Isabella was sleeping soundly, Portia lying across her head, when Alex roughly shook her awake.
"What?" Isabella snarled, sitting up. She had been in a foul mood since she broke up with Terry and she was never very happy when someone woke her up.
"It's Hagrid!" Morgan said, sitting by the window and looking out. Her green eyes were wide, reflecting jets of red light. "They're trying to sack him, I think!" Isabella scrambled out of bed, tossing the blanket over Portia in the process and causing her to yowl indignantly. Isabella squeezed next to Luna and pressed her face to the glass.
Outside on the lawn there was a disturbance; people were standing outside of Hagrid's cabin and were firing spells at him. The jets of red light seemed to bounce off him; and he was still upright and clearly fighting. Isabella could just hears cries and shouts through the window.
She could see the tiny outline of Hagrid's dog, she thought he might be called Fang, attempting to defend Hagrid, leaping repeatedly as the wizards surrounding him until a Stunning Spell caught him and he fell to the ground.
Hagrid's distant howl of fury came across the grounds to Ravenclaw tower as he lifted culprit bodily from the ground and threw him; the man flew what looked like ten feet and did not get up again. Next to Isabella, Luna gasped, both hands over her mouth.
"You don't think he's hurt him, do you?" Morgan asked worriedly, her nose squashed against the window.
Suddenly the front doors of the castle opened, light spilling out onto the lawn and a single long black shadow was now rippling across the lawn. Isabella recognized the tall hat and tartan dressing gown at the same time as Alex.
"Professor McGonagall!" Alex whispered in alarm. The Transfiguration teacher was apparently yelling, running through the darkness and shaking her fists at the wizards attacking Hagrid.
Isabella screamed, and heard several other girls echo her from the floors above and below.
The figures around the cabin had turned and shot no fewer than four Stunners at Professor McGonagall. Halfway between the cabin and the castle the red beams collided with her; for a moment she looked luminous and glowed an eerie red, then she lifted right off her feet, landed hard on her back and moved no more.
"... cowards... ruddy cowards..." Hagrids voice trickled up to them, "... have some o' that... an' that..." Hagrid took two massive swipes at his closest attackers; judging from their immediate collapse, they had been knocked cold. Hagrid bent down and scooped up Fang, draping the dog's limp body about his shoulders.
Hagrid turned and began to run with Fang still hung around his neck. Someone sent one last Stunning Spell at him but it missed; and Hagrid, still running at full-pelt towards the distant gates, disappeared into the darkness.
There was a long quivering silence, broken only by Morgan's quiet sobs, as they all stared open-mouthed into the grounds.
Isabella stood suddenly and dragged her bed-robe over her.
"Where are you going?" Alex asked. "It's after hours!" But Isabella didn't answer, merely slipped on a pair of slippers and ran downstairs. Luna hurried after her, not bothering with shoes or a coat.
They ran through the castle and out onto the grounds. Professor McGonagall was lying on the cold grass, looking pale and small. Professors Flitwick and Sprout knelt next to her.
"Girls, it's after hours!" Professor Sprout clucked as Luna and Isabella ran up.
"It's all right, Pomona," Professor Flitwick assured her in a high squeak. "Miss Lovegood, would you kindly fetch Madam Pomrey? Miss O'Reagan, see if Professor Snape is awake, then send a letter to Saint Mungo's."
"What about Professor Umbridge?" Isabella asked as Luna ran away, her bare feet swishing through the grass.
"I believe our Headmistress already knows what has happened," Professor Sprout said, her voice colder than Isabella had ever heard it. The girl turned and looked towards Hagrid's cabin wonderingly, seeing a squat little figure berating the other wizards.
"Miss O'Reagan, there's no time to waste!" Professor Flitwick scolded. Isabella ran, her robe flapping out behind her and her thin slippers soaked through with dew. She hurtled down the steps to the dungeons and knocked on Professor Snape's door. It swung open quickly and a livid looking Snape stood there.
"What are you doing out of bed?" he sneered. "Get back to Ravenclaw tower at..."
"It's Professor McGonagall, sir," Isabella panted. "She was hit... four Stunning Spells..."
"Where?" Professor Snape demanded stepping into the hallway and snapping the heavy door shut behind him. He still wore his customary black robes, and Isabella wondered what time he was planning on going to bed.
"On the grounds," she told him. "Professors Flitwick and Sprout are with her..." Snape walked back up the corridor, his robes billowing like some horrible wings behind him. Isabella followed in his wake nervously.
"Go back to bed at once," Snape ordered her.
"But, sir, Professor Flitwick wanted me to send an owl to St. Mungo's..."
"Then hurry up about it. If I see you out of bed any longer than you need to be tonight..." Isabella took the threat and ran past him, heading for the Owlery. She was about to choose one of the school owls, preferably the fastest one she could find, when Castro fluttered near, looking sad. She hesitated, but remembered her father telling her that auguries were faster than owls.
Isabella scribbled a hasty note describing what had happened and attached the parchment to Castro's legs. She moved to the window with him perched on her arm.
"Haste, mia bella," she told him. He ruffled his bottle green feathers and shot away into the night. Isabella trotted back to Ravenclaw Tower. The fifth years had come back from taking their exams on the Astronomy tower. Almost everyone was up, and Isabella could see that Luna had returned.
"When I returned with Madam Pomfrey they sent me away," Luna said, looking a little tearful. "I think they carried Professor McGonagall up into the castle behind me."
"Madam Pomfrey will sort her out," Alex said, trying and failing to sound confident. Isabella and Luna exchanged looks; Professor McGonagall had looked so very frail and small lying there on the grass.
"Does anyone know if Umbridge was involved?" one of the third years asked.
"We think so," Anthony Goldstein said.
"She was," Isabella said darkly. "Flitwick told me." There was a murmur as people digested this news.
"Everyone. Bed. Now." Penelope Clearwater, one of the Ravenclaw prefects, ordered sharply. People milled around uncertainly, but gradually retired to their dormitories, still whispering and speculating about what had taken place.
Isabella climbed into bed, ignoring Alex and Morgan's whispered conversation. She took Portia off her pillow and clutched her to her chest. Gradually her friends stopped talking and drifted off to their beds. Isabella stayed awake, comforted by Portia's warm presence.
Professor McGonagall had always been Isabella's favorite teacher. She desperately wanted to be as talented as her, and had since arriving at Hogwarts her first year. Eventually, Isabella fell asleep, a few tears still tracing their way down her cheeks.