up to a wounded unicorn.
"It's okay baby. 'ncle 'Agrid's hur for ya." Hagrid tried to bandage the unicorn's wound; it smacked him in the head with it's free hoof and galloped off through the forest.
"Sumtimes they jus' don't realerize thut I'm hur to help 'em. So anyway we're gonna split up inter grups er two and looks fer unicorns ter help. Okay. Uh, 'Ermione and Ron come with me…and Hurry and Mulfoy go by yourselfs."
"Hagrid, why do we have to split up?" asked Hermione.
"'Cause it wouldn't be vury helpful if we wur thur when Hurry and V- I , mean unicurns are scured when ev'r they see mur than three people when we try ter help. So-uhh-…bye."
And they left. "This sucks," Draco said matter-of-factly.
This may be the first time Harry agreed with him. They walked on farther and farther into the dark void that was the Forbidden Forest. They said nothing, except for the occasional "I'm so tired" by Malfoy.
Malfoy stopped in midstride saying, "I think it's my father!"
"Where?" said the visually challenged Harry.
"Right there you idiot!"
"I can't see anything!"
"In the black cloak right there!"
"Everything's black."
Draco ignored him and ran down a hill to get closer to his father.
"AAAUUUUUGGHHH! A piercing squeal erupted from ahead of Harry. Malfoy came running back. "IT'S NOT MY FATHER!"
Harry, who was still leaning over to see the dark figure, fell off the escarpment and crashed down the hillside, ripping his pants on the way down. In front of him stood a cloaked figure, twiddling a champagne glass in its fingers, filled with the silver blood of a unicorn.
"Would you like a tassste Harry…Potter!" he slithered forward, Harry stood motionless. But the cloaked figure didn't look down to notice a large tree root right in front of him. The dark man crashed to the ground, his cloak also ripping on the way down, as Harry ran up the hill as the cloak figure hissed in agony and followed. Suddenly, Harry felt the sensation of being lifted off of the ground.
He screamed, "HE'S GOT ME HAGRID!"
A voice whispered in his ear, "Calm down, dude. Totally take a chill pill." But Harry continued yelling as they drew farther from the demon and closer to Hagrid.
"'Arry! What's thur mattur?" Harry fell to the floor. "Firenze, whut happun'd?"
"Harry was attacked by the unicorn killer dude." Hagrid looked like he was about to say something, but Firenze continued. "Mars is really bright tonight. Especially since the new crop of High In The Sky bloomed. It's the best I've ever had. You absolutely have to try it. You feel like you're floating and all of the lights are just so bright…" Hagrid and the group snuck out from Firenze as he continued to ramble on and on about his 'magic plant'.
"Wut er happn'd ter Mulfoy?"
"He ran away. He thought it was his father at first though."
"Yuh need ter furget ya ever saw 'at. Ya shuoldn't be lurnin' so fast."
They continued back to the school. Hagrid filled out passes for them to get into to school late with his unreadable handwriting.
They all crashed in the dormitory from exhaustion.
"It had to be Voldemort," was the first thing Harry uttered as he sat down in a rather comfortable chair.
"It has to be," said Ron.
"So Snape wants the Sorcerer's Stone so he can give it to…You-Know-Who so that he can become powerful and they can take over the wizarding world again," Hermione offered.
"Exactly!" said Harry.
Ron was still trying to wrap his mind around it all.
"We have to get it before Snape," Harry said valiantly.
Ron was still thinking.
"When?" asked Hermione.
"Tomorrow," answered Harry.
"Woah!" Ron exclaimed. "Wait a minute. Tomorrow we're going to try to get past that dog. I doubt we'll have a chance. We need to figure out how we can stop it. We need to trick Hagrid into telling us."
"That seems like a better idea," Hermione said. Harry grunted his sign of approval and went up to his room to sleep.
There was a package sticking out form underneath Harry's bed. He pulled off the wrapping to find his soft cloak underneath. Attached was a small sticky-note.
Remember to put pants
on before underwear