The Unknown: A Harry Potter Story

Chapter 25: The First Challenges

After dinner the four of them sat nervously in the common room. Nobody bothered them. All of the Gryffindors were still avoiding anyone close to Harry and Hermione, but this time, they didn't care that nobody talked to them. They all wanted to be alone in anticipation of what would happen that night.

Hermione sat skimming through all her notes, hoping that she would find something that would be useful. Harry and Ron didn't talk much. Jason was trying to focus. He wanted to center himself as he did before a Quidditch match, if they were going to face the dangers of breaking into a highly protected vault, he was going to need the void.

The room emptied as people drifted off to bed.

"Better get the Cloak," Ron muttered, as the last of the students left the common room. Harry and Jason both headed up to their dormitory, as Harry went to his trunk, Jason went to his and pulled out the harp that Hagrid had given him for Christmas.

The two of them made their way back down to the common room.

"We'd better put the Cloak on here, and make sure it covers all four of us - if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own - "

"What are you doing?" said a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad.

"Nothing, Neville, nothing," said Harry, hiding the Cloak behind his back.

Neville didn't believe them.

"You're going out again," he said.

"No, no, no," said Hermione. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?"

"Don't worry," Jason added. "We're done making trouble. Just gonna keep our heads down until Summer starts."

"You can't go out," said Neville, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble."

"You don't understand," said Harry, "this is important."

"I won't let you do it," Neville replied, moving to stand in front of the portrait hole and raising his fists. "I'll - I'll fight you!"

"Neville," Ron exploded, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot -"

"Don't call me an idiot! I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!"

"You have to give him that one," Jason whispered to the others. "He learned that lesson well."

"Yes, but not to us," said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing."

"Do something," Harry whispered to Hermione, desperately.

Hermione stepped forward.

"Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this."
She raised her wand.

"Petrificus Totalus!" she cried, pointing it at Neville.

Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stooped and fell flat on his face, stiff as aboard.

Jason and Hermione both moved to flip Neville over, lying him face up.

"Nice one," Jason said to Hermione.

"It's the full Body-Bind," said Hermione miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry."

"We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Harry.

"You'll understand later, Neville," said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the Invisibility Cloak.

The Cloak was tight with all four of them. As they traveled down the corridors, they could only take small steps to stay covered by the cloak, but that made them bump into each other more. When they reached the first staircase, Hermione stopped short in front of Jason, causing him to bump into her and fall to the ground. He scrambled back onto his feet and into the invisibility cloak again, just in time for Mrs. Norris to come prowling through the corridor.