meant to be (1)

53

After dinner the four of us sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered us; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Harry and I any more, after all.

This was the first night I hadn't been upset by it. Hermione and I were skimming through all our notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments we were about to try and break.

Harry and Ron didn't talk much, which was very unusual. Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.

"Better get the Cloak." Ron muttered, as Lee finally left, stretching and yawning. Harry ran upstairs to the boys dormitory.

He came back with the Cloak and his flute, which Hagrid had given him for Christmas.

"We'd better put the Cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three 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, who looked as though hed been making another bid for freedom.

"Nothing, Neville, nothing." said Harry, hurriedly putting the Cloak behind his back. Neville stared at our guilty faces.

"You're going out again." he said. I couldn't think of an excuse.

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

I looked at the grandfather clock by the door. We couldn't afford to waste any more time, Snape might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.

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

"You don't understand, Neville," I stated. "this is important."

But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do
something desperate.

"I won't let you do it." he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll - I'll fight you!"

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

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

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

He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight.

"Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!"

Harry turned to me.

"Jules, do something." he whispered desperately.

I stepped forward.

"Neville,' I said. "I'm really, really sorry about this."

I raised my wand.

"Petrificus Totalus!" I cried, pointing it at Neville.
Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board.

Hermione and I ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at us in horror.

"What've you done to him?" Harry whispered.

"It's the full Body-Bind." answered Hermione. "It's pretty impressive what Julie did, actually."

'"Neville, I'm so, so sorry!" I said, guilt swimming through me.

"You're not gonna stay like this forever." Hermione whispered. "You're going to be fine."

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

"You'll understand later, Neville." added Ron, as we stepped over him and pulled on the Invisibility Cloak. But leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen.

In our nervous state, every shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on us. At the foot of the first set of stairs, we spotted Mrs Norris skulking near the top.

"Oh, let's kick her, just this once." Ron whispered, but I shook my head. As we climbed carefully around her, Mrs Norris turned her lamp-like eyes on us, but didn't do anything.

We didn't meet anyone else until we reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.

"Who's there?" he said suddenly as we climbed towards him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?"

He rose up in the air and floated there, squinting at us.

"Should call Filch, I should, if something's creeping around unseen."

'Peeves." Harry said, in a hoarse whisper "The Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible!"

Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs.

"So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr Baron, sir." he said greasily. "My mistake, my mistake - I didn't see you - of course I didn't, you're invisible - forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir"

"I have business here, Peeves." croaked Harry. "Stay away from this place tonight!"

"I will, sir, I most certainly will." said Peeves, rising up in the air again. "Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you"

And he scooted off.

"Brilliant, Harry!" I whispered.

"Thanks, Jules" he whispered back.

A few seconds later, we were there, outside the third-foor corridor - and the door was already ajar.