𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 (𝟏) || HARRY POTTER LOVE STORY

30

"Who's there?" squawked the Fat Lady. Harry and Julie said nothing and walked quickly down the corridor. Her heart was racing. They could explore the whole of Hogwarts.

"Where should we go?" she whispered quietly.

"Follow me" he said. They set off, drawing the Invisibility Cloak thight around them as they walked.

"The library?" Julie said chuckling quietly when they arrived at the library in front of the Restricted section. "We've got the whole of Hogwarts and we're in the library? Really?"

"We're alone in here, maybe we could-"

"POTTER!" she said warningly, maybe a bit too loud. "You've got one track mind, haven't you?"

"You're the one who came along," Harry teased with a grin. "But seriously, I thought we could find out more about Flamel."

"Oh," Julie said, raising an eyebrow. "Now that's actually not a bad idea."

"Thanks, Jules" he thanked her. "Now we only have to figure out how to get in there"

"You know that I've already used the spell to open doors in front of you, move over" Julie stated. "Alohomora!"

"You're amazing" Harry breathed as they entered the Restricted section.

"I know, right?" Julie answered sarcastically. "It's like magic or something."

She was very thankful for the lamp, that Harry had brought with him as it was pitch black in the library. Harry and Julie looked at the titles of the book, but they didn't tell them much. Their peeling, faded gold letters spelled words in languages Julie couldn't understand. Some had no title at all. One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood.

The hairs on the back of Julie's neck bricked. Maybe she was imagining it, maybe not, but she thought a faint whispering came from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be.

But they had to start somewhere. Harry set the lamp down carefully on the floor. Julie looked along the shelves in the middle, while Harry looked along the bottom shelf.

Suddenly a piercing, blood-curling shriek split the silence - the book that Harry was holding, was screaming!

"You idiot!" Julie said. "Shut it!"

He snapped it shut, but the shriek went on and on. Julie stumbled backwards and knocked over his lamp, which went out at once.

"Great," she muttered. "Now we've really done it."

"Uh, yeah, thanks for the help, Jules," Harry grumbled, sounding just as panicked.

They heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside. They quickly pulled the cloak over them and ran for it.

They passed Filch almost in the doorway. Filch's pale, wild eyes looked right through us. They slipped under Filch's outstretched arm and streaked off up the corridor, the book still ringing in my ears.

They came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armour. They had been so busy getting away from the libray, they hadn't even paid attention to where they were going.

"Great job, Jules, now we're lost," Harry muttered, glancing around in the dark.

"I swear that suit wasn't here before," Julie said, furrowing her brow. "We must be on a different floor. We've got to get out of here!"

Just then they heard Filch's voice again.

"You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library - Restricted section."

Julie felt the blood drain out of her face. Wherever he was, Filch must know a shortcut, because his soft, greasy voice was getting nearer, and to her horror, it was Snape who replied.

"The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them."

Harry and Julie stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. If Harry hadn't slapped his palm in front of her mouth, she would've screamed.

They couldn't see them, of course, but it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they'd knock right into them. The Cloak didn't stop them from being solid.

Harry backed away as quietly as he could, pulling Julie with him, as he was holding his hand with the one who wasn't covering her mouth.

A door stood ajar to their left. It was their only hope. They squeezed trough it, holding their breath, trying not to move it, and to Julie's relief they managed to get inside the room without the others noticing anything.

They walked straight past them and Julie and Harry lent against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close.

"It's like you're glued to me," Julie muttered, trying to catch her breath while looking down at Harry and her entwined hands.

"You didn't mind earlier," Harry replied, smirking in the darkness. "What's the problem now?"

She rolled my eyes, though she could feel her cheeks heat up. "You're impossible."

It was a few seconds before Julie noticed anything about the room they had hidden in. It looked like a disused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls snd there was an upturned waste-paper basket.

Suddenly, Harry let go of her hand.