THE FORBIDDEN FOREST 267 room, and from what Harry had just heard, Snape would be walking with a new sprmg ⅲ his step ー Quirrell seemed tO have given in at last. Harry went back to the library, where Hermione was testing Ron on Astronomy. Harry t01d them what he'd heard. 'Snape's done it, then! ' said Ron. 'lf Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell ー 'There's still FIuffy, though,' said Hermione. 'Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid,' said Ron, 100k ⅲ g up at the thousands of books surrounding them. 'I betthere's a book somewhere ⅲ here, telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. SO what d0 we d0, Harry?' The light of adventure was kindling again ⅲ Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before Harry could. ℃ 0 to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure. 'But we've got no proof!' said Harry. 'Quirrell's t00 scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got ⅲ at Hallowe'en and that he was nowhere near the third floor ー whO dO you think they'll believe, him or us? lt's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's t00 friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not sup- posed to know about the Stone or Fluffy That'll take a 10t of explaining ・

70 HARRY POTTER Why were you expelled?' 'l t's gettin' late and 、 ve've go t lO ter dO tomorrow, said Hagrid loudly. ℃ otta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that. ' He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry 'You can kip under that,' he said. 、 Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple 0 ' dormice in one 0 ' the pockets.

T H E M I R R 0 R O F E R I S E D 219 George Weasley bounded in. Harry stuffed the cloak quickly out 0f sight. He didn't feel like shar- ing it with anyone else yet. 'M erry Chris tmas ! ' 'Hey, look ー Harry's got a Weasley jumper, t00 ! ' Fred and George were wearing blue jumpers, one with a large yellow F 0 Ⅱ it, the other with a large yellow G. 'Harry's is better than ours, though,' said Fred, holding up Harry's jumper. 、 She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family. Why aren't you wearmg yours, Ron?' George demanded. ℃ ome on, get it on, they're lovely and 、 varm. 'I hate maroon,' Ron moaned half-heartedly as he pulled it over his head. 'You haven't got a letter on yours,' George observed. 'I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But 、 not stupid ー we're called Gred and Forge. ' 'What's all this noise?' percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. He had clearly come halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy jumper over his arm, which Fred seized. 'P for prefect! Get it on, percy, come on, we're all weanng ours, even Harry got one. 'I ー don't ー want ー ' said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the jumper over his head, knocking his glasses aske 、 M.. 'And you're not sitting with the Prefects today, either,' said George. ℃ hristmas is a time for family

THE JOURNEY FROM PLATFORM NINE AND THREE-QUARTERS 111 BiII and Charlie have already left ー Bill was Head Boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now percy's a Prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and every- one thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I d0, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get any- thing new, either, with five brothers. l've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand and Percy's 01d rat. ' Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat grey rat, which was asleep. 'His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a Prefect, but they couldn't aff— I mean, I got Scabbers instead. Ron's ears went pink. He seemed t0 think he'd said t00 much, because he went back tO staring out of the window. Harry didn't think there was anything wrong with not being able t0 afford an owl. After all, he'd never had any money ⅲ his life until a month ago, and he told Ron so, all about having t0 wear DudIey's 01d clothes and never getting proper birth- day presents. This seemed tO cheer Ron up. . and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know any- thing about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort ー Ron gasped. 'What?' said Harry.. 。物 said 恤ル K れ ow - name! ' said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. 'l'd have thought you, of all people ー 'l'm nottrying t0 be brave or anything, saying the

292 HARRY POTTER because l'm never going over tO the Dark Side ! l'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me ! Voldemort killed 1 れ y parents, remember?' He glared at them. 'You're right, Harry,' said Hermione ⅲ a small VOlCe. 'I'II use the lnvisibility CIoak,' said Harry. 'lt's just lucky I got it back. 'But will it cover all three of us?' said Ron. 'AII ー all three of us?' 'Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?' 'Of course not,' said Hermione briskly. 'How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? l'd bet- ter go and look through my books, there might be something useful . 、 But if we get caught, you two will be expelled, t00. 'Not if I can help it,' said Hermione grimly. 'FIitwick told me ⅲ secretthat I got a hundred and twelve per cent on his exam. They're not throwing me out after that. After dinner the three of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Harry any more, after all. This was the first night he hadn't been upset by it. Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping tO come across one of the enchantments they were about tO try and break. Harry and Ron didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do.

NORBERT THE NORWEGIAN RIDGEBACK 'Aargh! lt's all right, he only got my boot playin' ー he's only a baby, after all. ' 259 ー Jus' The baby banged its tail on the wall, making the windows rattle. Harry and Hermione walked back to the castle, feeling Saturday couldn't come quick- ly enough. They would have felt sorry for Hagrid when the time came for him t0 say goodbye tO Norbert if they hadn't been so worried about what they had to do. lt was a very dark, cloudy night and they were a bitlate arriving at Hagrid's hut because they'd had tO wait for Peeves tO get out Of their way in the Entrance Hall, where he'd been playing tennis againstthe wall. Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large cra te. 'He's got lOts 0 ' rats an' some brandy fer the jour- ney,' said Hagrid ⅲ a muffled voice. 'An' l've packed his teddy bear ⅲ case he gets lonely. FrOI れ inside the crate came npping noises that sounded t0 Harry as though teddy was having his head torn off. 'Bye-bye, Norbert! ' Hagrid sobbed, as Harry and Hermione covered the crate with the lnvisibility Cloak and stepped underneath it themselves. 'Mummy will never forget you ! ' How they managed to get the crate back up to the castle, they never knew. Midnight ticked nearer as they heaved Norbert up the marble staircase in the Entrance Hall and along the dark corridors. Up another staircase, then another ー even one Of Harry'S short cuts didn't make the work much easier.

THE MIDNIGHT DUEL 171 for FiIch to catch me? If he finds all three of us l'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you and you can back me up. 'You've got some nerve ー ' said Ron loudly. 'Shut up, both of you ! ' said Harry sharply. 'I heard something. lt was a sort Of snuffling. 、 Mrs Norris?' breathed Ron, squinting through the dark. lt wasn't Mrs Norris. lt was NeviIIe. He was curled up on the Ⅱ 00r , fast asleep, but jerked sud- denly awake as they crep t nearer. 'Thank goodness you found me! l've been out here for hours. I couldn't remember the new pass- word tO get in tO bed. 'Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's Pig snout" but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone 0ff somewhere. 'How's your arm?' said Harry. 'Fine,' said Neville, showing them. 'Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute. 'Good ー well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later ー 'Don't leave me!' said Neville, scrambling to his feet. 'I don't want t0 stay here alone, the B100dy Baron's been past twice already.. Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville. 'lf either of you get us caught, l'll never rest until l've learnt that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about and used it on you. Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how tO use the Curse Of the Bogies, but

26 HARRY POTTER 'Up! Get up! Now!' Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again. 'Up ! ' she screeched. Harry heard her walking towards the kitchen and then the sound of the fry- ing pan being put on the cooker. He rolled on t0 his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. lt had been a good one. There had been a flying motorbike in it. He had a funny feel- ing he'd had the same dream before. His aunt was back outside the door. 'Are you up yet?' she demanded. 'Nearly,' said Harry 。、 MeII, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want every- thing perfect on Duddy's birthday.' Harry groaned. 'What did you say?' his aunt snapped through the door. 'N0thing, nothing . Dudley's birthday ー how could he have forgot- ten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started 100k - ing for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, putthem on. Harry was used tO spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full Of them, and that was where he slept. When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all DudIey's birthday presents. lt looked as though Dudley had got the new computer he wanted, not tO mention the second television and the racing bike. ExactIy why Dudley wanted a racing bike was

258 HARRY POTTER books so he could come and have a good laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what really bit me ー l've told her it was a dog but I don'tthink she believes me ー I shouldn't have hit him at the Quidditch match, that's why he's doing this. ' Harry and Hermione tried to calm Ron down. 'lt'll all be over at midnight on Saturday,' said Hermione, but this didn't soothe Ron at all. On the contrary, he sat bolt upright and broke into a sweat. 'Midnight on Saturday!' he said ⅲ a hoarse voice. 'Oh no ー oh no ー l've just remembered ー Charlie's letter was ⅲ that book Malfoy took, he's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert. Harry and Hermione didn't get a chance to answer. Madam Pomfrey came over at that moment and made them leave, saymg Ron needed sleep. 、 I t00 late to change the plan now,' Harry told Hermione. 。、 ve haven't got time tO send Charlie another owl and this could be our only chance to get rid of Norbert. We'll have to risk it. And we h 6 got the lnvisibility Cloak, Malfoy doesn't know about that.' They found Fang the boarhound sitting outside with a bandaged tail when they went to tell Hagrid, who opened a window to talk to them. 'I won't let you in,' he puffed. 'Norbert's at a tricky stage ー nothin' I can't handle. When they told him about Charlie's letter, his eyes filled with tears, although that might have been because Norbert had just bitten him on the

248 HARRY POTTER 'But we're not six hundred years 01d , ' Ron reminded her. 、 Anyway, what are you revlsing for, you already know it all. ' 'What am I revlsing for? Are you mad? You realise we need tO pass these exams tO get intO the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's got intO me . Unfortunately, the teachers seemed [ 0 be think- ing along the same lines as Hermione. They piled SO much homework on them that the Easter hOli- days weren't nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones. lt was hard tO relax 、 vith Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practising wand movements. Moaning and ya 、 vn- ing, Harry and Ron spent most Of their free time in the library with her, trying to get through all their extra work. 'l'll never remember this,' Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. lt was the first really fine day they'd had ⅲ months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue and there was a feeling ⅲ the air Of summer coming. Harry, who was looking up 'Dittany' in O れ 6 Thousand Magical H び房 and Fungi, didn't look up until he heard Ron say, 'Hagrid ! What are you doing ⅲ the library?' Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place ⅲ his moleskin overcoat. 'Jus' lookin',' he said, ⅲ a shifty voice that got their interest at once. 'An' what're you lOt up ter?'