Before the Death Eater could do anything else, a second, most familiar voice rang out

Beyond the door.

“May I ask what you are doing, Professor Carrow?”

“Trying—to get-- through this damned-- door!” shouted Amycus. “Go and get

Flitwick! Get him to open it, now!”

“But isn't your sister in there” asked Professor McGonagall. “Didn't Professor

Flitwick let her in earlier this evening, at your urgent request? Perhaps she could open

the door for you? Then you needn't wake up half the castle.”

“She ain't answering, you old besom! You open it! Garn! Do it, now!”

“Certainly, if you wish it,” said Professor McGonagall, with awful coldness,

There was a genteel tap of the knocker and the musical voice asked again.

“Where do Vanished objects go?”

“Into non being, which is to say, everything,” replied Professor McGonagall.

“Nicely phrased,” replied the eagle door knocker, and the door swung open.

The few Ravenclaws who had remained behind sprinted for the stairs as Amycus

Burst over the threshold, brandishing his wand. Hunched like his sister, he had a pallid,

Doughy face and tiny eyes, which fell at once on Alecto, sprawled motionless on the floor.

He let out a yell of fury and fear.

“What've they done, the little whelps?” he screamed. “I'll Cruciate the lot of 'em

till they tell me who did it---and what's the Dark Lord going to say?” he shrieked,

standing over his sister and smacking himself on the forehead with his fist, “We haven't

got him, and they've gone and killed her!”

“She's only Stunned,” said Professor McGonagall impatiently, who had stooped

down to examine Alecto. “She'll be perfectly all right.”

“No she bludgering well won't!” bellowed Amycus. “Not after the Dark Lord

gets hold of her! She's gone and sent for him, I felt me Mark burn, and he thinks we've

got Potter!”

“'Got Potter'?” said Professor McGonagall sharply, “What do you mean, 'got

Potter'?”

“He told us Potter might try and get inside Ravenclaw Tower, and to send for him

if we caught him!”

“Why would Harry Potter try to get inside Ravenclaw Tower! Potter belongs in

my House!”

Beneath the disbelief and anger, Harry heard a little strain of pride in her voice

And affection for Minerva McGonagall gushed up inside him.

“We was told he might come in here!” said Carrow. “I dunno why, do I?”

Professor McGonagall stood up and her beady eyes swept the room. Twice they

Passed right over the place where Harry and Luna stood.

“We can push it off on the kids,” said Amycus, his pig like face suddenly crafty.

“Yeah, that's what we'll do. We'll say Alecto was ambushed by the kids, them kids up

there” -- he looked up at the starry ceiling toward the dormitories -- “ and we'll say they

forced her to pres her Mark, and that's why he got a false alarm.... He can punish them.

Couple of kids more or less, what's the difference?”

“Only the difference between truth and lied, courage and cowardice,” said

Professor McGonagall, who had turned pale, “a difference, in short, which you and your

Sister seem unable to appreciate. But let me make one thing very clear. You are not

Going to pass off y9our many ineptitudes on the students of Hogwarts. I shall not permit

it.”

“Excuse me?”

Amycus moved forward until he was offensively close to Professor McGonagall,

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 578