I'm reaching the end now, as you can probably tell. I'm looking forward to having this first draft complete at last. It's going to be a big thing for me, give how little attention I've given to this project the last few years. I need to finish it for my own sanity, I think.

To new readers, welcome. To those coming back, I'm glad you're here. If you like my stuff, do follow it, because it's going to be finished in the next few weeks at the most.

I love hearing your opinions, so please review.

Tom

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Chapter 37: Do Your Duty, into the Darkness.

The common room was full, every surface that could possibly hold a person was occupied and more than fifty people were forced to stand or sit on the floor.

Being the last into the space, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fay and Dean were standing. The casting of the purifier had taken its toll on Fay who looked tired. Hermione stood deliberately several steps away, arms crossed and pouting.

Darcy, eminent king of Gryffindor stood in the middle of the common room with the rest of the prefects, Percy Weasley included. Most of them looked terrified.

"We received a message a few minutes ago from Professor McGonagall. Almost all of you were in the great hall when the centaur arrived. His name was Mantazna and he has unfortunately died of his injuries." Darcy paused to allow for the cries of shock and surprise. "He had suffered terrible wounds of a magical nature and despite the best efforts of the staff here, too much time had passed. He did, however manage to tell Professor Dumbledore that there is something happening in the Forbidden Forest."

He paused and sniffed.

"For those of you that don't know, the forest is a sacred place, ancient beyond reckoning and home to very many powerfully magical creatures. If there is some evil force there harming the creatures it must be stopped. As I understand it, the headmaster and teachers are going into the forest to destroy whatever it may be.

Other final year students and I or full members of the Dark Force Defence League have been asked to take charge of guarding the entrances to the castle. We will be going downstairs as soon as we have chance to gather our things. Everyone else is to stay here under supervision of the prefects. They are in charge until further notice."

He turned and left, followed by the other students charged with defence.

"Bloody hell." Said Ron as the hall filled with shouts and questions.

The noise was enormous in the normally spacious room, so Harry grabbed the nearest sleeves – belonging to Dean and Fay – and drew the whole group into the quietest space available.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" He asked, half shouting over the noise.

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Five minutes later he was rifling through his trunk, throwing things out and digging to the bottom.

"There you are," He said, pulling his father's cloak from the depth of the trunk. He stood, rolling it up.

Nighodd was curled on his bed, his eyes flashing red. "There is great evil here. It has come back."

Harry's heart sunk. "What do you mean, 'has come back'?" He said, somehow knowing the answer.

"I didn't have words before. The great power from before, the thing that wants to destroy everything is here, in the building."

Harry's eyes widened. "Inside the school?"

Nidhogg nodded. "I will go to the forest. There is power there. You stay here. Safe is in here."

"You can't go to the forest." Said Harry, picking up the snake, but Nidhogg resisted, sliding free.

"I must. I need it there. I will return." He said.

The snake wound his way free, dropping from the bed and going out into the hall. Harry followed and watched as he descended to the bathroom.

"Using the pipes?"

Nidhogg didn't so much as pause as he rose up next to a toilet. "It is quickest." And he was gone.

Harry paused outside the bathroom for a moment.

He was afraid. The thing could only be Quirrell, or whatever Quirrell had become.

It must be after the thing on the third floor. He thought. The thought came naturally, like a shot of simple insight, but it came from nowhere. Pure intuition. He patted his wand pocket and bolted down the stairs.

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He told the group quickly what was happening.

"But how do you know?" asked Hermione for the third time.

"I don't know. I just need you to trust me on this."

"But you can't go to the third floor, Harry." Dean said. "We can't get out."

As Dean spoke, the seventh-year students arrived back in the hall. They were all wearing the more fitted robes associated with their training.

"That's how we get out." Said Harry quickly, unfolding his cloak.

"What's that?" Asked Ron, frowning at the strangeness of the material as it rippled out across the ground.

"It's mine – it's an invisibility cloak." Harry said. "Stand around me, I'm going to put it on."

"A cloak of what?" Hermione asked, reaching down to touch it."

"Hermione. Look, I'll explain everything when I get back. I have to stop Quirrell. I have to go now!"

Fay put her hand on his arm. "Then you're not going alone."

"What?"

"She's right mate." Said Ron. "That cloak's massive, it'll fit three of us any day. You can't do this alone."

"I'm not putting any of you at risk."

"Don't be ridiculous, Harry. We're going with you." Fay said. "It's not you putting us at risk if we choose to go."

"She's right." Said Hermione, which stunned everyone to silence for a few moments. "But if we're throwing all sense to the wind, can I make a suggestion?"

Harry sighed, resigned to taking people with him. It was reassuring, actually. He didn't want to be alone again.

She continued, taking his silence for assent. "I think Fay and I should go with you."

Dean and Ron both shouted in outrage.

"It's not anything against, either of you." She carried on, holding her hands out placatingly. "But I think you two – Dean and Ron – should stay here. I've done lots of reading with Harry about the whole Quirrell incident and think I could do a lot to help and let's face it…" She paused, swallowing like she's been given a disgusting dose of medicine. "… Fay is the best at defensive magic out of all of us."

Fay actually rocked back on her heels, stunned. "I'm okay with that."

"I thought you might." Hermione continued. "And you, Ron and Dean, you need to be here. The majority of first-year boys can't just vanish – and Percy would notice your absence, Ron. It's normal for me to be off somewhere studying and not out of the ordinary for Fay to be off talking to other people, so our absence might not be noticed before we get back."

They all nodded. It made sense.

"Okay, okay." Harry said, grabbing the collar of the cloak. "Get under here with me."

He turned the cloak, covering himself, Fay and Hermione easily.

Across the room Darcy was talking. "Everyone stay here, food will be here imminently. You will be safe here. Talk to the prefects if you need anything. This will be over soon."

They turned as a group and turned to the portrait hole entrance, which swung open into the dark hall.

"Come on, quick." Said Harry, linking arms with Fay and Hermione under the cloak.

"Good luck." Said Dean from behind them.

They walked as quickly as they could toward the entrance which, to Harry, suddenly looked like the mouth of some great beast.

And they were charging into its mouth.

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The school was eerily silent as they ran along the halls, pausing at times to let a ghost cross their path. Otherwise there was no one in sight.

They ascended the ever-shifting stairs and crossed to the third floor.

Hermione opened the lock with a spell and they carried on. The clubhouse wasn't empty – a couple of bodies were just visible in the dark, locked together like they were dancing.

"Or kissing." Fay said, as they hurried past.

Harry wondered who was in the room and had the briefest of moments imagining himself in there, in the dark and kissing… someone.

The corridor turned and they slowed. The whole corridor ahead of them was completely deserted and blanketed in dust.

Except for a single track of footsteps.

"Wow. Looks like you were right, Harry." Fay said.

Harry nodded. "Let's keep the cloak on for now. Nothing we can do about our own footsteps though."

"Harry, I'm scared." Said Hermione in a small voice.

"I know, me too." Said Fay. "But just remember that the hat told the world you're a lion. Never forget that."

Hermione sniffed in the dark and Harry felt her nod. "Thanks Fay." She said.

They carried on toward the invisible door.

"We just need to figure out a way pas the dog…" Harry said.

"Dog?" both girls asked together.

"Yes. There's a three-headed dog – a Cerberus guarding a trapdoor in there. The twins said his name is Fluffy."

The girls stifled giggles.

"Well it's not the end of the world. Cerberi have this weird thing with music, I think. It makes them sleepy, so maybe we can… do something…" Fay didn't finish her sentence.

The invisibility charm covering the area near the door was gone, and so was the door.

Instead of unlocking the door, someone had torn it out of the frame and flung it against the opposite wall.

"Bloody hell." Said Harry.

They stepped carefully, avoiding shards of stone and wood that were scattered around.

"Look." Said Hermione, pointing to the floor. "I bet that's why he didn't just open the door. Look at the wards."

Harry and Fay looked down. Inscribed into the shattered wood and flagstones around the door were tiny runes and letters. All of the tiny sigils were cracked.

"That's one way to get around protective enchantments, I guess." Fay said.

"They weren't the biggest wards, probably just big enough to keep students out." Said Hermione.

"They weren't expecting a teacher. Or whatever Quirrell is now." Harry said. "Come on."

They stepped toward the door.

Fluffy was there, but it was all wrong.

As they entered the small room, they saw that the enormous dog lay against the far wall, but it was still, legs locked in position as if preparing to pounce and three heads lunging forward.

"It's not dead, is it?." Hermione said.

"It's not moving." Said Harry.

"No, that's a spell. It's either a body-bind or petrification." Said Fay, shrugging out of the cloak.

She moved over to Fluffy and looked at the nearest head. "No, it's petrified."

"How… awful. I hope it'll be okay." Hermione said.

Despite himself and how dangerous the giant beast was, Harry couldn't help feeling sorry for it. "It's not awake, is it?"

Fay shook her head, coming back to them. "No. It's really powerful magic. It's like being turned to stone, just not literally."

"Like someone paused him, as if he's a video tape." Hermione interjected.

"I guess so."

Harry nodded. "That's good. We can get him fixed later."

He took the cloak off himself and Hermione and inspected the hatch on the floor. There were more runes and wards carved into the handle and frame, all of which were smashed and melted.

"At least he's opened the way for us." Hermione said sheepishly.

Harry reached out and lifted the handle of the trap door. The metal was still warm but not hot. Pulling it open was easy, the hatch rose as if it weighed nothing at all.

There was no ladder down and it fell into absolute blackness.

"Last chance to back out." Harry said.

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