Author's Note: All right, we've skipped ahead to past the detention in the Forbidden Forest. Leslie's writing about everything that's happened since Hagrid got the dragon egg in one go. I've had to kind of extend the time between the two diary entries so that they fit more into the Harry Potter timeline, even though I know they don't happen so far apart. I don't know if that made any sense at all, but just go with it. I told you when I wrote this story that I'd be changing a few things in there, didn't I? Anyway, happy reading!
04-03-02
Dear Diary,
I was right. If there's a way for things to get worse, then they always will get worse. The good news is that Norbert's gone. The bad news is that tonight Harry, Hermione and Neville all had to serve detention in the Forbidden Forest. Yes, the one on the grounds that's forbidden to all students. And yes, Neville was there as well. I couldn't believe it when they got back to the common room and told me what they had to do. I couldn't believe it either when I heard what happened during their visit. That's the even worse news: Voldemort is living in the forest.
It's been nearly two and a half weeks since we got rid of Norbert. I know that I told you I'd write as soon as we knew the plan, but so much has happened and I wanted to get it all in one entry. Luckily, I had Hermione put a Recuerdas Charm on me, which allows me to remember all the details of any conversation or event that I deem necessary for any length of time.
We got a letter from Charlie saying that he would be glad to take Norbert, but the problem was getting him there. He said that he had friends who were coming to visit him, but he was right in the fact that they couldn't be seen with Norbert either. He said to get the dragon up to the tallest tower at midnight last Saturday. We said that we could and sent Hedwig back with the response.
We had it all worked out. Harry got an invisibility cloak for Christmas, so we decided to put it to good use. Apparently, an anonymous person left it under the Christmas tree in the Gryffindor common room, leaving a note with it that said it had belonged to his father. Luckily, Harry realized that it's big enough to cover two of us and Norbert, so we decided that he and Hermione would go down to Hagrid's and take the Ridgeback up to the tower. I would stay in the common room and make sure that no one saw them sneak out of the tower.
Ron wanted a job as well, but Norbert bit him a few nights ago and he had to go to the hospital wing the next day. We were all afraid that Madam Pomfrey would be able to see that it was a dragon's bite, but thankfully, she never asks too many questions. When we went up to see him that afternoon, he was in a terrible state.
"It's not just my hand, although that feels like it's about to fall off," he told us. "Malfoy told Madam Pomfrey he wanted to borrow one of my books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me."
"Calm down Ron, it's not all that bad," I said, though even I didn't believe that.
"She's right," said Hermione, in a much more convincing tone. "It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday."
Ron sat bolt upright in bed and began to sweat. I couldn't understand it at first. That comment should have soothed him, not put him into more of a panicked state. But it was soon explained.
"I've just remembered," he said. "Charlie's letter was in that book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert."
I felt as though a raincloud was hovering over us and pouring nonstop. What could possibly be worse than Malfoy trying to foil our attempts to get rid of Norbert? He'd probably go to one of the professors and explain everything.
"What are we going to do now?" I asked.
"It's too late to change the plan," said Harry. "We're just going to have risk it."
"But even with the invisibility cloak, what if we get caught?" asked Hermione.
"Harry's right, we're just going to have to risk it," I said. "The invisibility cloak is our advantage. As long as you keep it over you at all times, no one will see you there, especially not Filch or anyone else who happens to show up."
All the same, I was worried sick when Saturday rolled around. That morning, I went for a walk down by the lake, running through the plan over and over again in my head, just to make sure we hadn't forgotten some crucial detail that might aid in Filch in finding us. But the more I thought through it, the more I realized that there was nothing more we could do. Just as long as Harry and Hermione didn't leave the cloak somewhere, everything should go according to planned.
I walked all the way across the grounds twice before I decided that there was nothing more I could do. I would just have to stay in the common room and make sure that it was all clear when Harry and Hermione put the cloak on.
I heard footsteps coming my way and voices accompanying them. Not wanting anyone to discover me there, and not wanting to be bombarded with questions when I was already in a vulnerable state, I dashed into the shelter of some nearby trees. All right yes, I was on the edge of the forest, but I wasn't deep enough in so that I'd be in any danger.
"Hey Ced, wasn't that your Gryffindor friend?" came a voice.
"It might have been, I didn't see the face," came Cedric's voice. I closed my eyes and prayed that they'd go away, and not think to look in the trees for me. All the same, I backed away as silently as I could, going deeper into the forest though still not too deep. I even climbed a few branches until I reached a spot where I was shaded by the leaves. There was an opening where I could clearly see them, but the leaves shielded me. Cedric was looking around for me, hoping maybe to have a talk. He and I haven't had much time to speak these last few weeks, and it's probably just as well. I don't know how much I'd be able to keep from him. I already told him all about the night of the duel, so if I was to just sit with him, I'd probably tell him everything that's happened. Not good at all.
"Leslie!" he called. "Leslie, can you hear me?"
I dearly wanted to answer him, but I stayed put. He looked disappointed when I didn't come out, but it only showed for a few seconds.
"So, what is your relationship with her actually?" asked his friend.
"What do you mean?" asked Cedric. "She's my friend."
"I've seen the way you look at her though. You have a crush on her."
"I do not," said Cedric, and though I was disappointed to hear it, I did see him blush a bit.
I waited until they were several meters away, going in a different direction than the castle entrance. I dropped out of my tree and started back, but as I was leaving the forest, I heard something strange. I heard a sort of slithering sound, as though some sort of material was being dragged against the ground. I also had the most unnerving feeling that someone or something was watching me. I sprinted as quickly as I could back up to the castle and I didn't stop until I had reached the portrait hole that housed the Gryffindor common room.
When I got back to my dormitory, I flopped down on my bed and took several minutes to catch my breath. I was beginning to see why the forest was forbidden. I'd hate to see what kinds of creatures live in that place; if most of them make unidentifiable noises, then I know I'm never going in there if I can avoid it.
I spent the entire day lying on my bed, trying to read or do homework or see if I could find something to take my mind off what we were about to do, but nothing worked. I eventually went to join Hermione in the library and see if she could help me begin studying for exams, but that didn't help either. Even she wasn't concentrating as much as she normally does. We just went back to the common room after awhile and sat on the sofa.
Dinner was the worst thing I've ever had to sit through. I was so nervous that I couldn't eat a single bite, and they had all my favorite dishes out too. It didn't help that I could feel a pair of eyes on me the entire time, and I knew exactly from which house table they were coming from. Even though I wasn't hungry, I made Harry and Hermione get enough to eat, they were the ones who needed the strength to get Norbert up to the tallest tower.
"How are you going to get through the night without a proper dinner?" I asked them.
"You should take your own advice," said Harry. "You're the one who has to stay on guard duty. You're never going to be able to concentrate on an empty stomach."
"He's right," said Hermione. "What would your uncle say if he saw you not eating?"
She had a point. Uncle Jerry would say it wasn't healthy not eating and would stand behind my chair, not budging until I ate every single bit of my meal.
"What if this all goes wrong?" I kept asking. "What if we all get caught?"
"Will you please quit saying that?" asked Harry. "We're not going to get caught."
"But what if we do?" I asked again. "What happens if Filch catches you?"
"Doing what, may I ask?" came a voice from directly behind me. I jumped and spun around in my seat to see who it was. I gave a sigh of relief to see Cedric and not one of the teachers.
"Cedric, what are you doing over here? Shouldn't you be with your friends?" I asked.
"You are my friend," he replied simply. "I noticed you weren't eating very much."
"Do you like spending your time spying on me?" I asked.
"It gives me a good study break," he joked, sitting down in the empty seat next to me.
"So what do you want then?" asked Harry, eyeing him with suspicion. We were both wondering the same thing: how much had he heard? Don't get me wrong, I trust Cedric with my life, but even I don't want him to know about this plan, or at least, not yet.
"I wanted to come over and see Leslie," he answered, giving Harry a jealous glare.
"Cedric, this really isn't a good time," I said.
"Why not?" he asked. "We've barely spoken in weeks, and now all of a sudden, I'm not welcome? You're hiding something Leslie."
The way he said it was more of a statement than a question, meaning he knew what he was saying was true.
"So what if I am?" I asked him.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.
"No!" I said, much more sharply than I'd intended. "Go back to the Hufflepuff table."
"But Leslie…"
"Please Cedric," and I was pleading with him now. "I'll explain everything to you as soon as I can, but right now, I'm in the middle of something really important. I'm sorry, I'm very sorry, but I can't tell you right now. Okay?"
He nodded and muttered, "okay," and walked back to his table with the most hurt expression I've ever seen on his face.
When we went back up to Gryffindor Tower that evening, I kept thinking about how much I had wanted to tell him everything. But I must have grown somewhat over the last few months, because it used to be that I'd tell him everything that was on my mind. I just hope he can forgive me for saying what I did.
The common room emptied out slowly but steadily that night, and surprisingly enough, when 11:15 rolled around, we were the only ones left, Harry, Hermione and I. Harry went up to his dormitory to get the invisibility cloak, and I watched as he and Hermione disappeared under it.
"Be careful, both of you," I said to the seemingly empty space in front of me.
"We will," said Hermione. It felt so weird talking to her and not being able to see her.
I took one last look around the tower to make sure that no one was watching and/or listening, then said quickly, "all right, off you go. You'd best hurry; you're going to be late."
After the portrait hole closed, I sat down on the sofa by the fire and tried to read, but I kept breaking off and staring into space. One of the windows gives a clear view of Hagrid's hut, and when I heard the clock strike 11:30, I went over and peered outside it. I could see Hagrid standing outside it with a large crate, which presumably contained Norbert. Even in the dark, it was hard to miss the giant shape that was Hagrid. I also saw two dark figures materialize out of thin air, making me breathe a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness they got there all right," I muttered. "Now for the next step."
I saw Harry and Hermione disappear again, this time taking the crate with them. I tried to make out where they were on the grounds, looking for footprints or flattened grass, but it was too dark. I finally went back to the sofa and lied down on it, rubbing my neck all the while. It's been sore the last few days from me hunching over books. Over the next few minutes, my eyelids began to droop, and just as I was falling asleep, I heard the clock strike midnight.
The next thing I knew, someone had a hold of my shoulder and was shaking it gently. I opened my eyes to see Harry and Hermione standing above me, and to my surprise, Neville was with them.
"How did it go?" I asked them. "What's Neville doing here? What's wrong?" I had to ask that last question when I saw Harry's downcast expression and Hermione's puffy red eyes and tear-streaked face.
"What happened?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"Filch caught us," said Harry simply. He then explained what had happened in McGonagall's office, occasional hiccups escaping Hermione's throat.
"I knew it, I knew this was going to happen," I said when he'd finished, getting up from the couch and going over to the window.
"Easy for you to say that now Leslie, you were the one who was so confident about it a few days ago," said Harry bitterly.
"I may have seemed confident, but believe me Harry, I was not," I snapped back.
"What's going on you guys?" asked Neville confusedly. "What was all this about a dragon? Was Professor McGonagall right when she said that you just wanted to get Malfoy into trouble?"
"Neville, what's happened is…" began Hermione, but I cut her off.
"What's happened is that everything has just gone from bad to worse," I said angrily to him. "We weren't trying to get Malfoy into trouble, we were just trying to get a job done. The problem is that we weren't supposed to get caught. And if we hadn't been, everything would be fine. But now, we've just lost Gryffindor 150 points, and you're a part of that. And that's my fault as well. I was supposed to make sure no one came into the common room, and in that I failed. Why didn't I see you leave the tower?"
"I waited until I saw you fall asleep Leslie," said Neville. "I knew you wouldn't let me leave while still awake. So I managed to slip out after you had drifted off. Filch caught me on my way to the tower."
"You should have just stayed here Neville," said Hermione gently.
"But I heard Malfoy talking and I thought he was going to get you in trouble."
"Well next time, keep your nose out of other people's business," I snapped at him, before walking up the staircase to my dormitory, Hermione close behind me.
I didn't say a word to anyone the next morning. Whenever Harry or Hermione tried to talk to me, I just gave them the cold shoulder. I was mad at them for leaving the invisibility cloak and I was mad at myself for letting Neville slip past me. That was such an inexcusable mistake, sleeping on the job. I'm going to have to start being more vigilant.
At breakfast that Sunday morning, I left before Harry and Hermione did, and I brushed past Ron in the entrance hall, who had finally gotten out of the hospital wing.
"What's going on Leslie?" he asked when he saw me. "Is Norbert gone?"
"Why don't you just ask Harry and Hermione what's happened?" I yelled at him.
I could tell he was confused and hurt by the way he looked at me, but I didn't care. I was working hard to fight back the tears now as I dashed past him and out of the castle. I ran across the grounds as fast as I could, and I didn't stop until I was safe under the shade of a grove of trees. Yes, I was back on the outskirts of the forest, but I was positive that nothing would hurt me if I didn't go in too far. I sat on the ground and tried to fight back the urge to cry as I realized just what my friends and I were slowly getting ourselves into.
"What we've been doing is dangerous," I said to myself. "McGonagall did say to Harry and Hermione that walking around the castle at night was dangerous, but I didn't think we'd ever get caught for it."
Then I remembered something Cedric said to me when I told him about Fluffy six months ago. He said, "I don't like you sneaking around the corridors at night. Hogwarts is the best magical school in our world, but it's also very dangerous at night."
"He was right," I said to myself. "You were right Cedric."
"I was right about what?" asked a voice. I jumped and looked up to see Cedric standing next to me.
"How did you find me here?" I asked, trying hurriedly to rub my eyes free of the tears that were threatening to spill down my cheeks.
He sat down next to me and said, "I saw you run out of the Great Hall and I heard what you said to Ron. I've never heard you raise your voice like that. Maybe it's time you told me what's going on Leslie."
"I can't," I said. "It's not my secret to tell. I don't want to cause any more trouble."
"Look at me," he said, gently tilting my face towards his. "I made a promise to you, do you remember? I said that if you preferred something stayed between us, then I wouldn't breathe a word of it to anyone. Besides, you look like you're about to explode under the weight of whatever secret it is. Tell me."
Maybe I'm not as tough as I thought I was. Because that instant was when I knew I couldn't hold it all in any longer. I broke down and told him everything about Norbert and the plan we had hatched to get rid of him. I didn't tell him about the Stone though, meaning that he and I are probably going to have to one more conversation like this before the year is over. He held me the entire time, with one arm around my shoulders, the other around my waist, every so often rubbing my back. I still tried hard to keep the tears back, but a few still slipped down my face, but every time he saw one, he'd take his finger and wipe it away.
"I can't believe what a fool I was," I said. "My friends were counting on me and I let them down."
"Everyone makes mistakes Leslie," he said to me.
"But I shouldn't have made this one. It's inexcusable," I said. "I tried to make things better, and I've only ended up making things worse."
"You did everything you could," he reassured me. "Things go wrong all the time, even the best plans have ways of blowing up in your face. The point is to learn from your mistakes and not let them consume you. Look to the future, so that next time you and your friends sneak out of Gryffindor Tower, you won't get caught."
I couldn't help but laugh at that. He smiled at me and stood up, pulling me up with him. As we walked back to the castle, he brushed the last of my tears away from my face and said the most comforting things to me that I've ever heard. He walked me all the way back to the corridor outside the Gryffindor common room.
"Will you be all right from here?" he asked me.
"I'll be fine, thank you Cedric," I said.
He nodded at me and reached down to give me a hug before walked back to his own common room. I entered through the portrait hole and the first thing I saw was Harry, Ron and Hermione sitting in some nearby armchairs talking. Harry and Hermione had just gotten done explaining to Ron what had happened the previous night. They looked up at me as I came in and I stood hesitantly there for a moment before going over to them.
"Hi guys," I said nervously, and they all gave little murmurs of hello, obviously afraid that I was going to burst out at them again. I sat down next to Hermione and there was an awkward moment of silence before one of us finally broke the ice.
"Leslie, I just want to say…" began Harry, but I cut him off.
"No, please let me speak first Harry," and he nodded. "I'm sorry for what I said this morning and last night. There's no excuse for me losing my temper like that. I just felt that it was my fault, letting Neville slip past me and losing an extra 50 points. I should have been doing my job and I failed. I'm sorry I let you all down."
"You didn't let us down Leslie," said Harry. "It's just as much our fault for leaving the invisibility cloak on top of the tower."
"I can't believe we were so careless," said Hermione. "I'd normally never do a thing like that."
"I know you wouldn't," I said. "I'd normally never fall asleep on the job either."
"We just made mistakes," said Ron. "Next time, we know not to make them."
"We?" asked Hermione. "Did you just say we, including yourself? You didn't do anything Ron."
"But I was with you in spirit," he said, hoping to gain more brownie points.
"Knock it off you two," I said, before they could get into an argument. I've had to get into the habit of breaking them up, even after the incident with the troll.
"There's something we have to agree on," interjected Harry.
"What's that?" asked Hermione.
"No more poking around," said Harry. "We've gotten into enough trouble already. People are already starting to turn away from us because of last night. I don't know how the news leaked out, Malfoy told someone most likely, but we know that we don't have any business wandering the corridors now."
"I can't believe what I'm hearing," said Ron. "This doesn't sound like you."
"It's called guilt Ron," said Harry. "We've caused enough trouble already."
"But what about the Stone?" I asked. "What if Snape really is trying to steal it?"
"Then we go to Dumbledore and warn him," said Harry. "But we don't do anything."
"Harry, we can't just sit by and do nothing," said Hermione.
"She's right," I said. "If Snape knows how to get past all the defenses, then we're the only chance of protecting the Stone now. We can't just stand aside and let him steal it. We have to do something."
"But what do we do though?" asked Ron.
"We'll figure that out when we get there," said Harry, though he didn't look confident.
We've spent the last two weeks getting ready for exams. They start in just three weeks. It's kept all our minds off our guilt of losing 150 points for Gryffindor. But there's something interesting. Harry was on his way to meet the rest of the us in the library, when he stopped to listen to something in a nearby classroom. He saw Quirrell walk out of it, pale and shaking, and saw an open door on the other end. It seems that he finally gave in and told Snape how to get past his enchantment protecting the Stone.
When he told us about it, we were all ready to do something about it.
"Snape's done it then!" said Ron. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell…"
"There's still Fluffy though," said Hermione.
"Maybe Snape's found a way to get past him without asking Hagrid," suggested Ron.
"If he has, then we're good as done for," I said. "All that work will be for nothing."
"What do we do Harry?" asked Ron.
"Go to Dumbledore," said Hermione. "That's what we should have done ages ago."
"But we've got no proof," said Harry, and he continued to list off the reasons why they wouldn't believe us.
"But there has to be something we can do," I said. "Surely we can convince Dumbledore that we're telling the truth. He's the greatest and wisest wizard in the world, surely he can sort out the lies from the truth."
"Snape could put some kind of spell on him though," said Hermione. "I've read all about Confundus charms and how they work."
"Is there anything you haven't read about Hermione?" asked Ron.
"For you information," she began, but Harry cut her off.
"Enough, all of you!" he snapped, and his tone made it quite clear that the conversation was over. We all stopped and went back to studying for exams, but none of us could concentrate. Our thoughts were with Fluffy and the Stone, endangered even though it was behind all those enchantments.
And then tonight, Harry, Hermione and Neville had their detention for sneaking out of the tower. They just got back about an hour ago. They went down to the entrance hall while Ron and I sat by the fire to wait for them. We'd both fallen asleep by the time they got back, and this time, there was no need to berate myself for it.
This time, I woke to find Hermione frantically shaking me, Harry doing the same to Ron. The look on her face told me that something big had gone down during detention and that I had to hear about whatever it was.
"Wait 'til you hear this," said Harry, once both Ron and I were awake. He explained that three of them, along with Malfoy, had had to go into the forest and help Hagrid track down a unicorn that had been hurt by something. There was unicorn blood all over the place, showing that it was in great pain. Harry and Malfoy found it first. What's worse was that there was someone huddled over it, drinking its blood. Malfoy and Hagrid's dog Fang ran away screaming. Harry stumbled backwards and fell. The creature advanced towards him and would have probably killed him were it not for the centaur that arrived at that moment. It took him back to the rest of the group and Hagrid brought them back to the castle.
"You mean You-know-who's out there right now in the forest?" said Hermione.
"But he's weak, he's living off the unicorns," said Harry. "Don't you see? We had it wrong. Snape doesn't want the stone for himself, he wants the Stone for Voldemort. With the Elixir of Life, Voldemort will be strong again, he'll…he'll come back."
"Stop saying the name!" said Ron.
"Harry, if Voldemort comes back, he won't try to kill you, will he?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"He probably would have tried to kill me tonight," replied Harry.
"Hold on a minute, we're forgetting one thing," said Hermione. "Who's the one wizard Voldemort always feared?"
"Dumbledore of course," I answered her.
"Exactly," said Hermione. "As long as Dumbledore's around Harry, you're safe. You can't be touched."
He nodded, but he wasn't exactly confident about that either.
Everyone went up to bed a few minutes after that, but I came back down here to the common room and began writing this. There's one more thing. Remember I said to you that Harry and Hermione left the invisibility cloak on top of the tower? Well, Harry must have heard me come back down to the common room, because he reappeared at the top of the staircase that led to the boy's dormitory. He didn't say anything, he just held up a neatly folded bundle and even from down there, I could see that it was the invisibility cloak. I could tell from his expression that he didn't know either how it had gotten there. I just nodded at him and smiled, thinking the same thing as him, that it was good to have it back. He nodded back at me to say goodnight and went back into the dormitory.
Now as I sit here writing this, I feel more and more like I did that night we discovered Fluffy. Remember I said that night that I felt that we had shaken the edge of a web, and that the spider who had made it would eventually come after us? Well, that time is soon approaching. Voldemort and Snape are the spiders who have made that web, and we are the ones who are going to have to break it. They'll not get the Stone, not if we have anything to say about it. I think the incident tonight has refueled Harry's sense of justice. I know he's as determined to protect the Stone as I am. I know for a fact that that Stone will not fall into Voldemort's hands, not with Harry there to fight him off.
Good night little diary.
Love,
Leslie
Author's Note: All right, we have the detention over and we know that Voldemort's in the forest. And I've also revealed a side of Leslie that's more filled with angst and dread. She's always been one to think that when others are counting on her, she has to get the job done or she'll have completely let them down, even if they tell her otherwise. So, it takes some persuading from Harry, Ron and Hermione before she realizes that she hasn't let them down.
Now, the next chapter is going to take place the night Leslie gets home for the summer vacation. It'll have everything that happened in the last two weeks of term in it, the hunt for the Stone, the encounter between Harry and Quirrell, a conversation with Cedric, and her reunited with her uncle for the summer. Don't expect this one to come too quickly. Between my work and the other stuff I've got going, it'll probably take me a couple weeks to get the next chapter out. Stay tuned!