For His Protection

18. Moonlight Walk

It was coming close to the end of the school year.  Harry, Ron, and Hermione continued to plan their trip down the trap door, gathering as much information as they could.  Of course, it was hard for them to do with Sirius following them around most of the time or Serena running into them just when they thought they had something.  Severus kept an eye on them after hours and had sent the trio back to bed several times over the past few months.  Serena had even warned Hagrid not to say anything more to them about the stone or about Fluffy.  He agreed to try, and that satisfied Serena, but Severus was a little concerned about his statement.

"Hagrid tends to favor the children," he warned her.  "I fear he might help them on purpose."

Serena had just smiled at him and simply said, "Now that he's been asked to be careful, I'm sure he will heed my wishes."

But he didn't.  Sirius overheard it just a few days later.  Harry and his friends had wriggled the answer right out of Hagrid, without him even realizing it.  All they had to do was play Fluffy a bit of music and he'd go right to sleep.

"It's happened," Sirius announced to Serena as he walked in her classroom later that day.  "Harry knows.  He's planning to go down the trap door tonight."

Serena's eyes widened.  "You overheard him?"

He nodded.  "Yes."

She shook her head and dropped the paper she was holding in her hand.  "Sirius, we have to stop him."

"We will," he promised.  "Don't worry."

Serena rolled her eyes in annoyance.  She really hated when people said that.  Telling her not to worry was like telling her not to breathe.  Neither one was going to happen.  "I have to, Sirius.  It's my job to worry about him."  She went back to grading papers.

Sirius sighed.  "Mine too.  Are you going to tell Severus?"

"Tell Severus what?"

Sirius whirled around and Serena looked up from the paperwork in front of her.  Severus glided through her classroom door.  She glanced up at the clock and realized why he was there.  They had planned a lunch date.

"About Harry's adventure tonight."

Severus's eyes widened.  "Tonight?" he repeated in disbelief.  "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, why?"

He took a deep breath and looked straight at Serena when he spoke.  "Dumbledore was just called to the Ministry.  He stopped by my office to let me know that he was leaving.  He won't be back until morning."

Serena's hands leapt to her face in frustration.  "Now what?"

Sirius frowned.  "I guess it's up to the three of us.  We can't let those three youngsters go at it alone."

"And we can't let Quirrell get the stone either," Severus added.

"Then what are we going to do?" Serena demanded.  "We need a plan."

"And that's exactly what we're going to do," Sirius declared.  "We're going to devise a plan."

"I don't even know where to begin."

Sirius grinned.  "I do."  Serena and Severus both stared at him.  "Well, I do.  I was a part of enough of James's schemes that I know how to come up with a devious plan."

Severus nodded in agreement.  "I'll guarantee it.  You have me there."  No one knew that better than he did.  He was usually the target of their 'plans'.

Sirius urged them to gather in close.  "Now, here's what we're going to do..."

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