meant to be (1)

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"It's sort of secret." Harry said, but Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared. I tried not to roll my eyes.

"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 and I frantically at the same time. "Now?"

"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard,  he has many demands on his time."

"But this is important!" Harry urged.

"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?" she answered.

"Look," I said, throwing caution to the winds, "Professor, it's about the Philosopher's Stone-"

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, we think - we know - that Sn- that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. We've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore!" Harry said.

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-"

"Clarke, I know what I'm talking about!" she said shortly.She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine!"

But we didn't.

"It's tonight." said Harry, once he was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. "Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs and now he's got Dumbledore 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 and I gasped. Harry and Ron wheeled round.

Snape was standing there.

"Good afternoon." he said smoothly. We stared at him.

"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this." he said, with an odd, twisted smile.

"We were-" Harry began.

"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 they?"

I flushed. We turned to go back outside, but Snape called us back.

"Potter be warned - any more night-time wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you!"

He strode off in the direction of the staff room.
Out on the stone steps, Harry turned to Hermione, Ron and me.

"Right, here's what we've got to do." he whispered urgently. "Two of us has got to keep an eye on Snape - wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione, Julie, you'd better do that."

"Why us!" I asked.

"I's obvious." said Ron. "You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know" He put on a high voice. "Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried, I think I got question fourteen b wrong..."

"Oh, shut up!" said Hermione, but we agreed to go and watch out for Snape.

"Let's go" I said.

We quickly hurried off to the staff room and stood there for about five minutes when someone opened the door.

"Clarke! Granger!" Snape said angrily. "What are you two doing here?"

"Waiting for someone." I said shortly without looking in Snape's eyes.

"Who?" Snape asked with a very disturbing grin on his face.

"Not for you." I said. I now looked him directly in the eyes.

"Fix your attitude, Clarke" he said, now turning to Hermione. "Granger! Who are you waiting for."

"Professor Flitwick..." she quietly answered.

"I will go and get him." Snape said, turning around. Professor Flitwick came out and greeted us with a big smile.

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"I'm sorry!" Hermione wailed after we came back to the common room. "Snape came out and asked  us what we were doing, Julie didn't tell him anything, but then he asked me and it just burst out of me that we were waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and we've only just got away."

"We don't know where Snape went" I added.

"Well, that's it then, isn't it?"Harry said

I stared at him. He was pale and his es were glittering.

"I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first." he said

"What!" I answered

"You're mad!" said Ron.

'"You can't! said Hermione. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!"

'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 any more, can't you see? D'you think hell leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor win the House Cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I'll 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 done, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side! I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you three say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?"

He glared at us. I've never seen him like this.

"You're right, Harry." I said after I've processed everything he just said.

"I'll use the Invisibility Cloak, said Harry. 'It's just lucky I got it back!"

"But will it cover all four of us?" asked Ron.

"All - all four of us?" Harry repeated.

"Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?' Of course not, dummy." I said briskly.

"How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I'd better go and look through my books, there might be something useful..." Hermione said.

"But if we get caught, you three will be expelled, too!" Harry argued.

"Not if I can help it." said Hermione grimly, exchanging excited looks with me. "Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve per cent on his exam. They're not throwing me out after that."