40

Wes

The trip to Dumbledore's old office was chilling to say the least. I had never been in trouble before, not at Hogwarts nor my muggle school when I was a kid. I just wasn't that kind of person. i stayed in my lane. I followed the rules. Oh god, what did I do wrong?

Of course it wasn't Dumbledore's office anymore, it was McGonagall's. And if I was being honest, she scared me way more than Dumbledore did. Sure, Dumbledore was one of the greatest wizards alive when he was alive but he didn't really seem like it. He was eccentric and weird and the long white beard really wasn't very intimidating. But McGonagall? She was the one we all looked out for.

I passed by the gargoyles that guarded the office and made my way up the spiral staircase, attempting to calm myself down which didn't work very well. There was only one reason why I could be in trouble and the thought made my stomach churn. I had been caught. The Potter Generation had been caught.

When I entered the room, McGonagall was sitting at her desk, casually writing something and looking completely nonchalant as if she berated children all the time for making anti-Harry Potter documentaries. She didn't even look up when I came in, just gestured for me to sit. This really couldn't be good.

"Mr. Adkins." McGonagall said, giving me a look as if she was trying to be disappointed but couldn't really do it. Maybe it was because of the look of terror on my face. "I suppose you know why you're here."

"Yes, headmistress." I stuttered, my leg bouncing up and down without even realizing it. She gave me a pitying look before continuing.

"I've received complaints about a documentary that you are the leader of." She said coolly. "According to my informant and to the footage, this documentary is very close to the line of propaganda. I assume you weren't going for that effect?"

"Well actually, that's exactly what I was going for." I said, suddenly not feeling very nervous anymore. "Not propaganda but something to get the public thinking. It was purely informational."

McGonagall raised a thin eyebrow at me but I didn't want to take it back. I wasn't against Harry Potter in anyway but I was against people that assumed that's all my generation was. Robots for Potter to control. We were a team, a well made machine, but we were human too. We deserved recognition.

"Well at any rate, my informant was not too happy about your documentary. And despite what my opinion on this whole ridiculous matter, I have been asked to put a stop to your film. I've talked to all of your participants already but I left this information for you to give." McGonagall said, steepling her fingers and peering at me through her spectacles.

"I can't make it anymore?" I asked, knowing in the back of my mind that it was finally happening but not being able to believe it. "At all?"

"No, Mr. Adkins. You'll have to find another hobby." McGonagall handed me my camera which I had been looking for for days. "I have taken the footage out so don't even think of looking. And also, please don't try something like this again. It really doesn't please the public."

I took that as my cue to leave so I did, clutching my camera to my chest like a baby. The Potter Generation was over just like that. I always had my doubts but I never really thought this would happen. I thought I was being careful. But now I had to call a meeting and tell them that our revolution was over. No one would know about us. No one would know the truth. We would forever remain Potter's puppets, nameless and faceless unless we died or killed someone important.

I was only sad for a little while because one question still remained. Who was McGonagall's informant? Who had stolen my camera and accused me of treason against Harry Potter? My first thought was Potter himself but that was impossible. I was nowhere near him and I had never even made eye contact with him. There was no way he had figured out something like that. My only hope was to go to meet with the rest of the Potter Generation and see what they knew.

They all arrived much faster than I expected. And together too. They must have met up after they heard what happened. They looked stricken now and were looking to me with hope as if I had the answer. Of course, I didn't.

"You got called?" Olivia asked, taking her seat across from me on the floor. I nodded.

"But guys there's something else. McGonagall wanted me to tell you, which was actually pretty cruel if you think about it."

"She's ending it, isn't she?" Evie said looking angry. When I didn't answer, she shook her head. "I can't believe this."

"We didn't even do anything wrong." Ian argued as if it would do any good.

"McGonagall didn't really think so either but she had an informant complaining so she had no choice." I explained, rubbing at my eyes.

"An informant?" Will asked, looking curious. "Who found us out?"

We all grew quiet then, gazing around at each other as if we had the answers but needed to look harder. The only sound in the room was the rain pounding on the windows outside and for a second I felt like I was at funeral. I felt totally helpless.

"Oh god." Ian gasped, throwing his head into his heads. "Oh no, oh no, oh no."

"What?" We all demanded at once.

"I'm such an idiot, this is all my fault. Hermione Granger. We were at the Slug Club dinner party thing and I mentioned the Potter Generation under my breath and she cornered me after words and interrogated me. I didn't tell her where I got it but she must have known. This is my fault."

"That doesn't make sense though." Olivia said. All of our eyes swiveled to her. "How would she know the name in the first place? The Potter Generation could be anything, how did she know it was a documentary and how did she know that Wes had the camera?"

That sparked my memory. The Three Broomsticks and Will asking me about the Potter Generation. He wasn't even that loud but Hermione Granger was suspicious of anything that had to do with her best friend. She was listening the whole time and I knew it but didn't do anything about it. I looked at Will and he looked horrified.

"We aren't assigning blame here." I said loudly, before Will could do anything. "It doesn't matter how she found it, all that matters is that she did. No more Potter Generation."

"Wait what?" Olivia asked, looking genuinely surprised. "We aren't actually going to stop, are we? You have your camera back and we'll just be more lowkey about it. We can redo all of the footage, it's not even a problem."

"Yeah, we can't just stop." Evie agreed. "This is important."

It warmed my heart that these four people cared so deeply about what I was doing. They were dedicated and ready to start a war with the Golden Trio. I was so unbelievably happy I couldn't put it into words. But it was impossible. We couldn't do it.

"No." I shook my head. "There's too much risk and this documentary wasn't a good idea anyway and we all knew it. It was just a means to an end. Procrastination, that's what it was." I stood up with a sigh. "I should get going, the train is leaving soon."

I ignored the protests that followed me out the door. I wanted to start a revolution. I wanted to do all the things I had promised but there was no more faith in me. It seemed far away now, a dream made up by a kid that had no future. Welcome to the real world, Wes.