𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 (𝟐) || HARRY POTTER LOVE STORY

48

Julie spun around. A few feet away, towering above her, was a solid wall of spiders, clicking, their many eyes gleaming in their ugly black heads

A tingling feeling was spred through her whole body. Her power. She reached for her wand.

"IMMOBILUS!" she screamed, pointing her wand at a few spiders. The magic crackled through her whole body, and she felt the force of it push her backward. She stumbled and hit the ground, her leg wedged tightly between two roots.

"JULES!" Harry's voice cut through the panic as he rushed over to her, but the spiders were getting closer, their clicking getting louder.

Julie could hear Harry grunting as he tried to pull her leg free. "Come on, come on, Jules! Move!" But her leg was stuck fast, and her heart was pounding harder as the spiders crept closer.

"Harry, just... just keep them off me!" Julie yelled, summoning every ounce of power she had. She sent spell after spell at the spiders, pushing them back, but they kept coming.

She gritted her teeth, but it felt like forever until her leg finally slipped free. She shot up to her feet, only to feel Harry's hand catch hers, his grip tight.

"Come on, we need to get out of here!" Harry pulled her up and didn't let go of her hand. Julie  could feel her face heat up at how close they were, but she quickly shoved that thought away.

"Harry, I–" she started, but before she could finish, a loud screech sounded in the distance, and she froze. Her breath caught as Mr. Weasley's car came barreling down the slope, its headlights blinding. The car screeched to a halt right in front of them, knocking spiders aside left and right.

"Get Fang!" Harry shouted, diving into the front seat. Julie grabbed Fang, who was already whimpering, and tossed him into the backseat, sitting next to him.

Ron didn't touch the accelerator but the car didn't need him; the engine roared and they were off, hitting more spiders.

They sped up the slope, out of the hollow, and they were soon crashing through the Forest, branches whipping the windows as the car wound its way cleverly through the widest gaps, following a path it obviously knew.

Julie looked to the front at Ron. His mouth was still open in the silent scream, but his eyes weren't popping any more.

"Are you OK?" she asked. Ron stared straight ahead, unable to speak.

They smashed their way through the undergrowth, Fang howling loudly in the back seat, and she saw the wing mirror snap off as they squeezed past a large oak. After ten noisy, rocky minutes, the trees thinned, and she could again see patches of sky.

The car stopped so suddenly that they were nearly thrown into the windscreen. They had reached the edge of the Forest. Fang flung himself at the window in his anxiety to get out and when she opened the door, Fang shot off through the trees to Hagrids house, tail between his legs.

But then, in a split second, she turned to Harry. Julie didn't even think - she just ran to him and threw her arms around him, relief flooding through her. She couldn't help it. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or maybe it was something else.

Harry seemed startled for a second, but then, slowly, he wrapped his arms around her too. She could feel the warmth of him, his heartbeat thudding against her chest, and she felt a wave of safety she couldn't explain.

"Thanks, Harry," she muttered into his chest, her voice barely above a whisper. "If you hadn't... I wouldn't be alive right now."

"Anything for you, Jules," Harry's voice was quiet, but his words sent a flutter through her. After a few moments, she pulled away from him, feeling her cheeks burn.

Harry went back into Hagrid's cabin to get the Invisibility Cloak, while she stayed outside along with Ron, who looked like he needed some fresh air.

"Ron, you look awful, are you su-" Julie started, worryingly, but was cut off by Ron, violently throwing up in Hagrid's precious pumpink patch. She rubbed his back gently, while saying some comforting words.

"Follow the spiders." said Ron weakly, wiping his mouth on his sleeve, as Harry came back. "I'll never forgive Hagrid. We're lucky to be alive!"

"I bet he thought Aragog wouldn't hurt friends of his." said Harry.

"That's exactly Hagrid's problem!" said Ron, thumping the wall of the cabin. "He always thinks monsters aren't as bad as they're made out, and look where it's got him! A cell in Azkaban!"

Ron was shivering uncontrollably now. "What was the point of sending us in there? What have we found out, I'd like to know?"

"That Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets." Julie said, while Harry was throwing the cloak over them prodding Ron in the arm to make him walk. "He was innocent."

Ron gave a loud snort. Evidently, hatching Aragog out in a cupboard wasn't his idea of being innocent.

As the castle loomed nearer Harry twitched the Cloak to make sure their feet were hidden, then pushed the creaking front doors ajar. They walked carefully back across the Entrance Hall and up the marble staircase, holding their breath as they passed corridors where watchful sentries were waking.

At last they reached the safety of the Gryffindor common room, where the fire had burned itself into glowing ash. They took off the Cloak and sat down in front of the fire place. For several minutes they didn't talk. Julie'snhead was buzzing with all the information about the Chamber of Secrets.

The creature that was lurking somewhere in the castle, she thought, sounded like a sort of monster Voldemort - even other monsters didn't want to name it. But they were no closer to finding out what it was, or how it Petrified its victims. Even Hagrid had never known what was in the Chamber of Secrets.

Julie was thinking hard, her head hurting slightly, when she realized something.

"Harry!" she hissed so suddenly, that it made both of the boys jump. "Ron!"

Both were staring at her expectantly.

"That girl who died. Aragog said she was found in a bathroom." she said, ignoring the puzzlement on the boys' faces. "What if she never left the bathroom? What if she's still there?"

She could see Ron and Harry frowning through the moonlight. And then they understood.

"You don't think - not Moaning Myrtle?"