Castle Guards
By Ammie Hawk
Disclaimer: I need more coffee.
AN: Okay, this is kind of a filler chapter, kinda not. It does move the plot along, but it's not very action packed. There is a very nice (if I do say so myself) lead in to a possible lemon here, but I did not put one in. However, when I go through for the final editing of the story, I may, it just depends on if I like what I've written. Anyway, that's all from me, enjoy the next installment of Castle Guards.
"Japanese"
"Kyuubi mentally"
Chapter 24
Examinations
The castle grounds were gleaming in the sunlight as though freshly painted, the cloudless sky smiled at itself in the smoothly sparkling lake, the satin-green lawns rippled occasionally in a gentle breeze: June had arrived, but to the fifth years this meant only one thing: Their O.W.L.s were upon them at last.
Their teachers were no longer setting them homework; lessons were devoted to reviewing those topics their teachers thought most likely to come up in the exams.
"What's the point?!" Naruto yelled one evening in the common room, drawing all attention to himself. "It's not like any of this shit matters! It's not like we're going to fucking use this shit! We can't even fucking do magic!"
"Naruto!" Sakura and Hermione snapped in unison.
"It doesn't matter that we'll never use it," Neji sighed quietly from behind his textbook, "we have a mission to complete."
"Can you take this elsewhere?!" Hermione demanded irritably. "Some of us actually need to do well on these exams, and need to study."
"Hyuuga," Gaara said in a monotone, "take him elsewhere and do something."
The long haired brunette gave a long suffering sigh before closing his book. He slipped all his things into his bag and then gracefully pushed to his feet. He went over to his boyfriend and pulled him to his feet as well. He then picked up both their bags and headed out of the portrait hole.
Once out in the hall, Neji began leading the blonde away from the tower. He had no idea where to take Naruto. He knew the library was out, because if his superior had an outburst in there, they'd be banned for the remainder of the year, and since their charges were bound to be in there quite frequently it just wouldn't be a good idea to get kicked out. He also didn't think an unused classroom would be practical either, since curfew wasn't too far off.
It was as they passed a portrait of a squat knight and his pony that it hit him. He could take Naruto to the Room of Requirement. They wouldn't bother anyone there and no one would catch them if they stayed out late. He took on a more purposeful stride as the descended more flights of stairs.
When they reached the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, Neji began pacing back and forth before the bare stretch of wall, thinking, 'I need a place to take Naruto... a comfortable place to take him...'
On the third pass, a door appeared. Grabbing the blonde's hand, Neji pushed it open. They went inside and the room was finally revealed. Color flooded the pale eyed teen's face as he realized what the castle had provided for him.
Directly across from where they stood in front of the now closed door was a large bed covered with a deep green comforter and mounds of pillows. On the right hand wall was a magnificent fireplace, burning merrily. An ornate rug covered the floor in front of it, all the way to a plush sofa some four feet away. To the left was an oak wardrobe, Neji wasn't sure he wanted to find out what was in there, and an open door into an opulent bathroom.
Naruto crossed the room and flopped dejectedly on the bed, oblivious to his surroundings and his boyfriend's discomfort. Neji barely stifled a groan at the sight the blonde presented, splayed across the bed as he was. He felt his pants tighten as Naruto raised his head and cerulean met silver.
"Naruto," said Neji rather breathlessly.
"What's wrong, Nej?" he propped himself up onto his elbows, to better see his boyfriend.
"We," Neji cleared his suddenly dry throat, "we should study."
"Aww," the blonde pouted, causing Neji to close his eyes to keep from jumping the oblivious kitsune vessel. "Can't we just skip it. I mean, it's not like we actually need to pass these Owl thingies. And no one's here to keep up pretenses for."
Naruto was right, there was no one present to monitor their actions. No mission, no Shikamaru, no Gaara, no Iruka, not even Kyuubi was there, they were completely alone. This had not happened since they'd gotten together. He dropped the two bookbags in his hand and within three strides was at the bed.
8888888
They received their examination schedules and details of the procedure for O.W.L.s during their next Transfiguration lesson.
"As you can see," Professor McGonagall told the class while they copied down the dates and times of their exams from the blackboard, "your O.W.L.s are spread over two successive weeks. You will sit the theory exams in the mornings and the practice in the afternoons. Your practical Astronomy examination, will, of course, take place at night.
"Now, I must warn you that the most stringent Anti-Cheating Charms have been applied to your examination papers. Auto-Answer Quills are banned from the examination hall, as are Remembralls, Detachable Cribbing Cuffs, and Self-Correcting Ink. Every year, I am afraid to say, seems to harbor at least one student who thinks that he or she can get around the Wizarding Examinations Authority's rules."
"Yeah, they'll be nine this year," Kankuro leaned forward slightly to whisper to Kiba and Shino. "Only we won't get caught."
Shino smirked, but his boyfriend let out a bark of laughter which caused McGonagall to glare sharply at him.
"I can only hope that it is nobody in Gryffindor. Our new—headmistress"—Professor McGonagall pronounced the word with the same look on her face that Aunt Petunia had whenever she was contemplating a particularly stubborn bit of dirt—"has asked the Heads of Houses to tell their students that cheating will be punished most severely—because, of course, your examination results will reflect upon the headmistress's new regime at the school...."
Professor McGonagall gave a tiny sigh. Harry saw the nostrils of her sharp nose flare.
"Howe, that is no reason not to do your very best. You have your own futures to think about."
"Please, Professor," said Hermione, her hand in the air, "when will we find out our results?"
"An owl will be sent to you some time in July," said Professor McGonagall.
88
Their first exam, Theory of Charms, was scheduled for Monday morning. Sunday was an uncomfortable sort of evening. Everyone was trying to do some last-minute studying but nobody seemed to be getting very far. Neji had been forced, once again, to escort Naruto elsewhere to keep him from being flayed alive by his fellow year mates, not that he minded that in the least.
None of the fifth years talked much at breakfast next day. Parvati was practicing incantations under her breath while the salt cellar in front of her twitched, Hermione was rereading Achievement in Charming so fast that her eyes appeared blurred, and Neville kept dropping his knife and fork and knocking over the marmalade. The shinobi, however, appeared relaxed, all but Sakura anyway, though her girlfriend tried futilely to keep the pinkette distracted.
Once breakfast was over, the fifth and seventh years milled around in the entrance hall while the other students went off to lessons. Then, at half-past nine, they were called forward class by class to reenter the Great Hall. Their four House tables had been removed and replaced instead with many tables for one, all facing the staff-table end of the Hall where Professor McGonagall stood facing them. When they were all seated and quiet she said, "You may begin," and turned over an enormous hourglass on the desk beside her, on which were also spare quills, ink bottles, and rolls of parchment.
88
The fifth years ate lunch with the rest of the school (the four House tables reappeared over the lunch hour) and then trooped off into the small chamber beside the Great Hall, where they were to wait until called for their practical examinations. As small groups of students were called forward in alphabetical order, those left behind muttered incantations and practiced wand movements, occasionally poking one another in the back or eyes by mistake.
Shino was among the first group to enter the room. Sakura and Neji were in the same group, immediately following the one containing Hermione. Kiba followed in the next group. Shikamaru was in the same group as Draco Malfoy, the only shinobi who was actually with his charge for the practical. The three Sand shinobi went in together, unintentionally greatly intimidating the examiners. Naruto was in the last group with Ron. Somehow or other, they all managed to hoodwink the examiners into believing they were doing actual magic.
There was no time to relax that night—they went straight to the common room after dinner and submerged themselves in studying for Transfiguration next day. They had their Herbology exam on Wednesday and then, on Thursday, Defense Against the Dark Arts. On Friday, Harry and Ron and their guards had a day off while Hermione and her guards sat the Ancient Runes exam, and as they had the whole weekend in front of them, they permitted themselves a break from studying. They stretched and yawned beside the open window, through which warm summer air wafted over them.
The following Monday brought on their Potions exam, followed by Care of Magical Creatures on Tuesday. Then came Astronomy on Wednesday. They had to wait until evening for their practical Astronomy; the afternoon was devoted instead to Divination.
When they reached the top of the Astronomy tower at eleven o'clock they found a perfect night for stargazing, cloudless and still. The grounds were bathed in moonlight, and there was a slight chill in the air. Each of them set up his or her telescope and when Professor Marchbanks gave the word, proceeded to fill in the blank star chart he or she had been given.
The shinobi noticed the disturbance on the grounds and quickly focused their attention that way. However, they knew they couldn't do anything, they didn't want to start a war with the Ministry of Magic, especially since their nations weren't believed to be real. Their tolerance was tested, however, when no fewer than four stunners had shot from the figures around the cabin toward Professor McGonagall. Halfway between cabin and castle the red beams collided with her. For a moment she looked luminous, illuminated by an eerie red glow, then was lifted right off her feet, and was caught by a figure none of them had seen approach.
The majority of the shinobi made a move to go to the aid of the fallen professor, but an enraged, animalistic roar stopped everyone in their tracks. No one, not even the aged examiners, had heard anything like that before. Naruto, however, didn't need to have heard it before to know who had made it.
"KYUUBI!" he yelled down at the demon, who still held the injured McGonagall in his arms.
"Don't try and stop me, Kit!" the demon growled in his head. "Entirely dishonorable! They'll pay for that!"
'No, Kyu!' Naruto growled mentally. 'You can't do anything to them. Take McGonagall to the hospital wing, or so help me, I'll cage you.'
"Only for you, Kit," Kyuubi snarled, pulling the woman more securely into his arms and running back to the castle as Hagrid distracted the Ministry officials.
None of the students were going to bed—they were all talking loudly and excitedly at the foot of the stairs about what they had witnessed.
"That evil woman!" gasped Hermione, who seemed to be having difficulty talking due to rage. "Trying to sneak up on Hagrid in the dead of night!"
"She clearly wanted to avoid another scene like Trelawney's," said Ernie Macmillan sagely, squeezing over to join them.
"Hagrid did well, didn't he?" said Ron, who looked more alarmed than impressed. "How come all the spells bounced off him?"
"It'll be his giant blood," said Hermione shakily. "It's very hard to Stun a giant, they're like trolls, really tough.... But poor Professor McGonagall.... Four Stunners straight in the chest, and she's not exactly young is she?"
"Dreadful, dreadful," said Ernie, shaking his head pompously. "What about that scream though, terrifying, eh?"
"Yeah," Harry said distractedly, his gaze intent on Naruto who seemed deep in thought yet extremely angry at the same time.
"Well, I'm off to bed..." said Ernie. "Night all...."
People around them were drifting away, still talking excitedly about what they had just seen. Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way over to the shinobi, who were all gathered around Naruto.
"I've got to go to the hospital wing," the blonde sighed exasperatedly. "If Kyu continues like this he's gonna start an all out war with the Ministry of Magic." He turned to Neji and gave his arm a slight squeeze, "I probably won't be back till morning."
"Don't worry," the brunette lieutenant shook his head slightly. "We'll see you in the morning."
88
Their final exam, History of Magic, was to take place the following afternoon. Naruto returned to the dormitory some time during the morning, not that many of his year mates noticed, as they were all engrossed in studying. Perhaps this was a good thing, as it kept the wizarding students from noticing the bruises on his face and arms and claw marks that had shredded his clothes to almost rags.
The fifth years entered the Great Hall at two o'clock and took their places in front of their overturned examination papers. It was fairly routine, until the end, where Harry fell to the floor, screaming. The raven haired wizard was escorted from the hall by one of the examiners, much to the chagrin of his guards.
The Boy-Who-Lived apparently wasn't the only one to give his guards the slip after the exam, as shortly after they'd been dismissed, the other teams gathered around Naruto and Gaara, looking frustrated.
"How can we lose four pipsqueaks?" Kankuro threw up his hands in frustration.
"Calm yourself," the Kazekage said quietly. "We'll find them. They can't have gone far."
8888888
"Liar!" shouted Umbridge. She threw Harry from her, and he slammed into the desk. Now he could see Hermione pinioned against the wall by Millicent Bulstrode. Malfoy was leaning on the windowsill, smirking as he threw Harry's wand into the air one-handed and then caught it again, though his gray eyes softened apologetically when they met emerald.
There was a commotion outside and several Slytherins entered, each gripping Ron, Ginny, Luna, and—to Harry's bewilderment—Neville, who was trapped in a stranglehold by Crabbe and looked in imminent danger of suffocation. All four had been gagged.
"Got 'em all," said Warrington, shoving Ron roughly forward into the room. "That one," he poked a thick finger at Neville, "tried to stop me taking her," he pointed at Ginny, who was trying to kick Shikamaru's shin, though he seemed unconcerned by it, "so I brought him along too."
"Good, good," said Umbridge, watching Ginny's struggles. "Well, it looks as though Hogwarts will shortly be a Weasley-free zone, doesn't it?"
Malfoy laughed loudly and sycophantically, though to the well trained ear it was more strained than it should have been. Umbridge gave her wide, complacent smile and settle herself into a chintz-covered armchair, blinking up at her captives like toad in a flowerbed.
"So, Potter," she said. "You stationed lookouts around my office and you sent this buffoon," she nodded at Ron, and Malfoy forced out an even louder laugh, "to tell me the poltergeist was wreaking havoc in the Transfiguration department when I knew perfectly well that he was busy smearing ink on the eyepieces of all the school telescopes, Mr. Filch having just informed me so.
"Clearly, it was very important for you to talk to somebody. Was it Albus Dumbledore? Or the half-breed, Hagrid? I doubt it was Minerva McGonagall, I hear she is still too ill to talk to anyone...."
Malfoy and a few other members of the Inquisitorial Squad laughed some more at that, though Shikarmaru's eyes narrowed dangerously. Harry found that he was so full of rage and hatred he was shaking.
"It's none of your business who I talk to," he snarled.
Umbridge's slack face seemed to tighten.
"Very well," she said in her most dangerous and falsely sweet voice. "Very well, Mr. Potter... I offered you the chance to tell me freely. You refused. I have no alternative but to force you. Draco—fetch Professor Snape."
Malfoy stowed Harry's wand inside his robes and left the room smirking, but Harry hardly noticed, knowing it for the act it truly was anyway. He had just realized something; he could not believe he had been so stupid as to forget it. He had thought that all the members of the Order, all those who could help him save Sirius, were gone—but he had been wrong. There was still a member of the Order of the Phoenix at Hogwarts—Snape.
There was silence in the office except for the fidgetings and scufflings resultant from the Slytherins' efforts to keep Ron and the others under control. Ron's lip was bleeding onto Umbridge's carpet as he struggled against Warrington's half nelson. Ginny was still trying to stamp on the feet of the Shadow ninja who had both her upper arms in his grip. Neville was turning steadily more purple in the face while tugging at Crabbe's arms, and Hermione was attempting vainly to throw Millicent Bulstrode off her. Luna, however, stood limply by the side of her captor, gazing vaguely out of the window as though rather bored by the proceedings.
Harry looked back at Umbridge, who was watching him closely. He kept his face deliberately smooth and blank as footsteps were heard in the corridor outside and Draco Malfoy entered the room, closely followed by Snape.
"You wanted to see me, Headmistress?" said Snape, looking around at all the pairs of struggling students with an expression of complete indifference.
"Ah, Professor Snape," said Umbridge, smiling widely and standing up again. "Yes, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as you can, please."
"You took my last bottle to interrogate Potter," he said, surveying her coolly through his greasy curtains of black hair. "Surely you did not use it all? I told you that three drops would be sufficient."
Umbridge flushed.
"You can make some more, can't you?" she said, her voice becoming more sweetly girlish as it always did when she was furious.
"Certainly," said Snape, his lip curling. "It takes a full moon cycle to mature, so I should have it ready for you in around a month."
"A month?" squawked Umbridge, swelling toadishly. "A month? But I need it this evening, Snape! I have just found Potter using my fire to communicate with a person or persons unknown!"
"Really?" said Snape, showing the first, faint sign of interest as he looked around at Harry. "Well, it doesn't surprise me. Potter has never shown much inclination to follow school rules."
His cold, dark eyes were boring into Harry's, who met his gaze unflinchingly, concentrating hard on what he had seen in his dream, willing Snape to read it in his mind, to understand....
"I wish to interrogate him!" repeated Umbridge angrily, and Snape looked away from Harry back into her furiously quivering face. "I wish you to provide me with a potion that will force him to tell me the truth!"
"I have already told you," said Snape smoothly, "that I have no further stocks of Veritaserum. Unless you wish to poison Potter—and I assure you I would have the greatest sympathy with you if you did—I cannot help you. The only trouble is that most venoms act too fast to give the victim much time for truth-telling...."
Snape looked back at Harry, who stared at him, frantic to communicate without speaking.
'Voldemort's got Sirius in the Department of Mysteries,' he thought desperately. 'Voldemort's got Sirius—'
"You are on probation!" shrieked Professor Umbridge, and Snape looked back at her, his eyebrows slightly raised. "You are being deliberately unhelpful! I expected better, Lucius Malfoy always speaks most highly of you! Now get out of my office!"
Snape gave her an ironic bow and turned to leave. Harry knew his last chance of letting the Order know what was going on was walking out of the door.
"He's got Padfoot!" he shouted. "He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden!"
Snape stopped with his hand on Umbridge's door handle.
"Padfoot?" cried Professor Umbridge, looking eagerly from Harry to Snape. "What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What does he mean, Snape?"
Snape looked around at Harry. His face was inscrutable. Harry could not tell whether he had understood or not, but he did not dare speak more plainly in front of Umbridge.
"I have no idea," said Snape coldly. "Potter, when I want nonsense shouted at me I shall give you a Babbling Beverage. And Crabbe, loosen your hold a little, if Longbottom suffocates it will mean a lot of tedious paperwork, and I am afraid I shall have to mention it on your reference if ever you apply for a job."
He closed the door behind him with a snap, leaving Harry in a state of worse turmoil than before: Snape had been his very last hope. He looked at Umbridge, who seemed to be feeling the same way; her chest was heaving with rage and frustration.
"Very well," she said, and she pulled out her wand. "Very well... I am left with no alternative.... This is more than a matter of school discipline.... This is an issue of Ministry security.... Yes... yes..."
She seemed to be talking herself into something. She was shifting her weight nervously from foot to foot, staring at Harry, beating her wand against her empty palm and breathing heavily. Harry felt horribly powerless without his own wand as he watched her.
"You are forcing me, Potter.... I do not want to," said Umbridge, still moving restlessly on the spot, "but sometimes circumstances justify the use... I am sure the Minister will understand that I had no choice...."
Malfoy was watching her with a sort of horrifying fascinated expression on his face. That was his boyfriend... he should do something, but then he wouldn't be able to help him at all, he'd be no better off than Weasley or Granger. With that in mind, he wanted to turn his head away, to not watch that vile creature decide what fate lay in store for the Boy-Who-Lived, but he couldn't even do that.
"The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue," said Umbridge quietly.
"No!" shrieked Hermione, covering up Draco's shocked gasp. "Professor Umbridge—it's illegal"—but Umbridge took no notice. There was a nasty, eager, excited look on her face that Harry had never seen before. She raised her wand.
"The Minister wouldn't want you to break the law, Professor Umbridge!" cried Hermione.
"What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him," said Umbridge, who was now panting slightly as she pointed her wand at different parts of Harry's body in turn, apparently trying to decide what would hurt the most. "He never knew I ordered dementors after Potter last summer, but he was delighted to be given the chance to expel him, all the same...."
"It was you?" gasped Harry. "You sent the dementors after me?"
"Somebody had to act," breathed Umbridge, as her wand came to rest pointing directly at Harry's forehead. "They were all bleating about silencing you somehow—discreding you—but I was the only one who actually did something about it.... Only you wriggled out of that one, didn't you, Potter? Not today, though, not now..."
And taking a deep breath, she cried, "Cruc—"
"NO!" shouted Hermione in a cracked voice from behind Millicent Bulstrode, once again drawing attention away from the blonde Slytherin, who had let out a dry sob. "No—Harry—Harry, we'll have to tell her!"
"No way!" yelled Harry, staring at the little of Hermione he could see.
"We'll have to, Harry, she'll force it out of you anyway, what's... what's the point...?"
And Hermione began to cry weakly into the back of Millicent Bulstrode's robes. Millicent stopped trying to squash her against the wall immediately and dodged out of her way looking disgusted.
"Well, well, well!" said Umbridge, looking triumphant. "Little Miss Question-All is going to give us some answers! Come on then, girl, come on!"
"Er—my—nee—no!" shouted Ron through his gag.
Ginny was staring at Hermione as though she had never seen her before; Neville, still choking for breath, was gazing at her too. But Harry had just noticed something. Though Hermione was sobbing desperately into her hands, there was no trace of a tear....
"I'm—I'm sorry everyone," said Hermione. "But—I can't stand it—"
"That's right, that's right, girl!" said Umbridge, seizing Hermione by the shoulders, thrusting her into the abandoned chintz chair and leaning over her. "Now then... with whom was Potter communicating just now?"
"Well," gulped Hermione into her hands, "well, he was trying to speak to Professor Dumbledore."
Ron froze, his eyes wide; Ginny stopped trying to stamp on her Slytherin captor's toes; said Slytherin was smirking slightly at the lie; even Luna looked mildly surprised. Fortunately, the attention of Umbridge and her minions was focused too exclusively upon Hermione to notice these suspicious signs.
"Dumbledore?" said Umbridge eagerly. "You know where Dumbledore is, then?"
"Well... no!" sobbed Hermione. "We've tried the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley and the Three Broomsticks and even the Hog's Head—"
"Idiot girl, Dumbledore won't be sitting in a pub when the whole Ministry's looking for him!" shouted Umbridge, disappointment etched in every sagging line of her face.
"But—but we needed to tell him something important!" wailed Hermione, holding her hands more tightly over her face, not, Harry knew, out of anguish, but to disguise the continued absence of tears.
"Yes?" said Umbridge with a sudden resurgence of excitement. "What was it you wanted to tell him?"
"We... we wanted to tell him it's r-ready!" choked Hermione.
"What's ready?" demanded Umbridge, and now she grabbed Hermione's shoulders again and shook her slightly. "What's ready, girl?"
"The... the weapon," said Hermione.
"Weapon? Weapon?" said Umbridge, her eyes seemed to pop with excitement. "You have been developing a method of resistance? A weapon you could use against the Ministry? On Professor Dumbledore's orders, of course?"
"Y-y-yes," gasped Hermione. "But he had to leave before it was finished and n-n-now we've finished it for him, and we c-c-can't find him t-t-to tell him!"
"What kind of weapon is it?" said Umbridge harshly, her stubby hands still tight on Hermione's shoulders.
"We don't r-r-really understand it," said Hermione, sniffing loudly. "We j-j-just did what P-P-Professor Dumbledore told us t-t-to do...."
Umbridge straightened up, looking exultant.
"Lead me to the weapon," she said.
"I'm not showing... them," said Hermione shrilly, looking around at the Slytherins through her fingers.
"It is not for you to set conditions," said Professor Umbridge harshly.
"Fine," said Hermione, now sobbing into her hands again, "fine... let them see it. I hope they use it on you! In fact, I wish you'd invite loads and loads of people to come and see! Th-that would serve you right—oh, I'd love it if the wh-whole school knew where it was, and how to u-use it, and then if you annoy any of them they'll be able to s-sort you out!"
These words had a powerful impact on Umbridge. She glanced swiftly and suspiciously around at her Inquisitorial Squad, her bulging eyes resting for a moment on Malfoy, who was too slow to disguise the look of eagerness and excitement that had appeared on his face.
Umbridge contemplated Hermione for another long moment and then spoke in what she clearly thought was a motherly voice, "All right, dear, let's make it just you and me... and we'll take Potter, too, shall we? Get up, now—"
"Professor," said Malfoy eagerly, if he could just convince her to take him along then he could help Harry, "Professor Umbridge, I think some of the squad should come with you to look after—"
"I am a fully qualified Ministry official, Malfoy, do you really think I cannot manage two wandless teenagers alone?" asked Umbridge sharply. "In any case, it does not sound as though this weapon is something that schoolchildren should see. You will remain here until I return and make sure none of these"—she gestured around at Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna—"escape."
"All right," said Malfoy, looking sulky and disappointed.
"And you two can go ahead of me and show me the way," said Umbridge, pointing at Harry and Hermione with her wand. "Lead on...."
As soon as the door closed behind them, Shikamaru dropped Ginny's arms, moved over to stand in front of the desk, turned to face everyone, and clasped his hands in front of him.
"Pick your jaw up, Draco," he sighed, "and Stun them already."
"What?!" in his indignation, Ron managed to spit the gag out of his mouth. "You can't do that!"
"This is such a drag," the Shadow nin shook his head, so did all the other Slytherins in the room, apart from Malfoy. "Stun them now, I can't hold this jutsu forever."
"Oh," the blonde's eyes widened slightly in realization before he pulled his wand and Stunned Warrington, thus freeing Ron. The other Slytherins looked shocked and confused, and a little outraged, but none of them made a move to stop either of them. It didn't take long for the others to be free as well, and Malfoy to hand back their wands.
"You saw nothing, Longbottom," Draco glared menacingly at the round faced boy, who nodded fearfully.
"Now that that's out of the way," Shikamaru leaned back on the desk, pulling out his trusty pack of cigarettes, "you four should be going. Oh, and Ron," he reached into the top drawer of the desk and withdrew a roll of parchment, "take that with you."