In the next few weeks their letters were shorter and more frequent.

Dear Jasmine,

Nothing new to report from Hogwarts. Exams are in 10 weeks and Hermione is going crazy with revision. She even made Ron and I study timetables. The teachers are all piling on work. It's exhausting. We check in on Fluffy to make sure he's still growling and that Snape hasn't found a way in yet.

Love, Harry. Xx

Dear Harry,

Nothing new here either. Mrs Jenkins is gone to have her baby (poor child). I think that you should at least start some revision. I mean don't go crazy but just a little bit. You don't want to fail, do you? We're spending the Easter Holidays with Yvonne and her family in Devon. So I won't be able to write to you until we get back.

Love Jasmine, xx

Dear Jasmine,

Hagrid has a DRAGON. It's called Norbert and Hagrid is its 'mummy' (his words not mine). So it all started when we were in the library studying. Hagrid came in (he never comes into the library) and he got all awkward when we said hello. Ron went to check what books he looked at and they were all about dragons.

So when we went to his house later to talk about the Stone there was this huge black egg sitting in the fire and the room was really hot. But Hagrid wouldn't open any windows because the egg needs heat in order for it to hatch. He won it from a stranger playing cards and he wants to raise it himself. He didn't see a problem with the fact that his walls are made of wood. He wouldn't listen to anything we said.

Besides that, Hermione managed to get him to tell us about the things protecting the Stone. Hagrid has Fluffy, then Professor Sprout, McGonagall, Flitwick, Quirrell and Snape all have some kind of protection on the stone as well as Dumbledore, obviously.

A few days later we got a note at breakfast that the baby was hatching. We had to wait until break time to go to the cabin. We got there just as the first cracks appeared. It was so cool – the dragon looked a bit like a black crumpled up umbrella.

Hagrid got all teary eyed and called himself his mummy. Norbert nearly set his beard on fire in the first five minutes. And then because Hagrid having a dragon in his house wasn't enough he saw someone peep in the window and we spotted Malfoy running back to the school.

Jasmine groaned in exasperation at that part. Malfoy was an annoying, smarmy git.

So for the last few days whenever he sees us he smirks even more than usual. If he tells anyone Hagrid will lose his job, or might even be arrested; dragon breeding is illegal.

I hope we can convince Hagrid to let him go soon.

Love Harry xx

Dear Jasmine,

Not sure if you're home yet? Just an update on the Norbert situation. We wrote to Charlie (can't believe it took us so long to think of him – he works with dragons for a living.) and he replied really quickly and told us that some of his friends could collect Norbert. We have to get Norbert on the tallest tower at midnight tomorrow (Saturday) and then he'll finally be gone. Good thing too, because on the day the letter from Charlie arrived he bit Ron. Problem is Ron's hand was twice its normal size the next morning and by the afternoon it had turned green.

He had to go to the hospital wing and we were really worried that Madam Pomfrey would recognise it as a dragon bite, she probably did but she didn't say anything. Then as if that wasn't bad enough Malfoy went to gloat about the fact that he knew about the dragon under the pretext of borrowing a book. And the book he took was the one with Charlie's letter so now Malfoy knows when we're moving Norbert. It's all such a mess. But we have to do it, it's the only way we can get rid of Norbert without anyone finding out about him. We're going to use the invisibility cloak to cover us and the crate holding Norbert. Wish us luck.

Miss you!

Love Harry x

Dear Harry,

A DRAGON. A real live dragon, oh god everyone is absolutely crazy at Hogwarts aren't they? How did it go? I hope you didn't get caught and that Norbert is safely in Romania and that Hagrid isn't too sad. Please write and tell me soon.

The holidays were okay. Dad left after three days to go back to work so it was only Dudley, Mum and I and obviously Yvonne and Beth. We didn't do that much, just went around the place and we went to the beach once. Beth is so annoying, just because she's half a year older she thinks she's so important. She was trying to get Dudley to ditch me the whole time and go off together but he hates her too – so a lot of the time we spent hiding from her.

Dudley is back in school again. As am I and now my teachers are also talking about exams, a lot. Lots of homework, and we've extra rehearsals for the Summer Recital. Same old, same old.

Please write back soon or right now because I need to know that you managed your night-time excursion alright. I suppose you did since you haven't been expelled.

Love Jasmine xx

Jasmine took to checking for letters three times a day and finally three days after sending hers off she received a reply. She ripped it open on the spot, dying to know what had happened.

Dear Jasmine,

I was happy to hear from you. At least you still talk to me.

Jasmine winced this didn't sound good.

We got caught and McGonagall took 50 points each from us so altogether 150 points are gone. Gryffindor is in last place of the House Cup, Slytherin is first and nobody is talking to me anymore. Or if they are not ignoring me they're insulting me. Everyone hates me. It's horrible.

Jasmine ground her teeth together in anger. How dare everyone be horrible to Harry just for losing some points? It was ridiculous – he had been helping a friend and now everyone hated him.

Here is the full story. Everything was going really well, on the way up to the tower we met McGonagall who was giving out to Malfoy so we were really happy about that and we got to the tower unseen. Charlie's friends soon came and they were really cool. They had a harness between their brooms to carry Norbert.

Then on the way back we made the worst mistake possible. We left the Invisibility Cloak behind and Filch caught us. He brought us straight to McGonagall and I've never seen her that cross. Poor Neville had been caught out of bed too because he was trying to warn us about Malfoy.

She thought that we had tried to trick Malfoy with the story about the dragon and we couldn't tell her or else Hagrid would get into really big trouble. I feel so bad that Neville got caught in the whole mess. Anyway we all have detention and we each lost 50 points. That is everything. I offered to resign from the Quidditch team but Wood said that's the only chance of making up the points I had lost. I hate Quidditch now because no one on the team speaks to me anymore. It's horrible.

It's not just me, Hermione won't put up her hand in class to answer questions anymore and poor Neville isn't off any better.

I'm spending most of my time with Ron and Hermione studying for the exams. They begin in 10 days and it's a good way to forget about everything. I have also decided to stop interfering in anything that doesn't directly concern me.

Write back soon, I really miss you and your laugh at the moment.

Love Harry xx

Dear Harry,

Ugh, I'm so mad at everyone in Hogwarts right now, they are lucky that I'm not there. How dare they treat you that way? I thought the point of the school houses was to offer you support and a kind of family. Where is the loyalty? Just hold your head high Harry you didn't lose the points for misbehaving but for helping a friend. Ignore all the idiots.

My exams started yesterday, Maths – it wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be. I have English and Chemistry on Monday.

I think it's good that you're studying and keeping your head down. At least I don't have to worry about you getting killed the whole time.

Write back soon. I miss you too but you're home for summer soon so it's not too long. I can't wait.

Love Jasmine xx

Harry held the letter to his chest. After the past few days it was nice to hear something other than accusations. He smiled at the image of Jasmine telling everyone off for how they were treating him. It would be so nice to have Jasmine by his side, although she would probably be in the same boat as him because she would have undoubtedly helped to smuggle Norbert away.

Jasmine hadn't heard back from Harry for a few days but she was so busy with her exams that she didn't have time to worry. When she finally got the letter and had time to read it she felt her heart slide down in terror after every new revelation.

Dear Jasmine,

I have so much to tell you. I know I said I wouldn't get involved in anything but I couldn't help it this time. I was coming back from the library when I walked past an empty classroom and I heard Quirrell pleading "Please – not again!" It sounded like someone was threatening him, when I moved closer I heard him crying and saying "alright" over and over again. Then he just walked out, really quickly, fiddling with his turban and I don't think he even noticed me. I peered into the room and saw the door on the other side open I bet that's where Snape left.

From the sound of it Snape has succeeded and Quirrell has given up. I went straight back to the library to tell Ron and Hermione about it.

Hermione thought we should tell Dumbledore but we can't since we have no proof. And we're not supposed to know about the whole thing in the first place. But I was good and I didn't do any more poking around. I studied Jupiter instead.

Jasmine was glad to hear.

The next morning Hermione, Neville and I got notes informing us about our detention which was to take place at eleven that night.

We met Filch in the Entrance Hall at eleven and he brought us outside to Hagrid's. I was really glad actually that we'd be spending our detention with him and not Filch. Malfoy wasn't too impressed when he heard that we'd be going into the Forbidden Forest. That part was actually really funny.

Hagrid told us that we would be trailing an injured unicorn, following its blood trails on the ground. We split up Malfoy, Neville and Fang, and Hagrid, Hermione and me.

Hagrid was looking worried. He didn't know what was hurting and killing the unicorns because they're really powerful magical creatures. Then suddenly he pulled us behind a tree and we heard this strange slithering noise over the leaves nearby like a cloak or something. It passed and Hagrid didn't know what it was. We moved on another little bit and something else moved again but it was something different this time. It moved into the clearing, it was half man, half horse. They're called centaurs. From the waist upwards they have the body of a man and the rest of their body is horse. His name was Ronan and Hagrid tried to ask him about the unicorns, but he just kept talking about the planets moving and their positions. It didn't make much sense, to be honest.

Soon another one turned up called Bane (he looked a lot wilder) and he said the same thing. "Mars is bright tonight."

We walked on after a little while and then we saw red sparks, which meant that the others were in trouble. Hagrid left us and went to find them. Nothing bad happened to them, Malfoy had just played a prank on Neville and he panicked. Then I had to go off with Malfoy.

Jasmine groaned letting those two off by themselves seemed like the worst idea ever.

We walked on and on, and the blood was getting heavier. Then we saw it. The unicorn – it was dead. It was really beautiful and so sad. We were moving towards the unicorn when we heard the slithering noise again and this cloaked, hooded figure came out of a bush and crawled across the ground.

It reached the unicorn and lowered its hood to drink the unicorn's blood. Malfoy screamed and ran as did Fang. I couldn't move – the figure looked up and I couldn't see its face. It started to move towards me.

Jasmine held her breath in horror her only consolation was that Harry had written this letter, thus he must be alive and okay.

There was a blinding pain in my forehead and I've never felt anything like it before. I stumbled backwards and at the same time heard hooves and something charging at the hooded figure.

It was another centaur and by the time I looked up again the figure had disappeared. The centaur was called Firenze and he told me it wasn't safe for me in the forest and that I should get on his back. There was more galloping and Roman and Bane came. Bane was mad that Firenze let a human on his back and they had a fight. Bane said that it wasn't in the centaur's place to side with the humans and Firenze said he would fight alongside humans against what is in the forest and written in the stars.

He told me that slaying a unicorn is a monstrous thing and anyone who drank their blood would lead a cursed half-life, because unicorns are pure and defenceless. The blood of a unicorn can keep you alive if you're within an inch of death but at a terrible price.

When I asked who would be that desperate he replied to me by asking if I knew what was hidden in the school. When I replied yes, he asked me if I knew of anyone who had been waiting for many years to return to power and then it all clicked. Voldemort!

Before I could get him to confirm it we had found the others. When Firenze said goodbye he said something that I haven't been able to get out of my head.

"Good luck!" and "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times." It sounds ominous, doesn't it? What do you think he meant?

When we got back to the Common Room I told Ron and Hermione everything. Snape was obviously trying to get to the Stone to get it for Voldemort so he could return to power. Hermione managed to make me feel better by telling me that fortune telling (even by centaurs) is a very imprecise branch of magic. That morning when we went to bed I found my Invisibility Cloak on my bed with a note:

"Just in case"

We're finally finished exams now. It's really hot which isn't helping to concentrate, nor is the feeling that Voldemort is going to sweep into the exam hall at any moment. We had to make a pineapple tap dance for Charms, transform a mouse into a snuff-box and brew a forgetfulness potion. I honestly don't know how I managed to get through all these exams. My scar is constantly hurting and I can't sleep because I have the same nightmare over and over again.

Jasmine wanted to be there so badly, just so there was someone to take care of Harry, that's what they did. Harry looked out for her and her for him.

I was feeling so unsettled. During the exams I thought it was because I needed to study this or that but then on the evening we were done it hit me. Wasn't it odd that Hagrid, who has always wanted a dragon, met a stranger at the pub, who wouldn't show his face, and who happened to have a dragon egg in his pocket? It was too much of a coincidence. And you know Hagrid or enough about him, to know that he often lets things just slip without meaning to. So it could be possible that when he was drunk and playing cards he would have let some things slip to this stranger. So we ran down to his cabin and I was right.

When I asked him he said that the stranger had seemed interested in Fluffy and how Hagrid manages to handle him. He told him that Fluffy could be quieted with any kind of music.

Jasmine's stomach did a flip.

I knew then that we had to go to Dumbledore. We ran back up to the school but of course we had no idea where his office was. Then McGonagall found us and asked what we're doing inside. When we told her we needed to speak to Dumbledore and she told us he was at the Ministry of Magic in London.

Jasmine felt even sicker. Dumbledore gone wasn't good.

We told her then about the stone but she said it was too well protected to be in danger. And she sent us away. We knew that Snape would strike tonight. And then Snape turned up behind us.

He gave me a warning and told me if there was any more night time wandering I would be expelled. He's probably trying to free the way for himself tonight.

We split up after that, Hermione waited outside the staffroom in hope of monitoring Snape and Ron and I guarded the door to Fluffy but unfortunately McGonagall caught us and threatened to take another 50 points. We went back to the common room and Hermione came soon after. Snape had come out of the room asking her what she wanted and she made up an excuse she wanted to talk to Flitwick.

That's when I knew I had no choice I would have to go through the trapdoor and try to get the Stone before Snape tonight.

"No, no, no," Jasmine muttered feverishly. It couldn't get much worse. She hadn't missed the use of "tonight" in the letter and a moment later her fear was confirmed.

Ron and Hermione insisted they go with me. I'm actually writing this as we're waiting for everyone to go to bed. Lee and the twins are still playing exploding snap. Hopefully they're done soon. I need to get there before Snape.

I'll write to you tomorrow and tell you how it went.

Love Harry, xxx

Jasmine sat very still and tried to think through the panic clouding her mind. The letter had arrived sometime between yesterday morning and this afternoon. She wished she knew how long on average it took a letter to arrive.

She went on to assume it had arrived the day after Harry wrote it so that meant that today was the second day after Harry had gone down the trapdoor. So theoretically his letter should arrive sometime today if it took that long to arrive here.

She scribbled a quick and frantic note leaving it in the place. Then she rushed home and spun a web of lies that would excuse her for the rest of the day without causing suspicion. Then with her bag filled with sweets, a bottle of water and 'Quidditch through the Ages' she made her way back to the clearing to wait for Harry's letter.

Hour after hour passed and finally when Jasmine had to go home she left with a heavy heart. No word from Harry had come. She tried to stay hopeful and told herself as she crawled into bed that a letter would be waiting for her in the morning.

Luckily it was Saturday so she packed her bag again, it was still early. She left a note explaining to her mum that she was over at Sarah's and would go to rehearsal from there.

Her mum wouldn't be happy but she would believe the lie as it was a common enough occurrence. She left a note in Sarah's post box explaining to her she would need to cover for her in rehearsals.

Finally she reached the park, sweating and out of breath, she crawled into the hiding space. Her hopes were dashed when there still wasn't a letter. She decided to wait until two o'clock the time at which she had found the other letter.

She read through Quidditch of the Ages although she almost knew it by heart now. Ever since she had received it she had read bits and pieces of it whenever she missed Harry.

Two o'clock came and went and Jasmine knew she would have to act. She took out her writing pad and pen.