Chapter 45

The month of nightmares for the students began. Teachers were swarming the students with assignments. They made sure that the students had to make time for breathing in their schedule.

But despite all this chaos, Nicole was having the time of her life. She never had to worry about the assignments. Her assignments had part of Alex’s, Daphne’s and Hermione’s assignments embedded together. Every time Alex would vow that he would not let her copy his assignment, but those puppy eyes always did the charm on him.

Finally, the veritable nightmare began.

It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anticheating spell.

They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tapdance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox — points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was but taken away if it had whiskers. Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.

Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who’d invented self stirring cauldrons, and they’d be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Nicole squealed in excitement, leading to cheers from all the other students.

* * * * *

Nicole joined Alex and Daphne on the lawns. Alex laid eyes closed under the tree while Daphne and Nicole chatted with each other. Daphne wanted to discuss the exam papers, but every time she tried, Nicole switched the topic conveniently.

Not long after, Hermione, Ron and Harry too came to the lawns talking to each other.

“That was far easier than I thought it would be,” Alex heard Hermione say as the trio walked onto the sunny grounds. “I needn’t have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager.”

Ron did not interrupt Hermione this time. He was in a good mood since the exams are over. Stretching his limbs, he pulled Potter to lie beside him on the soft grass, “Let’s enjoy this week of bliss before the results are out.” he said.

“Uhhh!” Potter groaned.

“What happened Harry? You have been rubbing your forehead a lot lately.” Ron asked as he bent over Potter and slid his hand through Potter’s neck and, with his thumb, rubbed Potter’s cheek gently.

Lost in Ron’s touch, Potter forgot about his pain. Potter looked into Ron’s dark brown eyes, which were full of concern for him, and his heart skipped a beat. Lost in each other’s eyes, both of them inched closer to one another, slowly forgetting about their surroundings.

“Guys!” Hermione shook the two of them simultaneously.

“What” coming out of their trance, Potter and Ron cried out together.

“Where were both of you lost? You didn’t even reply to me?” Hermione asked suspiciously.

Ron and Potter’s cheek flushed red in embarrassment. They did not know what took over them and they had no way to explain it to Hermione.

“Ahem! Ahem!” clearing his throat Ron continued, “What were we talking about? Oh yeah! Is your scar hurting, Harry? You keep rubbing it.”

Initially perplexed, Potter also got his composure back, “Yeah! My scar keeps hurting… It has happened before, but not so often as this. But after our trip from the forbidden forest, it has hardly stopped hurting.”

“Can Madam Pomfrey help?” Hermione suggested.

“I am not ill.” Harry roared at Hermione out of nowhere, which shocked her.

“I am just suggesting,” Hermione said softly, not daring to look at Harry.

When Harry came to his senses he could only apologise, “Ah… sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. It’s all because of this scar.”

“No worry, it happens there is no need to make a fuss over such a minor issue.” Ron did not let Hermione respond. He turned towards Hermione, “Right Hermione?”

Hermione could only nod in agreement, “I understand.” she said to Harry.

Potter took a deep breath before saying, “I think it is some sort of warning, a premonition. Maybe the stone is in danger.”

Alex’s ears perked when he heard Potter talk about the stone. He paid more attention to what he was going to say.

“Harry you are thinking too much, we have Dumbledore here at Hogwarts. It is said that even when ‘ you know who ' was in his prime, he feared Dumbledore.” Hermione entered her encyclopedia mode and told them.

Hearing Hermione, Ron too nodded, “I agree with her on this, Harry. You don’t need to stress yourself so much because of this matter.”

“And it will take a miracle for someone to get past fluffy,” Hermione whispered.

“Fluffy!” hearing this suddenly something sparked in Potter’s brain. He asked, “Do you think it is coincidental that Hagrid happens to get a dragon he very much wanted out of nowhere in such a situation? We must know that there are wizard laws against dealing in dragons”

Not waiting for them to reply, Harry lept on his feet and dashed out of the lawns. Ron and Hermione looked at each other before following him.

“Did you hear what they were talking about? Do you know anything?” Daphne looked at the retreating figure of Hermione and Ron as she asked Nicole.

“I know only bits of the matter,” Nicole replied.

“Want to sneak peek upon them?” Daphne suggested with a crafty smile all over her face.

“Why not? Come on, let’s go?” Nicole agreed without a second thought.

When they were about to leave, Daphne looked at Alex and asked, “What about your brother?”

“Let him sleep, he will go back on his own when he wakes up.”

Leaving the sleeping Alex behind, Daphne and Nicole also followed the trio. After all of them have left, he opened his eyes. This is going to be troublesome. Not only Hermione, now his sister and Daphne are also getting themselves tangled in this fiasco.

‘Can’t they have their discussion with discretion? It was like they wanted everyone in Hogwarts to know about the stone. IDIOTS!’ Alex cursed Potter and Ron before dashing behind Daphne and Nicole, thinking of the possible measures he can take at this point in time.

‘Complain to Professor McGonagall?’

‘Erase their memories?’

‘or’

‘Should I just beat Potter and that weasel to the hospital?’

With these thoughts in mind, Alex reached Hagrid’s hut, following Daphne and Nicole. Potter, Ron and Hermione went straight into the hut. Daphne and Nicole, on the other hand, stopped outside and tried listening to the conversation through the window.

Alex looked at Daphne and his sister and shook his head in disappointment. What was the use of learning magic if you are going to rely on these rudimentary methods, anyway? He sat comfortably on an enormous boulder behind Hagrid’s hut.

‘Clarisonus’ Alex muttered. This spell was used to increase the hearing ability of the user. He could hear what was being discussed inside the hut, with no concerns of being caught or ‘uncomfortably’ lurking around the hut.

Inside the hut,

“Wanna have some tea?” Hagrid asked.

“No, we’re in a hurry. Hagrid, I’ve got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?”

“Dunno,” said Hagrid casually, “he wouldn’ take his cloak off.”

He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.

“It’s not that unusual, yeh get a lot o’ funny folk in the Hog’s Head —that’s the pub down in the village. Might a bin a dragon dealer, might n’ he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up.”

Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas. “What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?”

Might a come up,” said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. “Yeah...he asked what I did, an’ I told him I was gamekeeper here...He asked a bit about the sort of creatures I took after...so I told him...an’ I said what I’d always really wanted was a dragon...an’ then...I can’ remember too well, ‘cause he kept buyin’ me drinks...Let’s see...yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an’ we could play cards fer it if I wanted...but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn’ want it ter go ter any old home....So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy....”

“And did he — did he seem interested in Fluffy?” Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

“Well — yeah — how many three-headed dogs d’yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy’s a piece o’ cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus’ play him a bit o’ music an’ he’ll go straight off ter sleep —” Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.

“I shouldn’t a told yeh that!” he blurted out. “Forget I said it! Hey —where’re yeh goin’?”

The trio turned a deaf ear to what Hagrid was saying. They ran out of the hut as fast as possible that they didn’t even notice Daphne and Nicole by the window.

The conversation between the trio and Hagrid left Alex stunned. It is one thing that you are innocent, but this was pure stupidity. Why would Dumbledore keep someone like him in the school? If you have friends like him, who would need enemies?

Alex too sprinted to find Snape. He needed to let his master know about this blunder as soon as possible.

* * * * *