Chapter 5 – Making Headlines
Rose had run, pulling Albus the whole time, to the Gryffindor common room. Many other scared Gryffindor students ran along side them. Rose was glad someone else was there to say the password because she couldn't catch her breath. Even when Albus was yelling at her to stop she couldn't speak. She finally stopped running and collapsed on a cushioned chair, curling into a ball. Albus grabbed her arm and turned her to face him.
"What – was – that?" He asked panting between words. Rose shook her head.
"I-I don't know" She was breathing heavily.
Oswald walked into the room, carrying some books in his arms. He looked around the common room in confusion; all the students looked terrified. When his glanced found Albus and Rose he walked over to them.
"Hey guys…what's goin' on?" Rose pulled her knees closer to herself. Albus answered with a shaky voice.
"Uhh…we just saw – Alex he – he burned another student"
"Was he practising an Incendio spell?" Oswald chuckled "Or did he breathe it?"
Albus nodded. Oswald looked shocked, "You know I was just joking about that last bit right?" Albus nodded again, "Bloody hell…"
"Hey guys did you hear?" Liam came running into the common room from the hall, "Alex just scorched a Slytherin student" He was chuckling. When Liam saw no one else laughing, he frowned.
"Who died?"
"Probably that Slytherin student that Alex 'scorched'" Oswald said quoting Liam.
"Oh no he's fine – or he will be at least" Liam explained, "I just wished I coulda saw it"
"How could he be fine? He was on fire!" Rose exclaimed.
"Professors got to him in time" Liam waved off her concern. There was a dull banging noise that made most of the students in the common room look around to find its source.
"Rose!"
The scream came from outside the common room; on the other side of the picture frame. The fat lady in the pink dress could be heard saying something but the exact words were difficult to catch.
"I was a student here like twenty years ago! How could you not remember me? My name's Weasley. Ronald Weasley!"
Everyone in the common room turned and looked at the only person with the Weasley's famous red hair. Rose got up from her cushioned chair and went to open the door for her father. When the fat pink lady vanished from Ron's view and was replaced with his daughter's frowning face, he instantly fell to his knees and hugged her.
With a sigh of relief he released Rose, "I'm so glad you're alright"
"You heard about what happened?"
"Yeah, Uncle Harry is on his way to help Alex now"
"Help him? But he –" Rose paused, titled her head and looked at her father strangely, "Dad…were you crying?" Ron instantly stood and wiped his sleeve quickly under his eyes and answered, "No"
Alex stared at his shoes as Professor Dalren dragged him away from the scene of the crime. His hair hid most of his face and tears. Dalren took long strides towards the Headmaster's office in silence but the expression on his face would make anyone passing by think he was furious. Dalren's robe made swishing sounds and his hair billowed back slightly he was moving so fast. Some other professors, Alex thought he saw Professor Sulo, had extinguished the fire that had consumed the tall blond Slytherin student.
Once they had made it to the confines of the Headmaster's office, Dalren shut the door and turned to Alex.
"You just had to burn him didn't you?" To Alex's surprise, he didn't sound angry, just annoyed as if it was an inconvenience. Alex stood there and said nothing, just clenched his jaw tightly. Headmistress McGonagall, who was sitting at her desk, stood at the sudden disruption.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"There has been an incident with Mr. Turin here" Dalren ushered Alex closer to McGonagall while walking behind him, "With Mr. Flint no less"
McGonagall gasped, "You don't think…?"
"Knowing Flint? Probably" Dalren rolled his eyes. Alex looked up at Dalren, then over to McGonagall and back again in confusion. Professor Sulo had entered the office next with a serious demeanour instead of his usual care-free one.
"Good news the little bastard will live" Sulo said causing McGonagall to give him a dirty look. Sulo cocked an eyebrow as if to ask 'What?' then he turned his head and noticed Alex, "Oh there's a child present. Excuse my language then"
"Little bastard? Wait what am I missing?" Alex asked, glancing between the adults in the room.
"Yes Mr. Sulo I too feel like I'm missing something. Last time I checked we did not refer to students in such a manner" McGonagall spoke with a stern tone while glaring at the Charms professor.
"He has no burns on his skin. And I haven't taught any sort of charm that could do that unless they picked it up in D.A.T.D.A.(dat-da)"
"And you think these students shouldn't know about how to protect themselves from fire?" A fourth adult came into the room. He was wearing a simple black robe, with a white collared shirt and tie, the tie being black and green. To Alex's surprise he spoke with an American accent. Sulo greeted him with an unfriendly glare and Dalren welcomed him with a simple nod of the head.
"Professor Heston, tell me you did not do such a thing?" McGonagall sounded outraged. Heston shook his head and laughed, McGonagall sighed and Sulo rolled his eyes.
"Dirty snake" Heston stopped laughing.
"Filthy badger" They glared at each other for a moment. Alex sensed the bitterness between them went far back into their pasts.
"Enough you two. Heston why are you here?" If it was even possible Alex thought he saw McGonagall's face tense in anger even more than it already was.
"On behalf of Mr. Flint of course. The school's rules clearly dictate expulsion when a student injures another"
"Flint's fine" Sulo rolled his eyes.
"Well there's bound to be psychological damage to consider" Heston said with a devilish smirk.
"He's not going to be expelled Mr. Heston" McGonagall wiped the smirk off of his face.
"Suspended?" McGonagall shook her head.
"Can I make him clean my office?" She shook her head again. "Are you sure because it sure could use it"
"No Mr. Heston. Now please leave this disciplinary action to me" McGonagall finally said.
"Alright then, can't say I didn't try" He gave a friendly wave goodbye. Everyone watch and waited for him to leave before speaking again.
"I'm so confused" Alex said, staring at the door after Heston closed it behind him.
"Don't worry about him he's just a little shit disturber"
"Mr. Sulo I'm getting tired of warning you!" McGonagall raised her voice.
"Yes Headmistress"
With a long sigh McGonagall sat down and turned her attention toward Alex. She gestured for him to come closer to the desk.
"As unfortunate as this sounds Mr. Turin we suspect Mr. Flint, the boy who antagonised you, to have been influenced to do so for the sake of getting a reaction" Alex furrowed his brow but looked more hurt than confused, "His father reports for the Daily Prophet and Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter had suspected him to try and get information on you through his children – both of which go here"
"Why…?" Alex looked at his feet as he spoke.
"They wish to exploit your condition to sell papers I presume" McGonagall sounded annoyed.
"Why am I not being punished?" Despite having heard Flint purposely drove Alex to attack him, Alex still felt ashamed of his actions. It was mostly from the way everyone screamed when they saw what he could do. It was from seeing them all run away. It was from seeing Albus and Rose run away.
"You'll serve detention for your actions which Mr. Weasley will oversee" Dalren raised his hand and opened his mouth as if to say something but McGonagall's glare stopped him, "Detention is everyday after dinner until nine o'clock starting tomorrow. Dismissed"
The professors bowed their heads and turned to leave but Alex didn't move. McGonagall stared at him.
"Is there something else Mr. Turin?" There was plenty else but Alex didn't know how to say it.
"No Headmistress…" He turned to follow the professors who paused momentarily when they heard McGonagall speak again. Outside of the office the three of them stood in one of the large marble corridors. Dalren looked down at Alex, "Would you like to come with us to the Great Hall for dinner?"
Alex glanced up at him for a moment then stared down at his shoes, "I think I'm just going to go up to bed…" He turned away and started walking before either professor could answer. But he wasn't going to sleep in the Gryffindor tower tonight. The thought of facing them all made him cringe.
Harry stood in front of the ugly stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's office. He had a guess at a few passwords but nothing worked. He even tried to talk to the gargoyle but it didn't respond. It wasn't until the Headmistress came out of the office that Harry had a chance to get in.
"What does this concern Mr. Potter?" Minerva asked as she guided Harry back into her office. She didn't even walk all the way to her desk just a few feet from the stairway.
"I sent Kevin down to the Daily Prophet and he sent me back an early copy" Harry pulled a folded Daily Prophet from behind his back. The headline read 'Dragon boy at Hogwarts. Attacks student'. Minerva sighed and took the paper to examine the article.
"It wasn't written by Mr. Flint"
"Of course not, that'd be too obvious" Harry said with slight annoyance in his voice, "Kevin couldn't get him to talk either"
"I can't wait to get all the owls from worried parents tomorrow" Minerva said as sarcastically as she could. She turned her head at the sudden noise that came from down the stairway. To both her and Harry's surprise a girl came into the room. She had long blonde hair and wore her student uniform with Slytherin colours.
"How did you – " Minerva started but the girl had already begun to answer.
"The gargoyle let me in, Headmistress" She pointed back at the stairway. Minerva looked back at Harry who shrugged then she looked back at the girl.
"What did you come to see me for, Miss…" Minerva waited for a name.
"I'm Bethany Flint, Headmistress. The boy that got attacked today, I'm his sister. I um – " Bethany sniffled and began to get teary eyed, "I know why my brother started to bother Alex"
Minerva approached the girl, "Please explain yourself Miss. Flint"
"Our father asked me to find out what I could –" Bethany let out a sob but continued, "about Alex, but I told him I didn't want to –" Another sob, "So my brother, Marcus he –" Now Bethany began to sob uncontrollably. Minerva moved to put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder and looked up at Harry. Harry nodded and left them alone to talk, standing outside with the gargoyle while he waited.
A/N: Edited and cleaned 26/10/2011. Details on my profile.