Yes, Chapter Four and planning more! Yes, I know that was lame =^-^= This chapter will be a long'un, mainly because I may not have time to update again soon.
Anyway, instead of continuing the Few Quick Questions tradition I started last chapter, I thought I would honour one keen reader (Gappy) who left me a list of problems with the fanfic. On a personal note, I like the fact that some people are taking the time to write some constructive criticism, so thanks! Here's a list of the problems, and my explanations:
You keep messing up the ages.I'm guessing from your referral to 'Hercule' further on that you are more familiar with the English dub of DBZ. The reason Gohan's age is different, then, is because I used the Japanese age. Why? Because his Japanese age, which meant that he defeated Cell when he was 9, makes a hell of a lot more sense (did anyone else notice that in the dub Gohan started high school at age 18?). Your questions about other ages (such as Goten's) stem directly from this.
Incidentally, I did make one mistake with the ages in the last chapter when I got the Japanese and English versions mixed up. But I'll leave you to laugh over that in silence. He [Gohan] knows about his dark nature.
No, no I didn't. I have gone through all three chapters (plus the one below), and can't find any reference to Gohan acknowledging his dark side. In fact, as the fic progresses, I'll be having Gohan deny having a dark side. I think you may be referring to the Sorting Hat in Chapter 3 (?) saying Gohan had a dark side that made him ideal for Slytherin. That will be explained in future chapters. I really doubt he thinks of himself as a hero.
He may not admit it to anyone else, but if you look real closely, you can tell that Gohan knows he's a hero. Making connections between himself and Harry Potter privately isn't like he's shouting out to the world "I'M A HERO!" I admit that would be out of character, but I think that deep down inside, Gohan does think of himself as a hero. You make is seem that Gohan wanted the fame and that Hercule took it away from him.
Well, there's no denying that Hercule took the fame away from him. I have re-read the part I think you're talking about (which for the rest of my readers, is in Chapter 2), and I can't really see how I made Gohan want the fame. Personally, I do think since there's no evidence against Gohan wanting the fame, then he may in fact want it. After all, how many 11-year-olds don't want to be famous?
Anyway, thanks for your critique. Even if I have torn it apart, I appreciate it! =^-^=
Chapter the Fourth"Inexcusable," Professor McGonagall muttered as she glared at Gohan, "Utterly inexcusable."
Gohan, for his part, didn't know what was going on. After stopping all movement in the castle by blowing up a chair that Peeves the poltergeist had thrown at him, McGonagall had dragged Gohan to her office, where she was muttering the same two words over and over again while Dumbledore, who had invited himself to this occasion, was looking Gohan up and down.
"Excuse me," Gohan decided that before he gets expelled, he should find out what he's getting expelled for, "What exactly did I do?"
McGonagall glared at Gohan, using the withering gaze that she had perfected over years of teaching Fred and George Weasely, "Mr Son, I am neither blind nor stupid. Don't try to deny what I, as well as the entire Gryffindor house saw."
"Perhaps I should clear this one up," Dumbledore, who unlike McGonagall looked more amused than angry, "Gohan, do you know what happened when Peeves threw that chair at you?"
"I, uh, shot a ki blast at it?" Gohan answered with a question.
"And do you know what this 'ki' blast, as you call it, is?"
Gohan didn't quite understand where Dumbledore was going. As he called it? Everyone who could fire a ki blast called it so. Then again, ki was a Japanese word, so it's perfectly understandable that his terminology was misunderstood. He decided to explain the basics as best he could, "Well, it's kind of like using you own energy, what we call ki, to… uh, well, you see, you concentrate in focusing your energy into your hand and give it form and…"
Dumbledore sighed, interrupting Gohan's much-confused explanation, "Yes, I am well aware of how a Bahornara spell works. What I meant was, did you know that it was a form of magic?"
Gohan stared back at Dumbledore through his half-moon spectacles, "A spell? No, I've always used it in martial arts, I guess I never thought of it as anything but a fighting technique."
"So if you didn't know it was a spell, then you obviously wouldn't know that it is, in fact, a Dark Magic spell, and illegal?"
"No, sir."
Dumbledore looked at McGonagall, "This was obviously just a mistake, Professor. Surely we could let him off with a warning?"
McGonagall glared at Gohan once more. It was her first instinct to expel the boy, who she assumed was acting more ignorant than he really was, but Dumbledore outranked the witch. "Very well, Professor. Gohan, you should know that the Bahornara spell, as well as any other spells that you knew prior to entering Hogwarts, should be promptly forgotten. Next time you are seen using such a spell, you will be expelled from Hogwarts. You may go."
As Gohan left the room, he heard Dumbledore and McGonagall once again in heated debate over the student. "First day and already in trouble… I'm off to a great start."
* * *
"Look, there he is!"
"Never mind that, there he is!"
"Did you see his scar?"
"Did you see what he did to that chair?"
Gohan and Harry were besieged with whispers as they left the dormitory the next day. Gohan and Harry were both unused to this kind of attention, and to be honest, they could do without it – particularly when trying to find their way to class.
The stairways in Hogwarts were plentiful, but the problem was that they were all different. Some would change directions at certain times of the week, and some had missing stairs. Doors, too, caused a problem, particularly when they wouldn't open unless you asked nicely, or turned out to be a wall pretending to be a door. The corridors were also guarded by the caretaker, Argus Filch, and his cat, Mrs Norris, who would follow students, just waiting for them to slip up.
The lessons themselves were no picnic either. Every Wednesday, Gohan and the others found themselves shivering on top of Gryffindor tower, as they tried to remember the names of countless planets and constellations, which all looked so very different from the stars Gohan used to look at in Japan.
Other lessons were also difficult to bear. Gohan had, on the very first day, made a connection between Professor McGonagall and his mother, and when the students took their first Transfiguration lesson, he saw that he was absolutely correct.
"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," the deputy headmistress began her first lesson, "Anyone messing around in my classes will leave and not come back."
She then transformed her desk into a pig. The students couldn't wait to have a go themselves, but it would be a long time before they started turning furniture into animals. After a lot of note taking, each student set about the arduous task of turning a match into a pin.
Magic was like nothing else Gohan had ever studied, in that he didn't understand it at all. He could break down Einstein's Theory of Relativity, but making a match look like a pin befuddled him. Most of the other students were no better; by the end to the lesson, only Hermione had transformed her match into a pin.
One class that Gohan was sure he'd be good at was Defence Against the Dark Arts. After all, he had saved the world against evil creations countless times, so he already knew what to do. Unfortunately, the lessons were a joke. Professor Quirrell was a strange teacher, extremely nervous, and Gohan wondered how he could stand up to vampires and zombies in the stories he told them. He wore a he wore a turban, which was always surrounded by an awful stench. The Weasley twins insisted that the turban was stuffed full of garlic, so that Quirrell was protected against a vampire that said it would be back for him.
On Friday, Gohan made his way to breakfast, after getting lost and ending up in a Charms classroom, to find that Harry and Ron had already sat down and begun eating. He sat down next to his two friends, who were deep in conversation about the day's Potions lesson.
"Snape's head of the Slytherin house," Ron told Gohan and Harry, "They say he always favours them."
The post arrived, with hundreds of owls fluttering around the Great Hall to deliver the letters to each student. As usual, Mercury, Gohan's owl, landed in front of Gohan with a letter from his mother, filling him in about all that was going on back in Surrey. Not quite as usual, Harry's owl, Hedwig, also arrived with a letter – the first that Harry had received after arriving at Hogwarts. Harry tore it open and read it, before handing it to Gohan.
Dear Harry,
I know you get Friday afternoon off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three? I want to hear all about your first week. Bring Gohan, and any other friends you've made.
Hagrid.
Harry wrote a reply and sent it off with Hedwig. It was a good thing the boys had that to look forward to, because the Potions class was pure torture for our three heroes.
Potions lessons were held in the dungeons of the Hogwarts castle, a place that got no heat and was creepy with its dark, dank conditions, and the pickled animals in glass jars around the walls. Snape himself was downright creepy, a pale man with a hooked nose, black hair that seemed unnatural given the colour of his skin, and eyes that pierced right through you. Like many other teachers, Snape started the class by taking the register. He paused at Harry's name.
"Ah, yes," he sneered, "Harry Potter. Out new – celebrity."
The next name on the register, Gohan Son, also caused Snape to pause. He bent right down and pushed his face near Gohan's, staring right into Gohan's face with those dark, empty eyes.
"If you dare to attempt another display like you did at the Banquet," Snape's voice was barely above a whisper, "I will show you some real dark magic. And I can assure you that it will be the last thing you are ever shown."
Snape got back up and looked at the class. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," his voice was still barely above a whisper, and the class was hanging off every word, "There is no foolish wand-waving here, and I don't expect you to understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory and bottle death, providing you aren't a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."
The speech was followed by silence. Harry, Ron and Gohan exchanged nervous glances.
"Potter!" said Snape suddenly, "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
Harry looked at Gohan and Ron, who were equally as perplexed. Hermione's hand shot up into the air.
"I don't know, sir," came Harry's response.
"Tut, tut – fame isn't everything."
He turned to face Gohan.
"Son, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"
Hermione's hand remained in the air, stretching for all it's worth. Gohan didn't know what a bezoar was, let alone where to look for one.
"I have no idea."
"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Son?"
Gohan didn't reply. Even if he didn't want to read his books before coming (which he did, since this new world was so fascinating), his mother would have forced him. As it was, he'd read all the compulsory books for the year, plus a good chunk of the other books he'd bought that day in Diagon Alley. But did Snape honestly expect him to remember everything in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi?
Snape ignored Hermione's hand and turned back to Potter.
"Okay, let's try again. What's the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"
By now Hermione was standing up with a pained expression on her face, as though her arm was being ripped out of its socket.
"I don't know," Harry replied calmly, "But I think Hermione does."
A few people laughed. Snape quietened his class with a single steely glance.
"Sit down, you foolish girl!" Snape snapped at Hermione, "For your information, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion that is so strong it's known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which is also known as aconite. Well? Why aren't you writing this down?"
All the students in the classroom started rummaging for quills and parchment. Above the noise, Snape added, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor from both Potter and Son."
Things went from bad to worse for Gryffindor as the lesson continued. Snape put the students to work brewing a simple potion that would cure boils. He stormed among the groups of students as they worked, stopping to criticize everyone, even Hermione. The only person he seemed to like was Draco Malfoy, which the boys took as not being a good sign. Snape's praise of Malfoy's stewed slugs was interrupted, however, by a loud hissing sound. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus' cauldron and their potion was now running across the floor. Within seconds, the entire class were standing on stools, except for Neville, who was absolutely drenched in the potion.
"Idiot boy!" Snape yelled, "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire? Take him to the hospital wing," Snape spat at Seamus as he turned to Harry and Ron, who were working next to Neville at the time.
"Potter, why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point from Gryffindor."
As the climbed the steps out of the dungeon later, Harry was feeling really bad. He'd lost two points for Gryffindor in his first week – why was Snape picking on him?
"Snape's always taking points of Fred and George," Ron told him, "Don't worry about it."
At three to five, Harry, Gohan and Ron made their way to a small wooden house on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. After introducing Ron to Hagrid, Harry and Gohan started telling him about the horrors of their first week. They were pleased to find out that Hagrid, too, hated Filch, and Hagrid echoed Ron's sentiments about Snape.
"But he seemed to really hate me," Harry replied.
"Why should he?" Hagrid asked rhetorically. But Harry noticed that Hagrid didn't make eye contact as he said it.
During the conversation, Gohan noticed a piece of paper that was lying on the table. It was a clipping from the Daily Prophet:
GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST
Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely
believed to be the work of dark witches or wizards unknown.
Gringotts' goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that
was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.
'But we're not telling you what was in
there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you,' said a
Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.
Gohan had no idea that Gringotts had been broken into. As Ron started telling Hagrid all about his brothers who had previously graduated, Gohan passed the cutting to Harry.
"Hagrid!" Harry interrupted the discussion, "That Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! We might've been there when we were there!"
Hagrid once again avoided Harry's eyes. He grunted and offered the boys a rock cake, which almost broke one of Gohan's teeth. As the boys walked back to the castle that evening, Harry was thinking heavily about the cutting. Hagrid had emptied a safe earlier that day. Had he emptied it just in time? What was it? And why was Snape out to get Harry?
* * *
It was a few days later when it appeared in the Gryffindor common room. A notice, proclaiming that flying lessons would be starting on Thursday, and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning together.
"Great. So I get to make a fool of myself in front of Malfoy," Harry moaned after reading the notice.
"You never know, Harry, you might be good at it," Ron replied, "Besides, I bet Malfoy's flying skills are all talk."
Gohan, for his part, was pretty darn excited about the lessons. He could, of course, fly unaided, and had been doing so since he was about five, but learning how to let something like a broomstick support your weight would be interesting.
The beginning of flying lessons started talk among the non-Muggle students about adventures they had on top of broomsticks, or on the Quidditch pitch. Ron and Dean Thomas had already had many arguments about Quidditch vs. Football. Ron couldn't see the point of a game with only one ball where no-one could fly, and had taken to prodding Dean's poster of the West Ham football team, trying to make the players move.
Hermione was particularly nervous about flying. Unlike, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, History of Magic, and the other subjects the first-years studied, this could not be learned from a textbook. She had, however, gotten a list of tips from a book in the library, which she used to bore the Gryffindors stupid the morning before their first lesson. Fortunately, the post arrived and interrupted her.
Harry, much like every other day, had received no mail. He didn't care, to be honest, because the last thing he wanted was to be reminded of the Dursleys. Gohan had received a letter from Bulma, a family friend in Japan, and was halfway through reading about her son Trunks' first curse word (no doubt taught to him by his father) when he noticed Neville tearing a package open with about as much excitement as an 11-year-old boy can manage.
"It's a Remembrall!" he explained to Gohan, Harry and anyone else who was listening, "If you hold it tight like this and it turns red, it means you've forgotten something… oh…" It had, of course, turned red.
Malfoy was passing the Gryffindor table at the time. He gave a prolonged look at the Remembrall, but having not forgotten what Gohan was capable of on his first day at Hogwarts, he didn't dare go anywhere near Neville.
At three-thirty that afternoon, the Gryffindors and Slytherins made their way to the Quidditch pitch. It was perfect flying weather as the children approached twenty broomsticks lying in a line on the ground. Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived and looked over the students in front of her.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" she barked, "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up. Stick your right hand over the broom and say 'Up!'"
"UP!" everyone shouted at once. Harry's broom jumped right into his hand, but his was about the only one. Hermione's rolled over a few times, and Gohan's didn't seem to want to move at all. After trying to get it up a few more times, Gohan decided to risk some 'dark magic'. He remembered as a child a trick that his father used to do, in which he'd transfer his ki into a glass of water until the water left the glass and floated in the air. After checking that no one was paying attention to what he was doing, Gohan transferred some of his ki to the broomstick. When it was quivering with Gohan's energy, he commanded the broomstick up, surging the broom with one last burst of energy. The broomstick launched itself into Gohan's hand so hard that the handle splintered slightly as Gohan waited for the next step.
Madam Hooch then began demonstrating the correct mounting technique. She walked up and down the rows of students, correcting their grips. Harry, Ron and Gohan exchanged looks of triumph when Hooch spent a particularly long time correcting Malfoy's grip.
"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground," Madam Hooch instructed.
Neville, being as nervous as he was, had already pushed off though. Despite Hooch's commands to come back, Neville kept flying faster and higher with no control over the broom. He fell away, landing hard on the ground with a loud crack.
"Broken wrist," Hooch diagnosed after checking Neville over, "None of you are to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing. If any of those brooms leave the ground, you'll be out of Hogwarts faster than you can say Quidditch."
As soon as Hooch was out of earshot, Malfoy burst out into laughter. He darted forwards and snatched something out of the grass where Neville had fallen.
"Look," he said, holding up Neville's Remembrall, "It's that thing his gran sent him."
"Give that here, Malfoy," Harry warned. Malfoy smiled nastily.
"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to collect… like up a tree," before anyone could stop him, Malfoy had mounted a broom and taken off. As he reached the topmost branches of an oak tree, he yelled out, "Come and get it, Potter!"
Harry mounted his broom and kicked off, flying higher and faster until he was level with Malfoy. It seemed he had a talent for flying, and he was loving every minute of the experience.
"Give it here," Harry warned, "Or I'll knock you off your broom!"
Malfoy just smirked in reply. Harry began rushing towards Malfoy, but Malfoy dodged right.
"Catch it if you can!" he called to Harry as he threw the glass ball at the ground. Harry leant forwards and began a dive, reaching out for the Remembrall. When it was just a foot from smashing to pieces, he grabbed it and fell to the safety of the grass.
"HARRY POTTER!"
Professor McGonagall was running towards him. He got to his feet, shaking with nerves.
"Never, have I seen a student – "
Professor McGonagall glared at Harry, " – How dare you – you could have broken you neck!"
"It wasn't his fault, Professor – "
"Silence, Miss Granger."
"But Malfoy – "
"That's enough, Mr Weasley. Come with me, Potter."
Harry followed McGonagall back into the castle. Gohan and Ron exchanged worried glances. Surely Harry would be expelled for this.
"Malfoy," Gohan said as he strode towards where Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were having a brief victory celebration. He grabbed Malfoy by the collar of his robes and glared into Malfoy's fearful eyes. He was just a fraction below Super Saiya-jin, and was almost hoping that Malfoy would give him the excuse.
"If you ever attempt to get a Gryffindor in trouble like that again, you little worm," Gohan threatened through clenched teeth, "I will personally make you wish for an early death. Even if it makes me look like a dark wizard, it will be worth it to watch you suffer all the pain that I can inflict on you."
Gohan dropped hi power level (and Malfoy for that matter) and rejoined the Gryffindors as Madam Hooch returned. The rest of the flying lesson was uneventful, except for the fact that Gohan's broomstick just would not get off the ground. In the end, he found himself flying unaided with the broomstick being carried between his thighs.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered to himself as he came in for a landing at the end of the lesson, "How can magic be this hard?"
* * *
Harry met up with Ron and Gohan again at dinnertime. It turned out that he wasn't expelled – or even punished. Rather, McGonagall had been so impressed with his flying abilities that he was placed on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
"You're joking!" Ron said as Harry finished explaining what had happened, "You, playing Seeker? You must be the youngest player in about…"
"A century," Harry finished the sentence, "That's what Wood said." Wood was the captain of the Gryffindor team.
"So, when does training start?" Gohan asked. He wasn't as excited as Ron, he was more relieved that Harry wasn't expelled and feeling a little foolish about letting his temper get the better of him earlier that day.
At that moment, Draco Malfoy made his way into the Great Hall, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.
"Last meal, Potter?"
"You're a lot braver on the ground with your little friends to back you up," Harry replied, not looking up from his meal.
"I'll take you on any time you want, Potter," Malfoy retaliated, "Tonight even. A wizard's duel. You can even get your dark wizard friend here to second you if you want."
"I'm not a dark wizard," Gohan said. He had been uttering similar sentiments ever since he blew up that chair on his first night.
"He'll be there," Ron said, "Who's your second."
"Crabbe. We'll meet at midnight in the trophy room," Malfoy and his mountain-like friends left for the Slytherin table.
"What's a wizard's duel?" Harry asked Ron, "And what did he mean about Gohan being my second?"
"Well, a second's there to take over if you die," Ron said, attacking his meal again. Catching the expression on Harry's face, he added, "But you and Malfoy will probably only be able to shoot sparks at each other."
"And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?"
Ron shrugged, "Throw the wand away and punch him in the face. Gohan'll be able to hold Crabbe off if it gets dirty."
"Excuse me," interrupted Hermione Granger, "I couldn't help overhearing –"
"I'm sure you could," muttered Ron.
" – You can't go wandering around the school at night. It's against the rules. You'll lose points for Gryffindor if you're caught and –"
"And it's none of your business," Harry interjected.
* * *
Harry, Gohan and Ron couldn't sleep that night, so they stayed up, whispering in hushed voices about the duel. Ron kept giving Harry tips about how to dodge curses, while Gohan tried to give Harry a crash course in where exactly Draco would leave openings for a hard punch if things got out of hand. The three of them knew they were more than likely going to get caught by Filch, but they agreed that some things were worth taking a risk for.
Finally, at half past eleven, the three boys left their dormitory and headed out into the Gryffindor common room. They made their way across to the portrait hole when a voice broke the silence.
"I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry."
Ron rolled his eyes in the darkness. Hermione was at it again. "Go back to bed!" he whispered furiously at her.
"Come on," Gohan muttered, "We're going to be late." He pushed open the portrait and climbed through the hole. Ron and Harry clambered through after him, but Hermione wasn't about to give up. She followed them out.
"I can't believe you'd be so selfish! You'll lose all the points that I earned Gryffindor during –"
"Go away."
Hermione looked like she was about to do nothing of the sort. Gohan smiled and winked at her. "Don't worry about us. We'll be fine."
Hermione blushed and turned to face the portrait, but the Fat Lady had left, which meant Hermione had been locked out of Gryffindor tower. The three boys tried to leave while Hermione's back was turned, but she caught up. Ron was just about to start another argument with her when Gohan tripped over something and went crashing to the ground. Muttering a few choice words in his native tongue, Gohan looked back to what he had tripped over to find Neville curled up on the floor.
"Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours, but I couldn't remember the password."
"The password is 'Pig snout', but the Fat Lady has gone off somewhere, so it won't do you much good."
"We'd love to stay and chat, but we've got to be somewhere – "
"Don't leave me!" Neville shrieked, getting back on his feet, "I don't like being out here alone!"
Ron looked at Gohan, who looked at Harry, who nodded.
"If either of you get us caught," Ron whispered to Hermione and Neville, "I will get Fred and George to teach me the Curse of the Bogies."
The group of five crept around the corridors of the castle, expecting to run into Mrs Norris or Filch at every corner. Soon they found themselves inside the trophy room.
Malfoy wasn't there yet. The group waited for a while, inspecting the trophies, cups and shields around them as the minutes crept by.
"Maybe he chickened out," whispered Ron after they had been waiting for fifteen minutes. Harry was about to respond when a voice in the other room broke the silence.
"They're in here somewhere," the voice of Filch said, "Sniff around and try to find them."
The group began to creep down a long corridor full of suits of armour. Filch was getting nearer. Neville tripped and went crashing into a suit of armour with enough noise to wake the dead.
"RUN!" Harry yelled as the five students sprinted down the corridor. They took the next turn, not knowing or caring where it took them. They found a secret passageway and followed it down until it reached the Charms corridor.
"I told you!" Hermione said in a superior tone, "I told you not to go wandering –"
"Oh shut up," Ron hissed at her.
"Malfoy tricked you, you do know that, don't you? He wasn't going to meet you in the trophy room. He probably tipped Filch off."
Gohan was about to say something, but was momentarily distracted by Peeves making his way through a door. He caught sight of the group of students and gave a squeal of delight.
"STUDENTS OUT OF BED IN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!" he bellowed. The five students broke into a run as they heard Filch approaching. They ran into a dead end – the only door through the corridor was locked.
"Alohomora!" Hermione said as she tapped the lock with her wand. The door swung open and the group made their way into the room, shutting the door behind them.
"Which way did they go, Peeves," they heard Filch say outside the door.
"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," came the reply.
"Please."
"NOTHING! Ha! Told you I wouldn't say nothing is you didn't say please. Ha haa! Ha!" The sounds of Peeves cackling as he left rang through the silent room.
Relieved, the five students turned around, and found out that they weren't in a room, but another corridor. The forbidden corridor at that. And they soon found out that Dumbledore wasn't kidding when he said that students in that corridor would meet a painful death, for the corridor contained a huge three-headed dog, with all three heads focussed on the students in front of him. It growled, and there was no doubt exactly what the growls meant. Harry reached for the doorknob and the five students pushed their way through the door, which Harry proceeded to slam shut. They ran, and didn't stop running until they were back at the portrait of the Fat Lady. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed into the armchairs by the now-dead fire.
"What do you think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up here?" Ron asked between breaths.
"You mean you didn't notice what the dog was standing on?" Hermione snapped, "It was standing on a trap door. It's obviously guarding something. I hope you're happy. We could have been killed, or even worse, expelled. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."
Ron, Harry and Gohan just stared at her as she stormed off to her dormitory.
"You'd think we dragged her along," Gohan muttered, "I'll never understand girls."
"It's not girls, it's Hermione," came Ron's reply.
But Harry wasn't listening. The dog was guarding something… Harry's mind flashed back to what Hagrid had said about Gringotts. Gringotts is the safest place in the world to keep anything, except maybe Hogwarts.
It looked as though Harry knew where the package Hagrid had picked up was now hidden.
* * *
Well, that's it for Chapter Four. Chapter Five may take a little while, since I'm back at uni on Monday, but I'll try to get it out as fast as possible.