A True Gryffindor

Luna felt oddly calm as she was forced into a chair in the headmaster's office next to Neville and Ginny. She knew she should be terrified; after all, she had just been caught stealing school property - the Sword of Gryffindor, a priceless treasure, no less. However, she reasoned that she had faced much worse things in the past few years, and a small part of her knew that her friends were facing much worse right at that moment, wherever they were. No punishment Snape handed to her would ever stop her from helping her friends, she reflected. She remembered how she had aided the two people beside her when they went to the Department of Mysteries in her fourth year, and vowed to do anything to help them now, as well as Harry, Ron and Hermione, because she was their friend, and that was what friends did.

Snape sank into the chair on the opposite side of the desk to his three reprobates. The Sword of Gryffindor had been unwrapped from Neville's cloak and lay on the desk between the four of them.

"So," he smirked, placing his hands together, "What do you three have to say for yourselves?"

Luna immediately began mouthing words desperately, trying to make some sound. With a sigh Snape picked up his wand and waved itt o remove the silencing charm he had cast on the grl when he caught her in the corridor. "Go on, Lovegood."

"It was my idea, Professor. Ginny and Neville didn't want to get involved. I persuaded them to do it, sir, they don't deserve punishment."

Snape couldn't stop a thin smile spreading across his jaw.

"As touching as your loyalty is, Lovegood, I can't believe that Longbottom and Weasley here were forced to enter my office and steal the Sword of Gryffindor. After all, I suspect that Miss Weasley here may be the mastermind of many other- ah - misdemeanours around the school lately. And as for Longbottom here-" Snape's smirk widened further, "-I refuse to believe that the gullible idiot had to be forced to involve himself in illegal activities. From what I've heard he has been giving certain other teachers a fair amount of trouble this year!"

The room was suddenly filled with a great din as all three students tried to shout explanations at once; they each tried to shout each other down and pin the blame solely on themselves.

"How touching," sneered snape, leaning back in his chair and pressing the tips of his fingers together. He was going to enjoy punishing these three.

Any thoughts Snape had of how he was going to punish the students, however, were wiped from the teacher's mind as the door to his office banged open and Professors McGonagall and Alecto Carow jostled each other into the office, each trying to enter first.

"Professor Snape!" McGonagall shouted as she finally shoved Carrow out of the way and marched up to the Headmaster's desk, "I demand to know why you have detained these three pup-" she paused abruptly as her eyes fell on the Sword of Gryffindor lying on the table- "-ah."

"I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall, what were you saying?" inquired Snape in as sweet a voice as his voice box could manage. He smirked. This was too much fun.

"One of my pupils informed me that you were intending to unjustly expel three of my senior students, Professor Snape," she replied, regaining her composure remarkably well in Neville's opinion, "but it seems I have not been informed of the full situation."

"It seems so," agreed Snape, unable to hide his smile now.

"I must insist that I be given the task of punishing these students, Professor Snape! I have plenty of experience in dealing with ruffians and I can assure you that they will not do it again!" Carrow piped up.

McGonagall's glasses flashed as she rounded on the other teacher.

"Professor Carrow, you haven't even heard what alleged crime these students have committed yet! How can you be so sure of their guilt when you do not know the full story?" She turned to the Headmaster. "And you, Snape- you can't surely be considering handing them over to someone who clearly has no interest in punishing them but merely their own sadistic enjoyment? Weasley and Longbottom are members of my house therefore I should be more than capable of providing a suitable punishment and I'm sure Professor Flitwick will be willing to do the same for Miss Lovegood." Carrow and McGonagall began to shout over each other at this point.

"ENOUGH!" bellowed Snape, standing up and wiping away his smirk. Neville flinched, forcibly reminded of many a potions lesson where this same man would reduce him to tears over a melted cauldron. "Professor McGonagall, I ask that you use my proper title, please. I am a professor in this school and your senior to boot. You will both refrain from shouting in my office and show a little respect, please. As for the students-" -the three youngsters looked up at their headmaster in trepidation- "I am convinced beyond a doubt of their guilt as I found all three of them in the act of stealing the Sword of Gryffindor from my office. However, as the Headmaster of this school I reserve the right to choose an appropriate punishment for them and I will. Now leave, please." He pointed to the door and McGonagall and Carrow obliged, looking rather indignant.

"Not you three!" Snape snarled at the students, although none of them had dared so much as breathe, much less follow the teachers. "You will each serve a week's worth f detentions helping Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest. But don't be under any disillusions," he warned, seeing Neville visibly relax and let out a soft sigh of relief, "you are being punished and are not to treat this as a social visit. I will also take fifty points from Ravenclaw House and one hundred from Gryffindor." He waved for them to leave and the teenagers fled.

Outside in the corridor Ginny bent over, gasping for breath.

"I- can't-believe-we-got-away-with-that!" she huffed in panicked breaths as Luna patted her back.

Neville felt the same. Although they had been caught and had failed their mission to steal the sword, Neville somehow couldn't shake the feeling that he and the girls had been let off very lightly, given the circumstances.

Once Ginny had recovered, the two Gryffindors bade Luna goodbye and retreated to their common room. They pushed past the Fat Lady to find the whole house sitting in the common room waiting for them. Lavender rushed forward.

"Are you all right? I saw Snape catch Luna - he must have known she was there, she was still under her disillusionment charm - and I knew you'd be caught, so I went to get McGonagall, hoping she would stop Snape killing you at least-"

"It's OK, Lavender," Neville waved her off, "he didn't kill us. Thanks for the quick thinking though."

She beamed back at him.

"So what punishment have you got? Are they giving you to the Carrows?" shouted one of the younger pupils at the back of the room.

"Have you been expelled?" called another. Ginny shook her head.

"No, no, nothing like that. We've got detention with Hagrid at some point though."

"I think," ventured Neville, glancing at Ginny, "we're pretty lucky."

She nodded and people around cheered. Even though they had failed to liberate the sword, they had still given the other srudents hope. They had fought back at the unfair authorities in charge of them and Neville had a feeling students would be talking about this for weeks.