What I'm Looking For...

We all managed to get through our exams, and days crept by and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door. It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where we did our written papers. We were given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell.

We had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called us one by one into his class to see if we could make a pineapple tap dance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched us turn a mouse into a snuff-box – points were given for how pretty the snuff-box was, but then away if it had whiskers. Snape made us all nervous, breathing down our necks while we tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.

Our very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who’d invented self-stirring cauldrons and we’d be free, free for a whole wonderful week until our exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told us to put down our quills and roll up our parchment, I cheered with everyone else.

“That was far easier than I thought it would be,” said Hermione, as we joined the crowds flocking out into the sunny grounds. “I needn’t have learnt about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager.”

Hermione always liked to go through our exam papers afterwards, but Ron said this made him feel ill, so we wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows.

“Coriander!” Fred and George called over to me, waving.

“That’s a new one,” I called back, while smiling and waving back.

“No more revision,” Ron said happily, stretching out on the grass. “You could look more cheerful, Harry, we’ve got a week before we find out how badly we’ve done, there’s no need to worry yet.”

Harry was rubbing his forehead.

“I wish I knew what this means!” he burst out angrily. “My scar keeps hurting – it’s happened before, but never as often as this.”

“Go to Madam Pomfrey,” Hermione suggested.

“I’m not ill,” said Harry. “I think it’s a warning... it means danger’s coming...”

“Harry, relax, Hermione’s right, the Stones safe as long as Dumbledore’s around. Anyway, we’ve never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once; he’s not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down,” I said, relaxing.

Harry nodded, but he didn’t look convinced.

“It feels like there’s something I’ve forgotten to do, something important,” he muttered.

“That’s just the exams. I woke up the other night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we’d done that one,” Hermione said.

Harry suddenly jumped to his feet.

“Where’re you going?” said Ron sleepily.

“I’ve just thought of something,” said Harry, who had gone pale white. “We’ve got to go and see Hagrid, now.”

“Why?” I panted, hurrying to try and keep up.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit odd,” said Harry, scrambling up the grassy slope, “that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it’s against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don’t you think? Why didn’t I see it before?”

“What are you on about? Said Ron, but Harry, sprinting across the grounds towards the forest, didn’t answer.

I sprinted after him, easily keeping up. Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves rolled up and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.

“Hullo,” he said, smiling. “Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?”

“Yes, please,” said Ron, but Harry cut across him.

“No, we’re in a hurry. Hagrid, I’ve got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards look like?”

“Dunno,” said Hagrid casually, “he wouldn’ take his cloak off. It’s not that unusual, yeh get a lot o’ funny folk in the Hog’s Head – that’s the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn’ he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up.”

Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas.

“What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?”

“Mighta come up,” said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. “Yeah... he asked what I did, an’ I told him I was gamekeeper here... he asked a bit about the sorta creatures I look after... so I told him... an’ I said what I’d always really wanted was a dragon... an’ then... I can’ remember too well, ‘cause he kept buyin’ me drinks... Let’s see... yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an’ we could play cards fer it if I wanted... but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn’t want it ter go ter any old home... So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy...”

“And did he – did he seem interested in Fluffy?” Harry asked, obviously trying to keep his voice calm.

“Well – yeah – how many three-headed dogs d’yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy’s a piece o’ cake an’ he’ll go straight off ter sleep –“

Harry suddenly looked horrified.

“I shouldn’ta told yeh that!” he blurted out. “Forget I said it! Hey – where’re yeh goin’?”
The four of us didn’t speak to each other until we came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.

“We’ve got to go to Dumbledore,” said Harry. “Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak – it must’ve been easy, once he’d got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn’t stop him. Where’s Dumbledore’s office?”

We looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing us in the right direction. We had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did we know anyone who had been sent to see him.
“We’ll just have to –“ I began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.

“What are you four doing inside?”

It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books.

“We want to see Professor Dumbledore,” said Hermione rather bravely.

“See Professor Dumbledore?” Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. “Why?”

“It’s sort of secret,” Harry said, making Professor McGonagall’s nostrils flare.

“Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago,” she said coldly. “He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once.”

“He’s gone?” said Harry frantically. “Now?”

“Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time-“

“But this is important,” I said, cutting her off.

“Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Samuels?”

“Look,” I said, throwing caution to the winds, “Professor – it’s about the Philosopher’s Stone-“

Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn’t that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn’t pick them up.

“How do you know –?” she spluttered.

“Professor , I think – I know – that Sn – that someone’s going to try and steal the Stone. We’ve got to talk to Professor Dumbledore,” Harry said.

“Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow,” she said finally. “I don’t know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it’s too well protected.”

“But Professor –“

“Potter, I know what I’m talking about,” she said shortly. She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. “I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine.”

But we didn’t.

“It’s tonight,” I said, one I was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. “Snape’s going through the trapdoor tonight. He’s found out everything he needs and now he’s got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note; I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up.”

“But what can we –”

Hermione gasped, and the three of us wheeled round. Snape was standing there.

“Good afternoon,” he said smoothly.

We stared at him.

“You shouldn’t be inside on a day like this,” he said, with an odd twisted smile.

“We were –“ Harry began.

“You want to be more careful,” said Snape. “Hanging around like this, people will think you’re up to something. And Gryffindor really can’t afford to lose any more points, can they?”
We turned to go back outside, but Snape called us back.

“Be warned, Potter – any more night-time wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you.”

He strode off in the direction of the staff room. Out on the stone steps, I turned to the others.
“Right, here’s what we’ve got to do,” I 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. 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,” I said to the boys. “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 Professor 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 here you’ve come anywhere near here again, I’ll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, Weasley, from my own house!”

The three of us went back to the common-room. Harry had just said, “At least Hermione’s on Snape’s trail,” when the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in.

“I’m so 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.

We stared at him, he was pale and his eyes were glittering.

“I’m going out of here tonight and I’m going to try and get to the Stone first.”

“You’re mad!” Ron and I said.

“You can’t!” said Hermione. “After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You’ll get expelled!”

“SO WHAT?” Harry shouted. “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 of 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 won 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 done, because I’m never going over to the Dark Side! I’m going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you three say is going to stop me!”

He glared at us.

“You’re right, Harry,” said Hermione in a small voice.

“I’ll use the invisibility cloak,” said Harry. “It’s just lucky I got it back.”

“But will it cover all four of us?” I asked.

“All – all four of us?”

“Oh, come off it, you don’t think we’d let you go alone?” Ron said.

“Of course not,” said Hermione briskly. “How do you think you’d get to the Stone without us? I’d better go and look 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 per cent on his exam. They’re not throwing me out after that.”

After dinner the four of us sat nervously apart in the common-room. Nobody bothered us; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Harry anymore, after all. This was the first night I hadn’t been upset by it. Fred and George smiled at me, but didn’t come over.

Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments we were about to try and break. Harry, Ron and I didn’t talk much, all of us were thinking about what we were about to do. Slowly the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.

“Better get the cloak,” Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning. Harry ran upstairs to his dormitory, and was quickly back, with the cloak in his hands.

“We’d better put the cloak on here, and make sure it covers all four of us – if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own-“

“What are you doing?” said a voice from the corner of the room.

Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor, the toad, who looked as though he’d been making another bid for freedom.

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

“You’re going out again,” Neville said.

“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.”

But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate.

“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 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."

He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.
“Go on then, try and hit me!” said Neville, raising his fists. “I’m ready.

Harry turned to Hermione.

“Do something,” he said desperately.

But before Hermione could even step forward, I raised my wand.

“Petrificus Totalus!” I cried, pointing 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 bored. Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville’s jaws were jammed together so he couldn’t speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at us in horror.

“What’ve you done to him?” Harry whispered.

“It’s the full Body-Bind,” I said.

“We had to, Neville, no time to explain,” said Harry.

“You’ll understand later, Neville,” said Ron, as we 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. At the foot of the first set of stairs, we spotted Mrs Norris skulking near the top.

“Oh, let’s kick her, just this once,” I whispered, but Harry shook his head. As we climbed carefully around her, Mrs Norris turned her lamp-like eyes on us, but didn’t do anything. We didn’t meet anyone else until we reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.

“Who’s there?” he said suddenly as we climbed towards him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes. “Know you’re there, even if I can’t see you. Are you a ghoulie or a ghostie or wee student beastie?”

He rose up in the air and floated there, squinting at us.

“Should call Filch, I should, if something’s a-creeping around unseen.”

“Peeves,” Harry said, in a hoarse whisper, “the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible.”

Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs.

“So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr Baron, sir,” he said greasily. “My mistake, my mistake – I didn’t see you – of course I didn’t, you’re invisible – forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir.”
“I have business here, Peeves,” croaked Harry. “Stay away from this place tonight.”

“I will, sir, I most certainly will,” said Peeves, rising up in the air again. “Hope your business goes well, Baron, I’ll not bother you.”

And he scooted off.

“Brilliant, Harry!” whispered Ron.

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.”

Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all of us what was facing us. Underneath the cloak, Harry turned to us.

“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,” I said.

“We’re coming,” said Hermione.

Harry pushed the door open. As it creaked, low, rumbling growls met our ears. All three of the dog’s noses sniffed madly in our direction, even though it couldn’t see us.

“What’s that at its feet?” Hermione whispered.

“Looks like a harp,” said Ron. “Snape must have left it there.”

“It must wake up the moment you stop playing,” said Harry. “Well, here goes...”

He put a flute Hagrid had made him for Christmas to his sips and blew. It wasn’t really a tune, but from the first note the beast’s eyes began to droop. Harry hardly drew a breath. Slowly, the dog’s growls ceased – it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.

“Keep playing,” I warned Harry as we slipped out from under the cloak and crept towards the trapdoor. I could feel the dog’s hot, smelly breath as we approached the giant heads.

“I think we’ll be able to pull the door open,” said Ron, peering over the dog’s back. “Want to go first, Hermione?”

“No, I don’t!”

“All right,” I gritted my teeth and stepped carefully over the dog’s legs. I bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.

“What can you see?” Hermione said anxiously.

“Nothing – just black – there’s no way of climbing down, we’ll just have to drop.”
Harry who was still playing the flute, waved at me to get my attention, before pointing at himself.

“You want to go first? Are you sure?”I said. “I don’t know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep.”

Harry handed the flute over. In the few seconds’ silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Hermione began to play, it fell back into its deep sleep. Harry climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor.

He lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looked up at Ron and I and said, “If anything happens to me, don’t follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?”

“Right,” me and Ron said together.

“See you in a minute, I hope...”

Harry let go, and disappeared from sight. There was a quiet thud followed by “It’s OK! It’s a soft landing, you can jump!”

Without hesitation, Ron jumped.

“What’s this stuff?” I heard him say.

“Come on, Hermione!” Harry shouted up. “Corey, you too!”

Hermione jumped in, which stopped the music. I quickly jumped in after her. FLUMP. With a funny, muffled sort of thumb I landed on something soft, and plant-like.

“Lucky this plant thing’s here, really,” said Ron, straight after I’d landed.

“Lucky!” shrieked Hermione. “Look at you both!”

She leapt up, and struggled towards a damp wall, me following closely behind. We had to struggle because the moment we had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around our ankles. As for Harry and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.

Hermione and I watched in horror as the two boys fought to pull the plant off the, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them.

“Stop moving!” Hermione ordered them. “I know what this is – its Devil’s Snare!”

“Oh, I’m so glad we know what it’s called, that’s great help,” snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant curling around his neck.

“Shut up, I’m trying to remember how to kill it!” Hermione said.

“Well, hurry up, I can’t breathe!” Harry gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around his chest.
“Devil’s Snare, Devil’s Snare... What did Professor Sprout say? It likes the dark and the damp-“

“So light a fire!” Harry choked.

“Yes – of course – but there’s no wood!” Hermione cried, wringing her hands.

“HAVE YOU GONE MAD?” I bellowed. “ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?”

“Oh, right!” said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant.

In a matter of seconds, wriggling and flailing, the plant unravelled itself from their bodies and they were able to pull free.

“Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione” I said, while the boys joined us at the wall, wiping sweat off his face.

“Yeah,” said Ron, “And lucky Corey doesn’t lose her head in a crisis – ‘there’s no wood’ honestly.”

“This way,” said Harry, pointing down a stone passageway which was the only way on.
All we could hear apart from out footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downwards.

“Can you hear something?” Ron whispered.

I listened, straining my ears. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.

“Do you think it’s a ghost?”

“I don’t know...” I said, “Sounds like wings to me.”

“There’s light ahead – I can see something moving.”

We reached the end of the passageway and saw before us a brilliantly-lit chamber, its ceiling arched high above us. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.

“Do you think they’ll attack us if we cross the room?” said Ron.

“Probably,” said Harry. “They don’t look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once... Well, there’s nothing for it... I’ll run.”

He took a deep breath, covered his face with his arms and sprinted across the room. Nothing happened. He reached the door untouched. He pulled the handle, but it was locked. The three of us followed him. We tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn’t budge, not even when we did the ‘Alohomora’ charm.

“Now what?” said Ron.

“These birds... they can’t be here just for decoration,” said Hermione.

We watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering – glittering?

“They’re not birds!” I said suddenly, “they’re keys! Winged keys – look carefully. So that must mean...” I looked around the chamber while the others squinted up at the flock of keys. “... Yes – look! Broomsticks! We’ve got to catch the key to the door!”

“But there are hundreds of them!”

Ron examined the lock on the door.

“We’re looking for a big, old-fashioned one – probably silver, like the handle.”

We seized a broomstick each and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. We grabbed and snatched but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one.

Not for nothing, though, was Harry the youngest Seeker in a century. After a minute’s weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, Harry called out.

“That one!” he called to the others. “That big one – there – no, there – with bright blue wings – the feathers are all crumpled on one side.”

Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling and nearly fell of his broom.

“We’ve got to close in on it!” I called, not taking my eyes off the damaged wing. “Ron you come at it from above – Hermione, stay below and stop it going down – I’ll come from the side – and Harry, you try and catch it. Right, NOW!”

Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upwards, the key dodged them both and Harry and I streaked after it; it sped towards the wall, Harry lent forward and with a nasty crunching noise, pinned it against the stone wall with one hand. Our cheers echoed around the high chamber.
We landed quickly and Harry ran to the door, the key struggling in his hand. He rammed it into the lock and turned – it worked. The moment the lock and clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice.

“Ready?” Harry asked us, his hand on the door handle. We nodded. He pulled the door open.

The next chamber was so dark we couldn’t see anything at all. But as we stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing site. We were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than we were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing us, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. We all shivered slightly – the towering white chessmen had no faces.

“Now what do we do?” Harry whispered.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” said Ron. “We’ve got to play out way across the room.”

Behind the white pieces, I could see another door.

“How?” said Hermione nervously.

“I think,” I said, “We’re going to have to be chessmen.”

I walked up to a black knight and put my hand out to touch the knight’s horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at me.

“Do we –er – have to join you to get across?”

The black knight nodded. I turned back to the other three.

“This wants thinking about...” Ron said. “I suppose we’ve got to take the place of three of the black pieces...”

We stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said to Hermione and Harry, “Now, don’t be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess-“

“We’re not offended,” Harry said quickly. “Just tell us what to do.”

“Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop and Hermione you go next to him instead of that castle.”

“What about you and Corey?”

“We’re going to be knights,” said Ron.

The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a bishop, a castle and both knights turned their back on the white pieces and walked off the board leaving four empty squares which we took.

“White always plays first in chess,” said Ron, peering across the board. “Yes... look...”

A white pawn had moved forward two squares. Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moves silently wherever he sent them. I could see Harry’s knees trembling.

“Harry – move diagonally four squares to the right.”

“Ron...” I said, as he looked around for something to do.

“I know, Corey, but there must be another way,” he said.

“No, Ron, you have to move me. It’ll leave Hermione free to take the white bishop.”

“But, Corey...” Ron said.

“Ron, listen to me; I’ll be fine, okay?”

He nodded and I moved. The white queen inched towards me, with her chair, and I closed my eyes, preparing for the blow. She stood up, picked up her chair, and swung it at me. Everything went black after a violent pain split through my entire body.