Chapter 63 - Too late

When Thomas, Harry, Ron, Adam, James, and Michael reached the third floor, the five of them quickly made their way toward Fluffy's room. As soon as they reached the door, Thomas reached out for the doorknob, when suddenly, they heard a familiar voice echoing through the corridor.

"I suppose you think you boys are strong enough to get past all of the enchantments!" Professor McGonagall's stern voice cut through the air, filled with disappointment. "Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor and fifty from Ravenclaw! Yes, boys, from my own house!"

The group froze in their tracks, their hearts sinking at the scolding they received from Gryffindor's Head of House. All five of them turned to face Professor McGonagall, who stood there, looking at them with a stern look on her face.

"We didn't mean any harm, Professor," Harry spoke up, his voice filled with sincerity. "We're just trying to protect the Philosopher's Stone."

McGonagall's gaze remained the same, but deep inside her heart, her anger softens a little. "I understand your intentions, Potter, but this is not the way to go about it. Now, all of you go back to your rooms."

Unable to say anything, the boys went back to their respective common rooms with Harry and Ron going to the Gryffindor's common room. As soon as they got inside, Harry let out a sigh before continuing, "At least Michael and Hermione's on Snape's tail," when the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in.

"I'm sorry, Harry!" she wailed. "Snape came out and asked Michael and me what we were doing, so I said we were waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and we've only just got away. I don't know where Snape went."

At the same time, Thomas, Adam, and James just walk into the Ravenclaw common room. They settled into a cozy corner on one of the couches, wondering if Hermione and Michael had more luck than they did. However, none of them talked and that made the room quiet, with the only sound being that of the gentle crackling of the fireplace.

Just as they thought that this would be a long wait, Michael stumbled through the entrance, his body slouched and he looked as if he had just endured a grueling 24-hour study session with the History of Magic ghostly professor.

Seeing their friend's exhausted state, Thomas and the others hurriedly stood up, rushing towards him. Being the first one to reach him, Thomas asked him what was wrong with him, "Mickey, what happened? Did you find anything?"

Michael let out a sigh, rubbing his temples in exhaustion. "We ran into Snape outside the third-floor corridor. Hermione told him we were waiting for Professor Flitwick, and Snape went to get him. After God knows how much time, we managed to slip away, but we have no idea where Snape went."

James chimed in, and all of them could sense the frustration in his voice. "So, we're back to square one. We still don't know if Harry's crazy thoughts about Snape are true, or who else might be involved."

Thomas exchanged a worried glance with Adam, thinking about a possible solution. Their initial plan had hit a roadblock, and time was running out. They needed answers, and they needed them soon.

Taking a deep breath to calm his mind, Thomas spoke. "Alright, lads, screw the idea of Snape being the only one involved. We need to think of another way to get to the bottom of this. Maybe there's someone else who can help us, someone who knows what's happening."

Adam nodded, but he was still unsure if they would even find that someone. "Maybe you are right, Tom. We have to keep searching for answers. But let's be honest with ourselves, chances are that we are going on a blind hunt for nothing concrete to prove that there's actually going to be an attack tonight."

Seeing that his friends were going in that sad direction, James decided to ease their worries, "We'll find a way, guys. We can't let them get away with whatever they're planning."

Meanwhile, the conversation between Harry and his friends didn't go as nicely as Thomas's one.

"Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Harry said.

The other two stared at him. He was pale and his eyes were glittering. But a second later, Harry put a determined look on his face, almost as if he was going to do something extremely stupid.

"I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first with or without you guys."

"You're mad!" said Ron.

"You can't!" said Hermione. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled! Besides, if what Tom had said and that woman is there, you will die!"

"SO WHAT? " Harry shouted. "Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts 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 can get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there. And if that bloody devil is there so be it after all if I fail and she's not there, it's only dying a bit later than I would have done, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side even if that means death! I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember? And if he thinks I'll go down without a fight, he's clearly an idiot! "

"Not even Thomas nor the centaur that was with him could have won against that devil woman, Harry! And you think you're better than all six of us combined?" Hermione's voice trembled with a mix of emotions. "You're not invincible, you know! What chances do you think you have against her? You're no better than any of us!"

In a fit of rage, Harry pushed Hermione to the ground, the force of the impact knocking her off balance. "Just because you think Thomas is better, just because you like him, doesn't mean I won't be able to do something he couldn't!" Harry's voice was filled with venom and jealousy.

Hermione, still on the ground, looked up at Harry with a hurt expression on her face. She couldn't believe Harry had just done that just because she told him that she was worried for his well-being. Seeing her hurt look, Harry's eyes went wide open as he just realize what he had done to her. His anger quickly disappeared, and instead, a look of pure remorse appeared on his face as he extended a hand to help Hermione up, before apologizing to her. "Hermione, I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push you like that. But you have to understand, I can't just sit back and do nothing. I won't let Voldemort win."

Taking his hand and getting back on her feet, Hermione slap Harry's face before she said, "You're right, Harry. We can't sit and do nothing."

In a daze, Harry touched his cheek where Hermione's slap had landed. The sting on his face made him realize his emotions. He had let his jealousy and anger consume him, and it had led to this… He deserved Hermione's anger, and he knew it.

"I'm truly sorry, Hermione. I let my jealousy get the better of me. I shouldn't have pushed you, and I shouldn't have doubted you or Thomas. He's right, I know it, but…"

Before he could continue, Hermione's eyes softened, and she interrupt him. "We all make mistakes, Harry. What matters now is that we learn from them and find a way to move forward."

Seeing that both of them had somewhat calmed down, Ron, who was worried for his friends decided to speak up. "Look, mate, we can't change what happened, but we can make sure it doesn't happen again. We're in this together, all three of us."

Harry nodded, grateful for his friend's forgiveness. "I appreciate that, both of you. As for how we will reach the room, well, I'll use the Invisibility Cloak," he said. "It's just lucky I got it back."

Ron looked skeptical. "But will it cover all three of us?"

Harry's eyes widened with realization. "All three of us?"

Hermione's voice held a hint of determination. "Oh, come off it, Harry. You don't think we'd let you go alone, do you?"

Of course not," he said, a flicker of a smile returning to his face. "I'm glad to have both of you by my side."

"Now, let me go and look through my books. There might be something useful we can find. And don't worry about us getting caught. I got a hundred and twelve percent on Flitwick's exam. They're not throwing me out after that. By the way, Ron if you can, please contact Tom and the others."

Ron nodded and quickly took out a piece of parchment. He scribbled a message to Thomas, Adam, Michael, and James, outlining their plan and urging them to meet near Fluffy's door after dinner. Folding the parchment, he attached it to the leg of a nearby owl.

"Alright, little guy, deliver this to Thomas," Ron said, giving the owl a gentle pat before it took off into the night sky.

After receiving Ron's message, Thomas quickly gathered Adam, Michael, and James. He explained to them what Ron wrote in the letter and so they wasted no time in making their way to Fluffy's room. With a wave of Thomas's wand, they became invisible thanks to his spell, a thing that all three of his roommates were glad he had learned from his girlfriend.

Nervously, the boys walked through the corridors, praying to all deities that they wouldn't stumble across McGonagall, Filch, or worse Snape. Each step felt like an eternity, fearing that at any moment, they would be discovered. They knew that getting caught by any of them could have severe consequences.

Nevertheless, they continue and as they approached a corner, their worst fears become reality. Professor McGonagall turned the corner, her eyes sweeping the area, most likely for Harry since she knew the boy won't stop looking into things he shouldn't look. When they saw her, the boys froze in their tracks, barely daring to breathe.

McGonagall's eyes lingered on the spot where they stood, her brow furrowing as if she was sensing something amiss. Just as they thought their ruse was about to crumble, Thomas's magic proved to be their saving grace. The spell worked better than expected, concealing them from McGonagall's piercing gaze, and after a few more seconds of starting their spot, she passed by without giving them a second thought.

A collective sigh of relief escaped the boys' lips, thanking Latia for teaching Thomas this spell. As they approached the room, the four boys couldn't believe their eyes.

The door was already open, left for anyone to enter the room.

Their eyes widened in disbelief, unsure if they should continue their way inside. None of them were dumb to think that everything would go smoothly, but Thomas would have at least expected a fight or something, maybe even a challenge to overcome before reaching the room. But to find it already wide opened, as if someone else had already been there, was unexpected, to say the least.

Before they could process what they were seeing, their attention was caught by movement near the entrance. Harry, Hermione, and Ron emerged from underneath Harry's invisibility cloak, their faces mirroring the same astonishment that the boys felt. Seeing this made Thomas realize that Hermione and her group weren't the ones who left the door open.

"Harry? Hermione? Ron?"

Turning their heads towards the source of the familiar voice, all three of them saw Thomas and his roommates appearing seemly out of thin air.

"Well, there you are," Harry said quietly. "We were late… Snape's already got past Fluffy."

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