-----
-----
Ever since Easter break, Augustus hadn't seen Malfoy at the Slytherin table. Malfoy and his two sidekicks, Goyle and Crabbe, had pretty much vanished from view except during class. The rest of the time, they were just... gone. Mysterious.
Whenever Augustus did bump into Malfoy, the guy would give a polite greeting and then rush off like he was on a mission.
The Slytherin common room was usually empty around ten at night. That was Augustus's favorite time to settle down with some books he'd borrowed from the library. The room was dim and silent, the fire in the hearth casting a warm green glow.
Tiny green sparks would occasionally jump from the flames, making quiet popping sounds. At that hour, Augustus was usually the only one awake—most other Slytherins were already deep in dreamland.
For Augustus, the quiet was perfect. Every wizard appreciated solitude when they could get it. But suddenly, the stone door to the common room gave a low, grinding creak. In such silence, even a small sound stood out. Augustus put down his book and looked toward the entrance. It was almost midnight. Who would still be out at this hour?
The door slowly swung open, and in came Malfoy, looking absolutely miserable. His shoulders were slumped, and his expression was a picture of defeat. When he saw Augustus, he froze for a second, then a strange mix of emotions flickered across his face.
"Augustus, sir... I messed up. I really messed up," Malfoy said, sounding like he was on the verge of collapse. "I ran into Professor McGonagall up in the tower. I was trying to catch Harry and the others smuggling out that dragon of Hagrid's, but I didn't even find them! McGonagall showed up first, and she wouldn't believe a word I said about the dragon. She took twenty points from Slytherin and gave me detention. And get this—she said the detention would be in the Forbidden Forest. I'm dead. Totally dead."
"How did you know Harry and the others were planning to move the dragon tonight?" Augustus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"They left a letter for Bill in that book they borrowed. I found it stuck between the pages. Honestly, I wasn't going to rat them out at first, but after they saw me snooping outside Hagrid's hut and assumed I'd tell on them... well, if they already think that, I figured I might as well ruin their plan for real."
"So basically," Augustus said, barely hiding his amusement, "you've been plotting this for a while, and then when you finally make your move, you don't even catch them. Instead, McGonagall pops out of nowhere, doesn't believe a word you say, docks points from Slytherin, and gives you detention. Sounds like a brilliant success."
Malfoy looked completely defeated. "Yeah... that's exactly what happened." He gave Augustus a pitiful look. "Augustus, sir, you have to help me. If I go into the Forbidden Forest alone, those creepy dark creatures in there will tear me apart!"
Augustus's eyes gleamed with barely hidden laughter. Poor Malfoy—he really couldn't catch a break. If Harry and the others found out about this, they'd probably throw a party. Not only had their plan gone off without a hitch, but Malfoy got detention trying to stop them.
"I'll talk to Professor McGonagall tomorrow," Augustus said casually. "If she allows it, I'll go with you to the forest."
To Malfoy, that sentence sounded like music from heaven. The weight crushing his chest instantly lifted. If Augustus was going with him, then maybe this terrifying detention wouldn't be so bad after all. Heck, it might even feel like a little field trip. Malfoy's nervous expression eased up slightly, a hopeful spark in his eyes.
But what Augustus didn't expect was that Harry and the others were too busy to even think about laughing at Malfoy.
The next day, something major had clearly happened—Gryffindor's hourglass in the House Cup display, which had held a decent amount of points, now looked nearly empty.
They'd lost 150 points overnight. Just like that.
Gryffindor, which had been in second place thanks to some solid Quidditch wins, had now plummeted to last.
At first, the Gryffindor students thought there must've been some mistake. How could their total be 150 points lower than it was yesterday? But the truth quickly spread: Harry Potter—the famous Harry Potter, the Quidditch hero of two matches—had cost them a massive chunk of house points. Him and two other clueless first-years.
Harry had been pretty popular up until then. Now, he was public enemy number one. Even the students in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff weren't smiling at him anymore. Everyone had been hoping Slytherin would finally lose the House Cup. Now that hope was basically gone.
Slytherin's hourglass was overflowing, thanks mostly to Augustus. Their lead over second-place Ravenclaw had doubled. And poor Harry—everywhere he went, people were whispering behind his back, not even bothering to lower their voices when they insulted him.
Slytherins, meanwhile, made a huge show of cheering whenever Harry passed by. Clapping, whistling, celebrating.
Strangely enough, Malfoy wasn't joining in. You'd expect him to be leading the charge, but instead, he was distracted. The idea of detention in the Forbidden Forest scared the life out of him.
Whenever he had a moment to think, he kept imagining what would've happened if Augustus hadn't agreed to help. What were his chances of making it out of that place alive?
For the first time, Malfoy realized he didn't really control his fate. His life had always been so easy—pulling pranks, messing with Harry, causing trouble. But now? Now he was wondering if maybe he'd taken things too far. Maybe life wasn't as simple as he'd thought.
That night, at eleven o'clock sharp, Augustus and Malfoy made their way downstairs to the entrance hall. Filch was already waiting, along with Harry, Hermione, and Neville. When the trio saw Augustus there too, they were clearly shocked.
"You lot should consider yourselves lucky Professor McGonagall agreed to let Augustus join you," Filch sneered. "Having him around might actually keep you useless lot alive." His face twisted into one of those fake smiles that somehow looked even creepier than a scowl.
Harry, Hermione, and Neville exchanged hopeful glances. If Augustus was going with them, maybe this whole Forbidden Forest punishment wouldn't be so terrifying after all. But Filch noticed their brief moment of relief and clearly didn't like it. He gave a loud, annoyed cough and led the way toward the forest.
They crossed the pitch-black lawn at a brisk pace. Neville kept sniffling nervously. The moon was bright but kept ducking behind clouds, leaving them in sudden patches of darkness. Harry could see the soft, warm light glowing from Hagrid's hut in the distance.
But just beyond it was the forest—dark, still, and enormous. Under the faint moonlight, the Forbidden Forest looked like some ancient beast, sleeping just out of reach. The trees swallowed the light, refusing to reflect even the smallest shimmer.
In Augustus's eyes, a strange shadowy gleam flickered. Come to think of it, he'd never actually been inside the Forbidden Forest since arriving at Hogwarts. Maybe this would turn out to be an interesting trip after all.
"....."