Chapter 12

Everyone grew even more curious - and confused - at her one word answers and her reactions.

"You can't aparate in or out of Hogwarts." Luna said, "but I didn't aparate. There are more ways to travel using magic than you realize. The Wizarding World has just forgotten about them."

"Huh?"

"Let me put it this way." Loki said, picking up his goblet. "Remember when Rowena told all of you what classes I taught, all those centuries ago?"

Seeing the slow head nods he continues, "I can get in and out of Hogwarts whenever I want. Partly because I was the one who made and wrote the wards. I then taught my favorite students how to do the same thing." Turning his head, Loki looks at Fury. "Also, you don't honestly think that a glass box would be able to contain me, do you?"

Fury glared at him as he clenched his jaw.

Shaking his head slightly, Loki sighs, "For a supposedly technologically advanced agency, you think that you would be able to tell the difference between an illusion, and the real thing."

"What?!" Fury said, pounding his fist on the table.

"Mm." Loki hummed, "I was out of that fish bowl, and replaced by one of my illusions before the door had even closed."

Fury growled as he glared at the side of his head. "So you were wondering free on my helicarrier?!"

"Mmhm." Loki said, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Oh!" Loki said, having just remembered something. "By the way, the vending machines in the cafeteria are out of snacks."

Loki brought the goblet still in his hand up to his lips, and took a gulp. Placing it back down on the table, he looked around at the silent hall, with a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

"I hope you paid for those." Fury growled.

Loki choked on his drink. "Pay?! Why in the name of the Norn's would I do such a thing?"

Fury glared and growled.

Loki smirked, "That reminds me, you might want to check the bourbon in your desk as well."

Fury's eye widened slightly, twitching.

Chapter Twelve :The Polyjuice Potion

They stepped off the stone staircase at the top, and Ms McGonagall rapped on the door. It opened silently and they entered. McGonagall told Harry to wait and left him there, alone.

"Being sent to the principal's office is never good." Toni shook her head. Her fellow heroes nodded theirs in agreement.

He walked quietly around the desk, lifted the hat from its shelf, and lowered it slowly onto his head. It was much too large and slipped down over his eyes, just as it had done the last time he'd put it on. Harry stared at the black inside of the hat, waiting. Then a small voice said in his ear, "Bee in your bonnet, Harry Potter?"

"Er, yes," Harry muttered. "Er - sorry to bother you - I wanted to asked -"

"You've been wondering whether I put you in the right House," said the hat smartly. "Yes…you were particularly difficult to place. But I stand by what I said before" - Harry's heart leapt - "you would have well in Slytherin -"

"I would have dismantled it, from the inside out." Harry thought scornfully. Harry paused, his eyes widening slightly, "Damn, the hat was right. Dammit."

He wasn't alone after all. Standing on a golden perch behind the door was a decrepit-looking bird that resembled a half-plucked turkey. Harry stared at it and the bird looked balefully back, making its gagging noise again. Harry thought it looked very ill. Its eyes were dull and even as Harry watched, a couple more feathers fell out of its tail.

Harry was just thinking that all he needed was for Humbeldore' pet bird to die while he was alone in the office with it, when the bird burst into flames.

"Why is it always me?" Harry sighed. His shoulders slumping, rounding forward.

The office door opened. Dumledore came in, looking very somber.

"Sir," Harry gasped. "Your bird - I couldn't do anything - he just caught fire -"

To Harry's astonishment, Dumbledore smiled.

"Creep alert." Shuri muttered, Peter nodding and shuddering in agreement.

"About time, too," he said. "He's been looking dreadful for days; I've been telling him to get a move on."

He chuckled at the stunned look on Harry's face.

"Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes. Watch him…"

Harry looked down in time to see a tiny, wrinkled, newborn bird poke its head out of the ashes. It was quite as ugly as the old one.

"Do not let Fawkes hear you say that, Harry." McGonagall commented.

"Yes, ma'am."

Before Dumbledore could speak another word, however, the door of the office flew open with an almighty bang and Hagrid burst in, a wild look in his eyes, his balaclava perched on top of his shaggy black head and the dead rooster still swinging from his hand.

"It wasn' Harry, Professor Dumbledore!" said Hagrid urgently. "I was talkin' ter him seconds before that kid was found, he never had time, sir -"

"Dun-dun-duh-duh! Hagrid to the rescue!" A fourth year Hufflepuff girl sang.

"Have no fear!" first year Ravenclaw boy declared.

"Hagrid is here!" Dean finished.

Beneath all that scruff, Hagrid blushed four different shades of red, as he had a whole room smiling up at him.

Dumbledore tried to say something, but Hagrid went ranting on, waving the rooster around in his agitation, sending feathers everywhere.

"-it can't've bin him, I'll swear it in front o' the Ministry o' Magic if I have to -"

"Hagrid, I -"

"-yeh've got the wrong boy, sir, I know Harry never -"

"Hagrid!" said Dumbledore loudly. "I do not think that Harry attacked those people."

"Oh," said Hagrid, the rooster falling limply at his side. "Right. I'll wait outside then, Headmaster."

And he stomped out looking embarrassed.

"You don't think it was me, Sir?" Harry repeated hopefully as Dumbledore brushed rooster feathers off his desk.

"No, Harry, I don't," said Dumbledore, though his face was somber again. "But I still want to talk to you."

Fred and George, however, found all this very funny. They went out of their way to march ahead of Harry down the corridors, shouting, "Make way for the Heir of Slytherin, seriously evil wizard coming through…."

"It's giving me Mulan vibes." Peter commented, nodding.

"Let's get down to business!" Shuri sang. There was silence for a few seconds as she nudged Bucky with her elbow.

Bucky looked at her, and seeing her puppy dog eyes, he sighed and said, "To defeat, a jackass!"

The Great Hall exploded into laughter. Once it had tapered off, a muggleborn Slytherin piped up, "Did they send me daughters, when I asked, for sons?"

"Yes!" Hermione said ferociously, banging her fist on the table.

"Yes they did!" Lily backed her up.

"Here! Here!" McGonagall toasted them.

Percy was deeply disapproving of this behavior.

"It is not a laughing matter," he said coldly.

"Oh, get out of the way, Percy," said Fred. "Harry's in a hurry."

"Yeah, he's off to the Chamber of Secrets for a cup of Tea with his fanged servant," said George, chortling.

Ginny didn't find it amusing either.

"Oh, don't," she wailed every time Fred asked Harry loudly who he was planning to attack next, or when George pretended to ward Harry off with a large clove of garlic when they met.

Harry didn't mind; it made him feel better that Fred and George, at least, thought the idea of his being Slytherin's heir was quite ludicrous.

"Thanks guys." Harry chuckled.

"You're welcome Harry." Fred said.

George mock saluted, "Anything you say sir."

But their antics seem to be aggravating Draco Malfoy, who looked increasingly sour each time he saw them at it.

Harry, Ron and Hermione turned to look at Malfoy with scrutiny.

"Maybe he's jealous that you're getting the attention, and he's not." Hermione offered.

"Or maybe, he's the one who opened the Chamber, and he's angry that you're getting all the credit." Ron countered.

"Only one way to find out." Harry passified his friends.

On Christmas Eve saw every member of Gryffindor house staying at Hogwarts, in the common room. Settling down in the largest blanket fort yet, Harry pressed play. Snow fall, and Tom Hanks set the scene for, The Polar Express.

"I love that movie!" a first year Hufflepuff girl squealed.

Much later, everyone shuffled off to bed. Clutching mugs of hot chocolate, like it was molten gold.

"Maybe we can make this a yearly tradition." Was the last thing Harry thought, before slipping into blissful sleep.

"Oh, yes please!" Muggleborns scattered down the Gryffindor table said.

"Maybe we can make it a tradition for the whole school?" a hopeful Hufflepuff asked.

"We should ask Harry. It is his tech after all." their friend said.

It seemed like the whole school turned to Harry as one, and began to plead with him to make their wish possible.

"Um," Harry stared out at the pleading faces.

"Maybe we should ask Ms McGonagall, as she is the new Headmistress." Hermione said, stepping into Harry's rescue.

And just like that, the attention was off Harry. For which he was grateful. McGonagall looked at all the shining eyes, and pouting lips, and as her students begged and pleaded with her. Standing, the Hall fell silent.

"I will not make any promises. First and foremost, the technology needs to be made. After that, we shall see." McGonagall then sat back down, to excited whispers.

Harry already had several different ideas.

Christmas morning dawned, cold and white. Harry and Ron, the only ones left in their dormitory, were woken very early by Hermione, who burst in, fully dressed and carrying presents for them both.

"Wake up," she said loudly, pulling back the curtains at the window.

"Hermione - you're not supposed to be here -" said Ron, shielding his eyes against the light.

"Merry Christmas to you, too," said Hermione, throwing him his present. "I've been up for nearly an hour, adding more lacewings to the potion. It's ready."

Harry sat up, suddenly wide awake.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," said Hermione, shifting Scabbers the rat so that she could sit down on the end of Ron's four-poster. "If we're going to do it, I say it should be tonight."

At that moment, Hedwig swooped into the room, carrying a very small package in her beak.

"Hello," said Harry happily as she landed on his bed. "Are you speaking to me again?"

She nibbled his ear in an affectionate sort of way, which was a far better present than the one that she had brought him, which turned out to be from the Dursleys. They had sent Harry a toothpick and a note telling him to find out whether he'd be able to stay at Hogwarts for the summer vacation, too.

"I'd rather stay at Hogwarts anyway." Harry's mutter was drowned out by the growls of his friends and family.

"We still need a bit of the people you're changing into," said Hermione matter-of-factly, as though she were sending them to the supermarket for laundry detergent. "And obviously, it'll be best if you can get something of Crabbe and Goyle's; they're Malfoy's best friends, he'll tell them anything. And we also need to make sure the real Crabbe and Goyle can't burst in on us while we're interrogating him.

"I've got it all worked out," she went on smoothly, ignoring Harry's and Ron's stupefied faces. She held up two plump chocolate cakes. "I've filled these with a simple Sleeping Draught. All you have to do is make sure Crabbe and Goyle find them. You know how greedy they are, they're bound to eat them. Once they're asleep, pull out a few of their hairs and hide them in a broom closet."

"...What?" Hermione said, looking around at all the faces that were mirroring future Harry and Ron. "Someone had to do something. And obviously, Dumbledore was being less than useless. Had to do something."

Harry and Ron's jaws dropped even further.

"What?" Hermione said, looking between them.

"Hermione," Ron said, he floundered for a bit, so Harry picked up where he left off.

"You insulted a teacher." Harry lips turned up at the corners.

"And not just any teacher," Ron said, having managed to snap out of it, a grin slowly making its way over his face. "But Dumbledore."

"No one, is above reprimand." Hermione said primly.

When Hermione said this, McGonagall side-eyed Snape, as a gleam entered her eyes.

Harry and Ron looked incredulously at each other.

"Hermione, I don't think -"

"That could go seriously wrong -"

"Siriusly."

"Shut up Sirius." the remaining Marauders said. Lily also joined in, because let's be honest, Lily is just as much of a Marauder as her Husband by now.

Sirius pouted in his seat.

But Hermione had a steely glint in her eye not unlike the one McGonagall sometimes had.

"I bet you that Hermione is McGonagall's long lost relative or something." Ron said, leaning closer to Harry.

Harry looked between the two for a moment, before nodding. "I can see it."

"Headcanon accepted." Dean said from a couple seats down the table.

"What?" said Ron.

"What does that mean?" asked Harry.

Hermione, who had been listening to them talk, sighed. "It means, to refer to something that a fan imagines to be true about a character even though no information supporting that belief is spelled out in the text." Hermione said, sounding like she had swallowed the dictionary whole.

"Oh." Harry said. Not knowing what else to say. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"The potion will be useless without Crabbe's and Goyle's hair," she said sternly.

The whole Hall shuddered at having to drink anything that had someone's hair in it.

"You do want to investigate Malfoy, don't you?"

"Oh, all right, all right," said Harry. "But what about you? Whose hair are you ripping out?"

"I've already got mine!" said Hermione brightly, pulling a tiny bottle out of her pocket and showing them the single hair inside it. "Remember Millicent Bulstrode wrestling with me at the Dueling Club? She left this on my robes when she was trying to strangle me! And she's gone home for Christmas - so I'll just have to tell the Slytherins I've decided to come back."

When Hermione had bustled off to check on the Polyjuice Potion again, Ron turned to Harry with a doom-laden expression.

"Have you ever heard of a plan where so many things could go wrong?"

Harry just shook his head.

"If we get caught, we are going to get in so much trouble." Ron said morosely.

"Well then," Harry lifted his head to look Ron in the eye. "We best not get caught."

"Forget about being expelled." Ron muttered under his breath, but Harry still heard him as they walked away. "If we get caught, Malfoy is going to run to his Daddy, and we're going to be arrested."

"Think of it this way Ron," Harry nudged him with his arm. "Think of the look on Fred and George's face's if they knew what we're doing."

A grin bloomed on Ron's face, as he snickered. "Oh, they'd be sojealous."

Fred and George both pouted. Which only deepened when Mrs Weasley jumped in, "Don't even think about it!"

As they walked back to the common room however, Ron's face slowly fell. Just before they climbed through the portrait hole, Ron murmured, "My mum is going to kill me."

Ron sank in his seat, to hide from his mother's piercing glare.

And really it was to be expected.

"How thick can you get?" Ron whispered ecstatically as Crabbe gleefully pointed out the cakes to Goyle and grabbed them. Grinning stupidly, they stuffed the cakes whole into their large mouths. For a moment, both of them chewed greedily, looks of triumph on their faces. Then, without the smallest change of expression, they both keeled over backward onto the floor.

By far the hardest part was hiding them in the closet across the hall. Once they were safely stowed among the buckets and mops, Harry yanked out a couple of the bristles that covered Goyle's forehead and Ron pulled out several of Crabbe's hairs. They also stole their shoes, because their own were far too small for Crabbe - and Goyle - size feet. Then, still stunned at what they had just done, they sprinted up to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Careful not to spill a drop of his Polyjuice Potion, Harry slipped into the middle stall.

"Ready?" he called.

"Ready," came Ron's and Hermione's voices.

"On - two - three -"

Pinching his nose, Harry drank the potion down in two large gulps. It tasted like overcooked cabbage.

Immediately, his insides started writhing as though he'd just swallowed live snakes - doubled up, he wondered whether he was going to be sick - then a burning sensation spread rapidly from his stomach to the very ends of his fingers and toes - next, bringing him gasping to all fours, came a horrible melting felling, as the skin all over his body bubbled like hot wax - and before his eyes, his hands began to grow, the fingers thickened, the nails broadened, the knuckles were bulging like bolts - his shoulders stretched painfully and prickling on his forehead told him that hair was creeping down toward his eyebrows - his robes ripped as his chest expanded like a barrel bursting its hoops - his feet were in agony in shoes four sizes too small -

Everyone winced and shuddered just listening to Harry going through a polyjuice transformation. Harry himself rubbed his feet, as though he was feeling sympathy pains for his future self. Snape glared at Harry, Ron, and Hermione for a number of reasons. Stealing, disruption in his classroom, making an unauthorized potion in a non-potion making fatality. The list went on.

However, one glance over at Steve, and the dark look that Bucky was giving him, and Snape refocused back onto the book. Like a good little boy.

Harry unlocked his door and stepped in front of the cracked mirror. Goyle stared back at him out of dull, deep set eyes. Harry scratched his ear. So did Goyle.

Ron's door opened. They stared at each other. Except that he looked pale and shocked, Ron was indistinguishable from Crabbe, from the pudding-bowl haircut to the long, gorilla arms.

"This is unbelievable," said Ron, approaching the mirror and prodding Crabbe's flat nose. "Unbelievable."

"More like, creepy." Seamus commented.

Dean nodded his head.

"Using polyjuice only affects your appearance, right?" Tony asked.

"Yes." Snape sneered.

"Oh, good." Tony breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why do you ask?" McGonagall said, giving Snape a reproachful look.

"I was just thinking, what if it went beyond just appearances? What if it had an affect on internal matters in your body as well? For example, what if it had an effect on neural pathways?" Tony said.

"Like depending on who uses it, and who they're turning into, smart people get less smart?" Peter offered.

"And dumber people get smarter?" Shuri said.

"Yeah!"

They all dove into a highly scientific discussion. That is until Harry said, "What if it had an effect on magical cores?"

Just like that all talk was brought to a stand still. Everyone turned slowly to Harry.

"What do you mean sweetheart?" Lily asked.

"Well," Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat at all the staring, "What if the same thing applied to magical cores? What if it made magicals out of muggles? And what if it didn't so much make you less magical, so much as it used up a small percentage of your magic for the potion? To keep it up and working as it should, as it were."

"But wouldn't what you said would happen to magicals happen to the non magicals?" Peter asked.

"Well, isn't the potion magical on its own?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Obviously." Snape said.

"What if it did the same thing to non magicals, but in using a portion of the person's own magic, it strengthened their magic." Shuri put forth.

Once again, the science crew was lost to them. It took half an hour, and McGonagall with the help of Fury to rein everyone back in so that they may continue.

"We'd better get going," said Harry, loosening the watch that was cutting into Goyle's thick wrist. "We've still got to find out where the Slytherin common room is. I only hope we can find someone to follow…"

Ron, who had been gazing at Harry, said, "You don't know how bizarre it is to see Goyle thinking." He banged on Hermione's door. "C'mon, we need to go -"

A high-pitched voice answered him.

"I-I don't think I'm going to come after all. You go on without me."

"Hermione, we know Millicent Bulstrode's ugly, no one's going to know it's you -"

"No - really - I don't think I'll come. You two hurry up, you're wasting time -"

Harry looked at Ron, bewildered.

"That looks more like Goyle," said Ron. "That's how he looks every time a teacher asks him a question."

The labyrinthine passages were deserted. They walked deeper and deeper under the school, constantly checking their watches to see how much time they had left. After a quarter of an hour, just when they were getting desperate, they heard a sudden movement ahead.

"Ha!" said Ron excitedly. "There's one of them now!"

The figure was emerging from a side room. As they hurried nearer, however, their hearts sank. It wasn't a Slytherin, it was Percy.

"I," said Percy, drawing himself up, "am a prefect. Nothing's about to attack me."

A voice suddenly echoed behind Harry and Ron. Draco Malfoy was strolling toward them, and for the first time in his life, Harry was pleased to see him.

"Harry, are you feeling okay?" Daphne asked.

"I don't know." Harry said as his lips twisted into a sour expression.

Malfoy paused by a stretch of bare, damp stone wall.

"What's the new password again?" he said to Harry.

"Er -" said Harry.

"Oh, yeah - —-!" said Malfoy, not listening, and a stone door concealed in the wall slid open. Malfoy marched through it, and Harry Ron followed him.

The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in high-back chairs.

"Arthur Weasley loves Muggles so much he should snap his wand in half and go join them," said Malfoy scornfully. "You'd never know the Weasley were purebloods, the way they behave."

Ron's - or rather, Crabbe's - face was contorted with fury.

"What's up with you, Crabbe?" snapped Malfoy.

"Stomachache," Ron grunted.

"Well, go up to the hospital wing and give all those Mudbloods a kick from me," said Malfoy snickering. "You know, I'm surprised the Daily Prophet hasn't reported all these attacks yet," he went on thoughtfully. "I suppose Dumbledore's trying to hush it all up. He'll be sacked if it doesn't stop soon. Father's always said old Dumbledore's the worst thing that's ever happened to this place. He loves Muggle-borns. A decent headmaster would never've let slime like that Creevey in."

Malfoy started taking pictures with an imaginary camera and did a cruel but accurate impression of Colin: "'Potter, can I have your picture, Potter? Can I have your autograph? Can I lick your shoes, please, Potter?'"

He dropped his hands and looked at Harry and Ron.

"What's the matter with you two?"

Far too late, Harry and Forced themselves to laugh, but Malfoy seemed satisfied; perhaps Crabbe and Goyle were always slow on the uptake.

"Saint Potter, the Mudbloods' friend," said Malfoy slowly. "He's another one with no proper feeling, or he wouldn't go around with that jumped-up Granger Mudblood. And people think he's Slytherin's heir!"

Harry and ROn waited with baited breath: Malfoy was surely seconds away from telling them it was him - but then -

"I wish I knew who it is," said Malfoy petulantly. "I could help them."

Ron's jaw dropped so that Crabbe looked even more clueless than usual. Fortunately, Malfoy didn't notice, and Harry, thinking fast, said, "You must have some idea who's behind it all…."

"You know I haven't, Goyle, how many times do I have to tell you?" snapped Malfoy. "And Father won't tell me anything about the last time the Chamber was opened either. Of course, it was fifty years ago, so it was before his time, but he knows all about it, and he says that it was all kept quiet and it'll look suspicious if I know too much about it. But I know one thing - last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood died. So I bet it's a matter of time before one of them's killed this time…. I hope it's Granger," he said with relish.

Grasps ripped through the Hall, quickly followed by shouting.

"That is quiet enough!" McGonagall shouted, jumping to her feet. "Mr Malfoy, I will not tolerate your bigotry. If it wasn't for the fact that what we are hearing hasn't happened, then you would be severely punished. If I find out about anymore of your bullying - outside of these books - I will not be lenient."

McGonagall then turned her attention to the whole school, "From this moment forward, Hogwarts shall have a zero tolerance towards bullying. That goes for everyone." McGonagall glanced over at Snape. "Student or staff."

Many students gave an explosive cheer, as they celebrated over knowing that the bullies will actually get punished under Headmistress McGonagall's watchful care. Snape, more than half of the Slytherins, and students dotted throughout the Hall, were not so joyous. Things were changing, and not for the better in their opinion.

Steve and Bucky grinned and cheered with the rest of them, along with their friends. Thor was by far the loudest person in the room, with his boisterous celebration. All he needed was a flagon of ale, and a fight to break out, and this'll be a true party.

He shifted restless in his chair and said, "Father says to keep my head down and let the Heir of Slytherin get on with it. He says the school needs ridding of all the Mudblood filth, but not to get mixed up in it. Of course, he's got a lot on his plate at the moment. You know the Ministry of Magic raided our manor last week?"

Harry tried to force Goyle's dull face into a look of concern.

"Yeah…" said Malfoy. "Luckily, they didn't find much. Father's got secret chamber under the drawing-room floor -"

Mr Weasley scrambled for a piece of parchment and a quill. Writing down all this new information with gleeful abandon. Muttering to himself, "I've got you now, you bastard!"

Mrs Weasley just watched her husband in concern.

"Hermione, come out, we've got loads to tell you -"

"Go away!" Hermione squeaked.

Harry and Ron looked at each other.

"What's the matter?" said Ron. "You must be back to normal by now, we are -"

But Moaning Myrtle glided suddenly through the stall door. Harry had never seen her looking so happy.

"Ooooooooh, wait till you see," she said. "It's awful -"

They heard the lock slide back and Hermione emerged, sobbing, her robes pulled up over her head.

"What's up?" said Ron uncertainly. "Have you still got Millicent's nose or something?"

Hermione let her robes fall and Ron backed into the sink.

Her face was covered in black fur. Her eyes had turned yellow and there were long, pointed ears poking through her hair.

"It was a c-cat hair!" she howled. "M-Millicent Bulstrode m-must have a cat! And the p-potion isn't supposed to be used for animal transformations!"

"Uh-oh," said Ron.

"You'll be teased something dreadful," said Myrtle happily.

"It's okay, Hermione," said Harry quickly. "We'll take you up to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey never asks too many questions…."

It took a long time to persuade Hermione to leave the bathroom. Moaning Myrtle sped them on their way with a heart guffaw. "Wait till everyone finds out you've got a tail!"

When they finally got Hermione to the hospital wing, and ushered her inside, Madam Pomfrey descended upon them.

"What happened?" Pomfrey asked, pulling Hermione over to a bed with a partition blocking her from Harry and Ron's view.

But Hermione was still too distressed to answer her, so Pomfrey looked to Harry and Ron for answers. Thinking quickly, Harry gave a short explanation, without revealing what they had been doing.

"She wanted to emulate her favorite teacher, McGonagall, when everything went horribly wrong."

"Really Harry?" Clint asked. "That's the excuse that you're going with?"

"Obviously I had to come up with something that didn't tell the whole truth, but still was believable." Harry shrugged.

"Ya got me there." Clint said.

Madam Pomfrey looked like she didn't really believe him, but instead of pressing the issue, she turned her full attention to Hermione who needed her help.

"I think we will end it there for tonight." McGonagall said, standing from her chair. "For now, it is dinner time."