Emma Potter

18: Forbidden Forest

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" screams Malfoy I grab his arm stopping him from running away "You got us into this" I hiss. "If we die, You'll die with us.", the person drinking unicorn blood looks up, and we freeze . He moves closer, and then an unbearable pain shoots through my scar, Harry's is better but I can barely stop wanting to scream in pain. "Ow...ow ow ow ow" I can barely stand, Draco holds me steady, and I'm in too much pain to try and push him away. 

He edges closer and then there is a clattering of hooves and then a creature burst through the bushes, and he cloaked figure froze then fled. And the creature stopped in front of us, half horse and from torso up a man body. I freeze half astonished, half scared. Harry is panting, hand on his scar. Malfoy is to scared to move. The creature looks at us "your a centaur" I whisper. he looked down at me "your not supposed to be here" he said "h-hagrid" harry manages to stammer, the centaur sighs "I'll take you back to him."

He knelt down, inviting us to climb on his back. he started galloping "there are extremely dangerous creatures here." he informs us "w-who--" draco gulps "--who was that driniking the unicorn blood?" the centaur shook his head "I do not know, all I know is that that--" he nod behind us "--is not normal." "Harry! Emma! Malfoy!" I heard hagrids loud voice echoing "Oh there you are! are yer alright?" "w-we found the unicorn" I manage "dead." Hagrid sighs "a'right, c'mon now back to school Thanks frienze" the centaur--Frienze--nods "Farewell potters" he says before galloping off. Neville keeps looking at us like we're bombs about to go off, as we reach the school draco stops us "Wait.""What, Malfoy?" groans Harry "I-I" he looks at me "--I'm sorry." We all raise our eyebrows "why?" scoffed harry "because you lost 20 points for your house." Draco glares at himn "No, because I don't want to lose the only true friend I've made." I smile, he looks at me timidly "we good?" he asks. In two quick strides I came up to him and punched him right against his jaw. Hermione and Neville are staring open mouthed, Hagrid is trying not to snort and Harry doesn't even try to mask his glee. "Now, we're good" I say.

"I deserved that" he said, messafing his jaw. I giggle.

Me, Harry, Hermione and Neville make our way back to our common room. "Wait" I say stopping Harry and Hermione. "What if Snape's working for--Voldermort?" Hermione looks taken aback "but he's dead." she says "we don't know that" I say shaking my head "maybe he needs the stone to help him?"

***

In years to come, I would never quite remember how I had managed to get through my exams when I half expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment. Yet the 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 their written papers. We had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anticheating spell.

They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called us one by one into his class to see if we could make a pineapple tapdance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched us turn a mouse into a snuffbox -- points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. Snape made us all nervous, breathing down our necks 

Harry and I kept being woken by our old nightmare, except that it was now worse than ever because there was a hooded figure dripping blood in it.

Maybe it was because they hadn't seen what Harry and I had seen in the forest, or because they didn't have scars burning on their foreheads, but Ron and Hermione didn't seem as worried about the Stone as Harry and me. The idea of Voldemort certainly scared them, but he didn't keep visiting them in dreams, and they were so busy with their studying they didn't have much time to fret about what Snape or anyone else might be up to. So did I honestly

Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented selfstirring cauldrons and we'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. 

"That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Hermione as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager." "Or about the entire rules Phineas Nillegus Black made" I add

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." "you too?" I sigh.

"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested.

"we're not ill," said Harry. "I think it's a warning... it means danger's coming..."

Ron couldn't get worked up, it was too hot.

"Harry, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's 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."

Harry nodded, but I know he couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something he'd forgotten to do, something important. When he tried to explain this, Hermione said, "That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one." "I remember" I say with a chuckle

Harry suddenly jumped to his feet.

"Where're you going?" said Ron sleepily.

"I've just thought of something," said Harry. He had turned white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now."

"Why?" panted Hermione, hurrying to 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?" "Oh my God" I whisper "How did we--"

"What are you talking about?" said Ron, but Harry and I, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer.

Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were 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 him off.

"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 with look like?"

"Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off."

He saw the four of us look stunned and raised his eyebrows.

"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?" I say urgently

"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 took 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' 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?" I asked, trying to keep my 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 if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep--"

Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.

"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey -- where're yeh goin'?"

Harry, Ron,  Hermione and I didn't speak to each other at all until they 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 them 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 -- " Harry 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?"

Harry swallowed -- now what?

"It's sort of secret," he said, Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared. I mentally smack him

"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 ?" I said frantically. "Now?"

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

"But this is important." I say

"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic,Ms. Potter?"

"Look," said Harry, throwing caution to the winds, "Professor -- it's about the Sorcerer'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. I picked them up anyway

"How do you know -- ?" she spluttered. as I thrusted the books in her arms

"Professor, I think -- I know -- that Sn -- that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore." I say patiently

She eyed me with a mixture of shock and suspicion.

"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.I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."

But we didn't.

"It's tonight," said Harry, once he 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--" Ron began

Hermione gasped. Harry and Ron wheeled round. I was already looking behind my back

Snape was standing there.

"Good afternoon," he said smoothly.

We stared at him. "Good Afternoon, professer" I say

"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said, with an odd, twisted smile.

"We were -- " Harry began, without any idea what he was going to say.

"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 it?"

Harry flushed. we turned to go outside, but Snape called us back.

"Be warned, Potter -- any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled.I expected better from you Ms. Potter. Good day to you."

He strode off in the direction of the staffroom.

Out on the stone steps, Harry turned to us

"Right, here's what we've got to do," he whispered urgently. "Two of us has got to keep an eye on Snape -- wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione,Emma you'd better do that."

"Why us?"

"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. I grin

"And we'd better stay outside the third-floor corridor," Harry told Ron. "Come on." Hermione and I waited outside "Ms. Potter, Ms. Granger" said a snide voise. Seriously? I thought as I turn to see snape  "what are you both doing here?"