Finding The Light

Harry's Plan (edited)

Out on the stone steps, Harry turned to us with a determined look in his eye.

"Right, here's what we've got to do," he whispered urgently. "One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape - wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. He would know Belle was up to something so, Hermione, you'd better do that."

"Why me?"

"It's obvious," said Ron. "You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know." He put on a high voice, "'Oh Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried, I think I got question fourteen b wrong . . ."

"Oh, shut up," said Hermione, but she agreed to go and watch out for Snape.

"And we'd better stay outside the third-floor corridor," Harry told Ron and me. "Come on."

But that part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had we reached the door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than McGonagall turned up again and this time, she lost her temper.

"I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!" she stormed. "Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, Weasley, from my own house!"

Harry, Ron and I went back to the Gryffindor common room and Harry had just said, "At least Hermione's on Snape's tail," when the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in.

"I'm sorry, Harry!" she wailed. "Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and I've only just got away, I don't know where Snape went."

"Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Harry said.

I blinked at him, waiting. He was pale and his eyes were glittering, excitement. I knew that feeling well.

"I'm getting out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first."

"Awesome, I'm coming," I grinned.

"You're mad!" said Ron.

"You can't!" said Hermione. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!"

"So what?!" Harry exclaimed. "Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it's only dying a bit later than I would have, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side! I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?"

"Harry shut up, you ass," I rolled my eyes, "We know okay. So how are we doing this?"

"I'll use the invisibility cloak," said Harry. "It's just lucky you got it back."

"But will it cover all three of us?" said Ron.

"All - all three of us?"

"Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?" Ron asked.

"Of course not," said Hermione briskly. "How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I'd better go and took through my books; there might be something useful . . ."

"But if we get caught, you three will be expelled, too."

"Not if I can help it," said Hermione grimly. "Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve percent on his exam. They're not throwing me out after that."

"And you may not have noticed Harry," I grinned, "but I'm amazing at distractions."

After dinner the four of us sat nervously apart in the Gryffindor common room. Nobody bothered us; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to us anymore, after all. Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.

"Better get the cloak," Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning.

They were about to put it on, and I rapped myself over the head, just as Neville came out from behind an arm chair. I grinned, he couldn't see me.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Nothing, Neville, nothing," said Harry, hurriedly putting the cloak behind his back.

"You're going out again," he said. "Where's Belle?"

"No, no, no," said Hermione. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?"

"You can't go out," said Neville, "You'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."

"You don't understand," said Harry, "This is important."

"I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll - I'll fight you!"

"Neville," Ron exploded, "Get away from that hole and don't be an idiot -"

"Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"

"Yes, but not to us," said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing."

"Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!" Harry turned to Hermione.

"Do something," he said desperately. Hermione stepped forward.

"Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this." She raised her wand. "Petrificus Totalus!" she cried, pointing it at Neville.

Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board. Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.

"What've you done to him?" Harry whispered.

"It's the full Body-Bind," said Hermione miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry."

"We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Harry.

"Guys c'mon," I murmured, opening the portrait hole.

"You'll understand later, Neville," said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the invisibility cloak.

But leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen. In our nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them.

At the foot of the first set of stairs, Mrs. Norris was skulking near the top. I didn't even know if the others were with me as I edged around her and carried on, when I reached the third floor I found Peeves bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.

"Who's there?" he said suddenly, "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie? Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen."

"Beat it Peeves," I said, revealing myself. The poltergeist shrieked. "For some reason you seemed scared of me, want me to make it worse?"

"No, no I'm going," said Peeves, rising up in the air again. "Hope your business goes well, I'll not bother you." And he scooted off.

"Brilliant, Belle!" whispered Ron. Oh, they were still with me, I grinned.

A few seconds later, we were there, outside the third-floor corridor - and the door was already ajar.

"Well, there you are," Harry said quietly, "Snape's already got past Fluffy. If you want to go back, I won't blame you," he said. "You can take the cloak, I won't need it now."

"Don't be stupid," said Ron.

"We're coming," said Hermione.

"Nothing will change out minds," i added.

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