章节_86

oomsticks came swooping

down out of the darkness.

charlies friends were a cheery lot. they showed harry and

hermiohe harheyd rigged up, so they could suspe

betweehey all helped buorbert safely into it and

then harry and hermione shook hands with the others and thanked

them very much.

at last, was going... going... gone.

they slipped ba the spiral staircase, their hearts as

light as their hands, now that was off them. non

-- malfoy iion -- what could spoil their happiness?

the a was waiti of the stairs. as

they stepped into the corridor, filchs faed suddenly out

of the darkness.

”ell,” he whispered, ”we are in trouble.”

theyd left the invisibility top of the tower.

chapter fifteen

the foribidde

things t have been worse.

fil down to pralls study on the

first floor, where they sat a saying a word to each

other. hermi. excuses, alibis, and wild cover- up

stories chased each other around harrys brain, each more feeble

tha. he t see how they were goi of

trouble this time. they were ered. how could they have been so

stupid as tet the cloak? there was no reaso

prall t f out of bed and

g around the s the dead of alone being

up the tallest astronomy toas out-of-bou for

classes. add he invisibility d they might as

well be pag their bags already.

had harry thought that things t have been worse? he was

wrong. when prall appeared, she was leading neville.

”harry!” out, the momehe other two. ”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 professor

magall had seen. she looked more likely to breathe fire than

as she towered over the three of them.

”i would never have believed it of any of you. mr. filch

says you were up iros one o the

m. explain yourselves.”

it was the first time hermione had ever failed to answer a

teachers questioaring at her slippers, as still as

a statue.

”i think ive got a good idea of whats been going on,” said

prall. ”it doesnt take a genius to work it out. you

fed drae d-bull story ab

to get him out of bed and into trouble. ive already caught him. i

suppose you think its funny that longbottom here heard the story

aoo?”

harry evilles eye aell him without words

that this wasnt true, beeville was looking stunned and

hurt. poor, blundering neville -- harry k must have cost

him to try and fihe dark, to warn them.

”im disgusted,” said prall. ”four students out

of bed i! ive never heard of sug before! you,

miss grahought you had more sense. as for you, mr. potter,

i thought gryffi more to you than this. all three of you

will receive detentiobottom, nothing

gives yht to walk around sight, especially

these days, its very dangerous -- and fifty points will be taken

from gryffindor.”

”fifty?” harry gasped -- they would lose the lead, the lead

hed wo quidditch match.

”fifty points each,” said prall, breathing

heavily thr, pointed nose.

”professor -- please

”you t --”

”dont tell me what i d t det back

to bed, all of you. ive never been more ashamed of gryffindor

students.”

a hundred and fifty points lost. that put gryffindor in last

plae night, theyd ruined any dor had had

for the house cup. harry felt as though the bottom had dropped out

of his stomach. how could they ever make up f