chosen - harry potter

Chapter 11 - Norwegian Ridgebacks in Wooden Houses

In the following weeks, the quartet got into far less trouble than usual. They still pressed their ears to the door in the third corridor every time they passed it to check on Fluffy, but they were mostly out of trouble nonetheless.

"Hermione, the exams are ages away," Ron whined. Hermione had been studying constantly, which wouldn't have been an issue for the other three, but she was also nagging them to do the same.

"Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. "That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel."

"But we're not six hundred years old," Ron reminded her. "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it all."

"What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize 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 gotten into me..."

"You really don't have to worry that much though," Cassia said. "I've never heard of anyone not making it into their second year."

The teachers, much to the student's dismay, had a similar approach to exams as Hermione. They piled homework for the students, and the Easter holidays ended up being far less fun than the Christmas ones. The quartet spent most of their time in the library, trying to burn through all of their extra work with help from Hermione.

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

"I'll never remember this," Ron snapped one afternoon. He stared out the window, and Cassia looked up to see out too.

It was a beautiful day, one of the first they'd had in months. The sky was clear and it was the perfect temperature, yet they were stuck in the library.

"We've got to go on a walk or something, later," Cassia groaned.

"Agreed," Ron said. "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"

Hagrid was shuffling into the library, holding something behind his back.

"Jus' lookin'," he said in a nervous voice. "An' what're you lot up ter? Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"

"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," Ron bragged.

"And we know what Fluffy's guarding!" Cassia said excitedly. "The Philosopher's St—"

"Shhhh!" Hagrid hissed, looking around. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"

"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," Harry said, "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy —"

"SHHHH!" Hagrid repeated. "Listen — come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh —"

"See you later, then," Harry said.

Hagrid shuffled away.

"What was he hiding behind his back?" Hermione thought out loud.

"Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?" Harry asked.

"I'm going to see what section he was in," Ron said, standing up. He returned a minute later holding a pile of books and dropped them on the table.

"Dragons!" he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these: Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide."

"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him," Harry said.

"But they're illegal," Cassia said confusedly.