Rosabella's Point of View:
The plan to get Norbert to Charlie had not gone as smoothly as we hoped. It all went according to plan intill Hermione and Harry forgot to put the cloak back on before they descended the stairs and were caught by Filtch. Neville had gone out to find them because he wanted to warn them about Malfoy. As a result, Hermione, Harry and Neville lost 50 points for Gryffindor each. 150 points. Let's just say the others house did not take kindly to it, apart from Slytherin of course.
At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could we suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread. Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, him and a couple of other stupid first years.
Harry went from being one of the most popular and admired people at the school and Harry was suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on him, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup.
Everywhere Harry went, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him. Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, whistling and cheering, "Thanks Potter, we owe you one!"
Only Ron and I stood by him.
"They'll all forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them."
"Do you know how many points Jay, Jake and I lost during our prank war? Everyone still likes us. They'll get over it eventually." I said comfortingly.
"Neither of you have ever lost a hundred and fifty points in one go, though, have they?" Harry said miserably.
"Well - no." Ron admitted and looked at me for support.
I didn't know what to do.
If it was just a few people I could just hex them but I can't hex the entire school. Harry had even considered resigning from the Quidditch team but Wood defiantly refused to let him. Harry said that most the Quidditch team were being quite cols towards him, apart from Jason and Jacob, who weren't being cold but not their usual joking selves around him.
Hermione and Neville were suffering, too. They didn't have as bad a time as Harry, because they weren't as well - known, but nobody would speak to them, either. Hermione had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence.
Harry told me he was almost glad that the exams weren't far away. All the studying he had to do kept his mind off his misery. Harry, Ron, Hermione and I kept to ourselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions. . .
Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Harry's new resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern him was put to an unexpected test. We were walking back from the library one afternoon, and we heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. Harry and I glanced at each other. As we drew closer, we heard Quirrell's voice.
"No - no - not again, please -" Quirrell stammered.
It sounded as though someone was threatening him. Harry and I moved closer.
"All right - all right - " we heard Quirrell sob.
Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight. I don't think Quirrell had even noticed us. We waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, then we peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. Harry and I were halfway toward it before Harry seemed to remembered what he'd promised himself about not meddling.
"You may have promised yourself something but I didn't." I said and was about to continue what I was doing.
"Gryffindor can't afford to lose anymore points!" Harry insisted.
I groaned and reluctantly agreed.
All the same, we'd have gambled twelve Philosophers Stones that Snape had just left the room. From what Harry and I had just heard, Snape would be walking with a new spring in his step - Quirrell seemed to have given in at last.
Harry and I went back to the library, where Hermione was testing Ron on Astronomy. Harry and I told them what he'd heard.
"Snape's done it, then! If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti - Dark Force spell -" Ron said.
"There's still Fluffy, though." Hermione said.
"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," I said anxiously.
"I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three - headed dog. So what do we do, Harry?" Ron said, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them.
The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron's eyes and I knew they were in mine as well, but Hermione answered before Harry could.
"Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure." Hermione said.
"But we've got no proof! Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor - who do you think they'll believe, him or us?" Harry said.
"It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining." I said.
Hermione looked convinced, but Ron didn't.
"If we just do a bit of poking around-" Ron said.
"No, we've done enough poking around." Harry said flatly and he pulled a map of Jupiter toward him and started to learn the names of its moons.
The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Hermione, and Neville at the breakfast table. They were all the same:
Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight.
Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.
Professor McGonagall
Jason, Jacob and I left with Harry, Hermione and Neville to go do our own detention. We were with Professor Flitwick. We waved goodbye to them at the Entrance Hall and then went up to Flitwicks office. Flitwick was nice as always in detentions. As we did the tasks he's assigned us he'd make sure we had drinks and snacks.
"Why can't all teachers detentions be like this?" Jason said luxuriously as Jacob and I charmed books to fly around the room as Flitwick had gone somewhere.
Jacob and I laughed and we then charmed the books to fly at Jason, knocking him off the table he was relaxing on. Jason then charmed books to charge at Jacob and I. Jacob and I quickly ducked. We did this for awhile and near the end of out detention we quickly cleaned the room up so when Flitwick returned he was more then pleased with his tidy room.
Jason and Jacob went straight up to there dorm after detention. I stayed in the common room where there was a sleeping Ron. Ron had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for them to return. He shouted something about Quidditch fouls when I roughly shook him awake. I laughed hysterically.
"I'm guessing the others aren't back yet?" I questioned sitting by the fire.
Before Ron could answer the portrait hole opened and Hermione, Harry and Neville came through. Neville went straight up to his dorm but Harry wasted no time in telling Ron and I what happened in the Forbidden Forest.
In a matter of seconds, Ron and I became as wide-eyed as Hermione as Harry began to tell us what had happened in the forest.
Harry couldn't sit down.
He paced up and down in front of the fire. He was shaking.
"Snape wants the stone for Voldemort . . . and Voldemort's waiting in the forest . . . and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich. . ." Harry said.
"Stop saying the name!" Ron said in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them.
Harry wasn't listening. I looked at Ron defiantly.
"Voldemort. Voldemort. Voldemort. V. O. L. D. E. M. O. R. T. Its just a name, Ron. Just a name." I said.
"Stop it!" Ron hissed at me.
"Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so . . . Bane was furious . . . he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen . . . They must show that Voldemort's coming back . . . Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me . . . I suppose that's written in the stars as well." Harry said.
"Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.
"The name doesn't make Voldemort appear out of thin air, you know!" I hissed back.
"So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone, then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off . . . Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy." Harry went on feverishly.
Hermione looked very frightened.
"Harry, Dumbledore was the only one Voldemort was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, Voldemort won't touch you." I said soothingly.
"Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune - telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic." Hermione said, getting a hold of herself.
The sky had turned light before we stopped talking. We went to bed exhausted, our throats sore.