Disclaimer:I Don't own Harry Potter, if I did, I wouldn't be here and I'd be rich. It doesn't hurt to dream though...
Severe Punishment
Summary
Sometimes the teachers at Hogwarts can be so evil…
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Chapter One – The Beginning Of It All
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Lugging his heavy trunk behind him, seventeen-year-old Harry Potter stepped through the portal for platform nine and three quarters. His owl and friend Hedwig sat in her cage in annoyed silence. Grunting with effort, he continued to pull his trunk behind him. He couldn't seem to find an available cart. He was about to get on the train when familiar voices called out to him.
Running towards him were his friends Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Neville. He waved, waiting for them. Normally he'd have been upset of not being able to spend the summer with them but he figured they could use a break from him. Hermione seemed to be the first to reach him.
"Harry! It's so great to see you," she said happily before bursting into questions about his summer. Harry then noticed the change. She had a tan and her hair was a little shorter but only a little.
"You got a tan!" he chuckled.
"Oh, well, yes you—" she was pushed aside by Ron.
"Hey mate! How've you been? Those muggles didn't give you a hard time did they?" Ron asked.
"Surprisingly no," Harry replied. "How was Romania?"
"Awesome! We went to Paris after. Really wicked."
"Ron that was rude!" Hermione glowered pushing him aside. Harry could only chuckle as they began one of their many long bickers. He'd missed them a lot.
He was about to say something when none other than Draco Malfoy and his goons came waltzing in. Draco raised an eyebrow before letting out a disgusted sigh. Ron glared, his temper rising. Just the sight of the guy made his blood boil.
"What do you want, ferret?" Ginny demanded. Like her brother, she hated Malfoy too.
Draco advanced on her. "Watch it red." He sneered.
Ginny smirked. "That the best you can do?"
Harry watched as the two glared at each other, sparks of hatred flying out of their eyes. He made his way to step in between them but it was too late. Draco had roughly shoved Ginny aside. Before Harry could stop him, Ron lunged at Draco, fists a-swinging.
"You've no right to touch my sister you dirty son of a—"
"Ron!" Harry exclaimed as he tried to pry his friend away from him. "Relax will you? Calm down. Ginny, are you alright?"
The youngest of the Weasley family stood still, not saying a word. Ron tried another attack but Harry continued to hold him back. Draco simply stood before him, a smirk on his face.
"You can't even fight right," Draco chuckled. "Can't you do anything right? Serves you right for being a mudblood loving freak."
"Grr… Blast you! I swear, if I ever get my hands on you! Harry, let go! Let go! Damn it!" Ron shouted.
A hush fell upon them as Ginny landed a hard punch on Draco's face. In a flash of anger, Draco drew back his hand to hit her back but stopped. He glared at her, his hand trembling. Scoffing, he turned to Harry and Ron. The train blew its whistle signaling it was time to go.
"We'll settle this tonight at mid-night at the Great Hall." He said. Harry only scoffed.
"Why would we want to do that? It's a big waste of time," Harry replied.
"Chicken eh? I always knew you were a coward deep down inside, Potty."
Knowing Harry, Draco successfully manipulated him into agreeing. The duel was set and come mid-night, all hell would break loose. As they found a compartment, Hermione went off on her rants on how stupid they were to fall into such a pathetic trap.
"I'm not going to save your butts just because I'm Head girl," she added. Hardly anyone cared for her new position. It was bound to happen anyway.
There was a bit of a shock though when Harry revealed to them that he was chosen to be Head boy. Hermione was unusually quiet, trying to hold back her excitement. After stuffing themselves with delicious food, they finally arrived. Chattering happily, they made their way to the Great Hall. The sight of the delicious food laid out on the table caused Ron to run ahead to the Gryffindor table and start eating.
"So your summer wasn't bad at all," Hermione asked later on.
"Nope. Dudley the hippo actually got a girlfriend and spent the summer making her life miserable," Harry grinned. "Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia gave up trying to massacre me so it wasn't bad at all."
"I felt terrible leaving you there all alone," Hermione sighed. "I would've asked you to come but mum and dad had already planned it."
"It's fine. I had a great time reading the books you sent to me."
Ron held back a laugh as he listened to his best friends' conversation. They were both so dense. They probably couldn't see it but everyone else could. His thoughts were interrupted when Ginny came over and poked him.
"You're such a pig Ron. Really. Do you think they notice?" she asked.
"Does it look like they notice? Look at them, making mooneyes at each other… It's sickening."
"You're just jealous because no one wants to make moon eyes with you. Hehe."
"Quiet or I'll hex you."
Once dinner was done and the announcements had been made, the students retired to their quarters. Harry and Hermione had to meet with the professors and had to come back a little later. As they made their way up the staircase, they discussed the new DADA professor. It was a woman for a change by the name of Montego. Everyone agreed that she looked fearsome. Perhaps maybe even more than Snape…
"Oh, Harry hang on," Hermione said reaching into her pocket. "I meant to give this to you over the holidays but it felt so impersonal so I thought I'd give it to you in person…"
"What is it," Harry asked with curiosity.
"I bought it at a shop in Hawaii. I thought you'd like it."
She held out her hand to him, showing him a silver chained necklace with a rather nice looking pendant. It was the letter H embedded with emerald green stones. The letter could spin in the circle that surrounded it.
"Oh wow! You didn't have to get me that," Harry replied. "It's really great though…"
Unexpectedly, Hermione put the necklace on him. She lightly touched the pendant before drawing her hand back. They stared at each other, surrounded by deafening silence. Harry was about to say something when familiar voices broke the silence.
"It's almost twelve."
"Ron, do you really think you'll be able to shut him up? It's Malfoy, he never shuts up."
"Harry! There you are!"
Ron and Ginny came walking down the stairs. Hermione waved slightly. She'd forgotten all about their silly little mission.
"You guys were serious," asked a familiar voice.
"Luna," Ron glared. "You scared me! What're you doing here?"
"I wanted to see a duel." Luna grinned.
Shrugging, Ron headed for the Great Hall. As soon he entered, a red stream of magic zoomed past him. Before he could take out his wand, he was hit by a full body-binding spell. Harry, along with Hermione, Ginny, and Luna pulled out his wand and summoned Draco's wand.
"Dirty ferret!" Ginny called out trying to hit him with a binding spell.
Seeing as there was no other way, Draco charged at Harry as Crabbe and Goyle ran away. The two boys continued to scrap until they heard a voice boom out,
"ENOUGH!"
At the entrance stood Professor McGonagall, seething with anger. She walked over, harshly pulling Draco off Harry. She continued to shoot daggers at them.
"Explain yourselves." She demanded in a terrifyingly calm voice.
"They cornered me professor! I was just minding my own business and then Potter and Weasley came up behind me and brought me here and—"
"You liar!" Harry shot back. "He challenged us to duel Professor McGonagall—"
"I'm not lying! It's true! They cornered me!"
"Liar! Liar!"
"I'm not!"
"You are!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"BOTH OF YOU BE QUIET! Potter, I'm gravely disappointed in you! You're Head boy for goodness sake!"
Harry hung his head in shame. "Sorry professor…"
"Professor McGonagall, what's going on here," asked Professor Snape as he entered the room.
McGonagall looked peeved at Professor Snape's presence. Then again, who wouldn't be? She turned to him and explained what she knew and went back to glaring at the students.
"I'm so angry I can't think of a proper punishment for you! This really does take the cake!" she seethed.
Seeing as this was his opportunity to torture the children, Snape stepped forward with a hideous grin. "Might I make a suggestion, professor?'
"No!" she snapped and pushed him aside. Suddenly a light bulb lit up in her mind. She'd found the perfect punishment. It's so crazy it might just work, she thought proudly. "I've the perfect punishment for you… All of you."
"But Professor—"
"Sorry Miss Granger, but you had your wand drawn. Tomorrow after lunch you six will report to my classroom to receive your punishment. Now go to your quarters at once before I expel you myself!"
Sulking, with their heads hung low, Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hermione made their way to Gryffindor tower. They'd just gotten back and already they were in trouble.
"This is unbelievable! I'm Head girl for Merlin's sake! I shouldn't be part of this! I didn't do anything!" Hermione complained. "I hate you guys."
Harry sighed. "Every year… Every year something always has to happen… Every year."
Ron was too busy being a sore loser to care what the other two had to say. "Stupid Malfoy trying to do me in! The dirty little git played dirty! What was I to do?"
Ginny rolled her eyes. They all looked so pathetic. Had they not been in such a situation, it would've been funny.
"Oh cheer up you guys," she said. "I bet it won't even be that bad."
The trio stared at her as if she were a foreign creature from another planet. Harry let out another sigh.
"You don't know that. McGonagall looked really mad… And did you see the way her eyes lit up? Something evil is brewing…" Harry said as he started to panic.
Ron looked at him, reflecting Harry's fear in his eyes. "Oh no… You're right… She's up to something…"
"She's a professor for crying out loud! She can't do anything that bad…" Hermione said but wasn't so convinced. "Can she?"
They all suddenly became very quiet as they thought of the dreadful things tomorrow had to bring.
"We'll just have to wait and see… Won't we?" Ginny asked breaking the intense silence.
The three nodded and with heavy hearts they retired to their dorms. Hogwarts was quiet once again but if you listened very carefully you could hear the evil laughter coming from Professor McGonagall's classroom.
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Author's Note: Ohh! Guess who's back! Back again! Hehe, It's me! I'm back! Well for now anyway. I had this crazy idea for a story, so I thought I'd post it up. Heh. I'll keep this short! Can you guess what the punishment is? Hehe! Well anyway, thank you very much for reading and please don't forget to review.
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