Ron-Weasly book 1

Hermione and I stared at him in silence.

"I'm going to leave my bedroom tonight and try to get the stone first." There was a desperate determination in Harry's voice.

"You're crazy!" I exclaimed.

"You can't!" Hermione picked up the baton. "After what McGonagall and Snape told you? You're going to be expelled!"

"SO WHAT?!" Harry shouted. "Don't you understand anything? If Snape steals the stone, Voldemort will return! Haven't you heard about the times when he tried to seize power? Then no one will be kicked out of Hogwarts, because there simply won't be a school! Voldemort will level it to the ground or turn it into a school of the Dark Arts! So penalty points don't matter anymore! Let's say you win a competition between faculties. So what? Will Voldemort leave you and your families alone? If I get caught before I get to the stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait there for Voldemort to find me. I'm just going to die later than I could have died if I hadn't done anything today, because I'll never go over to the Dark Side! Therefore, today I will go to the place where the stone is kept. And no matter what you two say, it won't stop me! If you remember, Voldemort killed my parents. I can't sit back and wait for him to start killing others..."

After finishing his monologue, Harry stared at me and Hermione intently, as if he expected us to start arguing with him. We stared at him in silence. Well, what can I say if he's right. My knees are shaking from the possibility of meeting Voldemort, but I can't leave my friend alone in the lurch.

"You're right, Harry," after a while, Hermione answered in a low voice.

"I'm using the invisibility cloak," said Harry. "I was lucky to get it back."

So, you can't let him go alone.

"Do you think the three of us can fit under it?" I asked.

"What do you mean, the three of us?" Harry didn't understand.

"Come on," I said. "Did you think we'd leave you alone?"

"Of course we won't," Hermione confirmed fervently. "Do you think you can get to the stone without our help? And now I'm going to go and look through the textbooks, maybe I'll come across some useful information..."

"But if we get caught, you'll be expelled too." Harry noticed.

"Oh, no," said Hermione gloomily. "Flitwick told me in confidence that I scored a hundred and twenty points on his exam, although no one gets higher than a hundred. I don't think they'll kick me out after that."

I said nothing. Even though I might be expelled, I didn't want to leave my friend alone.

After dinner, we returned to the living room and sat apart from each other so that no one would think we were up to something. Although if Professor McGonagall had come here, she would have immediately assumed the opposite. But the teachers didn't come in here, and everyone else preferred to ignore Harry and his company — no one had talked to us until now.

Hermione flipped through her notes, hoping that it would help her to break the spells protecting the stone. Harry and I were silent, thinking about what we had to do.

Gradually, the room emptied. Sleep time was approaching.

"Go get your robe," I whispered when Lee Jordan finally came out of the room, yawning and stretching. Harry darted upstairs to the dark bedroom, returning a few minutes later in a silver bundle."

"Let's put on the robe right here and make sure it hides us all." Harry suggested it. "If Filch suddenly sees one foot wandering down the corridor, he will..."

"What are you planning?" a voice came from the corner of the room. So, we sailed. And who do we have?

The three of us turned our heads sharply when we saw Neville frozen in his chair.

He was holding his freedom-loving toad in his arms. Apparently, she tried to sneak out again, and Neville ended up in the corner precisely because he was looking for her.

"It's okay, Neville, it's nothing special." Harry reassured him, hurriedly hiding his robes behind his back.

Neville looked carefully at our guilty faces.

"Are you going to leave your bedroom in the middle of the night again" He stated confidently.

"No, no, no!" Hermione babbled. "Of course not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?"

You can't leave here. Neville said stubbornly.

"You'll get caught again. And our faculty will have even more problems."

"You don't understand," Harry couldn't stand it. "This is very important."

But Neville was clearly very determined.

"I won't let you out." He stood up, blocking the exit to the corridor with himself. "I... I will fight you!"

"Neville!" I exploded. "Get away from the portrait and don't be an idiot..."

"Don't you dare call me an idiot!" Neville retorted. "I don't think you should break the rules anymore! And you, Ron, taught me yourself that you need to be able to stand up for yourself!"

"Yes, but we're your friends." I spread my hands. "Neville, you don't understand what you're doing."

I stepped forward, and Neville let go of his Trevor, who fell to the floor and immediately disappeared in an unknown direction.

"Well, then try hitting me!" Neville raised his fists. "I'm waiting!"

Harry turned to Hermione.

"Do something," he said desperately. Hermione stepped forward.

"I'm sorry, Neville," she said softly. "I'm really, really sorry."

And she raised her wand.

"Petrificus Totalus!" She exclaimed, pointing her wand at Neville.

Neville's hands shot to his sides, slapping his body loudly. The legs jerked together. Neville stretched out and stood swaying. And then he fell face down.

Hermione ran over to Neville and turned him over. Neville's jaw was clenched tightly -he couldn't speak. Only his eyes moved, staring at us in horror.

"What did you do to him?" Harry whispered.

"It's a paralysis of the body," Hermione replied sadly. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry."

"You forced us, Neville, we don't have time to explain everything to you." Harry added.

"You'll figure it out later, Neville," I put an end to the conversation.

Neville lying motionless on the floor seemed to us a bad omen. But there's nothing to do, we have to go. The robe covered all three of them securely. But we were nervous anyway, and in the darkness that surrounded us, we mistook every statue for Filch lurking, and any breeze, even the faintest and most distant one, for Peeves' approach. No sooner had we reached the very first staircase than Mrs. Norris appeared at the bottom of it.

"Maybe kick her, I've been dreaming about it for a long time" I whispered in Harry's ear, but he shook his head. We carefully crept past the cat. And although Mrs. Norris was watching us intently with her lamp-like eyes, she clearly didn't see us because she didn't do anything.

We haven't seen anyone else yet. But as we approached the stairs leading to the third floor, we noticed Peeves. Humming, he was doing something with a carpet lying on the stairs. Apparently, he was preparing a surprise for schoolchildren who, having stepped on this carpet, had to stumble and fall.

"Who's there?" Peeves suddenly asked as we approached him. His evil black eyes became even angrier. "I know you're here, even though I can't see you. Are you a ghost? Or maybe a schoolboy?"

Peeves rose into the air and hovered there, staring intently in our direction.

"We should get Filch," Peeves said thoughtfully. "Tell him that someone invisible is wandering around the school."

"Peeves," Harry said in a hoarse whisper. "The Blood Baron has his own reasons for being invisible."

Peeves almost fell down the stairs out of fear. He was almost at the ground when he caught himself and hovered, almost touching the steps. Although my friend's whisper made me feel sick to my stomach. He sounded so sepulchral. There's something wrong with this robe.

Did you really believe it?! Was it some necromancer's old artifact? But the Potters are descended from the Peverells.

"I'm sorry, Your bloody Grace, Mr. Baron," He saluted obsequiously. "I was wrong, oh, I was wrong... I didn't recognize you... Of course, I couldn't see you, because you're invisible... Forgive old Peeves for his silly joke, please, sir."

"I've got things to do here, Peeves." Harry rasped in a sepulchral whisper "Don't come here tonight."

"Of course, sir, of course I will." Peeves muttered in fright, taking off into the air. "I wish you success in your business, Mr. Baron, and I won't bother you anymore."

And Peeves hurriedly disappeared.

"Brilliant, Harry!" I whispered. "This robe was probably made by a necromancer from your family."

Harry looked at me in shock.

"But the Potters are artefactors." Harry didn't believe him.

"Yes, but the Perewells were necromancers, and your clan founder married the daughter of the clan head. Let's go."

A few seconds later, we were standing in front of the door leading to the forbidden corridor. The door was wide open.

"Well, then," Harry said calmly. "So Snape had already passed the Flaffy."

The sight of the open door reminded us all of what lies ahead. Harry turned first to Hermione and then to me.

"If you want to leave, I won't take offense at you," he said. "You can take the robe, I won't need it here anymore."

"Don't be a fool," I advised. "Did I just walk with you for company?"

"We're with you," Hermione confirmed.

Harry stepped inside, brushing against the door. There was a loud creaking sound, and a rumbling, thunderous roar reached us. The dog couldn't see us, but he turned his head in our direction, sniffing with all three noses. The mantle couldn't stop him from discovering us.

"What's that lying under his feet?" Hermione whispered.

"It looks like a harp," I replied. "Snape must have left her here."

"Fluffy falls asleep when he hears music, and wakes up when it stops." Harry reminded us. "Well, have we started?"

He raised the flute Hagrid had given him to his lips and blew. A friend would sometimes play simple tunes at Hagrid's hut at his prompting. Yes, and Hermione tried to play. At the first sound, all six of the Cannon's eyes began to close. Harry blew without stopping and barely had time to catch his breath, playing a simple lullaby. The growling grew fainter and gradually subsided.

The dog swayed and sank onto its belly, and then fell on its side. There was no doubt that he was fast asleep.

"Keep playing!" I whispered as we took off our invisibility cloak and slowly moved towards the hatch, which was guarded by Fluffy. The hot, fetid breath escaping from the three mouths was felt more and more strongly. "I think we can easily open the hatch," I assured them, standing on tiptoe and glancing behind Cannon. Do you want to go first, Hermione?

"No way!" She exclaimed, stepping back.

"Good" I gritted my teeth, gathering my strength, and cautiously stepped over the paws of a Fluffy. And then he bent over the hatch and pulled on the ring.

"What do you see there?" Hermione whispered excitedly.

"Nothing. Darkness. You can't see any steps, so you'll have to jump."

Harry, who was still playing the flute, raised his hand and waved, attracting my attention. And then he pointed his finger at himself.

"Do you want to go first? Are you sure?" I asked again. "To be honest, I don't know how far we will have to fly. Give the flute to Hermione, Fluffy must not wake up."

Harry handed the flute to Hermione. It took several seconds before she brought it to her lips, and the three-headed monster was already twitching and growling. But as soon as the sounds of the flute reached him, he fell asleep again.

Harry stepped over Fluffy and peered through the hatch. He crawled through the hole, holding on tightly to the edges of the hatch, and finally hung on by his fingertips. And then he looked up at me.

"If something happens to me, get out of here," he said. "Run to Hagrid, so that he immediately sends an owl to Dumbledore, understand?"

"Got it," I nodded.

"I hope to see you soon..." And with that, Harry released his grip and flew down. PLOP!

Harry landed with a strange muffled sound, as if he had fallen on something soft.

"It's all right!" he shouted. "You can jump, a soft landing awaits you!"

I wouldn't be able to land on it now. I went around the hatch and jumped down.

"What is this thing?" I asked first. There were some stalks before me.

"I don't know, some kind of plant, probably," Harry shook his head. "I think it's here specifically to soften the landing. Come on, Hermione!"

The music coming from above stopped. There was a loud barking, but Hermione was already flying towards us and soon landed next door. It's a good thing it's not on us.

"We're probably very deep under the school," she remarked.

"That's for sure. We're lucky to have this plant here," I smiled.

"Lucky?! Hermione suddenly screamed, Igniting lumos. "Look at you!"

She jumped to her feet and backed up against the damp wall. She did it with great difficulty, because the moment she landed, the plant immediately began to wrap around her ankles. And as for Harry and me, the long creeping shoots managed to tie our legs so that we didn't even notice it.

Hermione managed to free herself before the plant could entangle her, and now, pressed against the wall, she watched in horror as Harry and I tried to tear off the stems. But the more effort we put in, the stronger and faster the snake-like shoots wrapped around us.

"Don't move!" Hermione ordered. "I know what it is. It's a "hell of a trap"!"

"I'm awfully glad that's what it's called!" I growled, trying to stop the stalk that was trying to wrap itself around my neck. "This, of course, will help us!"

"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill them!" Hermione replied.

"Then hurry up, I can't breathe anymore!"

" Then hurry up, I can't breathe anymore!" Harry choked out, struggling with the stalk wrapped around his chest. I silently pulled the stem away from my neck.

"Hell's snares, hell's snares," Hermione repeated tensely, wrinkling her forehead. "What did Professor Sprout say? This plant loves darkness and humidity..."

"So make a fire!" Harry shouted, panting.

"Yes, of course, but what should I set on fire? I don't see anything wooden anywhere, honestly!" There was desperation in Hermione's voice, and she was nervously wringing her hands.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Harry bellowed. "ARE YOU A MAGICIAN OR NOT?"

"Oh, that's right!" Hermione whipped out her wand and waved it, whispering something. A blue flame burst from the wand, the same one she had used to set Snape's clothes on fire at the Quidditch match. Just a second later, Harry and I felt the stalks' embrace weaken. The plant tried to crawl away from the light and heat. Convulsively twisting and spinning, the appendages that had enveloped us hurriedly unwound and finally disappeared.