Bellatrix was also staring with surprise at the frog. Had her cousin's friends really transfigured that? Then, remembering that it was supposed to be a distraction so that she and James could stun the two, she looked over to where James was hiding and motioned for him to start the attack.
"There is something suspicious about this frog!" Snape declared.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Narcissa laughed. "It probably wandered out of the Forbidden Forest."
"There's no such thing as a giant frog!" Snape insisted.
"Stupefy!" Bellatrix and James cried together after sneaking up behind the two. Bellatrix watched with great satisfaction as the two stunners caught the intended victims straight in the back and rendered them unconscious.
Sirius, Remus, Peter joined Bellatrix and James, already laughing merrily.
"That was brilliant!" James told them. "Utterly brilliant!"
"We should take the frog back to the castle with us," Peter squeaked. "We could set it loose in the Great Hall during breakfast!"
"No, Peter, you'd have to anonymously mail it or do something else more clever," James said, eyeing the frog appreciatively. "You know, make it look like someone else's fault."
Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "We are not bringing the frog back to the castle with us," she declared. "Levitate these two morons so that we can get back to the castle before Lucius shows up with his cronies."
In short order, the group was heading back to the castle with the unconscious bodies of Snape and Narcissa hovering with them. They were nearly back to the main entrance when Remus spoke up. "We've got a problem," he announced.
"What?" Bellatrix asked quickly. "Is Lucius here?"
Remus held out the Marauder's map for her. "No. Lily Evans is just inside the main entrance."
"We can just wait for her to move on," Sirius said.
"Looks like she's staying there," Remus disagreed. "I think she's waiting to catch us."
James groaned. "Of all nights!"
Bellatrix looked at the map, silently cursing her new, nosy dorm mate. "There's no way around her, is there?"
"Nope," Remus said. "We shouldn't have trouble, though, if Professor Ashworth is on our side. I say we just breeze through, tell her we're on a professor's business, and move on. Since we really are going to see Professor Ashworth, there shouldn't be much problem, even if she calls our proverbial bluff, as it were."
"Great," Bellatrix muttered. "Is Professor Ashworth in his office?"
"Why are you asking us?" James snickered. "You're the resident expert on all things Ashworth."
"He left the castle after his last class of the day," Bellatrix huffed. "I have no way of knowing whether he's returned yet."
"Keep your hair on," Sirius said, glancing over Remus's shoulder. "He's in his office."
Bellatrix looked closer at the location on the map where Harry's office was located. A small, unlabeled dot was moving erratically around the office. "How do you know that's him?"
"He's the only one without a name," James said, also looking at the map. "Our standard naming charm doesn't seem to work on him. Is he dancing?"
"Looks like he may be," Remus mused.
"Let's get a move on," Bellatrix said.
"Wait," said Remus. "James, let me take Snape. You won't score any points with Lily if she sees you floating his unconscious body around."
The switch was made. Remus was levitating Snape, and James was leading the party through the castle. They entered the castle. After only a few dozen steps, they were accosted by Lily. "What are you doing to Severus?" she demanded angrily.
"We're taking him to see Professor Ashworth," Bellatrix said coolly. The fact that Lily had followed them down and was now interfering had left Bellatrix rather irate with her new roommate. "How about you go to bed and leave us be?"
"Why are you taking him to see Professor Ashworth?" Lily asked, keeping up with the group with a purposeful stride.
"Because he got busted," Sirius declared with relish. He looked to share a look with James, but his friend was ostensibly looking away.
"Well?" Lily demanded. "What about your sister, Bellatrix? What did she do?"
"Lily," Remus said in a very calm and soothing voice, "some bad things have been happening. Unfortunately, Severus has been involved. We're taking him to see Professor Ashworth. You of all people know that Professor Ashworth is fair."
"What did he do?" Lily demanded.
"He tried to help kidnap my sister, you nosy brat," Bellatrix retorted. "If we're lucky, Ashworth will convince the headmaster to expel him!"
Lily gasped. "He would never do that!"
Bellatrix sighed and increased her pace. The sooner they got to Harry's office, the better. Maybe he'd be able to pound some sense into Evans.
The argument with Lily continued until the group was within earshot of Professor Ashworth's office. At that juncture, they were startled to silence by the noises coming from within the office. They all stopped and stared at the closed door, listening to cacophony of noise coming from within.
"Is that a chicken?" Lily asked hesitantly.
"Sounds like it," Remus said.
Bellatrix sighed and led the group the rest of the way toward the office, wondering why Harry had a chicken in his office. She opened the door and the group entered to find Harry standing on a chair and trying to grab hold of a rooster that had perched on top of a bookshelf.
"Professor Ashworth," Lily announced loudly, "Potter and his friends have been picking on Severus again!"
Harry turned his head and looked down at the group. As he surveyed those in attendance, he winced. "What happened?"
Everyone broke out into their own explanation of the events, gesturing toward the levitated forms of Narcissa and Snape and jabbing their fingers accusatorily at each other. The group was so loud that even the rooster stopped squawking indignantly and stared.
Seeing his moment, Harry grabbed the chicken by its legs and jumped down from the chair. Silence overtook the group as they watched Harry open one of his desk drawers and stuff the rooster in head first. With a satisfied sigh, he closed the drawer and watched to make sure it would stay closed as the rooster indignantly crowed from within.
"Everyone out," Harry declared, "except for Bellatrix. Once I get her version of the events, I'll decide with whom I should speak next." He herded everyone out, asking Sirius and Remus to leave Narcissa and Snape in the office, and then shut the door, leaving him and Bellatrix as the only conscious people in the room.
Harry turned to Bellatrix and arched an eyebrow. "What did you do, deputize Potter and his friends?"
....
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