FicFan.org

"Miss Granger, may I have a word with you?" Hermione was now both furious and nervous.

"Yes, Professor. May Harry come, too? I think I know what this is about, and I think he is probably involved."

McGonagall's eyes narrowed. "Then it would probably be wise for him to accompany us."

Harry had been pretending that he couldn't hear them talking while he was reading. When he looked up, he saw two strikingly similar suspicious faces looking at him. "Oh, good morning, Professor McGonagall. I didn't see you come in." She, apparently, decided to play along.

"Of course. Could you follow me, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, Professor."

After a short walk, they found themselves in McGonagall's office. "Now, Miss Granger, please tell me what you were doing between midnight and one, last night."

"I was sleeping."

"Then why do you think you know what happened?"

"Harry has long held a practice of warding his area of the room out of some sense of misplaced paranoia. Considering that I was going to be in possession of such a valuable object this year, I decided to follow in his example." Harry was at once thankful that he was the best Occlumencer in the room. "They reported that someone snuck into my area last night, and that while he was in my area, he snuck in again, only to disappear and then leave."

If McGonagall was surprised that these two students were advanced enough to erect wards, she didn't show it. "So someone was in your space in two different places at the same time. Why do you believe this person to be male?"

Hermione answered, "Because the stairs were collapsed this morning."

Harry decided to cut in. "Excuse me, but doesn't that indicate that said male failed to sneak in?"

Hermione shot a glare at him. "Not if he could fly."

"Ah, so you suspect the Quidditch team. I always thought they were a shifty bunch. Especially those twins." McGonagall, who up until this point had been looking at Harry suspiciously, was now seriously considering that the Weasley twins were involved. It seemed like something the troublemakers would do.

Hermione replied, "No, I don't suspect them. They don't know that I have a time-turner. I suspect you!"

Harry was the only one who would be able to know that he wasn't nearly as alarmed as he looked. "Me? But I certainly can't fly. I haven't a broom." McGonagall, who had gone through generations of pranksters and mischief makers, was naturally suspicious of any innocent expression of innocence. However, she would admit that this was by far, the most convincing.

"Well, Miss Granger, I doubt that we will be able to find any proof, one way or the other, of who exactly borrowed your time-turner. However, I believe that they did so without your knowledge or permission. And that they did so, because you would not have given your permission had they asked. Therefore, I will allow you to keep it." Hermione was at once relieved. "However, if it should occur again," now the professor was looking directly at Harry, "I will be forced to confiscate it, and you will have to change your schedule to fit."

On the walk back to the common room, Hermione asked, "So did you enjoy it?"

"Hell no. I have too much time on my hands, already."

The Power, Chapter 19