There was a moment of stunned silence before Draco was on his feet, "Harry you can't be serious!"
"Draco's right." Hermione shook her head, "After what Snape and McGonagall said? You'd be expelled!"
"You'd have to be totally mad."
"Snape could kill you easily Harry he's fully trained." Draco shook his head, "You can't-"
"I don't care!" Harry shouted the words, "Don't you understand? If he gets the stone then Voldemort is coming back. Dad told me what it was like when he was trying to take over, there won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll destroy it and everything it stands for! And me..." Harry swallowed hard, "Who do you think he'll come for first you three? If I don't stop him then.. then I'm dead anyway. He wants me dead, you know it too you just don't want to face facts! I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you three say is going to stop me. Voldemort is the one who killed my parents!"
"You're right." Hermione whispered.
"I'll use my cloak... be the best use I've put it too all year.
"And we know it covers all four of us." Draco.
"All four of us?" Harry blinked slowly, unable to hide his surprise, because as much as he knew that his friends were very good friends he had never imagined that they'd be willing to risk getting expelled, risk getting killed.
"Oh come off it." Ron grinned, "You don't think we'd let you go alone?"
"Of course not." Hermione spoke up quickly, "You're not going without us. You should know better, you've been my best friend since I was six... I should imagine I'd have been dreadfully lonely without you to drag me away from my books." she flushed slightly, "I'd have probably been horribly dull too."
"Hermione's right... if I hadn't met you two in Madam Malkins... if you hadn't made me actually think about things properly for the first time I'd never have realised that maybe my parents weren't right. I'd've probably been a Slytherin... hell I'd have probably been worse than Nott is. And Nott's an arse."
"I was terrified." Ron admitted quietly, "That when I got here I'd be a nobody... my older brothers... three of them were prefects and Fred and George... well you've met them, they're really popular. I was scared I'd just be the nobody but you... without you... you gave me the best friends I've ever had. I'm not a nobody now and no one can say I am." he grinned, "We fought a troll. Even the twins were impressed!"
Harry swallowed hard, looking around at his friends with wide eyes before he gave a slow nod, "Together... we do it together."
"I'll get my books, do some reading and see if I can find anything we can use."
Draco nodded, "I have a flute we can use to get past fluffy-" Ron's laugh Draco flushed, "my mother insisted that I learn an instrument." he defended, "I was terrible at the violin."
"It's better than what we have." Harry pointed out, "A flute'll be great Draco." he watched Draco and Hermione rush off before Ron was by his side, and he felt a surge of bravery.
He wasn't alone in this. They would face Voldemort together.
So it was that they were waiting in the common room after dinner, watching as one by one the other students gradually filtered off to bed. Once Lee Jordan left Harry rushed up the stairs to the dark dormitory and he pulled out his cloak, making his way back down quickly, "We should put the cloak on here." he stated quietly, "So that if Filch is around outside he won't spot us."
The others didn't speak, gathering around quickly and huddling under the cloak as they made their right.
They ran into Mrs. Norris fairly soon into their little journey, and Harry had to stop Ron from kicking her, a good thing as if they had she'd have run for Filch, but as it was she just stood there staring at them as they rushed off quietly.
They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.
"Who's there?" He asked suddenly as they climbed toward him, narrowing his eyes. "Know you're there even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?"
He rose into the air, squinting towards them. "Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen." Harry had a sudden idea.
"Peeves." he spoke in a hoarse whisper, "The Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible." he had to force back his laughter as Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock, catching himself in time and hovering about a foot off the stairs.
"So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, sir, my mistake, my mistake. I didn't see you, of course I didn't you're invisible, forgive old Peevsie his little joke sir."
"I have business here, Peeves. Stay away from this place tonight."
"I will, I most certainly will," said Peeves rising up in the air again. "Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you." he scooted off, and after a moment Ron breathed out;
"That was brilliant Harry." But he didn't bother to reply, getting moving quickly, and soon enough they were outside of the third-floor corridor.
And the door was already ajar.
