Professor McGonagall marched the five through the corridors at such a quick pace that they had to jog to keep up with her.
"James," Rose whispered. "What are we going to do? She's going to figure out that we aren't students here!"
"I'm thinking!" James hissed back. "Just give me a minute!"
McGonagall finally slowed in front of a door, pulled out her wand and tapped the handle, which immediately turned, opening the door.
"In here!" she snapped at the children. "Now!"
They obeyed, and stepped through the door into her office.
"Now then," she continued, still fuming. "I want to know exactly who you are! I know every student in this school, and I now know you do not belong here! When I first saw you five, I thought that perhaps your names and houses had simply slipped my mind, but I have come to my senses. Now who are you?"
James and Albus exchanged worried glances. There was no way they were getting out of this one.
"Well," James started nervously. "You see-"
"You're right," Rose said suddenly, cutting him off. "We don't go here. The truth is, we're really underage."
"Underage?" Professor McGonagall repeated.
"Yes," Rose nodded. "But just barely. Next year, me and my two cousins," she waved over at James and Albus. "And I will be coming here. But the reason we are here now is well, sort of an accident."
"What sort of accident?" McGonagall pried.
"Our parents took us to Hogsmeade, and we wandered off while they were looking in a shop," Rose started. "We really wanted to go see the Shrieking Shack, because everyone says it's the most haunted building in Britain. But when we got there, we decided to go and have a closer look, so we went inside."
"That still doesn't explain how you got inside the castle," McGonagall said, crossing her arms.
"Well, see, there was this sort of tunnel we found," Rose continued. "And we thought it might be fun to follow it and see where it led. But it led up to the roots of a really big tree, and then we saw the castle, and well, we didn't think it would hurt to have a look around."
"You're telling me," Professor McGonagall said, sounding flabbergasted. "That you five got to Hogwarts from the Shrieking Shack?"
"I suppose so," Rose said.
"What- what tree is this that you're talking about?" she asked; now gripping the side of her desk.
"It was a moving tree," Rose replied. "The second we all got out from the passage, it started to swing its branches everywhere. We had to run to avoid getting hurt."
"But-but why have you been here all this time?" she asked. "I saw you here days and days ago!"
"That's the thing," Rose said, looking down. "We don't know how to get back. Every time we tried to get back to the passage, that crazy tree comes to life and blocks the tunnel."
"I-I'm shocked," McGonagall said. "Never in all my years here have I realized that there was such a way to enter and leave the school. And especially now, in these horrid times, security needs to be at its best." She fiddled with the hem of the sleeve absentmindedly as she appeared to be in deep thought.
"Alright," she said after a few moments had passes. "I suppose the first thing that must be done is alerting the headmaster. Now, you lot stay put while I go fetch him. If anybody comes in here, you do not, under any circumstances, tell him or her anything. Do you understand?"
The five nodded.
"Good." And with that, she turned on her heel and quickly headed out the door.
"Rose," James said once the door had closed behind her. "That was the most brilliant thing you have ever done!"
"How did you think to say all that?" Albus questioned.
"I remember Uncle George telling me about all sorts of secret passages in the school right before I came here," she answered.
"But Rose," Lily said. "Now she's coming back with the headmaster!"
"I know," Rose said. "The only thing we can do know is make a run for it back to the Gryffindor common room."
"What? Are you crazy?" James exclaimed. "If she gets back here and we're gone, she'll have the school searching for us!"
"I know," Rose said. "But if we don't, then she'll eventually try to send us away from here back to where we apparently came from!"
"Right," James nodded. "Let's hurry then, before McGonagall comes back!"
After peering out the doorway to make sure the coast was clear, the five left the office, and started making there way up a staircase that would take them to the Gryffindor common room.
"Keep your ears open," Rose whispered as they began climbing the steps. "And if you hear a teacher coming, we'll all run into the nearest classroom."
They made it up the staircase without any encounters, and when they reached the corridor that led to they Gryffindor common room, they broke into a run.
"We actually made it!" Albus said. "I can't believe we actually made it!"
But just then, Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny turned the corner of an adjacent corridor, coming face to face with the five.
"What are you lot doing out of the common room!" Hermione exclaimed. "What if somebody sees you?"
"Don't have to worry about that anymore," James said. "Hurry and up and open up the portrait door before McGonagall comes up here!"
"McGonagall?" Hermione sputtered as Harry gave the password, and the portrait door swung open. "You mean McGonagall saw you?"
"Yes," Rose said, as her and the others rushed into the common room.
"What did she say?" Harry asked.
"Can we explain later?" Albus asked nervously. "Once McGonagall realizes we left her office, she'll probably come straight up here looking for us. We need to get back under the cloak. Now!"
Swiftly, him and the other four covered themselves with the Invisibility Cloak, and made their way behind the couch; just as Professor McGonagall stepped through the portrait hole.
"You lot," she said briskly to Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny. "You haven't seen rather young students in this common room that you don't recognize around here, have you?"
The four shook their heads. "No professor," Hermione said. "The only young students we've seen here we know to be Gryffindors."
"Very well," McGonagall said curtly. "However, if you do, alert me or another teacher at once."
She turned on her heel and marched back outside the common room.
"That," Ron said once the portrait door had swung shut. "Was close."
"Too close," Hermione said.
"We're really sorry about that," James said, sticking his head out from behind the couch.
"Yes well, hopefully now you've seen why you have to stay under that cloak."
He nodded.
"Right then," Hermione said, looking at her watch. "It's nearly lunch time. We'll bring you back as much as you can from the table."
"And stay put," Ginny said, as her, Harry, Ron and Hermione headed towards the exit. "We can't afford another close call like that again."
"Well, I hope you're happy with yourself, James," Rose said. "Now we'll have to deal with McGonagall searching for us the rest of the time we're here."
For once, James didn't have any snide comeback. "I'm really sorry," he said sincerely. "It was all my fault."
"Oh," Rose said, clearly taken back by James taking responsibility for his actions. "It-It's okay. We'll just have to be careful from now on, that's all."
"I just can't wait to get home," Hugo said. "I miss our own time."
"Don't worry," James said. "Only a little while left."