CHAPTER 12: THE TRAPDOOR
In years to come, Avril would look back and find herself unable to remember how she got herself through exams when she half-expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door, waving a wand, and screaming the more merciful unforgiveable at her best friend. Yet the days crept by, painfully slow and uneventful, and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and growling behind the locked door. There could also be no doubt that Draco was layering on the pressure to get top marks in said exams, and that he would most likely be dead before the end of the week at the rate he was going.
"Remember," he said, looming above her at now four inches, "You must do well in these exams- it is mandatory that you are in at least the top 20 with your blood and social status. You are a Malfoy."
"Diggory, I'm a Diggory," she corrected, wondering if the stress was perhaps getting to her cousin.
His eyes narrowed. "Malfoy. As you are my mother's goddaughter and of Black descent, in the case of my death and my parents having no other heirs, or my father any godchildren, you are set to inherit the estate and all its assets. You must do well."
Avril hadn't been sure how to take this and gladly accepted the excuse of potions' ending to run away from the conversation entirely.
It was stifling hot as the summer drew nearer- though not in the dungeons- particularly in the large, mostly unused classrooms that was brought into action once a year for the written exams to take place. New Anti-Cheating Charmed Quills had been handed to them to prevent all those foolish enough to copy, and those who had smeared the answers in ink across their skin beforehand. Upon discovering this prevention, many people had then taken to glaring at Avril for her eidetic memory at random intervals in their study periods.
They had practical exams as well, where they were called in one by one to attempt at performing the perfect spell for whichever's subject exam they were being tormented with at the time. Professor Snape had made them all particularly nervous as they stood alone at spaced desks and desperately tried to remember how to brew a Forgetfulness Potion. The irony had not been lost on Avril at the time, as she watched, fascinated, at the various states of exasperation and frustration her classmates were in.
Avril knew she'd passed every exam she'd completed, so wasn't left bemoaning over the odd mistake or forgetting of a full stop like Hermione was. Each spell she had performed had worked immaculately first time round, and in the case of Professors Flitwick (who was pleased with her progress in charms) and McGonagall earned her a small smile. She had finished her written exams at least half-an-hour before everyone else, giving her time to go back through it and correct grammar and punctuation, as well as adding little footnotes to the mini-essays that may hold vital information to get her a higher grade. As for brewing the Forgetfulness Potion, Snape had told her so with the hardly noticeable nod of approval he had given, upon analysing her cauldron.
"How goes your exams?" a smooth, accent tainted voice said behind her.
Avril turned, pausing mid-corridor. "Boring, but otherwise pretty good. And you?"
Blaise adopted a suffering expression, "Dreadful- I'm sure I failed our History of Magic exam, and my snuffbox still had a fluffy tail. You should've seen the look Professor McGonagall gave me."
The corners of her mouth twitched, "You should've just said you'd thought it added to the decoration."
Blaise smirked, "How are you not in Slytherin?"
Avril didn't say anything.
Not that she would've had much time to come up with an answer for the snake, as Ron chose that moment to rudely interrupt by knocking Blaise's elbow to get to her person. He scowled at the Slytherin, before pointedly ignoring him, and Avril briefly flailed at the sheer amount of ignorance to etiquette, or at least basic manners.
"Come on," he said, seemingly trying very hard not to growl, "Our exam is starting."
Sending an apologetic smile to Blaise, she left with the redhead; only turning on him the second they were out of earshot of the Slytherin.
"Did you have to be such an ass?" she demanded.
Ron glared at her, irritation in his eyes. "He's a Slytherin! And a Death Eater! And with all the points Harry, Hermione and Neville lost we're at war worse than ever! You're fraternising with the enemy!"
A very cold look surpassed the anger on her delicate features, and she said icily, "I'm what?"
For a moment Ron faltered, before rising to new levels of idiocy with his anger. "It was different when you were with Malfoy! It was Hagrid- but now there's no excuse! The Slytherins are evil."
Avril whirled on her friend, an eerie look clouding her eyes, as magic began to tingle at her fingertips. "Why?" she asked, "Because they're Dark? Not all of them are. Because they're parents were Death Eaters? They're not their parents."
Ron opened his mouth, but she ploughed on,
"You need to get it through your thick skull Ronald Weasley, that Dark doesn't equate to evil, and neither does Slytherin. They're kids just like you and me." She took a short breath before asking, "What would you do if I was Dark? Huh?"
Ron looked confused. "But you're not. You're in Gryffindor- the Hat wouldn't put you here if you were Dark."
Avril got her answer.
.
The exam passed so slowly, Avril was quite sure she had become a ghost without realising, just like Professor Binns- the teacher overseeing them at the time. The classroom was hot and stuffy, and she spent the spare time in the hour watching dust particles dance lazily in the rays of sunlight shattering the large arched windows. During this time, she also calmed down, and pushed the conversation with Ron away- choosing not to think about it. She sometimes wished she lived in the same black and white world as the youngest male Weasley did.
When Professor Binns announced the end of the exam, collecting in the rolls of parchment, the rest of the class cheered at the mark of the end of exams. Avril merely smiled- not finding it within her to be so cheerful at present. The Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs fled the exam room in their masses- each desperate to get to the outside world and for once enjoy the fair weather they had been blessed with all week but unable to enjoy thanks to the curse the teachers inflicted upon them.
"That was far easier than I thought it'd be," Hermione said, as they joined the students flocking to the sunny grounds, "I needn't have learnt about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."
Avril rolled her eyes, "Please- talk about something else! Exams are over."
Hermione, for some unknown reason to the group, liked going through their exam papers afterwards, but Harry and Ron complained it made them feel ill, and Avril thought it a waste of energy delving into her exact answers, so the bookworm quickly shut up, and didn't mention them again once, as they wandered down to the lake and flopped under the shade of the tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of the Giant Squid, which was basking in the warm of the shallows. The four Gryffindors watched them, talking half-heartedly about what they planned to for the summer holidays, or were until Harry interrupted them with his usual doom and gloom.
The-Boy-Who-Lived jumped to his feet, startling his friends.
"Where're you going?" mumbled Ron sleepily.
"I've just thought," Harry said. He had gone completely white, rivalling Avril on pale skin. "We've got to go and see Hagrid. Now."
"Why?" Avril frowned, as she chased after her friend.
"Don't you think it's a bit odd," Harry said, scrambling up the grassy slope, "That what Hagrid wants more than anything in the world is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have a dragon's egg in his pocket? I mean how many people wander around with illegal dragon's eggs? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think?" He gave a frustrated sound, "Why didn't I see it before?"
"What are you on about?" Ron said, but Harry, sprinting across the grounds towards the Forbidden Forest, didn't answer.
Avril suspected she knew what Harry was thinking.
Hagrid sat in an armchair outside of his house, his trousers and sleeves rolled up as he shelled peas into a large bowl, enjoying the sunshine whilst it lasted. He looked up happily as they neared, smiling.
"Hullo," he said cheerfully, "Finished yer exams? Got time for a drink?"
"Yes please," Avril said, but Harry cut across her.
"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something." The gamekeeper frowned and leaned forward slightly, sensing the desperation in Harry's voice. "You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with, look like?"
"Dunno," said Hagrid, looking thoughtful," He wouldn't take his cloak off."
He saw the four of them looked stunned and he raised his eyebrows.
"It's not that unusual. Yeh get a lot of funny folk in the Hog's Head- that's the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face- he kept his hood up."
Avril glanced nervously at Harry, understanding just what the commotion was about. "What did you talk to him about?" she asked, "Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"
"Mighta come up," said Hagrid frowning, struggling to remember. "Yeah…he asked what I did, and I told him I was gamekeeper here… He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I look after…so I told him, and I said that what I'd always wanted was a dragon…and then I can't remember too well, 'cause he kept buying me drinks… Let's see, yeah, then he said he had a dragon egg and we could play card for it if I wanted…but he had ter be sure I could handle it. He didn't want it going to any old home, see. So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy…"
"And did he- did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
"Of course he seemed interested in Fluffy," Hagrid said, looking surprised. "How many three-headed dogs do you come across- even at Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece of cake if yeh know how to calm him down- just play him a bit of music and he'll go straight off ter sleep."
Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.
"I shouldn't have told yeh that!" he blurted, "Forget I said it! Hey- where're you going?"
Avril, Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all, until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, having no idea where they should head. It suddenly seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds, and their ignorant bliss.
"We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Harry, "Hagrid told the stranger how to get past Fluffy and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak. It must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk- I just hope Dumbledore will believe us. Firenze might back us up, if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?"
They looked around, as if to see as sign to point them in the right direction. They'd never been told where Dumbledore lived, and none of them had been sent to seem him. In fact, unless you counted Avril's disconcerting talk earlier in the year, they hadn't spoken to him at all.
"We'll just have to…." Avril began, but suddenly a voice ran out across the hall.
"What are you three doing inside?"
It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books in her arms, and her face stern, as well as suspicious.
"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," Hermione stated bluntly.
"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, "Why?"
Harry was just about to say something, but Avril kicked him in the back of his leg- not seeing anything good coming out of his mouth.
"Professor, it's about what's hidden in the school," Avril said cautiously, then added quietly. "About the Philosopher's Stone."
Whatever the Head of Gryffindor had expected, it was not that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms but she didn't make to pick them up, instead choosing to gape at them openly.
"How do you know?" she spluttered.
"It's not important," Avril brushed aside, "Professor- we really need to speak to Professor Dumbledore."
"He's, he's had a summons to the Ministry of Magic," Professor McGonagall said slowly, eyeing her four students, "He won't be back until tomorrow."
"Professor we think- we know; someone is about to steal it!" Harry cried.
Professor McGonagall seemed to pull herself together, and said firmly, "Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow. I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assure, no-one can possibly steal it; it's too well protected."
Avril thought this a rather foolish thing to think, and apparently Harry did too as he tried to protest,
"But Professor-"
"Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said shortly, bending down and picking up the fallen books. "I suggest you go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."
But they didn't.
"It's tonight," said Harry, once he was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. "Snape's going to go through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything her needs and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. I bet he sent that not- the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up."
"But what…"
Hermione gasped, and the other three wheeled round- coming face to face with Snape.
"Good afternoon," he said smoothly.
They stared at him, and Avril smiled as best as she could, considering she'd just had a miniature heart attack.
"Good afternoon, Professor."
"You really shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said, with an odd twisted smile.
"We were…" Harry began, but didn't know what else to say.
Professor Snape gave Avril a long glance over, before turning back to Harry. "You really ought to be careful", he said slowly, "Hanging around like this; people will you you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points." Harry flushed. "Be warned Potter- any more night time wanderings, and I'll personally make sure you're expelled. Good day to you, Miss Diggory, if you would be so kind as to follow me."
Avril glanced back at her friends, before hurriedly following Snape down a corridor in the direction of the staff room- a place she had only visited once, and that was to hand in late homework to Professor Flitwick. Snape held the door open for her, and Avril walked in nervously. She could already feel it. She. Was. In. So Much. Trouble.
The staff room was empty and cool, with the windows open and a soothing breeze blowing through. Under Snape's command, she sat down in one of the man chairs that littered the long room, and waited for what was about to come.
"Miss Diggory, I suggest you tell me exactly what yourself and your friends are up to," he said dangerously, his obsidian eyes warning her silently of the consequences if she did not, "Do try not to lie to me. I would so hate to have to put you in detention."
Avril hesitated. On one hand she could just get the detention and lie her way out of it, but on the other hand she was positive Snape was not behind the upcoming heist, and the self-preserving part of her wanted nothing more than to pass the responsibility onto an adult. She just hoped her friends wouldn't hate her too much for what she was about to say.
"We know about the Philosopher's Stone," she said, "And we know someone is about to steal it."
The room suddenly dropped in temperature.
There was a long pause of awkward silence, in which Snape's eyes stared at her and she shifted nervously.
"Your concern is…noted," the potions master said finally, "But I strongly suggest you put it out of your mind. The Stone is none of your concern- you'll only drag yourself into danger."
She opened her mouth, but was swiftly cut off.
"And that is final," he snapped, "Do you understand me?"
"Yes Professor."
"You may go," he dismissed.
Avril bit her lip and fled the room, but was quickly knocked down by a firm but soft wall.
"Ow!" Hermione cried.
Avril blinked. "'Mione? What are you doing?"
"Yes, Miss Granger, what are you doing?" Snape asked, stepping up behind Avril.
"I…I was waiting for Professor Flitwick," Hermione stuttered.
"I'll go and fetch him for you," Snape said coldly, before sweeping his gaze onto the petite raven-haired first-year. "Off you go Miss Diggory, enjoy the last of the sunshine."
Avril made to walk off in the direction of the common room.
"Other way, Miss Diggory."
Sighing, Avril turned around and walked back towards the entrance hall. Once checking Snape wasn't following her, she flew up the side stairs and up to the common room, which was occupied solely by Harry and Ron, both of whom were sitting nervously in the armchairs. They looked up as she entered, their faces grim.
"We're going through the trapdoor tonight," Harry said.
Avril paled, an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach. "I'm going to go and write a letter," she said quietly, masking her guilt at the plan she had formed as she had climbed a hundred floors.
The two boys looked confused.
"If we died down there, I want to at least have said my goodbyes."
They nodded understandably, suddenly looking a lot less confident. Avril left them there, going up into her dorm and grabbing a roll of parchment and a self-inking quill. She hesitated before putting nib to parchment.
Professor Snape,
Despite what you have told me, we are going after the Stone nonetheless to stop You-Know-Who from getting to it; Professor McGonagall may have faith in whatever protections there are, but I am not so sure. He's sending one of his servants (someone I believe to be Professor Quirrel though Harry, Ron and Hermione all have their own suspicions).
This letter was specifically set to reach you at a specific time, so we have a chance but the moment you have read this, please come after us; we aren't going to make it without casualties. Get a letter to Professor Dumbledore and tell him to come back- immediately.
If this is the last time I get to write or say anything, let Cedric and Draco know that I am sorry and that I love them.
Avril.
She folded into an envelope with shaking hands, and scrawled 'Professor Snape' onto it, before leaving Gryffindor Tower completely.
Half-running, she sped through the corridors and down the staircases, only coming to halt when she stood outside the entrance to the kitchens; something the twins had shown her much earlier in the year. Tickling the pear, she entered; the house elves swarming around her, begging for something they could attend to or help her with.
"Can Swift doing anything for Missy Avril?" a particularly small house-elf asked.
"Yes, please," Avril said, "Can you deliver this to Professor Snape at half-past midnight precisely? No sooner, no later."
The house-elf, Swift, took the envelope eagerly, "I won't let you down Missy Avril."
"Thanks Swift," Avril said, "Oh, and by the way, you're cooking is amazing."
The house-elves beamed at her, tears welling up in their eyes, and Avril couldn't help the overwhelming feeling that those would be the last smiles she would see in a fair while.
.
By the time the common room had emptied and midnight had struck, all four of them were nervous wrecks, barely able to summon the will to stand up out of their hiding place in the corner and prepare to leave. Harry ran up to the dormitory to get the cloak and the flute Hagrid had whittled for him over Christmas, and came back with a set look of determination, that they all emulated, trying to believe they would succeed and make it out alive.
"We better put the cloak on here and make sure it covers all four of us- if Filch spots one of our feet wandering around on its own…"
"What are you doing?" said a small voice from the corner of the room.
Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom.
"Nothin," Harry said quickly, hiding the cloak behind his back.
Neville stared at their guilty faces. "You're going out again. You are, aren't you? You can't! You'll be caught and get Gryffindor in trouble again! I'll…I'll fight you!"
Avril sighed, and gave the round faced boy a pitying look. "Sorry about this Neville but we have to do this." She waved her wand, crying softly, "Petrificus Totalus."
His arms and legs sprang together, as though suddenly caught by tight ropes, and fell face first on the floor as Trevor hopped away. All you could hear was stifled moan as his whole body was bound. Avril pocketed her wand and looked at her three stunned friends.
"Let's go."
Avril had never been more thankful for her small stature, as without it they never would've all fit under the cloak. They shuffled along the corridors, and strangely didn't meet anyone until they got to the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing along halfway up, loosening the carpet so people would trip.
"Who's there?" he said suddenly, "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you a ghoulie or ghostie or a wee student beastie?"
Avril sighed, "It's me Peeves."
Peeves startled. "Avril? Why can't I see you?"
"I'm a witch, remember?" Avril said," Look, do you think you could not tell Filch? In fact, it would be highly helpful if you caused a distraction the opposite end of the castle."
Peeves grinned mischievously. "Are you playing a prank?"
"Yeah," Avril said. Why not? "I am."
Peeves cackled, "Your wish is my command!"
They all watched as the poltergeist flew away in one foul swoop in the air.
"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron whispered.
"There are bright sides to being friends with the castle poltergeist," Avril muttered.
The four first-years made their way up the staircase before it moved from their destination, and down the corridor until they came to the door they had been listening at for the past month or so. The door was slightly ajar, allowing rumbling snores to escape the room.
As they walked in, the scene was set for them. A golden harp was playing by itself in the corner, keeping Fluffy (Avril really hadn't altogether believed her friend's description of a monster until that point) asleep and harmless. Under one large paw was the trapdoor they would make their way through. They stepped out from underneath the cloak, and Avril kept the door open in case they needed a quick escape route.
Sudden growls startled them to look back at the Cerberus in fear, and it was with great trepidation that they realised the harp had stopped playing. The guard began to shuffle, and Harry hurriedly put the flute up to his lips and blew. Avril likened the sound to that of a dying owl rather than music; so did Fluffy, and the Cerberus only woke up faster. And so she did something she rather hoped they would never remember.
She sang.
"Moon river, wider than a mile
I'm crossing you in style some day
Oh dream maker, you heartbreaker
Wherever you're going I'm going your way."
She gestured for Harry, Ron and Hermione to go, as Fluffy was slowly lulled back into deep sleep. Getting the message, they began to hesitantly near the trapdoor, and together began to lift the paw away, as she continued to sing, never more thankful for her godmother.
"Two drifters, off to see the world
There's such a lot of world to see
We're after the same rainbow's end, waiting, round the bend
My huckleberry friend, Moon River, and me."
One by one, her friends jumped down through the trapdoor, and slowly Avril made her way over it- fearful of her voice wavering. She stood at the edge and looked down into the endless darkness, and her voice cut off abruptly causing large eyes to snap open.
And she jumped.
A/N- I'm not especially proud of this chapter, but the last two are the ones I want to focus more of my attention on so it'll have to do. And then once those are done, at long last we are onto The Memory of Tom Riddle, which had probably the most plot holes.
Without further ado, Review Responses:
aubergineasgard: Perhaps, or perhaps she is influence Malfoy...Ooooh, plot twist! Hehe, yeah...you owe me a more cheerful tangerine by the way.
BloodyCamellia: Thank you. And a ship with Blaise? May or may not have been my intention...
PensAndPiper: Thank you, and Avril is certainly not a May-Sue. I think she'd be offended at the mere idea, and she gets less and less like that label as time goes on. Sorry about the character descriptions, and I did originally have it all spread out through dialogue but that made for a massive plot hole that I couldn't figure out how to get rid of without doing what I did. But don't worry, these characters will become more prominent, so you'll get too know them better. As for Draco being too nice, he's aware if he blows this chance, he's stuffed so he's treading carefully but some of his original personality should shine through soon enough.
Keith the Evil Dark Lord: Hehe, so it does. And a one without (hopefully) massive plot holes this time.
And so, I bid you farewell.
-HazelVex
