MAELSTROM

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR-RETRIBUTION

"So we're all agreed that we think its Quirrell now?" I asked.

They nodded.

"Quirrell wants it definitely," Hermione said nodding.

"Firenze saved me but he shouldn't have done so…Bane was furious…he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen…They must show that Voldemort's coming back…Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me…I suppose that's written in the stars as well," Harry said.

Jenna cringed at Voldemort's name, but Hermione didn't.

"Please don't use the name," Jenna whispered.

To me it didn't matter.

"So all I've got to wait for is Quirrell to steal the Stone," Harry went on feverishly. "Then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off…Well, I suppose Bane will be happy."

"Will you stop with the name?" Jenna hissed.

Hermione looked frightened but she had something to say.

"Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic."

"But I'm confused," Jenna said frowning. "Why would Quirrell want the Stone?"

"Think Jenna," I said with a touch of annoyance. "What would you do for immortality?"

Jenna looked like she was punched in the stomach.

"Sorry, Dad," Jenna said.

Immediately I felt guilty. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't snap at you like that,"

"So then why was Snape muttering at the Quidditch match before? We all saw him," Harry mused.

"Maybe he was trying to stop someone else at the match from harming Harry," Hermione said suddenly and seriously.

We all fell silent.

I could see Harry was edgy and expecting Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment. I didn't know how he was getting through his exams.

By now, it was sweltering hot outside. Inside was especially warm, even in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They were given special, new quills for the exam which had been bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell.

I was proud of Hermione, Harry and Jenna. They studied long and hard but also had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap-dance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox—points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was but taken away if it had whiskers. Severus made them all nervous, oddly except Hermione, Harry and Jenna. But that could be perhaps that they now trusted them after everything. Severus had them doing the Forgetfulness Potion.

I could see Harry was doing best he could, trying to ignore something…more than likely the throbbing in his forehead. I could see the scar was a bit red…redder than normal.

Their last exam was History of Magic. Once hour of answering questions about "Batty old wizards" in Jenna's words, "who'd invented self stirring cauldrons". Then, they would be free to enjoy the rest of the week until their results came out.

When Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchments, I saw a bit of relief on Hermione, Harry and Jenna's faces. I stayed in the back of the classroom not interfering or anything.

"That was easier than I expected," Hermione said as we left the classroom and joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. "I didn't have to learn the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."

Hermione liked to go through the exams afterwards, but Jenna turned to her.

"Dude," Jenna said slowly. "Let it go. It's making me ill."

Harry grinned and shook his head.

Hermione frowned at Jenna but said nothing.

We flopped down under the large oak tree by the lake.

"Ugh, no more studying," Jenna sighed blissfully stretching out on the grass on her back. "You could look more cheerful, Harry. We've got a week to go before we find out how badly we did. There's no need to worry yet."

Harry was rubbing his forehead.

"I wish I knew what this means!" he burst out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting—it's happened before but never as often as this."

"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested.

"I'm not ill," Harry said. "I think it's a warning…it means danger's coming."

"Relax, Harry," Hermione said soothingly. "The Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Quirrell can't have found out how to get past Fluffy. Besides, Snape almost had his leg ripped off…I doubt Quirrell could've gotten farther than that. Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."

Harry smiled a bit.

"She's right," I said softly. "Snape wants Quirrell under his constant eye too."

I could see Harry was trying to shake off a feeling but Hermione continued.

"That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one."

Silence then Harry jumped to his feet.

"Where are you going?" Jenna asked sleepily.

"I've just thought of something," Harry said. He turned white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid now."

"Why?" Hermione asked as we quickly got to our feet.

We began jogging toward Hagrid's hut.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd," Harry said scrambling up the grassy slope. "That what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon egg and a stranger turns up who just happens to have one in his pocket? How many people wander around with a dragon egg in their pockets if it's against the law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I realize this before."

"He's got a point," I said nodding.

We began sprinting across the grounds now.

Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house, his trousers and sleeves were rolled up and he was shelling peas into a large bowl.

"Hullo!" he said looking up and smiling brightly. "Finished yer exams? Got time for a drink?"

"Yes, please," Jenna said gratefully but Harry cut her off.

"Sorry, Hagrid. We're in a bit of a hurry," Harry panted. "I've got to ask you something. You know the night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"

"Dunno," Hagrid said casually. "He wouldn't take his cloak off."

All three of them had their eyebrows raised with suspicion.

"It's not that unusual," Hagrid continued. "Yeh get a lot of funny folk in the Hog's Head—that's the pub down in the village. Mighta been a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face as he kept his hood up."

Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas.

"What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"

"Mighta come up," Hagrid said frowning as though remembering. "Yeah…he asked what I did an' I told him I was gamekeeper here…he asked a bit about what sort of creatures I looked after…so I told him…an' I said what I always really wanted was a dragon…an' then…I can't remember too well because he kept buying me drinks…Let's see…yeah then he said he had the dragon egg and we could play cards fer it if I wanted…but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn't want it ter go to any old home…so I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy…"

"And did he—did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked in a would be calm voice.

"Well yeah," Hagrid said. "How many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece of cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep…"

Now, my heart sank. I could tell by Hermione, Harry and Jenna's faces that they were pale and sick.

Hagrid looked suddenly horrified.

"I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey—where are yeh goin'?"

We had taken off and didn't stop until we came to a halt in the entrance hall which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.

"We've got to go to Dumbledore," Harry said. "Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy and it was either Quirrell or Voldemort under that cloak—it must've been easy once he got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?"

"Come on," I said as I led them up the stairs.

Just then, we bumped into Professor McGonagall.

"What are you four doing inside?" she demanded.

"We want to see Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said urgently and rather bravely.

"Professor Dumbledore?" McGonagall said. "Why?"

"We know about the Stone," I said.

McGonagall went pale.

"That must be the reason why Carrie was killed," she whispered terrified. "She saw a vision. Whoever killed her had to know of her visions….unfortunately, Dumbledore left ten minutes ago. An urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic."

"He's gone?" Harry said frantically. "Now?"

"Dumbledore's a very great wizard, Potter. I don't know how you lot found out about it, but I assure you it's well protected. No one can get near it,"

"But Professor…"

"Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said shortly. "And Mr. Lupin, I'm shocked at you feeding into this."

I didn't say anything as she headed off down the corridor.

"It's tonight," Harry said suddenly once he was sure McGonagall was out of ear shot. "Quirrell or Voldemort will go down the trap door tonight. He's got everything he needs…especially since Dumbledore's gone. I be he sent the letter…the Ministry will get a shock when Dumbledore turns up…"

"But what can we…?" Jenna began but Hermione gasped but Snape was standing there.

"Good afternoon," Severus said smoothly.

"Afternoon, Severus," I said.

He came over to me.

"I'm really sorry about Carrie," he said quietly.

"Thank you," I said feeling a lump of tears rising in the back of my throat.

"Why are you inside on a day like this?" Snape asked turning to Hermione, Harry and Jenna.

"We were…" Harry began without any idea as to what to say.

"Just getting something to drink, Severus," I said. "It's hot outside."

Severus nodded.

"See you later,"

With that, he sauntered off down the corridor.

"Here's what we do," Harry said turning to us. "One of us has got to keep an eye on whoever this is…wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione, you'd better do that."

"Why me?"

"It's obvious," Jenna said. "You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick you know?" she put on a fake high voice. "'Oh Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried, I think it got question 14 b wrong.."

"Oh shut up," Hermione said but she agreed.

"And we'd better stay outside the third floor corridor too," Harry said. "Come on."

But that part didn't work. We bumped into McGonagall again and she blew up at us. Yelling at me that I was still feeding into their fears and that if she found us again she'd take 50 points from Gryffindor.

"At least Hermione's on the trail," Jenna muttered as we headed back to the common room.

Shortly though, Hermione came back into the common room.

"I'm sorry Harry," she wailed. "Snape came out and asked me what I was doing so I said I was waiting for Professor Flitwick and Snape went to get him. I fled…I don't know where Snape went."

"That's it then," Harry said.

We stared at him. He was pale and his emerald green eyes were glittering.

"I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first,"

"You're mad!" Jenna cried.

"You can't!" Hermione cried. "You heard what McGonagall said!"

"SO WHAT?" Harry shouted. "Don't you understand? If Voldemort gets a hold of that Stone he's coming back. Mr. Lupin knows what it's like with him trying to take over! There won't be any Hogwarts left to get expelled from! He'll flatten it or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I get to the Stone, well I'll have to go back to the Dursley's and wait for Voldemort to find me there and it's only dying a bit later than I would have because I'm never going back to the Dark Side! I'm going through that trap-door tonight and nothing you three can say to stop me…Voldemort killed my parents remember?"

Those words brought back horrible memories of the news when James and Lily were killed.

I sighed.

"I understand Harry," I said quietly. "Believe me. You're absolutely right."

"I'll use the Invisibility Cloak," Harry continued his tone softening slightly. "It's just lucky I got it back."

"But will it cover all four of us?" Jenna asked.

"Four?" Harry said blankly.

"You're not doing this alone," I said firmly. "I want a bit of revenge for killing Carrie."

"But if you guys get caught you'd be expelled for sure," Harry said.

"Not if I can help it," Hermione said grimly. "Flitwick told me in secret that I got 112 percent on his exam. They're not throwing me out after that."

After dinner we sat nervously apart in the common room. No one bothered us thankfully. Hermione was skimming through all her notes hoping to come across one of the enchantments we were going to break.

Jenna and Harry didn't talk much.

Slowly the room emptied as people headed off to bed.

"Better get the cloak," Jenna muttered.

Harry ran upstairs to the dark dormitory and came back down.

I looked outside and realized it was a full moon out. I dropped to my hands and knees and changed into the gray wolf.

JENNA.

Dad changed into the wolf. He shook his body and watched us with amber eyes.

"We'd better put the cloak on here and make sure it covers all three of us…what about your Dad?" Hermione asked nervously.

"He'll be fine," I said.

"What are you doing?" a voice said from the corner of the room. Neville was standing there.

"Nothing, Neville," I said hurriedly.

Harry slipped the cloak behind his back.

"What's that wolf doing here?" Neville asked nervously pointing to Dad.

"He's mine," I said quickly. "Dumbledore knows about him."

"You're sneaking out again," Neville said. He could probably see our guilty faces.

"No, no no," Hermione said. "We're not. Why don't you go back to bed, Nevile?"

But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something brave.

"I won't let you do it! I'll—I'll fight you!"

He stood in front of the portrait hole.

"Neville!" I exploded. "Get away from the hole and don't be an idiot!"

"Don't you call me an idiot! I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the ones who told me to stand up to people!"

"Yes but not to us!" Hermione said exasperatedly.

She took a step forward but Neville raised his fists.

"Go on then, try and hit me!" he said. "I'm ready!"

Harry turned to me.

"Do something," he said desperately.

Then, it was Dad who made the first move. He charged at Neville and jumped on him, knocking him onto his back. He gently grabbed the hem of Neville's pajama shirt and began pulling it up over Neville's head.

"Hey!" Neville cried thrashing around.

"Go!" Harry hissed.

Hermione, Harry and I flew out of the common room.