Adam and Harry walked side by side through the castle corridors, occasionally glancing at each other before quickly looking away again. Neither of them knew why Professor McGonagall had called them to her office. The message had been brief and direct, giving them no clues whatsoever. Normally Adam wouldn't have cared too much, but even he couldn't help wondering if they had unknowingly broken some school rule.
Harry looked more nervous than him. After walking in silence for nearly a minute, Harry finally spoke. "Do you think we're in trouble?" Harry asked, trying to sound calm but failing miserably.
Adam thought for a moment before replying. "Probably," Adam said honestly. "Professors don't usually summon students to praise them."
Harry groaned.
"That's not helping," Harry said with an annoyed expression. "I'm serious."
"So am I."
Harry stared at him for a few seconds before sighing. "I can't think of anything we did."
Adam raised an eyebrow.
Harry noticed immediately. "What?"
"You really can't think of anything?" Adam asked.
'With the way you break rules, I won't be surprised even if you are expelled in the very first year. But of course, only if you were an ordinary student.' Adam sighed as he thought of this.
Harry frowned and genuinely tried to remember. He had attended classes, done his homework, and hadn't wandered around the castle at night recently. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became.
"I honestly can't."
Adam looked at him strangely. "Then let's hope Professor McGonagall can't either."
Harry's expression immediately became worse and complained, "You know, sometimes I think you're doing this on purpose."
Adam smiled but didn't answer.
The rest of the walk passed in silence until they finally arrived outside a familiar office door. After exchanging one final glance, both boys stepped inside.
The office was empty.
Harry visibly relaxed.
Adam didn't.
If anything, an empty office somehow felt worse.
Several minutes later, the door behind them opened.
Professor McGonagall entered carrying a stack of parchments beneath one arm. She looked slightly more tired than usual, though her posture remained as straight as ever.
"Mr. Potter. Mr. Taylor," Professor McGonagall said as she moved behind her desk. "My apologies for keeping you waiting."
Both boys immediately straightened.
Professor McGonagall placed the parchments onto her desk before sitting down.
"I have been occupied with the senior students recently," she said. "Their practical training outside the castle requires considerably more supervision than most people realize."
Neither Harry nor Adam understood exactly what she meant, but neither interrupted.
Professor McGonagall folded her hands together and looked at them over her glasses.
"It seems that both of you have forgotten about your detention."
The moment those words left her mouth, Harry froze.
Adam finally understood.
The flying lesson.
Professor McGonagall observed their reactions before giving a small nod.
"I spent some time considering an appropriate punishment," she continued calmly. "After all, it is not every day that two first-year students decide that school rules are merely suggestions."
Neither boy dared respond.
"Since both of you appear to enjoy flying so much," Professor McGonagall continued, her eyes narrowing slightly, "I decided upon a detention related to flying."
Harry immediately looked hopeful.
Adam didn't trust that expression on her face for a second.
Professor McGonagall noticed Harry's reaction and allowed the faintest trace of amusement to appear in her eyes.
"I assure you, Mr. Potter, you will not be flying."
Harry's face fell immediately.
Professor McGonagall reached for a small brass bell on her desk and tapped it once.
A few moments later, there was a knock on the door.
"Enter."
The door opened and Oliver Wood stepped inside. The Gryffindor Quidditch captain looked between the two boys before nodding respectfully toward Professor McGonagall.
"Professor."
"Mr. Wood."
Oliver's eyes briefly lingered on Harry before moving to Adam. A look of understanding immediately appeared on his face. It was clear that he already knew why he had been called here.
Meanwhile, Harry and Adam exchanged confused glances.
Professor McGonagall gestured toward the empty chair near her desk. "Please sit, Mr. Wood."
Oliver sat down obediently, though the excitement on his face was difficult to hide.
Professor McGonagall turned her attention back to the two first-years.
"As I was saying, I spent some time deciding on an appropriate punishment." Her gaze settled on Harry and Adam. "Flying without permission, leaving the designated practice area, and ignoring the instructions of a professor are serious violations of school rules."
Harry lowered his head slightly.
Adam remained silent.
Neither attempted to defend themselves.
Professor McGonagall gave a small nod of approval. At least they possessed enough sense not to argue.
"Fortunately," she continued, "neither of you was injured. Nor was anyone else. Therefore I have decided against deducting points from Gryffindor."
Harry visibly relaxed.
Unfortunately for him, Professor McGonagall wasn't finished.
"However, that does not mean there will be no consequences."
The relief immediately disappeared.
Adam almost felt bad for him.
Almost.
After all, he was also a part of this situation.
"Tomorrow and Sunday," Professor McGonagall continued, "both of you will report to the Quidditch pitch immediately after breakfast."
Harry blinked.
Adam blinked.
For a moment neither understood what she had just said.
Professor McGonagall noticed their confusion.
"You will be assisting the Gryffindor Quidditch team."
Harry's eyes widened.
Before he could misunderstand again, Professor McGonagall added firmly, "As I have said, you will not be flying."
The hope that had just appeared on Harry's face died instantly.
Oliver coughed and looked away.
Adam wasn't entirely sure, but he thought the older student was trying not to laugh.
'Something felt really fishy here.' Adam thought while looking at Oliver.
Professor McGonagall spared a glance at Oliver then continued as if nothing had happened, "The school brooms require regular maintenance. Practice equipment must be inspected. Storage areas must be organized. Training balls must be cleaned and checked for damage. Mr. Wood informed me that the team could use additional assistance."
Oliver straightened immediately, "Very much so, Professor."
Professor McGonagall nodded, "Excellent."
Harry suddenly had a bad feeling.
Adam was beginning to understand why Oliver seemed so pleased.
Professor McGonagall folded her hands together.
"You two seem to have developed a great appreciation for flying. Therefore, I thought it only fair that you spend an entire weekend caring for the equipment that makes flying possible."
Neither boy knew how to respond.
The punishment somehow sounded both reasonable and suspicious.
Oliver finally spoke.
"Don't worry," he said with a reassuring smile that somehow wasn't reassuring at all. "It's not difficult."
Harry immediately became even more worried.
Adam noticed that Professor McGonagall's expression had become slightly more relaxed. She was clearly satisfied with her decision.
"Mr. Wood will supervise your detention," she said. "You will follow his instructions at all times."
"Yes, Professor," both boys replied.
Oliver nodded enthusiastically.
Far too enthusiastically.
Professor McGonagall adjusted her glasses before continuing, "I expect both of you to understand why this punishment was assigned."
Harry hesitated before speaking, "Because we flew without permission?"
Professor McGonagall looked at him for a moment and said, "Partly."
Both boys immediately became attentive.
Professor McGonagall's expression softened slightly, she explained, "Talent is not an excuse to ignore rules."
The office fell silent.
"Professor Hooch informed me that both of you displayed exceptional control for first-year students," she continued. "Particularly under difficult circumstances, as I have observed as well."
Harry looked surprised.
Adam remained calm, though he was slightly pleased to hear it.
Professor McGonagall noticed both reactions, "That is precisely why I am disappointed."
The praise instantly lost its comforting effect.
"You possess ability. Ability carries responsibility. The better you become, the more dangerous foolish decisions become."
Neither boy spoke.
This time, neither felt like speaking.
Professor McGonagall leaned back slightly and continued, "I have no intention of discouraging your interest in flying. But I expect both of you to exercise better judgment in the future."
"Yes, Professor," Harry replied immediately.
"Yes, Professor," Adam followed.
Professor McGonagall studied them for a few seconds before finally nodding, "Very well."
Then she turned toward Oliver, "Mr. Wood, they are yours."
The smile that appeared on Oliver Wood's face immediately convinced Harry that his weekend was about to become far worse than he had imagined. Adam felt much the same.
"Wonderful," Oliver said enthusiastically. "I've already prepared a schedule."
Harry closed his eyes.
Adam suddenly understood why Professor McGonagall had spent two weeks deciding on the punishment.
It wasn't a detention.
It was free labor.
~~~~~
Back in the Gryffindor boys' dormitory, Harry sat on his bed staring at a piece of parchment with a look of disbelief. Adam wasn't looking much better. He sat beside Harry with his arms crossed while Ron and Neville leaned over curiously, trying to understand why both of them looked as though they had just received a second detention.
"What is it?" Ron finally asked. "You two look miserable."
Harry silently handed him the parchment.
Ron eagerly took it.
A minute later, his expression changed.
"Merlin."
Neville immediately became concerned.
"What happened?"
Ron looked up from the parchment.
"I think Oliver Wood is insane."
Adam immediately nodded.
For the first time that evening, he completely agreed with Ron.
Ron cleared his throat dramatically before beginning to read.
"'Saturday Detention Schedule. Prepared by Oliver Wood.'"
The room already felt ominous.
"'10:00 a.m. - Report to Quidditch Storage Building.'"
"'10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. - Inventory all training brooms.'"
"'10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. - Clean all training brooms.'"
"'11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. - Replace damaged grips and bindings where necessary.'"
"'12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Lunch break.'"
"'12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. - Organize Quidditch equipment storage.'"
"'1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. - Inspect Quaffles, Bludgers and practice equipment.'"
Ron stopped and looked at the parchment.
"Why does Quidditch equipment even need organizing?"
"Because Oliver Wood exists," Harry muttered.
Adam nodded again.
Ron continued.
"'2:00 p.m. - Gryffindor Team Practice Begins.'"
Harry's eyes lit up slightly.
"'2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. - Observe practice while remaining available for equipment assistance.'"
The hope immediately vanished.
"'4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. - Assist with post-practice equipment maintenance.'"
"'5:00 p.m. - Dismissal.'"
Silence filled the dormitory.
Neville looked horrified.
Ron looked exhausted just from reading it.
Harry looked betrayed.
Adam looked equally unhappy.
Ron immediately noticed.
"At least you'll get to watch Quidditch."
Adam stared at him.
"Ron, that's seven hours."
Ron blinked.
Adam pointed at the parchment.
"Seven hours."
His voice contained genuine frustration now.
"I was planning to spend tomorrow reading."
Then he pointed at another section.
"And practising."
Another point.
"And resting."
Harry immediately joined in.
"I know!"
For the first time all evening, someone understood his suffering.
"The entire weekend is gone!"
Ron stared at them.
"You make it sound like you're being sent to Azkaban."
"At least Azkaban doesn't make you polish brooms," Harry complained.
Neville nearly fell off his bed laughing.
Adam couldn't help laughing too, though his annoyance remained.
What frustrated him most wasn't even the work itself.
It was the timing.
He had finally started making progress with his training.
His resistance training was improving.
He wanted to spend more time in the Room of Requirement.
There were books waiting for him.
And now Oliver Wood had somehow managed to occupy nearly every useful hour of his weekend.
Harry suddenly groaned.
"What now?" Ron asked.
Instead of answering, Harry pointed toward the bottom of the parchment.
Everyone leaned closer.
There, beneath Oliver Wood's signature, was a smaller note written in slightly different handwriting.
"Sunday practice will be longer than Saturday's practice. Equipment maintenance duties may be adjusted accordingly."
The dormitory became completely silent.
Neville read it twice before looking up, he asked, "What does that mean?"
"It means," Adam said with a pained expression, "that he somehow looked at this schedule and thought the problem was that Quidditch practice wasn't long enough."
Harry dropped backward onto his bed.
"I don't even play Quidditch."
"Neither do I," Adam immediately replied.
Ron looked between the two of them before bursting into laughter.
The more he imagined Oliver Wood sitting somewhere carefully planning detention schedules, the funnier it became.
"You know what the worst part is?" Harry asked miserably.
"What?" Ron replied.
"He looked happy."
Adam immediately nodded, "He was definitely happy."
The two boys exchanged a look.
For the first time since entering Hogwarts, they had discovered a common enemy.
Oliver Wood.
Neville tried his best not to laugh but failed, "Maybe it won't be that bad."
Adam stared at him.
Harry stared at him.
Neville immediately lost confidence. "Okay," he admitted, "It sounds pretty bad."
Ron was still reading through the parchment, "Wait."
His eyes narrowed, "There's another note."
Harry sat up immediately, "There is?"
Ron pointed toward the corner of the page.
"'Any student arriving late will assist with additional broom maintenance after dismissal.'"
The room fell silent once more. Adam slowly rubbed his forehead.
Harry covered his face with both hands, "Why are there penalties inside the detention?"
Ron wheezed with laughter and said, "Because Oliver thinks this is normal."
Adam looked at the ceiling. His entire weekend had vanished. He had planned to spend time reading, practising magic, and maybe even relaxing for once after an exhausting week. Especially with Ravenclaw's trial on next Saturday.
Instead he was apparently going to spend two days becoming an unpaid assistant groundskeeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
The more he thought about it, the more unfair it felt.
Harry seemed to reach the same conclusion, "We flew for five minutes."
"Less than five," Adam corrected.
"And we're losing two entire days."
"Exactly."
Ron laughed even harder, "You two sound like old men complaining about work."
"We ARE complaining about work," Harry said.
"And we're not even getting paid," Adam added.
That finally broke Neville. The shy boy doubled over laughing while Harry and Adam sat there looking completely betrayed by the educational system.
Somewhere inside Hogwarts Castle, Oliver Wood was probably preparing tomorrow's activities with genuine enthusiasm.
That thought alone was enough to ruin Adam's mood all over again.