By the end of the next day, almost everyone was furious at them for losing Gryffindor one hundred and fifty points. Gryffindor had been in the lead for the House Cup for the first time in almost ten years, ahead of the Slytherins. Their little stunt put Slytherin ahead of everyone. The only ones not furious at them were the Slytherins themselves and Ron.
Harry never had a chance to go back for his cloak at the tower. He had tried to quit quidditch the next day at practice, he was so mad at himself about it. Rigel overheard him and Eliza talking to Oliver about quitting while he was waiting for them to finish changing. But Oliver wouldn't let them quit. Hermione had become more reserved, not immediately raising her hand to answer questions in class anymore, and Neville -who was also found. Apparently trying to warn them- was just as miserable.
"I'm so sorry guys!" Rigel said guiltily.
"It's alright. If you were caught Gryffindor probably would've lost two hundred points" Harry reassured his friend.
The exams took place in the first week of June and Rigel thought that in years to come, he would laugh at the idea of doing well in his exams.
It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an anti-cheating spell.
They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tapdance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox — points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was but taken away if it had whiskers. Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion (The irony)
Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self-stirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Rigel couldn't help cheering with the rest.
But then the good mood disappeared when Harry went to Hagrid's and found out that when the stranger gave him the dragon egg, he also tricked Hagrd into getting drunk and at the same time revealing how to get past fluffy.
"Where are we going, Harry?" Hermione panted, out of breath from all of the runnings.
"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 a grid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?"
They looked around as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they 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 five 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 kind of... secret," Eliza said rather lamely.
McGongall raised an eyebrow.
"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."
"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?"
"The philosopher stone?" Eliza answered.
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. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore."
She eyed him 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 —"
"I believe that I know what I'm talking about, Miss Potter. I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."
But they didn't.
"It's tonight," said Harry, once he was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. "Snape'sgoing through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, and now he's gotDumbledore 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. The four-wheeled round.
Snape was standing there.
"Good afternoon," he said smoothly.
They stared at him.
"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. They turned to go outside, but Snape called them back.
"Be warned, Potter — any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you."
He strode off in the direction of the staffroom
"Nosy git." Eliza and Rigel muttered
Out on the stone steps, Harry turned to the others.
"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. 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 wrong... '"
"Oh, shut up," said Hermione, but she agreed to go and watch out for Snape.
"The rest of us we'd better stay outside the third-floor corridor," Harry told them. "Come on."
But that part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had they reached the door separating Fluffy fromthe 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 hear you've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, Black and Weasley, from my own house!"
"At least Hermione's on Snape's tail," Ron muttered.
When the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't stay any longer!" she exclaimed. "Professor Snape asked me what I was doing, and I said I was waiting for Professor Flitwick, and he went to go get him, and I've just escaped! I really am sorry."
"Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Harry said.
The others stared at him. He was pale and his eyes were glittering. He turned to Eliza who nodded.
"We're going tonight. To get the stone," Harry and Eliza said.
"You're mad!" said Ron.
"You can't!" said Hermione.
"After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!" Rigel said
"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 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 store, well, Eliza and I will 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?"
He glared at them.
"You're right Harry." Rigel eventually said. "When will we go?"
"What?" Eliza said standing up.
"We're all going," Rigel said. "Whether you like it or not."
That night they stayed up in the common room, pretending, or not pretending, in Hermione's case, to do their homework. Once everyone had left and gone up to their dorms, they got up, ready to leave. Harry had been sitting on his invisibility cloak, hiding it from everybody else. Rigel had his ring and the wooden flute Harry had gotten from Hagrid for Christmas in case they needed to lull Fluffy to sleep - Eliza and Harry had spent a good hour arguing over who should be the one to play the instrument when they arrived at the trapdoor. The five of them made their way towards the portrait hole, being as quiet as possible. They were stopped by a voice.
"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.
Neville stared at their guilty faces.
"You're going out again," he 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 moretrouble."
"You don't understand," Rigel said, "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!"
Rigel raised an eyebrow.
"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."
He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leaped out of sight.
"Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!"
"Neville, I'm really sorry about this," Rigel said. "stupefy!"
The stunning spell hit Neville on the face rendering him unconscious.
"What've you done to him?" Harry whispered horrified.
"Oh relax he's just stunned." Rigel rolled his eyes. "We can wake him up later." he sad as they stepped over him and pulled on the invisibility locket
On the way to the trapdoor, they passed Peeves, who could obviously hear them but not see them. He had threatened to call for Filch when Rigel used his metamorphagus powers to be the Bloody Baron, the Slytherin house ghost, and the only one who could control the poltergeist. The rest of the way to the trapdoor went smoothly and the next thing Rigel knew was that they were all visible again and Hermione was pushing open the door that led to the trapdoor.
When they entered, Fluffy was asleep, snoring loudly and stinking up the place with his breath. There was a harp softly playing music in the corner. "Snape's already been here," Harry whispered.
"It really stinks in here," Eliza said holding her nose because of Fluffy's breath.
"Oh, shut up, Eliza. Help me move his paw." One of Fluffy's front paws was laying on the closed trapdoor. Eliza and Harry pulled it to the side while Ron pushed, Hermione, opening the trapdoor once it was out of the way. They all squatted down in front of the opening in the ground and looked to Harry, the designated leader.
"Right. I'll go first, then Rigel, then you Hermione. Ron, you can go next and Eliza, you can go last in case Fluffy wakes up. Does it seem quiet to you?"
They all looked up. While they had been talking, the harp had stopped playing and Fluffy had woken up and was snarling down at them. The four of them immediately scrambled back, the massive dog slowly advancing. Thinking fast, Rigel pulled out his flute and started to play.
It took six play-throughs of a wobbly rendition of Hot Cross Buns for Fluffy to fall back asleep. Rigel turned to the others, still playing the flute, and gestured with his head at the trapdoor. They got the idea and crept forward, making no noise. Harry jumped down first, as he said before, followed by Hermione, Ron then Eliza. Rigel stayed back a few more seconds, making sure that the three-headed dog was asleep. Then he stopped playing and jumped down, closing the trapdoor behind him.