meant to be (2)

38

We went down the marble staircase. All we needed now was a Slytherin whom we could follow to the Slytherin common room, but there was nobody around.

"Any ideas?" muttered Harry.

"The Slytherins always come up to breakfast from over there" I said, nodding at the entrance to the dungeons.

The words had barely left my mouth when a girl with long curly hair emerged from the entrance.

"Excuse me" said Ron, hurrying up to her, "we've forgotten the way to our common room!"

"I beg your pardon?" said the girl stiffly. "Our common room."

She walked away, looking suspiciously back at us.
Harry, Ron and I hurried down the stone steps into the darkness, our footsteps echoing, feeling that this wasn't going to be as easy as we had hoped.

The labyrinthine passages were deserted. We walked deeper and deeper under the school, constantly checking our watches to see how much time we had left. After a quarter of an hour, just when we were getting desperate, we heard a sudden movement ahead.

"Ha!" said Ron excitedly. "There's one of them now!"

The figure was emerging from a side room. As we hurried nearer, however, our hearts sank. It wasn't a Slytherin, it was Percy.

"What're you doing down here?" said Ron in surprise.

Percy looked affronted.

"That" he said stiffly "is none of your business. It's Crabbe, isn't it?"

"Wh- oh, yeah" said Ron.

"Well, get off to your dormitories" said Percy sternly. "It's not safe to go wandering around dark corridors these days!"

"You are" I pointed out.

"I" said Percy, drawing himself up, "am a Prefect. Nothing's about to attack me!"

A voice suddenly echoed behind Harry, Ron and I. Malfoy was strolling towards us and for the first time in my life, I was pleased to see him.

"There you are" he drawled, looking at us. "What are you doing here, Parkinson, I thought you went home?"

"Changed my mind" I said, trying to imitate Pany's arrogant tone.

Malfoy glanced witheringly at Percy.

"And what're you doing down here, Weasley?" he sneered. Percy looked outraged.

"You want to show a bit more respect to a school Prefect!" he said. "I don't like your attitude!"

Malfoy sneered and motioned Harry, Ron and I to follow him. I almost said something apologetic to Percy but caught myself just in time. We hurried after Malfoy, who said as they turned into the next passage "That Peter Weasley-"

"Percy" Ron corrected him automatically.

"Whatever" said Malfoy. "I've noticed him sneaking around a lot lately. And I bet I know what he's up to. He thinks he's going to catch Slytherin's heir single-handed!"

He gave a short, derisive laugh. Harry, Ron and I exchanged excited looks. Malfoy paused by a stretch of bare, damp stone wall.

"What's the new password again?" he said to me.

"Er-"

"Oh yeah - pure-blood!" said Malfoy, not listening, and a stone door concealed in the wall slid open. Malfoy marched through it and we
followed him.

The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling, from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was cracking under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of us, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in carved chairs.