Together (A Harry Potter love story) 1

46

MILLIES POV

Things couldn't have been worse. Filch took Harry and I down to Professor McGonagall's office on the first floor, where we sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Excuses, alibis and wild cover-up stories chased each other around my brain, each more feeble than the last. I couldn't see how we were going to get out of trouble this time. We were cornered. How could we have been so stupid as to forget the cloak? There was no reason on earth that Professor McGonagall would accept for our being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up in the astronomy tower, which was out-of-bounds, except for classes. Add Norbert and the invisibility cloak and we might as well be packing our bags already.

Had I thought that things couldn't have been worse? I was wrong. When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.

"Harry!" Neville burst out, the moment he saw us. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag-"

Harry shook his head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. I groaned loudly, and she looked at me as though she wanted to rip my head off. It was enough to shut even me and my loud mouth up.

"I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. Explain yourselves."

It was the first time I had ever failed to think of something to say back. I just stared at the floor, as still as a statue.

"I think I've got a good idea of what's going on," said Professor McGonagall. "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?"

I caught Neville's eye, which was not hard because he'd been staring at me, and tried to tell him without words that this wasn't true, because he looked stunned and hurt. Poor, blundering Neville - I knew what it must've cost him to try and find us in the dark, to warn us.

"I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall. "Four students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! You, Miss Donovan, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions-"

"No!" I shouted suddenly, causing Neville to jump in fright. "Not Neville. It's our fault he was out of bed in the first place, Professor."

"Rules are rules, Donovan." Professor McGonagall continued sternly. "Nothing gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous - and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor."

"Fifty?" Harry said loudly, whilst I froze in shock. We would lose the lead, the lead we'd won in the last Quidditch match.

"Fifty points each," said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long pointed nose. My stomach dropped.

"You can't-" Harry began.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."

As we walked back to bed, my mind was racing. A hundred and fifty points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, we'd ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup. I felt as though the bottom had dropped out of my stomach. How could we ever make up for this? As we reached the common room, I walked straight up the stairs without even glancing at either of the boys. I felt guilty - so guilty - and tired. I dropped onto my bed fully clothed, and fell into a restless sleep.

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Hi! Thank you so much if you are reading this story. I am really enjoying writing it. Please comment some more, so I can hear some of your thoughts on Millie and her story!

- Ariana x