Detention

Chapter 6

6 Zanna followed her father, "Where are we going?" "I'm showing you where I had the mirror moved," He replied. "The mirror of Erised?" Zanna asked. "The one and the same," Her father confirmed. "Where did you move it to?" "Here," He stopped at the seventh floor, across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. "The Room of Requirements," She said, "Okay," "Come," A door formed in the solid wall and Dumbledore led her through. "I want you to look into it again," "I looked in the mirror years ago, I didn't get what I most desire so I think it'll pretty much be the same," She said, entering the empty room except for one mirror, with an elegant frame, standing in the middle. A single spot of light shown down onto it. "I still want to know," Dumbledore said. "Has yours changed?" She asked her father. "No," He said. "It never will," She pinched her lips to the side, "Mm," Stepping up to the mirror she looked into it, her deepest desire looking back. "Wait," She looked away from the mirror, "I thought you put this down in the safe with the Philosopher's Stone," "It is, but remember, the room of requirements brings to you what you require, and we required this," Dumbledore assured her. She furrowed her brow skeptically and looked back in the mirror. She looked back at herself, her long ombre hair and strange eyes. Standing next to her was her father, happy and caring. Another man, her husband, although his face was unrecognizable, and children of her own. They all looked happy and she yearned for the picture. Suddenly it began to change to just her, standing in a field on a cliff top, looking out onto the world and she knew what she wanted more than anything. Freedom. "So?" Dumbledore asked. "It's the same, a safe world without Voldemort," She lied, like she always did. "Mm, I'm glad," He nodded. "You can go," And she did, running from the room and down the stairs where she ran into Harry and Hermione on the third floor. She quickly disoriented their vision as she morphed into her childs form again, "What are you doing?" She hissed. "What are you doing?" Harry hissed back. "Going back to my room, which is more than I can say for you, your dorm is up the stairs that way," She pointed behind them. "Yeah well-" Harry started but was interrupted by a light and Filch swinging a lantern in their faces. "What do we have here?" Filch said in a gravelly voice. "I do think so Misses Norris, three trespassers in the dark on a school night," "Of course," Harry muttered. "What did you say Potter?" Filch stepped forward. "Cool your jets," Zanna said, glaring at the group before her. "Merlin help me, I'm too old for this," She muttered. "Come on, we're going to see Professor McGonagall for this sort of behavior," Filch said, leading them down the hall. "I didn't think that Malfoy boy was tell'n the truth, turns out he was." Filch muttered. Harry and Hermione were muttering to each other, although it wasn't quite muttering, more like louder whispering. "Zanna," Herminoe asked, turning to her. "You're on the in and in with the teachers. What do you think Professor McGonagall will do?" "Ah," Zanna sighed, "That is a very excellent question, one I happen to not have an answer to," "Lovely," Harry muttered. "I'm not ready to go home yet," "She won't expel you," Zanna said. "She'll scare the crap out of you, but she won't expel you," "Good," Hermione said quietly, looking at the floor. They walked down a hall then up a flight of stairs, walking through the hall with the large windows that looked out onto the front of the castle and the Black Lake, trekked down another half flight of stairs to Minerva's office. Neville was there, sitting in one of the chairs before the desk. "Wait here," Filch said, leaving them in the room to go get the professor. "Thanks a lot Malfoy," Harry spat and Zanna threw her head back, rolling her eyes at the ceiling. She eyed the portrait on the wall. He was watching excitedly from his prison of canvas, eyeing the five with peaked interest. "I'm sorry Harry," Neville said, "But you shouldn't have been out of bed," "Well you should have kept you nose in your own business," "Boys," Zanna said, her voice echoing vibrato around the room. "If I have to repeat myself it's immediate death for the lot of you," Minerva walked into the room dressed in her robes, her dark hair out of its bun and cascading over her shoulders. "What is the point of getting me up at such an hour?" She said irritably. "It's not our fault-" Neville started and Zanna kicked him in the heel. "Rhetorical question," She hissed at him. "I'm not sure how to handle this situation with dignity," Minerva continued. "Four students out of bed at this ungodly hour, five if you want to include Mister Malfoy alerting Filch to your predicament," Minerva huffed. "I cannot let this type of behavior go without any sort of punishment. 50 point from Gryffindor," "Professor you can't!" Harry said. "Don't tell me what I can't do Potter!" She snapped. "Fifty points each!" She added. "Professor, no-" Neville started. "Do you want me to take away more Mister Longbottom?" Minerva asked sharply. "It's one in the morning! Out of all of the students here I expected better from the three of you. Does the pride of Gryffindor mean nothing?" "What about Zanna?" Harry asked quietly. "Zanna was supposed to be finishing work for Filch," Minerva lied. "Did she?" Filch looked confused for a moment before catching up and nodding. "Good. She was still out of bed way too late," Minerva stated. "Detention for the four of you," "What?" Hermione squeaked. "I'll send you letters tomorrow letting you know what your detention will be," Minerva said. "To bed with you!" She waved her hand at them and walked away. Filch walked Harry, Neville, and Hermione out of the office and back towards their common room. Zanna was left alone to return to her room. She left McGonagall's study and trekked her way up the winding staircases, meeting Filch again on his way down from delivering the trio. "Miss Dore," He said, Misses Norris at his heels. "I apologize-" "It's alright Argus," She brushed the older man's shoulder with the back of her hand. "I understand your job and you understand mine," He nodded once, tisking at Misses Norris as he continued down the stairs. Zanna continued on up, walking down the hall that lead to the infirmary, its large doors at the very end of the corridor. Her room was a door on the left, settled between a long stretch of windows that looked out over the black lake. She entered her room and sat down at her desk, continuing where she had left off before her father had come to take her away. The next evening was detention. She had received a letter by owl that morning that read, You will attend detention with Rubeus Hagrid at 11 o'clock tonight. DO NOT be late! Minerva McGonagall Zanna glanced back at the Gryffindor table where Hermione, Harry, and Neville each held a letter just like hers. She turned back, folding the letter again and putting it into the inside pocket of her robes. She heard an angry grunt and turned to her right, looking down the table to see Draco with the same detention letter. She glanced at Minerva slyly, the woman had a placid expression but the corners of her mouth were turned up as she watched the Gryffindor table. Zanna pursed her lips, suppressing a grin and turned back to her breakfast in front of her. At eleven that night she lined up with Filch and Draco, waiting for the three Gryffindors to come down and join them. "This is ridiculous," Draco huffed. "I didn't do anything," "At least points weren't taken away from you," Zanna said, standing outside the door leaning against the wall, looking up at the stars. "Huh," He huffed. "I'd much rather have lost point then be in detention with Potter and the big oaf of a groundskeeper," "Don't disrespect Hagrid!" Zanna said, "He's large not stupid and he's clumsy not deaf," She leaned in, "He might hear you and I can't promise you won't find poison ivy in your bed," Draco scoffed but stayed quiet. Harry, Hermione, and Neville finally appeared down a flight of stairs and Filch motioned them on and out the door. "I hear you're working in the Forbidden Forest tonight," Filch said. "Make sure that if the SnapDragons get you, you get to Madam Pomfrey right quick, once your arms been off for a minute too long it's harder to regrow." "What!" Neville squeaked and Filch let out a croak of a laugh. They walked in silence after that, walking past the pillars of stone that created the courtyard at the front of the castle. Straight out of the courtyard was the bridge to Hogsmead and off the grounds, to the left the Black Lake, and the way they were going to the right. Walking down the hill and along a path worn into the grass they walked along the river and towards Hagrid's hut and garden, which stood about a hundred feet from the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid met them, Fang, his most loyal companion at his heels. Filch and Hagrid exchanged some words that Zanna chose not to hear, her attention was on the silver drips that covered the ground and brush at the edge of the forest. She stepped forward to go for a closer look but a hand grabbed her wrist. "What are you doing?" Draco hissed. "I'm going to look-" She started. "There's a un'corn been hert somewhere 'bout here," Hagrid said, pointing at the silver dashed around the edge of the wood. "Were goin' out to find wat done for," "I'm not going in there," Draco said, crossing his arms. "If my father-" "Yer fath'r would tell yer the same thin'," Hagrid snapped. "Come off now!" Zanna said. "With all the yelling whatever's out there probably been scared away!" She shook her head and pulled out her wand, stalking towards the forest. "Come on Fang!" The large, bullish dog bounded after her. "Malfoy," Hagrid said, "Yur go with her," Draco made a face but quickly followed, jogging after Zanna as she arrived at the tree line. "Alright Fang," She grabbed the dog gently by an ear and talked into it softly. "Find the unicorn killer," Fang looked up at her, head cocked to the side. "Go!" She flung a hand at the trees, "Go ham," Fang barroled into the trees and Zanna followed, picking her way carefully at first but when it was going too slow she burst through the rest of the brush uncaring. Fang howled in the distance and she turned back to Draco who was slowly dodging around bushed. She watched him struggle for a moment before breaking back into the brush, grabbing him by the sleeve of his turtleneck shirt and pulling him quickly through the bushes into the open trees. "Careful!" He snapped. "It's a very expensive shirt," "Well then you should have wore a less expensive one," She sneered. They followed the path that took them farther into the woods, Fang continued to bark and Zanna began to get an uneasy feeling in her back. Finally they found where Fang had been barking, a unicorn lay on the ground surrounded by a pool of liquid silver. Harry and Neville entered the clearing then too and all four of them stared at the beast. Zanna slid down the slope of the rise she and Draco had stopped on and walked over to stoop down close to the creature, who was indeed dead. She stuck her fingers in the pool by her feet and turned to Fang, "Go get Hagrid," The dog barked and galloped back towards the front of the woods. Zanna 'accioed' an empty potions bottle into her hand and dug her fingers into the open wound of the unicorn, it bled down its side and she collected the blood in the vile. "Gross," Harry said and there was a thump. "Neville?" The other boy had passed out and now lay on the ground next to Harry's feet. The vile filled quickly and she straightened putting in the cork. She wiped her fingers on her pants which were black, she sucked in a breath realising her mistake but ignored it looking at the vile against the moon light. A shadow covered the moon then and she looked up as a large cloaked figure fell from the sky. She ran forward and rolled out of the way as it grabbed at her. It stopped at the unicorn, scooping the silver liquid up in its hand and drinking it as they watched. Harry cried out, hand to his scar and Zanna felt a burning flare in her own scars, falling to her knees, hand to her left ribs. "Harry? Zaranda?" Hagrid called in the distance. The figure in the cloak turned and Zanna waved her hand in front of her as it leaped forward, sending it flying back with a wave of magic. "Harry!" Hagrid said, breaking past the trees and into the clearing. The cloaked figure got up and flew away, disappearing into a cloud of smoke. Zanna put her elbows to the ground, bowing her head as the burning lingered, making her cold sweat. Finally it had mostly passed and she sat back on her knees breathing deeply as her lungs decided to work again. "Zanna!" Hagrid said, leaving Harry who had recovered much quicker than she. "Har you 'right?" She nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. He waddled over and grabbed her by the upper arms, lifting her to her feet. "Let's go," He said, turning and starting back towards the front of the woods. Hermione jumped forward to help Zanna, draping the weaker girl's arm over her shoulders. Draco also came forward, throwing Zanna's other arm over his shoulders and for a moment there was no difference between them. They weren't separated by house or stature or blood, they were children, afraid of the dark and having experienced great terror. Hagrid grabbed Neville and tossed him carefully over one shoulder, still carrying his crossbow on the other. Harry followed Hagrid but stopped, waiting for the other three to catch up, then fell in step with Hermione who was quite pale. "What was that thing?" Hermione asked quietly. "I don't know," Harry said. "Whatever it was," Draco said, shifting his grip on Zanna. "Next time we see it, we need to kill it," Harry nodded. "Agreed," Hermione huffed. "I can walk," Zanna said, pulling her arm off of Hermione's shoulders. "You're sure," The other girl asked, not quite letting go. "Yeah," Zanna said breathily. Hermione let go and Draco rearranged his grip again, waiting for her to let go of him too, Zanna didn't, although she did pull away a little. "Zanna," Harry asked. "What do you need the unicorn blood for?" She sideyed him, "Severus needs it for sixth year potions. Usually if a unicorn is accidentally or killed naturally the blood will be distributed to potion masters around Europe, but there hasn't been a unicorn death close enough for the school to get any," "So why don't we go back and get more blood to distribute?" Hermione asked. "It's been contaminated," She tripped over a root and Hermione and Harry both reached out to help Draco keep her from falling. She didn't feel right, usually when her scars flared up it was because Voldemort was close, but once he left or she did it stopped hurting, but it hadn't. Hermione put Zanna's arm over her shoulders again. "That cloaked man really did throw you," Draco said. "It's complicated," She muttered. "I'm sure we have the time-" He started. "No," Was all she said and they accepted it. They followed the path out of the forest and to Hagrid's hut where he put Neville down and grabbed a bucket of water to splash on his face. Hermione and Draco let go of Zanna once she sat down next to the house. Looking up at the castle she saw her father's office window was illuminated. "You kids 'right?" Hagrid asked. "No!" Draco snapped, "She almost died-" He pointed to Zanna, "He almost died-" He pointed to Neville, "Whatever that thing was immobilized him-" He pointed to Harry, "I almost died." Draco took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Thank you for the experience, but I'm never doing that again," "Agreed," Harry said, "Which is something I thought I'd never do. Agree with Malfoy I mean," Draco shot him a look but said nothing. "Once Neville 'ere wakes up I'll walk yer back to the castl'," Hagrid said, splashing some of the water from the bucket on Neville's face. "Okay," Zanna said quietly, rubbing her side and watching her father's window.