Twisted Roots

Chapter 6: Attacked and Rescued (Part 1)

'You will never believe what happened Minerva.'

Horace Slughorn, Potions Master, and Head of Slytherin house glanced warily at Transfiguration Professor Minerva McGognall.  He set his drinking goblet down before beginning to rise, 'If you'll excuse me I have a few essays to grade--'

'Sit down Horace,' She snapped before turning a severe pair of narrowed eys on the Care for Magical Creatures Professor.  

The subject of this fierce gaze was utterly at ease as he grabbed a scone and bit into it, 'Minerva, don't be so hard on Horace, he's a busy man.'

In a tired, exhausted tone she interjected, 'Kettleburn the last time you began a conversation with the words 'you won't believe what happened Minerva' a student was almost killed by a dragon you were raising, Acquire illegaly might I add.  And you said the same words when you offended the centaurs by requesting a ride upon one, leading to several weeks of intense relations that only ended when previous Headmaster Dibet collapsed from the stress of it all and again the same words when you released that creature into our lake--well now we have a squid that has grown to gargantuan proportions.'

Kettleburn frowned, 'I'm afraid I don't follow.'

Slughorn looked longingly at the door, but stayed put in spite of this.  'Kettleburn your little surprises have a bad tendency to become catastrophe's.' He said to the other man, as if he were a great fool.'

'Nonnsense, it's only that you remember that Griffin I raised?  Beautiful creatures, terribily misunderstood--' He reached for a crumpet but Slughorn beat him to it, snatching it from his hand and taking an angry bite.

'A Griffin?' He said with no amount of unease, biting into the crumpet and shaking his head slowly.

'You...were in possession of a Griffin?' Came the faint voice of McGognall.  She held her forehead in her hands, as if in pain, 'By all means, continue.'

Kettleburn shrugged, 'Well I went to feed her and imagine my surprise when I saw she wasn't there.  Broke free, and haven't seen her all day. There's more--'

Mcgonagal lowered his hands and looked up, 'There's more?  Are you to tell me there's more beyond the fact that you have been keeping a creature--a Griffin--which has been running amok all day and you are reporting it now?'

Kettleburn frowned, 'No well I wanted to apologize for taking so long to report it.'

McGonagal looked to Horace who focused on the ceiling, 'I'll keep an eye on him why don't you, go ahead and do what you need to do, we'll alert Dumbledore.'

McGonagal sprang back from the table, causing the chair to scrape and headed straight for the door, muttering under her breath.  'Absolutely ridiculous....'

If anyone is reading....

I think things may begin to start to become a little more interesting.......