Thank God I hadn't done anything wrong, actually.

At once, relief washed over me, and I was sure it showed on my face. Because Professor McGonagall almost smiled, her eyes knowing.

"Of course we can, Professor," I said, nodding quickly. Then a sudden thought struck me. Ron!

“Shouldn't you have talked to Ron about this, too, Professor?” I asked, wondering if she could possibly have forgotten that Ron, too, was a Prefect. Not too hard a thing to forget, you know, given his attitude towards his duties.

“We want one Prefect from each house,” Professor McGonagall explained briskly. “The work really isn’t very demanding. I chose you because Mr. Weasley – well, I’m sure he won’t be very pleased at the mention of extra work.”

I could not resist a smile. Professor McGonagall was extremely right, of course: Ron always bristled at the mention of work. “Is that all, Professor?” I asked politely.

Professor McGonagall nodded. “Yes, Miss Granger. You may leave.”

“Thanks, Professor,” I said, glad that the birds and their box and the Charms class incident was not the topic of this meeting, and breaking into a run after I had stepped out of Professor McGonagall’s office, and carefully closed the door behind myself.