Twice Chosen | Esmerelda Potter

27. Into the Trapdoor

Hermione and I are the only girls awake in the girl's dormitory tonight. It is almost midnight, and we have arranged to meet Harry and Ron downstairs with the Invisibility Cloak. 

Once Hermione and I tiptoe down the stone stairs successfully, we silently meet Harry and Ron. We don't say a word as we slowly creep across the common room. 

I almost step on a frog in the middle of the rug and I almost scream, but Hermione pulls me back before I can spread frog guts all over the rug. 

"Shh! Go on Trevor!" Ron makes a flicking motion at the frog. "Shoo! You shouldn't be here!"

The red armchair flips around, scaring us all nearly to death. A figure stands up from the chair.

Neville.

He is in his pajamas, reading a book. We all silently gasp. 

"Neither should you!" Neville says, angrily. "You're sneaking out again, aren't you? You'll lose more points for Gryffindor again!"

"Neville, go to bed!" Ron tries.

Neville clenches his hands and puts them into fists.

"I'll fight you. Right here!" Neville shouts. 

"Neville, I'm really, really sorry about this!" Hermione whispers. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Neville's body goes rigid and falls backwards onto the patterned rug stifly. Hermione pockets her wand.

"Hermione, don't take this the wrong way, but you are bloody scary sometimes," Ron comments. "Brilliant, but scary."

As we pass Neville, we all mutter a quick apology and 'you'll understand later', his eyes darting back and forth. The portrait swings open to let us all out.

On the way to the third floor corridor, we all argue about who will sing to Fluffy, since none of us actually own any musical instruments. 

"I can't sing!" Hermione whines. "I can't even dance!"

"Me neither!" Ron says. "Harry, you do it!"

"No way!" Harry yells, too loudly. We all shush him immediately, hoping not to wake up the portraits.

"I sing like a frog!" I whine quietly. 

By the time we get to the corridor, it is decided that I'll be singing, even though my only experience is singing in a church choir one time during Christmas when I was nine. Even worse, I was politely told that I wasn't allowed back again. I remember Gloria and I laughing about it the entire way home. 

Harry slides open the door, which wasn't locked, unlike the last time we had an encounter with Fluffy.

Even stranger, Fluffy is asleep. A golden harp magically plays in the corner. Someone's been here before us.

At least I don't have to sing. 

"Now what do we do? Snape already beat us!" Ron shouts loudly. We all shush Ron. The dog stirs, but luckily doesn't wake.

"We just get the stone first," Harry answers, as if it's just that easy. He pulls open the trapdoor. All that I can see is black. There is no light whatsoever.

"I'll go first," Harry says. "If anything bad happens, go get Dumbledore, or even Professor Mcgonagall if he's not back yet."

"I'm coming with you!" I say. "Snape's after me, too, not just you." 

Harry shakes his head. "I don't want any of you hurt." 

I begin to protest, but the room becomes oddly quiet all of a sudden.