It's the first day back after Christmas vacation and it was the best Christmas I've ever had – I loved spending time with my siblings and my friends back home.
Now I'm sitting in the library with Ron, Harry, Hollie and Ben when Hermione comes in carrying a large book.
"I had you looking in the wrong section. How could I be so stupid."
She dumps the book in front of Harry, making him jump.
"I checked this out weeks ago for a little light reading."
"This is light?" Ron asks and she gives him a dirty look which makes Ben snigger, which in turn makes Hollie swoon at him.
Hermione turns to the page.
"Of course, here it is... Nicholas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosophers Stone."
"The what?" Ron and Harry ask in sync.
"Honestly, don't you two read?" I ask.
"The Philosopher's Stone is a legendary substance with astonishing powers," I tell them. "It'll transform any metal into pure gold and produces the Elixir of Life which will make the drinker immortal."
"Immortal?" Ron asks.
"It means they'll never die," Ben says.
"I know what it means."
"The only stone currently is existence," Hermione reads. "Belongs to Mr Nicholas Flamel, the noted alchemist, who last year celebrated his 665th birthday."
"That's what Fluffy's guarding on the third floor," Hollie says. "That's what's under the trap door – the Philosopher's Stone."
~Emberlee's POV~
As Draco and me are sitting alone in the common room, me by the window, I spot the brats and five of their friends hurrying across the courtyard toward Hagrid's so I turn round.
"Those brats are up to something."
I head for the door to the corridor.
"Where are you going?"
"To find out what they're doing."
"Not without me."
He takes my hand and we hurry outside, and over to Hagrid's where we look in the window.
"You heard," Hagrid says. "Right, come on now, I'm a bit preoccupied today."
"Wait a minute," Bella says. "One of the teachers?"
"Of course," Granger says. "There are other things protecting the stone aren't there? Spells, enchantments..."
"That's right," Hagrid says. "Waste of time if you ask me. Ain't no one gonna get past Fluffy. Ain't a soul knows how, except for me and Dumbledore. Ah, shouldn't have told you that."
Hagrid goes over to the fireplace and takes an egg out of the cauldron before placing it on the table.
"Hagrid, what exactly is that?" Ryan asks.
"That... it's... um..."
"I know what that is," Weasley says. "But Hagrid, how did you get one?"
"I won it... off a stranger I met down the pub. Seemed quite glad to be rid of it as a matter of fact."
"Are you seeing this?" I ask.
"They're going to be in so much trouble, come on; we need to see Professor McGonagall."
We move away from the window and hurry into the school.
"What are you two doing out of bed at this hour?"
"We've come to report that eight students have left the building and are at Hagrid's," Draco says, proud as punch.
"Oh really!"
She grabs her cloak and a lamp and we follow her out toward the courtyard where we intercept the eight children.
"Good evening!" McGonagall says and I smirk at the youngsters.
Back in her classroom, the eight of them are standing together while Draco and me are standing to one side.
"Nothing... I repeat, nothing gives a student the right to walk about the school at night. Therefore, as punishment for your actions, fifty points will be taken..."
"Fifty?" Ben protests.
"Each! And to ensure it doesn't happen again, all 10 of you will receive detention."
Me and Draco look at each other with confusion.
"Excuse me, Professor," I say. "Perhaps we heard you wrong... I thought you said the ten of us."
"No you heard me correctly Miss Potter. You too were out of bed, and as it involves your younger siblings, it's not hard to figure out why you were out of bed. You will join these children in detention.
I scowl at the three of them as they grin at how my plan backfired.
She calls for Filch who then leads us back toward Hagrid's.
"Pity they let the old punishments die," Filch says as he leads us across the grass. "There was a time detention would find you hanging by you thumbs in the dungeons. Gosh I miss the screaming."
As we approach, Hagrid comes out of his house.
"You'll be serving detention with Hagrid tonight," Filch informs us. "He's got a little job to do inside the Dark Forest."
Hagrid walks past the small bonfire and places his lamp on the tree stump.
"A sorry lot this, Hagrid," Filch says.
Hagrid sighs.
"Oh golly, you're not still on about that bloody dragon, are you?" Filch asks.
"Norbert's gone... Dumbledore sent him off to Romania to live in a colony."
"Well that's good isn't it?" Bella asks. "He'll be with his own kind."
"Yeah but what if he don't like Romania? What if the other dragons are mean to him? He's only a baby after all."
"Oh for goodness sake, pull yourself together man," Filch says. "You're going into the forest after all. Gotta have your wits about you."
"The forest?" Draco asks. "I thought that was a joke. We can't go in there. Students aren't allowed. And there are...."
There's howling in the distance.
"Werewolves," I continue.
The howling continues.
"Oh there are more than werewolves in those trees lad," Filch says with a sinister look on his face. "You can be sure of that."
He walks away.
"Right," Hagrid says. "Let's go."
~Bella's POV~
We follow Hagrid – who is carrying a crossbow – for a good mile and a half into the forest before he stops and puts his crossbow down.
With his lamp still in his hand, Hagrid bends down and puts two fingers in a puddle of silver liquid before he stands back up.
"Hagrid, what is that?" Harry asks.
"What we're here for. See that...?"
He holds up his fingers.
"That's unicorn blood that is. I found one dead, a few weeks ago. Now, this one's been hurt bad by something."
There's silence as we all look round the forest.
"So, it's our job to find the poor beast. Ron, Hermione, Ryan, Ben, Draco, you'll come with me. Harry, Hollie, Bella, Brandon, you'll go with Emberlee."
"Not bloody likely," Emberlee says.
"You are skating on thin ice as it is Miss Potter," Hagrid says.
"I don't want to babysit these brats."
"MISS POTTER," Hagrid raises his voice. "You will do as you're told and like it."
"Okay, then we get Fang."
"Okay," Hagrid says. "Just so you know, he's a bloody coward."
Hagrid's boarhound, Fang whines.
As the five of us walk through the forest together, me, Harry, Hollie, Bam together and Emberlee way in front, I begin to wonder if she'll try and cast a spell on us or anything.
It's clear that the staff, or at least some of them, are aware of how Emberlee feels towards the three of us and are obviously trying to get her to like us, though it doesn't seem to be working.
"Wait until Uncle Lucius hears about this," Emberlee moans without turning round. "This is servants' work."
"If I didn't know better, sister, I'd say you were scared," I smirk.
She stops and turns towards us.
"Never ever prefer to me as your sister again. I am nothing to you, do you hear me?"
There's a noise unlike anything we've heard before. It's only brief but it still sends chills through my whole body.
"Did you hear that?" Bam asks.
Emberlee huffs before she continues and we follow.
We continue until Fang stops and starts to growl.
"What is it Fang?" Harry asks before we see it.
There's a hooded figure leant over a unicorn, and it appears to be feeding on it.
The scar on my shoulder begins to burn so I grab it and turn to Harry, who is rubbing his forehead where his scar is.
The hooded figure looks up and hisses so Emberlee screams – making Fang run away – and she races after him.
The rest of us turn to the figure as it slowly floats toward us and stands a few inches in front of us before it continues walking toward us as we back away.
Something appears over our heads and we see a centaur begin to chase away the hooded figure.
The centaur approaches.
"Harry, Hollie and Bella Potter..."
"Swan, actually," I correct.
"You were born a Potter were you not?"
I nod.
"You and your friend must leave. You three and your sister are known by many creatures here. The forest is not safe at this time, especially for the four of you."
"But Emberlee ran into the forest," Harry says.
"She will be okay; she has two years experience at Hogwarts."
"But what was that thing you saved us from?" Hollie asks.
"A monstrous creature... it is a terrible crime to slay a unicorn. Drinking the blood of a unicorn will keep you alive even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something so pure, that the moment the blood touches your lips, you will have a half life, a cursed life."
"But who would choose such a life?" Bam asks.
"Can you think of no one?"
"Do you mean to say...?" Bam asks.
"That the thing that killed the unicorn..." Hollie continues.
"That was drinking its blood..." Harry continues.
"That was Voldemort?" I ask.
The centaur comes closer.
"Do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment, young Potters?"
"The Philosopher's Stone!" I say.
There's barking and Hagrid shows up with Emberlee and the others.
"Hello there, Firenze," Hagrid says. "See you've met our young Potters. You four alright?"
"I must go now," the centaur says. "You're safe now. Good luck."
He turns and walks away.