meant to be (2)

37

The Great Hall looked magnificent. Not only were there a dozen frost-covered Christmas trees and thick streamers of holly and mistletoe criss-crossing the ceiling, but enchanted snow was falling, warm and dry, from the ceiling.

Dumbledore led us in a few of his favourite carols, Hagrid booming more and more loudly with every goblet of eggnog he consumed.

Percy, who hadn't noticed that Fred had bewitched his prefect badge so that it now read 'Pinhead', kept asking us all what we were sniggering at.

I didn't even care that Malfoy was making loud, snide remarks about Mrs Weasley's jumpers which we were all wearing from the Slytherin table. With a bit of luck, Malfoy would be getting his come-uppance in a few hours' time.

I had barely finished my third helping of Christmas pudding when Hermione ushered Harry, Ron and I out of the Hall to finalise our plans for the evening.

"Harry, Ron you still need a bit of the people you're changing into" said Hermione matter-of-factly, as though she was sending them to the supermarket for washing-powder. "And obviously, it'll be best if you can get something of Crabbe and Goyles; they're Malfoy's best friends, he'll tell them anything."

"And we also need to make sure the real Crabbe and Goyle can't burst in on us while we're interrogating him." I reminded.

"We've got it all worked out" Hermione went on smoothly, ignoring Harry and Ron's stupefied faces. She held up two plump chocolate cakes. "Julie and I filled these with a simple Sleeping Draught. All you have to do is make sure Crabbe and Goyle find them. You know how greedy they are, they're bound to eat them. Once they're asleep, pull out a few of their hairs and hide them in a broom cupboard!"

Harry and Ron looked incredulously at each other.

"Girls, I don't think-"

"That could go seriously wrong-"

But Hermione had a steely glint in her eye not unlike the one Professor McGonagall sometimes had.

"The Potion will be useless without Crabbe and Goyles hair" I snapped. "You do want to investigate Malfoy, don't you?"

"Oh, all right, all right." said Harry. "But what about you two? Whose hair are you using?'"

"I've already got mine!" said Hermione brightly, pulling a tiny bottle out of her pocket and showing them the single hair inside it. "Remember Millicent Bulstrode wrestling with me at the Duelling Club? She left this on my robes when she was trying to strangle me! And shes gone home for Christmas - so I'll just have to tell the Slytherins I've decided to come back!"

"I ripped out Parkinson's hair when Snape made me partner with her" I said proudly.

"YOU DID WHAT?" Ron and Harry bellowed at the same time.

"Shush, I'll tell you the story later! We've got to get your bits of Slytherins now!" I said as Hermione had bustled off to check on the Poly-juice Potion again.

"Have you ever heard of a plan where so many things could go wrong?" Ron whispered to Harry as I dragged the two boys off to wait behind an suit of armour.

I had perched the chocolate cakes on the end of the banisters when we spotted Crabbe and Goyle coming outof the Great Hall.

"How thick can you get?" Ron whispered ecstatically, as Crabbe gleefully pointed out the cakes to Goyle and grabbed them.

Grinning stupidly, they stuffed the cakes whole into their large mouths. For a moment, both of them chewed greedily, looks of triumph on their faces. Then, without the smallest change of expression, they both keeled over backwards onto the floor. I quickly ran to them and tried to drag Crabbe into the cupboard, but failed miserably.