NEVILLE THE FIGHTER!

JUNE 1992

1st Year

• • • •

Harry, Hermione, Ron and Annabelle were walking through the outdoor courtyard, after the Hogwarts end of year exams.

"I've always heard Hogwarts' end of the year exams were frightful," Hermione said, "But I found that rather enjoyable."

"Me too." Annabelle smiled, nodding her head, though her eyebrows were furrowed due to the slight burning sensation in her wrist.

"Speak for yourselves," Ron commented, before seeing Harry touch his scar in pain, "All right there, Harry?"

"My scar. It keeps burning." The boy answered.

"So does mine." Annabelle grimaced, holding her wrist tight to her chest, hissing slightly in pain.

"It's happened before." Hermione noted.

Harry shook his head, "Not like this."

"Perhaps you should see the nurse." Ron offered.

"I think it's a warning," Harry dismissed the idea, "It means dangers coming. Ahh!" He he mumbled, rubbing his scar in pain, his eyes wondering to Hagrid sitting in front of his house, playing a tune on his flute, "Oh. Of course!" He exclaimed, running towards the hut.

"What is it?" Hermione questioned, as Ron, Annabelle and her ran after Harry.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd that what Hagrid wants more than anything is a dragon, and a stranger shows up and just happens to have one?" Harry questioned, as they four of them neared Hagrid, "I mean, how many people wander around with dragon eggs in their pockets? Why didn't I see it before?" They stopped in front of the half-giant, "Hagrid, who gave you the dragon egg?" He asked, making Hagrid stop playing his flute, "What did he look like?"

"I don't know. I never saw his face. He kept his hood up." Hagrid answered.

"The stranger, though, you and he must have talked." Harry pressed.

"Well, he wanted to know what sort of creatures I looked after," Hagrid told them, "I told him. I said, 'After Fluffy, a dragon's gonna be no problem'."

"And did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked.

"Well, of course he was interested in Fluffy!" Hagrid cried, "How often do you come across a three headed dog, even if you're in the trade? But I told him. I said, 'The trick with any beast is to know how to calm him. Take Fluffy, for example, just play him a bit of music and he falls straight to sleep'," He said, making the four gape at each other, "I shouldn't have told you that." Hagrid realised, before the four took off, running back to the castle, "Where you going?! Wait!" He cried after the first years, before realising that his yelling was futile, and watched them run off with a sigh.

***

The four came tearing into McGonagall's classroom and ran up the aisles between desks, passing a ghost and stop at the desk that the woman was sitting at, working.

"We have to see Professor Dumbledore, immediately!" Harry cried.

"I'm afraid Professor Dumbledore is not here," McGonagall informed them, "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and left immediately for London."

"He's gone?!" Harry asked, "Now? But this is important! It's about...the Philosopher's Stone." He told her.

McGonagall looked at them, shocked, "How do you know-?"

"Someone's going to try and steal it." Annabelle exclaimed.

"I don't know how you four found out about the stone, but I can assure you it is perfectly well-protected. Now would you go back to your dormitories? Quietly." Their Head of House told them, firmly, making them do as they were told, and left the classroom with a defeated sigh.

"That was no stranger Hagrid met in the village," Harry said, after exiting McGonagall's classroom, as they walked down the hallway, "It was Snape, which means he knows how to get past Fluffy." He theorised, as they came to a halt in the middle of the corridor.

"And with Dumbledore gone-" Hermione started, when Snape suddenly appeared behind them, halting their conversation.

"Good afternoon," He drawled out, "Now, what would four young Gryffindors such as yourselves be doing inside on a day like this?" The professor questioned, his eyes lingering on the youngest Potter as he eyed the group.

"Uh...we were just..." Hermione stuttered, unsure what to say.

"You want to be careful. People will think you're...," Harry glared madly at the professor, who looked shocked at his stare, "...up to something." Snape finished, before flourishing away.

"Now what do we do?" Hermione sighed.

"We go down the trapdoor," Harry told her, "Tonight."

***

The four first years tiptoed down the stairs, entering the Gryffindor Common Room, the moonlight piercing through the windows. They began to walk towards the door to the Common Room, only to stop when they heard a croaking noise echo through the room.

"Trevor." Harry spotted the toad on the arm of a chair that was facing away from the quartet.

"Trevor shh! Go, you shouldn't be here!" Ron whisper-shouted to the toad, as if it would be quiet from him telling it to be.

Neville then leaned forward on the chair that the toad was sat on, showing himself to his fellow first years, "Neither should you," He told them, "You're sneaking out again, aren't you?" He questioned.

"Look, Neville, we really need-"

"No! I won't let you!" Neville cur Annabelle off, standing up, "You'll get Gryffindor in trouble again! I-I'll fight you." He exclaimed, holding out his hands in fists, trembling like a leaf in the wind.

"Neville, I'm really, really sorry about this..." Hermione said, taking out her wand and pointing it at the boy, "Petrificus Totalus." She said, making Neville frozen and fall backwards onto the ground. Hermione looked down at him as she put her wand back, as the two boys looked at her wide eyed, and Annabelle smirked at their reactions.

Ron gulped, looking at the bushy-haired brunette, "You're a little scary sometimes...you know that? Brilliant, but scary." He said, making Hermione smile slightly.

"Let's go," Harry said, before walking past the frozen boy, "Sorry." He whispered down to him.

"Sorry." Hermione repeated, frowning down at Neville.

"I'm really sorry, Neville," Annabelle muttered, "I'll undo the spell when we back." She promised, before stepping over his body and walking after her brother and best friend.

"It's for your own good, you know." Ron told him, following after Harry, Annabelle and Hermione.