Bella and the Chamber (Book Two)

Chapter Thirty-One

As soon the boys left to interrogate Malfoy, I turned and faced Hermione's cubicle, wondering why she didn't want to go in the first place. It couldn't be that bad. Picking up my long robes (seriously how does Snape walk around with these on?), I walked over to Hermione's cubicle and knocked on the door. 

"Hermione, it's only me. Open up"

"How do I know you're not Professor Snape?" She asks, her voice muffled by her cries. 

"Because if it was him there would be no door left," I rolled my eyes, "now, open up"

I hear the lock of the cubicle and she opens the door. I gasp at the sight of my best friend. 

"Oh. My. God"

HARRY'S POV:

"Ron, don't move your arms like that," I muttered to Ron.

He looks at me. "Eh?"

"Crabbe holds them sort of stiff..."

"How's this?"

"Yeah, that's better"

We went down the marble staircase and I looked around. All we needed now was a Slytherin who we could follow to the Slytherin Common Room, but just our luck, there was nobody around.

"Any ideas?" I muttered.

"The Slytherins always come up to breakfast from over there," Ron said, nodding at the entrance to the dungeons. The words had barely left his mouth when a girl with long curly hair walked out of the entrance.

"Excuse me," Ron said, hurrying up to her, "we've forgotten the way to our Common Room"

"I beg your pardon?" the girl said stiffly. "Our Common Room? I'm a Ravenclaw"

"Of course you are," I chuckled nervously. "Our bad"

She walked away, looking suspiciously back at us. 

We hurried down the stone steps into the darkness, our footsteps echoing loudly as Crabbe and Goyle's huge feet hit the floor, 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!" Ron said, grinning excitedly. "There's one of them now!"

The figure was walking out of a side room. As we hurried nearer, our hearts sank. It wasn't a Slytherin at all, it was just Percy.

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

Percy looked affronted. 

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

"Wh-oh yeah,"

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

"You are," I pointed out. 

"I," Percy replied, drawing himself up, "am a Prefect. Nothing's going to attack me"

A voice suddenly echoed behind us before me and Ron could reply. It was Draco, just the person we wanted to see. He 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. "Have you two been pigging out in the Great Hall all this time? I've been looking for you, I want to show you something really funny"