Reality Check
~* With all this updating other fic's, I thought I'd better not leave this one out! So here's the next chapter in Reality Check! *~
Chapter 13 ~ Vital Information
Harry didn't know where he was going to go, but one thing's for sure, he wasn't going back to the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry was only grateful that Hermione would be leaving for the Christmas Holidays. On the other hand, Caprice was also leaving, and Ron was staying. Ron would not be friendly towards Harry because he despised Caprice.
Harry broke into a light jog as he reached the lower levels of the Hogwarts Castle. He stopped, however, at the third floor. Harry peeked his head around the corner, and noticed there was a student sitting with their back against the wall. He saw that the student was a girl, but he couldn't see her face as she was facing the other direction.
The Gryffindor approached her, not wanting to scare the girl. Harry knelt down beside her very slowly.
'Excuse me,' Harry said with his voice ever so low, soft and gentle. The girl jumped to her feet, startled at the presence of another person. Harry stood to meet her, and saw who it was. 'I know you!'
~***~
Caprice lay in her green, four poster bed, staring up at the ceiling. Tomorrow, she would be heading back to Little Whinging, after having the best school term of her life, in a school she never thought she would be at, with her best friend. She was sad that Harry wouldn't come back with her, but she knew why. If Caprice lived with the Dursleys, she wouldn't want to go back to them either.
Tossing and turning, Caprice realised that she would never get to sleep at this rate. She jumped out of bed and put on her fuzzy pink dress robe which had a chocolate ice cream stain down the front.
Caprice crept across the room, not wanting to wake Cora, Pansy, Millicent or Andrea on her way. She opened the door as silently as she could, and it closed behind her with a click. She slipped silently up the stairs and into the Slytherin Common. To Caprice's relief, Draco had gone to bed, leaving the Common Room empty.
She slunk silently across the cold, smooth stones which made up the floor of the Slytherin Common Room, and out the entrance. The wall slid shut behind her, making an echoing sound, as it always did, making it hard for Slytherins to sneak out.
Caprice made her way out of the dungeons and into the Entrance Hall. Walking through the door and into the main staircase, she began the long climb up the stairs of Hogwarts. Caprice knew she couldn't go see Harry, because she didn't know the password to the Gryffindor Tower, but she could go check out the third floor corridor again and see that large, three headed dog.
Caprice reached the place on the third floor, and poked her head around the corner to make sure no teachers were prowling about. Instead, she saw two students. One was crouched down next to the other, who hadn't even noticed he was there. Caprice didn't know who the two students were, but she decided to stay and see what they were doing.
'Excuse me,' The boy said, and Caprice instantly recognised the voice. It was the voice of her best friend, Harry Potter. Caprice watched as the girl jumped up in shock, and turned to face Harry. Caprice gasped.
'I know her!' She said under her breath at exactly the same time as Harry said; 'I know you!'
~***~
Hermione and Ron were sitting in the Common Room armchairs waiting anxiously for the return of Harry. Ron squirmed on the edge of his seat, while Hermione sat patiently.
'Oh that's it,' Ron said, standing up. 'I can't wait anymore, let's go find him!' Ron turned to leave, but Hermione grabbed his arm.
'We can't go looking for him!' She cried. Ron looked at her.
'And just why not?'
'Because then he'll know that we're sorry and that we care. And it's only been ten minutes.' Hermione said stubbornly.
'Of course we care Hermione, we're his friends, we're meant to care.' Ron told her. 'Harry has the right to be friends with whom ever he wants.'
'I know that, but Caprice is a Slytherin, and a real rotten one at that.' Hermione said.
'You can't deny what you saw on the grounds earlier,' Ron said. 'She was being playful, and sweet, and nice to Harry, you cannot sweep that under the rug.'
'But whenever I see her, she's always with Malfoy, and she sneers at us, and makes fun of us, and Harry too!' Hermione replied.
'Maybe she's putting on an act?'
'Maybe she's putting on an act for Harry, maybe she's spying on him for Malfoy, building up his trust.' Hermione pushed.
'Hermione, I doubt that Harry would go near Caprice if he hadn't known her somehow before coming to Hogwarts.' Ron said matter-of-factly. Hermione thought about this for a minute.
'Let's go.' She grabbed Ron's wrist and lead him out of the Gryffindor Common Room.
'Where are we going?' Ron asked as Hermione led him down the stairs.
'Somewhere where we might find Harry.' Came the reply.
'And where might that be?'
'Who knows just come on!' Hermione said, poking her head around the fourth floor. The friends saw that Harry wasn't there, so they crept down to the third floor, and saw Caprice. She was looking around the corner of the third floor so she didn't see them.
Hermione and Ron crept up and pressed against the wall, hidden by the shadows so that Caprice wouldn't be able to see them. Hermione, who was closest, looked around the corner.
'What do you see?' Ron mouthed to Hermione.
'Harry, and some other student.' Hermione mouthed back. Caprice hadn't noticed them yet.
'Excuse me,' Hermione heard Harry say to the girl. She jumped up in shock, and Harry stood to meet her. 'I know you!'
~***~
Draco Malfoy emerged from the first year girls dorms. He was quite angry as Caprice had seemingly escaped from his watch. Where could she have gone? He thought angrily. Storming out of the Common Room, Draco somehow got even madder than he was.
Draco found Caprice, poking her head around the corner to the third floor. He stormed over to Caprice and heard a voice coming from the third floor.
'I know you!'
Draco walked straight up to Caprice and grabbed her by the shoulders just as she was about to rush up to the two figures standing in the corridor.
'Ahhh!' Caprice screamed. 'What are you doing?' She spun around. 'Oh, Malfoy, sorry I didn't know it was you.' Malfoy let her go, and the two Slytherins walked into the third floor corridor.
Hermione and Ron jumped suddenly out of the shadows to face the two Slytherins, Harry, and the girl which they didn't know, and everyone else seemed to know.
Harry spun around to see his four fellow students. He quickly joined Hermione and Ron, and the five of them faced the mystery girl.
'Who are you?' Hermione asked.
'Are you kidding?' Caprice butted in. 'That's Andrea Newbury, a Slytherin first year.'
'Excuse me, Caprice, I can talk for myself.' Andrea said. 'Harry, just the person I was wanting to talk to.' She looked directly at Harry. 'I don't know why everyone decided to show up,'
'We were looking for Harry,' Ron interrupted. Hermione nodded in agreement.
'I couldn't sleep so I came to check out the third floor and that amazing dog.' Caprice said. Everyone turned to look at Malfoy.
'My business is my own.' He said stubbornly. All eyes turned back to Andrea.
'I know that you and Caprice went and checked out the forbidden corridor, and I have some information for you.' Andrea explained. Caprice and Harry immediately stepped forward, so that Andrea may talk to them without the others hearing.
'We'll just go then, shall we?' Ron said cheerfully, pointing with his thumb back upstairs.
'Ron,' Hermione hissed.
'We'll just be off then.' Ron dragged Hermione back upstairs. Caprice, Andrea and Harry stared at Malfoy.
'I'm not leaving if that's what you're thinking, not until Jenkins comes with me. I'm sick of all your midnight sneaking out Jenkins, and what's this Newbury tells me about you and Potter checking out the forbidden corridor, together?' Malfoy spat. 'And Jenkins, why the hell are you being nice to Potter now?'
'Go back to the dungeons Malfoy, I'll be there soon, this happens to be important.' Caprice ordered.
'Why won't you make me.' Malfoy said and folded his arms.
'You had better be going home for the Christmas Holidays Malfoy.' Harry said harshly.
Andrea suddenly grabbed Caprice and Harry, and shoved them into a nearby classroom, locking the door securly so that Malfoy couldn't get in.
'Silencio.' Andrea said, putting a sound proof barrier around the classroom, Malfoy wouldn't be able to hear a thing. Harry and Caprice looked at Andrea in shock.
'So Andrea, what's this information you have for us?'
'Did you happen to notice the trap door?' Andrea asked.
'Yes, that was the second thing we noticed, you know, after the large three headed dog.' Harry said.
'Well, I found out, don't ask how, that the dog's name is Fluffy.' Andrea finished dramatically. Caprice and Harry stared at her blankly.
'How is that supposed to help? And what are you helping us do?' Harry asked.
'Shut up and listen,' Andrea said. 'To get past Fluffy, all you need to do is play him a bit of music, and he'll go straight to sleep.'
'Oh, so we're supposed to get past Fluffy?' Caprice asked.
'Shut up, and listen! Beyond the trapdoor is a bunch of spells and enchantments which you need to get past.'
'Why do we need to get past them?' Harry asked.'
'Shut up and listen, the spells and enchantments are protecting the Philosopher's Stone.'
'What's that?' Caprice asked.
'That's what I leave you to find out.' Andrea said.
'Is that all the information you have for us?' Harry asked the Slytherin girl.
'That's it.'
'Just one thing, Andrea, you're very strange I realise, but why would you be helping us?' Caprice asked.
'I'm just telling you what you need to know. Please don't ask me how I found all this out, because I can't tell you, and I'm gonna leave now, so goodnight, and I hope this has been of help.' Andrea said, and with that, she walked out of the classroom. As she left, the sound proof barrier fell.
Caprice and Harry left the classroom in time to see Andrea push past Malfoy, who was still waiting for them.
'What was that about?' Malfoy asked bitterly.
'Our business is our own.' Harry said, and headed up the stairs to the Gryffindor Tower.
Malfoy turned to Caprice.
'Don't look at me.' Caprice said, and walked merrily back down to the Slytherin Dungeons.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
~* Hey, I know that chapter was weird, and I don't know why I wrote it the way I did, maybe to make it longer! If you're wondering who Andrea Newbury is, I didn't just make her up now, she's been a character in my fiction "Even When There's No Way, There's Always A Will" for some time. *~
~Gryffindor Gal~
~* With all this updating other fic's, I thought I'd better not leave this one out! So here's the next chapter in Reality Check! *~
Chapter 13 ~ Vital Information
Harry didn't know where he was going to go, but one thing's for sure, he wasn't going back to the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry was only grateful that Hermione would be leaving for the Christmas Holidays. On the other hand, Caprice was also leaving, and Ron was staying. Ron would not be friendly towards Harry because he despised Caprice.
Harry broke into a light jog as he reached the lower levels of the Hogwarts Castle. He stopped, however, at the third floor. Harry peeked his head around the corner, and noticed there was a student sitting with their back against the wall. He saw that the student was a girl, but he couldn't see her face as she was facing the other direction.
The Gryffindor approached her, not wanting to scare the girl. Harry knelt down beside her very slowly.
'Excuse me,' Harry said with his voice ever so low, soft and gentle. The girl jumped to her feet, startled at the presence of another person. Harry stood to meet her, and saw who it was. 'I know you!'
~***~
Caprice lay in her green, four poster bed, staring up at the ceiling. Tomorrow, she would be heading back to Little Whinging, after having the best school term of her life, in a school she never thought she would be at, with her best friend. She was sad that Harry wouldn't come back with her, but she knew why. If Caprice lived with the Dursleys, she wouldn't want to go back to them either.
Tossing and turning, Caprice realised that she would never get to sleep at this rate. She jumped out of bed and put on her fuzzy pink dress robe which had a chocolate ice cream stain down the front.
Caprice crept across the room, not wanting to wake Cora, Pansy, Millicent or Andrea on her way. She opened the door as silently as she could, and it closed behind her with a click. She slipped silently up the stairs and into the Slytherin Common. To Caprice's relief, Draco had gone to bed, leaving the Common Room empty.
She slunk silently across the cold, smooth stones which made up the floor of the Slytherin Common Room, and out the entrance. The wall slid shut behind her, making an echoing sound, as it always did, making it hard for Slytherins to sneak out.
Caprice made her way out of the dungeons and into the Entrance Hall. Walking through the door and into the main staircase, she began the long climb up the stairs of Hogwarts. Caprice knew she couldn't go see Harry, because she didn't know the password to the Gryffindor Tower, but she could go check out the third floor corridor again and see that large, three headed dog.
Caprice reached the place on the third floor, and poked her head around the corner to make sure no teachers were prowling about. Instead, she saw two students. One was crouched down next to the other, who hadn't even noticed he was there. Caprice didn't know who the two students were, but she decided to stay and see what they were doing.
'Excuse me,' The boy said, and Caprice instantly recognised the voice. It was the voice of her best friend, Harry Potter. Caprice watched as the girl jumped up in shock, and turned to face Harry. Caprice gasped.
'I know her!' She said under her breath at exactly the same time as Harry said; 'I know you!'
~***~
Hermione and Ron were sitting in the Common Room armchairs waiting anxiously for the return of Harry. Ron squirmed on the edge of his seat, while Hermione sat patiently.
'Oh that's it,' Ron said, standing up. 'I can't wait anymore, let's go find him!' Ron turned to leave, but Hermione grabbed his arm.
'We can't go looking for him!' She cried. Ron looked at her.
'And just why not?'
'Because then he'll know that we're sorry and that we care. And it's only been ten minutes.' Hermione said stubbornly.
'Of course we care Hermione, we're his friends, we're meant to care.' Ron told her. 'Harry has the right to be friends with whom ever he wants.'
'I know that, but Caprice is a Slytherin, and a real rotten one at that.' Hermione said.
'You can't deny what you saw on the grounds earlier,' Ron said. 'She was being playful, and sweet, and nice to Harry, you cannot sweep that under the rug.'
'But whenever I see her, she's always with Malfoy, and she sneers at us, and makes fun of us, and Harry too!' Hermione replied.
'Maybe she's putting on an act?'
'Maybe she's putting on an act for Harry, maybe she's spying on him for Malfoy, building up his trust.' Hermione pushed.
'Hermione, I doubt that Harry would go near Caprice if he hadn't known her somehow before coming to Hogwarts.' Ron said matter-of-factly. Hermione thought about this for a minute.
'Let's go.' She grabbed Ron's wrist and lead him out of the Gryffindor Common Room.
'Where are we going?' Ron asked as Hermione led him down the stairs.
'Somewhere where we might find Harry.' Came the reply.
'And where might that be?'
'Who knows just come on!' Hermione said, poking her head around the fourth floor. The friends saw that Harry wasn't there, so they crept down to the third floor, and saw Caprice. She was looking around the corner of the third floor so she didn't see them.
Hermione and Ron crept up and pressed against the wall, hidden by the shadows so that Caprice wouldn't be able to see them. Hermione, who was closest, looked around the corner.
'What do you see?' Ron mouthed to Hermione.
'Harry, and some other student.' Hermione mouthed back. Caprice hadn't noticed them yet.
'Excuse me,' Hermione heard Harry say to the girl. She jumped up in shock, and Harry stood to meet her. 'I know you!'
~***~
Draco Malfoy emerged from the first year girls dorms. He was quite angry as Caprice had seemingly escaped from his watch. Where could she have gone? He thought angrily. Storming out of the Common Room, Draco somehow got even madder than he was.
Draco found Caprice, poking her head around the corner to the third floor. He stormed over to Caprice and heard a voice coming from the third floor.
'I know you!'
Draco walked straight up to Caprice and grabbed her by the shoulders just as she was about to rush up to the two figures standing in the corridor.
'Ahhh!' Caprice screamed. 'What are you doing?' She spun around. 'Oh, Malfoy, sorry I didn't know it was you.' Malfoy let her go, and the two Slytherins walked into the third floor corridor.
Hermione and Ron jumped suddenly out of the shadows to face the two Slytherins, Harry, and the girl which they didn't know, and everyone else seemed to know.
Harry spun around to see his four fellow students. He quickly joined Hermione and Ron, and the five of them faced the mystery girl.
'Who are you?' Hermione asked.
'Are you kidding?' Caprice butted in. 'That's Andrea Newbury, a Slytherin first year.'
'Excuse me, Caprice, I can talk for myself.' Andrea said. 'Harry, just the person I was wanting to talk to.' She looked directly at Harry. 'I don't know why everyone decided to show up,'
'We were looking for Harry,' Ron interrupted. Hermione nodded in agreement.
'I couldn't sleep so I came to check out the third floor and that amazing dog.' Caprice said. Everyone turned to look at Malfoy.
'My business is my own.' He said stubbornly. All eyes turned back to Andrea.
'I know that you and Caprice went and checked out the forbidden corridor, and I have some information for you.' Andrea explained. Caprice and Harry immediately stepped forward, so that Andrea may talk to them without the others hearing.
'We'll just go then, shall we?' Ron said cheerfully, pointing with his thumb back upstairs.
'Ron,' Hermione hissed.
'We'll just be off then.' Ron dragged Hermione back upstairs. Caprice, Andrea and Harry stared at Malfoy.
'I'm not leaving if that's what you're thinking, not until Jenkins comes with me. I'm sick of all your midnight sneaking out Jenkins, and what's this Newbury tells me about you and Potter checking out the forbidden corridor, together?' Malfoy spat. 'And Jenkins, why the hell are you being nice to Potter now?'
'Go back to the dungeons Malfoy, I'll be there soon, this happens to be important.' Caprice ordered.
'Why won't you make me.' Malfoy said and folded his arms.
'You had better be going home for the Christmas Holidays Malfoy.' Harry said harshly.
Andrea suddenly grabbed Caprice and Harry, and shoved them into a nearby classroom, locking the door securly so that Malfoy couldn't get in.
'Silencio.' Andrea said, putting a sound proof barrier around the classroom, Malfoy wouldn't be able to hear a thing. Harry and Caprice looked at Andrea in shock.
'So Andrea, what's this information you have for us?'
'Did you happen to notice the trap door?' Andrea asked.
'Yes, that was the second thing we noticed, you know, after the large three headed dog.' Harry said.
'Well, I found out, don't ask how, that the dog's name is Fluffy.' Andrea finished dramatically. Caprice and Harry stared at her blankly.
'How is that supposed to help? And what are you helping us do?' Harry asked.
'Shut up and listen,' Andrea said. 'To get past Fluffy, all you need to do is play him a bit of music, and he'll go straight to sleep.'
'Oh, so we're supposed to get past Fluffy?' Caprice asked.
'Shut up, and listen! Beyond the trapdoor is a bunch of spells and enchantments which you need to get past.'
'Why do we need to get past them?' Harry asked.'
'Shut up and listen, the spells and enchantments are protecting the Philosopher's Stone.'
'What's that?' Caprice asked.
'That's what I leave you to find out.' Andrea said.
'Is that all the information you have for us?' Harry asked the Slytherin girl.
'That's it.'
'Just one thing, Andrea, you're very strange I realise, but why would you be helping us?' Caprice asked.
'I'm just telling you what you need to know. Please don't ask me how I found all this out, because I can't tell you, and I'm gonna leave now, so goodnight, and I hope this has been of help.' Andrea said, and with that, she walked out of the classroom. As she left, the sound proof barrier fell.
Caprice and Harry left the classroom in time to see Andrea push past Malfoy, who was still waiting for them.
'What was that about?' Malfoy asked bitterly.
'Our business is our own.' Harry said, and headed up the stairs to the Gryffindor Tower.
Malfoy turned to Caprice.
'Don't look at me.' Caprice said, and walked merrily back down to the Slytherin Dungeons.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
~* Hey, I know that chapter was weird, and I don't know why I wrote it the way I did, maybe to make it longer! If you're wondering who Andrea Newbury is, I didn't just make her up now, she's been a character in my fiction "Even When There's No Way, There's Always A Will" for some time. *~
~Gryffindor Gal~