Disclaimer: See all previous chapters for notes on the copyright… I can't be bothered writing it again.
If they had thought their excitement over the previous night's success could not have been more complete they were proved wrong the following day when they overheard Pansy Parkinson complain to one of the other Slytherin girls, whom Alice was fairly sure was named Regan Runcorn, that Malfoy had been caught wandering around the corridors by the Astronomy Tower in the middle of the night.
"Malfoy's got detention and he's lost 30 house points!" Harry crowed with delight as they walked back from lunch. "Could this day get any better?"
"Well you could conjure up some house points for us if you really felt like it." Ron indicated the giant hourglasses as they passed. The rubies glinting dully at the bottom of Gryffindor's glass were sadly lacking in comparison to everyone else's.
"You could always let Ravenclaw win the next Quidditch match Harry," Hermione observed, "at least then they would probably win the House Cup instead of Slytherin." She turned back to see her friends staring at her as though she had just recommended they cut off one of their hands.
"You're kidding right?" Ron looked stricken. "Hermione, it's Quidditch. You can't go around letting other people win just because you're playing tactically. It's just not right."
Hermione seemed bemused. "All right, forget I said anything."
Alice smiled, she loved Hermione to bits but she just never would get why the rest of them all loved Quidditch so much. She had tried to explain the game to her once so that she could get more involved in some of the lengthy conversations she occasionally got into with the boys on the subject. It was probably the first time she had ever seen Hermione get bored by new information.
With their exams rapidly approaching the four of them spent most of their time in the library studying - or in Ron's case trying to not get caught eating Pumpkin Pasties by Madam Pince - and trying to spot any odd behaviour on the part of Professors Quirrell or Snape.
"I thought he looked a bit ill today in class," Harry pointed out two weeks later.
Ron snorted, "so would you if you had to stay in that room all the time; it stinks, goodness knows what he has in there."
"Honestly Ron, the man's trying to save the wizarding world. You might be a bit more supportive."
Alice drew her gaze away from the window where she had been staring out at the blinding sunshine which was so distracting when you were trying to concentrate on work. "When do you think Snape will try to get the Stone? Do you think he would wait till terms done when there are no students going about?"
Her friends pondered this, "I'm not sure, do the teachers stay at school in the holidays?" Apparently no one had an answer to this.
"If I was Snape I'd want to do it sooner rather than later, that way there's less chance someone would find out what I was up to. Besides we can only hope if he does try to steal it then he does it during term because if he waits till the holidays then we've no chance of stopping him."
"I -" Hermione stopped mid sentence suddenly on the alert. "What's going on over there?"
The rest of them turned to see a group of fifth years at the other side of the library get to their feet and start pushing towards the door with their sleeves covering their faces. Gradually those at the tables around them began to move as well some pausing to collect their books others simply abandoning them on the tables. Within minutes the doorway was filled with a surging black mass of students trying to get out of the library for no reason that Alice could fathom, until -
"Ugh! What is that smell?" She tried not to gag as the rancid odour hit her.
"Smells like dungbombs." Ron's voice was muffled as he clamped a hand over his nose and mouth. "C'mon, we better move."
Standing out in the corridor with all the other students she coughed several times to try and clear the sour taste the smell had left in her throat and wished that she had some water, or at least knew the spell to conjure some. The buzz of noise around her dimmed slightly as Madam Pince swept out of her beloved library - it was probably the first time Alice had seen her outside of it - and looking rather like an enraged turkey demanded silence.
"When I find out," she was practically spitting, "who committed this… this sacrilege there - will - be - consequences." And with that she swept imperiously through the assembled group.
No sooner had she vanished than Fred and George turned up sporting identical wicked grins. "What's going on here then?"
"Are you having another party Evans?"
"And you didn't invite us - again?"
"I think she's trying to tell us something George."
Alice raised an eyebrow at their idiotic behaviour. "You two didn't happen to have anything to do with this did you?"
"With what?" It was still rather disturbing the way they managed to speak in perfect unison like that.
"Of course they did - the dungbombs in the library," Ron scowled at them, "no one else would be as daft. You always do love showing off."
"Someone let off dungbombs? Shame we missed that." The twins adopted innocent expressions with practiced ease. "Why didn't we think of that Fred?"
"Although… now you mention it we did leave a bag lying around somewhere where anyone might have stolen it and used it for their own nefarious ends."
"But not you of course." Hermione looked exasperated and her voice was getting shriller with every word. "How can you be so irresponsible, people are trying to study. Exams are important!" Clearly the stress was affecting her.
"You could at least have waited till exams were over till you did it." Harry it seemed felt duty bound to stick up for Hermione's point of view although Alice was sure she could see the corner of his mouth twitching, and Ron certainly wasn't doing anything to conceal his grin.
"But then there wouldn't have been anyone inside."
"Well you should have done it at dinner then." Fred looked down at Alice in approval at this idea and she noticed vaguely that for the first time she didn't blush at venturing an idea unprompted.
"That's brilliant Evans - but maybe we should leave it till exams are over," he added catching sight of the severe look on Hermione's face.
"We best be off then, but Evans -"
"Anytime you want to join in on a prank -"
"Let us know."
"Idiots." Hermione sounded almost as livid as Madam Pince a few moments earlier.
"Come one, let's go back to the common room; the atmosphere in there is going to be lethal for hours. We might as well get some work done."
They all agreed - even Ron - but no sooner had they started along the corridor than Harry stopped again. "Do you mind if I catch up with you? There's something I want to check."
"What is it? Really Harry we need to study, these exams are important." Hermione was evidently going to be irritable with everyone for the rest of the day.
"It won't take a minute." Taking their silence for assent he grinned at them and set off in the opposite direction.
"Honestly, the way everyone's behaving today you'd think we just had a party to go to at the end of term, not exams!"
"Well we do, Fred and George said the end of term feast is fantastic. I can't wait."
Alice rolled her eyes; trust Ron to think of his stomach.
Twenty minutes later Harry reappeared in the common room and looked around cautiously before coming over to speak to them. "Where's Neville got to?"
"He went to get his Herbology books, why what's wrong?"
"Nothing," Harry slipped into one of the empty chairs at their table, "I just went past the forbidden corridor to check if I could still hear the dog. I can," he answered Alice's question before she'd even opened her mouth.
"Why is everyone so obsessed with going to see that dog? It should be Snape we're worried about."
Harry turned to Hermione and patiently explained his logic to her, "I thought that since we can't do anything about Snape at the moment, we could at least check to see he hasn't gotten past the dog whenever we're going in that direction - it's a start anyway."
Hermione looked suspicious, "if that was all you were doing why did it take you so long?"
"That Arithmancy professor was talking to Professor Quirrell in the corridor; I had to wait till they were gone."
"Oh, ok."
Alice stifled a grin with difficulty, she was fairly sure her best friend would not have accepted such a simple explanation if Ron had been the one giving it.
For the next week anytime they were walking to and from classes or to the library the four of them made sure to make time to walk along the third floor corridor their ears straining for any hint of Fluffy, much to the consternation of poor Neville who was with them on several occasions when they did this and couldn't understand why they needed to go up a whole two floors to get to History of Magic when they had been on the right floor in the first place. Ron was going to try to convince him it was a short cut, but Alice felt that they were lying - it wasn't lying really, just omitting the truth - to their friend enough already and half told him, explaining that Harry wanted to check something which he accepted. If trying to monitor the dog showed them anything though it was how useless this was going to be as a tactic against Snape, they were rarely in the corridors especially as they spent all of their time revising the copious notes the had accumulated over the course of the year; or in Ron's case borrowing everyone else's.
Before they could come up with a better solution to the problem however their exams were upon them and Alice barely had time to eat or sleep let alone worry about the fact that one of their teachers was plotting to steal a priceless and highly magical object. Her nerves weren't helped by the fact that after they came out of each exam Hermione would recite exactly what she had written for each question. The problem was not so much that what Hermione had written was any different to what she had it was just that she simply couldn't remember, it was like someone had cast a memory charm on her the minute she put her quill down. The boys didn't seem too enthused by this habit of her friend's either, Neville would typically disappear to his dormitory whenever she started and Ron, when he wasn't outright telling her to be quiet which usually led to an argument, would sit and tut loudly whilst glaring at Hermione when he thought she wasn't looking. Even Harry, who seemed to understand as well as Alice that this was just Hermione's way of releasing stress after an exam, was getting tired of it by the end of the week; however he dealt with it slightly more tactfully than Ron.
Suddenly it seemed to be the end of the week and the five of them were making their way out into the beckoning sunshine, looking slightly dazed after their History of Magic exam.
"I thought that wasn't too bad, the question about -"
"Hermione shut up."
"I was just - oh never mind, it's too nice a day to argue."
"I am so glad that is over, I never want to have to read about Urg the Unclean ever again!"
Slowly they drifted across to the Lake allowing the warm June sunshine to soak into their bones and revelling in the fact that they could spend the next three weeks doing whatever they wanted - when they weren't in classes of course. For a while the five of them sat under one of the trees on the edge of the lake and Hermione began to show Neville how to make daisy chains whilst Harry and Ron made lists of all the things they were going to do with there free time.
"Ron do any of these things not involve food?" Alice queried cracking one eye open and looking up at him with a grin from where she lay stretched out on the grass. His only response was to throw a handful of grass in her face. As much as she loved sitting reading and learning Alice had to admit it was lovely just to be outside, relaxing and having fun with her friends at the end of term. She couldn't believe her first year at Hogwarts was nearly over although she deliberately tried not to contemplate how bored she would inevitably get in the summer - how could anyone go back to `normal' life after this?
As though to emphasise her point her musings were abruptly intruded upon by a huge splash from the lake and she quickly sat up to see what was going on. Alice grinned as she saw the twins and Lee Jordan standing several feet away from the edge dripping from head to foot as the deluge which had just engulfed them rushed back to the lake. Clearly the giant squid had gotten bored with being teased and decided to retaliate.
"Go ahead, laugh it up Ronniekins," George shouted as the three walked over to the first years and then proceeded to ring his sodden robes out over his brother who abruptly stopped laughing and sat up trying to take a swipe at him.
"Well it serves you right," Hermione sniffed - she still hadn't completely forgiven them for the incident in the library, "the poor squid isn't just there for your amusement you know."
"Sure it is," Fred hung his robes on a branch to dry and rolled up his sleeves, "it just hasn't been informed of the fact."
"So are you ready for the last Quidditch match then Harry?" Lee asked stretching his legs out and leaning back on his elbows. "Am I going to have to prepare a long commentary or will you save me the work?"
The conversation turned to Quidditch and Hermione, looking slightly put out, turned back to her daisy chain. After a while Alice, feeling slightly sorry for her, joined her and the two of them managed to make themselves some quite successful necklaces. Eventually Harry glanced at his watch and announced that it was probably time to go in for dinner, something which no one argued with least of all Ron whose exhortations for them to hurry up on the way back to the castle were punctuated by loud grumbles from his stomach.
"I'll be along in a minute," Hermione announced as they reached the entrance hall, "I just want to put these books back in my trunk." Alice wasn't quite sure why she had insisted on taking her copy of A History of Magic to the exam since she had been made to leave it at the front of the room and had barely had time to read any of it whilst they were waiting outside beforehand.
The remaining Gryffindors went to sit down and Alice was just helping herself to a particularly large piece of shepherd's pie when Harry's exclamation nearly caused her to drop it.
"Where's Dumbledore," he was staring up at the staff table looking stricken.
Ron, Alice and Fred all followed his gaze and sure enough the Headmaster's seat was vacant.
"Didn't you know?" George was saying, "he left this morning, we saw him leave. Probably going to the Ministry or something, Dad said Fudge is always sending him owls."
Alice's eyes flicked along the rest of the table of their own volition to where, for the first time ever, she hoped Snape would be sitting. He wasn't.
"Oh no," she breathed turning wide eyes to Harry and Ron.
"He can't -"
"Do you think - ?"
Hastily all three of them scrambled to their feet. "Neville tell Hermione we've gone to see Fluffy, she'll understand. And tell her Dumbledore's gone." Without waiting for an answer all three dashed the length of the Great Hall leaving everyone behind them thoroughly bewildered.
"Where are you going?" one of the twins shouted at their rapidly retreating backs, but Alice didn't even look around to see which one, she was too busy trying to get up the stairs as fast as she could and praying that they wouldn't be too late to stop their potions master.
Minutes later they were on the third floor and Alice was staring at the door which concealed Fluffy. She couldn't hear him. "He must have gone through already." She felt sick.
"Should we get a teacher?"
"There's no time," Harry asserted, "besides they still probably wouldn't listen. Alice was right, who would believe a bunch of kids? Then we'll just have wasted even more time."
"He must have thought he could steal it whilst no one was looking. Should we wait for Hermione?"
But there was no need for no sooner had Ron finished his sentence than the girl in question came careening along the corridor followed, rather distantly, by a very out of breath looking Neville.
"Neville told me what happened, has he gone through?"
Harry looked grave, "well we can't hear Fluffy anymore so I think so."
"Who's Fluffy?" Neville's question was ignored as they cautiously began to move towards the door. "Where are you going?" He was sounding confused and panicked now. Alice on the other hand felt suddenly calm; now that they had decided to do something she just wanted to get on with it rather than worry about what lay ahead.
"Neville go back to the Hall and tell one of the teachers to come up here. Well -" she qualified as the others all looked at her, "it can't hurt to tell them where we are now can it?"
"I -"
"Shh!" Harry gestured for them all to be quiet as he pressed his ear to the door. "There's someone in there," he hissed, "I can hear music." Looking suddenly resolute he grasped the door handle and paused to look at them all. "Well here goes then," and he flung open the door to reveal - nothing.
Alright Fluffy was there, all three giant heads drooped down onto its paws and snoring loudly, but other than that there was no one in evidence.
"Wow," whispered Ron taking in the sight of the massive dog for the first time.
"We're too late," Hermione groaned.
Neville whimpered softly next to Alice. "What is that thing?"
"It's a guard dog," she turned to Hermione, "Snape must have only just gone down if he's still asleep, we can't be far behind."
"I know we should -"
"Snape?" Neville sounded slightly less terrified now that it was obvious the dog wasn't going to do them any immediate damage.
"He's gone through the trapdoor, Harry we should -"
"Snape can't be down there."
Harry, who had just taken a step into the room stopped and turned round. "What do you mean Neville? Why not?"
Neville blushed as they all stared at him. "Because we just passed him on our way here, going down to the Hall, there's no way he could have gotten up here again before us."
For several long seconds there was utter silence in the corridor apart from the steady thrum of Fluffy's breathing. Alice could see her friends' expressions rapidly switching from confusion to fear and back again and she suspected hers was much the same. So -
"If Snape's not -"
"Then who - ?"
They all stared towards the open trapdoor in silence. "I'm going down," Harry sounded determined.
"Neville go and get a teacher," Alice repeated, she wasn't about to let Harry disappear off through that trapdoor by himself. She was vaguely aware of the sound of running feet behind her but was distracted by the fact that the dog seemed to be twitching.
" - at its feet?" Hermione was whispering something to Ron.
"Looks like a harp. Alice!" Ron tried to grab her as she darted forwards and scooped it up just as Fluffy opened three of its eyes blearily. Scooping it up she plucked a string and immediately the dog's eyelids began to droop, which was just as well really because those fangs were perilously close.
"I don't suppose any of you have secret harp playing skills you're not sharing," the joke in Ron's voice didn't quite reach his eyes.
The others shook their heads but Alice answered, "I played the Celtic harp once in music at school, I ended up picking the violin though - it's better than nothing. Hurry up I'll play something."
As the others moved warily to investigate the trapdoor she began playing the first thing that came into her head which turned out to be a rather distorted version of Mary had a little lamb; luckily Fluffy was not a musical connoisseur and remained asleep. Suddenly Alice felt herself trying to repress the urge to burst into hysterical giggles, they were trying to follow some now unknown person through a hole in the floor that led to goodness knows where to stop them from stealing a precious stone that would let him/her/it live forever - and they weren't even supposed to know about it in the first place, and now she was playing nursery rhymes to a giant three headed dog - badly. With an effort she controlled herself and one by one her friends dropped out of sight through the gap in the floor. Just as she was readying herself to follow them she heard Hermione's shriek followed by more shouts from below.
"Alice stay there," Harry's voice sounded panicked.
Straining to work out what was going on she realised too late that she had stopped playing and the commotion from below had awoken the dog. For a moment time stood still as six yellow eyes glared at her with growing malevolence, then everything seemed to happen at once. The dog lashed out snarling with fury at being disturbed and she felt her sleeve rip as she threw away the harp and jumped with a scream. For several seconds she felt cold air rushing past her a she dropped into darkness and just as she thought she might never stop she landed painfully on -
"Alice move!"
Whipping round she saw the boys twisted up in the snaking tendrils of the plant beneath her and Hermione standing on the far side of the room ringing her hands. "It's Devils Snare!"
Realisation hit her and she wrenched herself free of the creepers, adrenaline granting her a strength she hadn't known she possessed. As she neared the other witch she could hear her chanting fragments of a rhyme over and over as though trying to remember the end of it.
"Hurry up," Ron was rapidly turning blue as the plant wound around his chest with grim determination and Alice watched in horror.
"Devils Snare, Devils Snare it likes the dark and damp… I can't remember what comes next!" she wailed.
Alice grabbed her arm as inspiration struck. "Fire." Hermione immediately understood and quickly the two girls pulled out their wands aiming them at the plant. "Hyacincedia." Almost immediately it began retreating from the blue flames they conjured and within moments Harry and Ron were stumbling free.
"Lucky you pay attention in Herbology Hermione," Harry smiled at her as they joined the girls by the wall."
"Yeah and lucky Alice arrived when she did, or we'd have been toast." Ron rubbed his chest, "is that where we have to go then?" He nodded towards a small door in the corner.
"Looks like it, there's nowhere else for him to go… whoever he is." Harry looked momentarily perplexed but quickly took a deep breath and smiled reassuringly at them all. "Come on then."
The three of them moved towards the door and Alice took the opportunity, whilst there backs were turned, to check her left arm which she was suddenly aware was throbbing rather painfully. Peeling aside the torn remains of her sleeve she saw a long rather deep looking gash running down the length of her forearm and causing blood to make her hand slick. She hadn't noticed before because she was rather preoccupied with the imminent threat posed to her friends, but now that it had abated slightly her arm really hurt. Biting her lip and blinking away the tears that suddenly stung at her eyes she wrapped the torn ends of her sleeve tightly around the wound and, hoping she wouldn't lose too much blood and do something embarrassing like pass out, followed her friends.
A/N: I invented the spell name Hyacincendia (from the Latin name for a bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta and incendia which is Latin for fire) for the bluebell flames Hermione conjures a couple of times. I just felt it ought to have a name. Hope you all enjoy this latest instalment and remember to R&R!!!
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