"Ha! There are still a few fish that slipped through the net!" Filch sneered. "But your luck is terrible—you just had to walk right into the trap."
"Good evening, you two." Professor McGonagall said with a stern expression. "Why are you standing there like fools? Get over here, now."
Harry and Ron felt thoroughly miserable. Although they had learned tonight which professor had designed the defenses protecting the Philosopher's Stone, looking at the bigger picture, the loss far outweighed the gain.
The two nervously walked up to Professor McGonagall. They lowered their heads first, then looked suspiciously at Aaron and Draco.
Filch usually patrolled the castle. Why had he suddenly come all the way to Hagrid's tonight, with Professor McGonagall beside him?
They certainly did not think it was a whim. Someone had definitely tipped him off.
"Don't look at us like that. We'd barely taken a few steps outside before Filch and Professor McGonagall ran into us," Aaron said disdainfully. "So don't insult our noble character with those suspicion-filled eyes of yours."
"It was all thanks to Mrs. Norris," Filch said smugly. "She spotted Aaron and told me. Then I went and fetched Professor McGonagall.
"I should have gone to find Professor Snape, really. He is the Head of Slytherin, after all, but his office was a little too far away.
"But it seems I didn't find the wrong person after all. Three Gryffindors and two Slytherins.
"Three against two, Professor McGonagall. How do you intend to deal with this?"
"Detention. All of you will serve detention.
"But before that, I need to understand why." Professor McGonagall looked expressionlessly at the five students before her. "What were you doing here in the middle of the night? Don't you know students are not allowed to wander around the grounds after