Gone

CHAPTER 6: A Meeting With Dumbledore

Twenty minutes later the boys and Snape were sitting in Dumbledore's office. They made and odd picture, since Harry and Draco were on opposite sides of the room--Harry glaring maliciously at Draco, and the blonde smirking in amusement back at him. Ron was in between the two--sort of acting as a clueless mediator--and Snape was practically foaming at the mouth as he stood beside them.

All in all, it provided Dumbledore with the best laughing fit he'd had all day. When he finally got himself under control, it was to find the room's other four occupants staring at him as if he were daft.

"Just what is so funny about this, Albus? These three deviants destroyed my classroom with their destructive behavior. And," Here he scowled at Draco. "I expected such antics from Weasley and Potter, but NOT from one of MY students, Mr. Malfoy. I am deeply disappointed in you."

Draco had the good grace to look properly embarrassed and averted his eyes.

"I understand your displeasure, Severus, and the boys will be punished for their actions I assure you." The Headmaster regarded his three charges solemnly. "Now, what to do with you boys"¦"

"Besides taking off fifty points from each house, that is." Snape snarled--especially at Draco. Ron and Harry were shocked. Snape must really be angry if he was actually punishing them equally. Then again, they WERE sitting in the Headmaster's office and he wouldn't dare treat his favorite student better than them.

"I've got it." Dumbledore said finally. "You boys will each serve detention for ten days. Ron, you will be responsible for helping the elves in the kitchen. You are to follow their instructions. You will work in the morning before classes, during lunch and before and after dinner. You are banned from sitting at your House table and will eat all your meals in the kitchen."

Ron looked miserable. "Kill me now." He muttered causing Draco to look up sharply.

"That can be arranged, Weasel."

"Oh. My. God. He just threatened me! Did you guys HEAR him?!"

"SILENCE!" Dumbledore commanded. After he had their attention, he continued. "Harry and Draco, you two are also banned from sitting at your House tables for the designated time period. You will both eat your meals in your rooms. When you are finished, a house elf will clear away your dishes. As for your punishment, you two are to help Professor Snape categorize his storage room--that will probably take you the entire ten days to clean up. Plus, you will accompany Hagrid every night in the Forbidden Forest to gather new ingredients for Professor Snape as he sees fit.

Harry and Ron exploded at the same time.

"Why do I have to be stuck with Malfoy?"

"Why does he have to be stuck with Malfoy?!"

Since Ron voiced his displeasure the loudest, Dumbledore addressed him. "I will not pair you and Harry together, Ron, seeing as this is a punishment--not a tea party. And I will not pair Draco and you together either because despite the infamous rivalry between Harry and Draco, much of the hostility occurs between you and Mr. Malfoy. Am I wrong in my assumption?"

Ron looked away, defeated. "No, sir."

"All right then, it's settled. You are to start your detentions oon oon as possible. It's lunch time now, so I expect you to head straight for the kitchens, Mr. Weasley." He turned to Harry and Draco. "And you two will serve your detentions right after dinner. Half your time will be spent cleaning up the storage room and the other half you will spend in the forest. Oh and fifty points will be deducted from each House like Professor Snape said. I expect that there will be no further trouble between you three in the near future?"

"Yes, sir." They chorused sullenly. Each boy made as if to stand, when Snape stopped them cold.

"I don't know about you, Headmaster, but I would like to know what caused the fight in the first place."

Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "I think I might already have an idea, Severus. He cast a knowing glance at the teenagers. "Did this have anything to do with Blaise Zabini?"

Ron snorted angrily and jerked his head in Draco's direction. "We all suspect Malfoy, sir. He got the Prefect position that Blaise was up for. Don't you think it's suspicious that Zabini suddenly goes missing and Malfoy is made Prefect?"

Draco was almost white with rage.

"You will pay for that, Weasley."

"See? More threats! I can't believe you guys haven't locked him up already."

"Enough." Dumbledore said softly. He trained his kind eyes on Harry. "What do you think, Harry?"

The boy hung his head, refusing to look at either Ron or Draco. "I don't know what to think, sir."

"I see." The Headmaster studied the boys for a moment longer and sighed. "Ron, Harry. You two are dismissed. Harry, you are to go straight to your room. Your lunch will be waiting for you. Ron, head to the kitchen immediately. Severus, I want to talk to Mr. Malfoy alone. I’ll notify you later." After the two boys and the professor left, he turned to look at the handsome, blonde Slytherin. "It seems, Draco, that we have much to talk about."

Draco nodded gravely, and then pulled up the sleeve of his robes to reveal the tender, charred flesh of his forearm where the Dark Mark sat like an ugly blemish against his skin. "Yes, Headmaster. It seems we do."

TBC…

Liked it? Hated it? Please review and let me know. Constructive criticism please.

A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short. I was going to make it longer, but I decided that was a good place to leave off for the moment. In the next couple of chapters we should find out several things. Such as: 1) what happened to Blaise 2)What Harry is feeling over the incident in Potions 3)What is going on between Seamus and Dean 4) A fluffy Ron/Hermione moment and 5) Pansy gets a shock (any guesses to what it might be?) So, chapter 7 should be a very busy chapter indeed.