Finding The Light

Back To School (edited)

Term started up again, and Harry had Quidditch training, meaning he had less time to help us look. Also i had to spend more time in the Slytherin Common room seeing as i had to use my own dorm, which cut down even more time.

I attempted several times to speak with Snape but he was always scowling or busy. And the one time i did manage to build up my courage to interrupt him i got ten minutes of him screaming about some blasted potion I'd made him ruin.

One night i was in the Gryffindor room doing homework with the others after a screaming fit from Pansy gave me a headache. Harry came back early from training, looking ill, and then told us Snape was refereeing the next match.

Hermione and Ron were trying to convince him not to play when Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what I recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower.

Everyone fell over laughing except Hermione, who leapt up and performed the counter curse. Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling.

I wiped the tears from my eyes as I calmed down, moving along the couch to let him sit next to me.

"What happened?" Hermione asked.

"Malfoy," said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."

"I'll kill him!" I jumped happily to my feet but Harry wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me back down into my seat. "Aww."

"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!" Neville shook his head.

"I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.

"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."

"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked out

Harry gave him a chocolate frog, and the boy looked like he was about to start blubbering, I edged away from him.

"You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin – no offence Belle."

"Thanks, Harry. . . I think I'll go to bed. . . D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?"

"Dumbledore again," Harry said as Neville wandered upstairs, "He was the first one I ever-" He gasped. "I've found him!" he whispered. "I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here - listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!"

Hermione jumped to her feet, knocking me to the floor in her excitement. She hadn't looked so excited since we'd gotten back the marks for our very first piece of homework.

"Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories.

"What, does she expect us to move to China or something?" i asked.

 BANG!

Hogwarts; a History hit the table, i let out a shriek, Harry jumped and Ron toppled backward out of his seat. Hermione sighed, sitting back down.

"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"Light?" said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet.