Hey guys, Butterlover328 here with a new update!! I've started posting this story on FF.net after I saw how well it had been doing here and on Quotev, and I want to thank you guys for all the support you've given me since I've started posting here. But something I want to know is what you guys are doing for Halloween this year. I'm dressing up as a member of the Black Parade from album The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance and I'm going trick-or-treatin. I'm really excited!! Anyways, I hope you like this update, it's kind of a filler at the beginning but near the end there's plot development, and I'm about halfway done with the next part already, but I wanted to post this part now because I haven't posted anything in two or three months, so rather than waiting about another 2-4 weeks for an update, I'm doing it now. I'll probably update again in a few weeks when I finish out the chapter. Alright, I hope you enjoy it, bye!!
~Butterlover328
When he looked back at his first year at Hogwarts, Harry would thank every god and goddess he could think of that he had his brother and friends by his side leading up to and through the end of the year. Every night, Harry or Percy would be plagued by nightmares of the hooded figure that attacked them in the forest or a dark pit that had a voice beckoning them to release it. There was even one night Percy had a dream about the "Kindly One" with Hooch's face reporting to a dark figure-whom almost seemed like a more powerful version of Snape- about the sons of his brother. A flash of anger flitted across his face before it calmed into a quiet fury and fading into an unreadable expression. He sent the "Kindly One" away before becoming thoughtful, as if planning on how to react and respond to this new information. The dream has then shifted back to the pit and Percy had woke up with a defiant shout to Harry shaking him and contacting him through their connection. The twins ended up sharing a bed more often than not nowadays, and after the first week, the rest of their dorm mates had come to realize it was better for them to either ignore and accept it, or deal with ice cold showers no matter how hard they tried to warm up. Only Neville knew how they did it, and smirked when he was the only one unaffected before the others smartened up.
With the days before the first exam dropping to single digits, Hermione and Draco spent every second possible in the library, and with a short, yet terrifying glare from the former the Gryffindor boys knew to leave them alone and study somewhere else. They chose to take their final cramming outside, as had the majority of the students. They enjoyed their last few days of freedom as much as possible.
The twins also thanked the gods and Sally for teaching them the translation charm, or else they would've failed their written exams. Nevertheless, they were relieved by the time each professor said the test was over as their ADHD had them itching to move after sitting at an uncomfortable desk for hours and writing until their wrists hurt with quills spelled against cheating. Neither twin had been worried about the tests themselves, but they were glad they were over.
The practical exams were much better, in their opinion. Flitwick had them charm a pineapple to tap-dance, and had been delighted when Harry had also charmed it to dance in the air. Percy had managed to change the dance to an Irish jig when Flitwick accidentally brushed against it while he examined it. The professor had nearly collapsed in laughter when the dance ended in a flourish and eagerly told the other teachers about their results later that day, to their amusement.
McGonagall's test was turning a mouse into a snuff box. Hermione had told her friends after they had finished that she had been so nervous about what her snuff box would look like, that instead of the Ravenclaw-styled box she was going for, it ended out to have the American flag behind it. They had burst out laughing and stayed like that until a sullen, ignorant passing Weasley asked what America was. The three muggle-raised stopped abruptly in disbelief, while Draco and Neville laughed even harder. Hermione seemed like she was about to lecture Weasley, but realized it would never get through his thick head and kept walking, her boys running after her laughing until their stomachs hurt.
Herbology had them naming and replanting several plants based on their attributes and special needs. Unsurprisingly, Neville and Hermione had been able to complete it the fastest, and Neville especially was amazed at how easy the exam had been. Percy and Draco had the most trouble, and Harry seemed to have a knack for the subject, but he paled in comparison to Neville. The boy was truly an expert on Herbology, which is why it had bugged his friends-mostly Draco- that he was terrible at potions.
That exam had been varied in abilities and confidence. Neville had beamed when he made it through the exam without blowing the cauldron full of Forgetfulness potion up, even if it was blue instead of red, and Draco claimed to make a flawless potion. Hermione exited the potions lab muttering about not crushing one of the ingredients correctly to get more juice out of it and how the potion wasn't as potent as it should've been. Harry and Percy were mentally making sure that neither of them had done something wrong, although their intuition when it came to potion-making was pretty good, and after going over it once, relaxed in the thought that they did pretty well on their exam.
Defense was...interesting, to say the least. While the written test was all about magical creatures, they had to perform a series of defensive spells against an animated dummy. The twins had major headaches during their exam, and couldn't wait to get out of the room once they were done with the exam. Harry told them how his dummy would shoot spells at him and how he'd barely been able to dodge all of them. The others were astonished, but Percy was watching his brother worriedly, until Harry had shot him a glance that said, 'I'm fine, there's nothing to worry about' that, when mixed in with puppy eyes, made Percy back down, even though he didn't forget what happened. His gut clenched in apprehension, and for a second Percy turned around, and swore something was watching them. He forced himself to relax, although his wary eyes danced through the shadows, trying to find what was hidden underneath them. Eventually, the feeling they were being watched went away, and Percy finally was able to fully relax and enjoy time with his friends.
The Astronomy exam left the twins tired and anxious, as the star charts they had to do reiterated the centaurs' warning. Professor Sinistra even made a comment about the brightness of the Mars and Neptune, which many of the first years took advantage of.
Eventually, after a grueling four-hour long written History of Magic exam, the students cheered as they all ran outside to celebrate the end of exams. The twins led the group of students, finally able to move as their ADHD compelled them to. Their pent-up energy resulted in a game of tag started by the five friends that soon incorporated most of their year. Hannah Abbott proved to be a fast runner as she was one of the only people that not get tagged. Other students, like most of Slytherin, chose not to play and simply relaxed in the sun. Hermione soon joined the ranks of those not playing and sat down by a tree, pulling out a second-year book. Draco joined her about a half-hour later, hair matted with sweat and falling into his face as he sat down, pouting in exhaustion and annoyance.
"You'd think with all the exercise we get from running around Hogwarts that I'd be able to keep up with a few Hufflepuff." He said, gasping for breath every few words. Hermione just smiled softly and watched Harry laugh in delight as he sprinted away from his twin, who was currently "it."
"He looks so happy, doesn't he?? He's finally acting like a kid after having to depend on himself for so long!!" Her words had a wistful tone to them as Draco's eyes followed her gaze.
"They both do. Look, even Neville is having fun!!" The blonde pointed out as said friend collapsed in laughter, the twins doing so as well next to him.
"Should we join them??" Draco asked. Hermione shook her head.
"No, let them have their moment. Besides, I need to start reading the textbooks for second year if I'm going to have them memorized by next school year!!" Draco clucked hsi tongue at his friend.
"Come on, we have all summer to do that. Besides, weren't you the one who wanted me to lighten up??" Draco's grin grew when she sighed exasperated and closed the book.
"Fine." She said.
"Great, come on!!" He tried to pull her along only to have her wrench her hand from his grasp.
"I have to put the book away, you know. You'd think a Ravenclaw would have more respect for books." She teased.
"Well, I'm not your average Ravenclaw, am I?? Malfoy's can only be the best, you know." Draco lifted his chin in a falsely haughty expression and crossed his arms, mocking the 'I-am-holier-than-thou' expressions the upper year Slytherins always seemed to wear.
"We'll see who the bet is when exam results come out." Hermione said decidedly, rising up to the challenge and mirroring him. They burst out laughing and only stopped when Harry came up to them, his worried face the opposite of what it had been only a few moments ago.
"Guys!!" He said, trying to gain their attention as he ran.
"What is it, Harry??" Hermione asked, still chuckling slightly.
"I just thought of something. Don't you think it's weird that Hagrid mentions he wants a dragon, and then some random stranger in a pub has an illegal dragon egg handy?? It's quite fortunate that the stranger would be there at the same time and place that Hagrid, the Groundskeeper of Hogwarts, who everyone knows loves dragons, was, isn't it?? Ugh, why didn't we see this before??" Harry ranted, his right hand running through his hair several times in frustration as he berated himself. Draco and Hermione traded looks of understanding mixed with horror, and Hermione looked like she was about to slap herself.
"Of course!! It was so simple!! It had been nagging at me for weeks, and I didn't even begin to think about that!!" She almost went into a triad of her own, but Draco stopped her.
"So that means..." He stopped his train of thought as Harry nodded grimly.
"Quirrel was the one who gave Hagrid the dragon egg, and probably bribed him with it for information on Fluffy." The peaceful mood dissipated as Harry confirmed the Ravenclaws' suspicions.
"We have to go see him!!" Draco shouted, picking up his bag.
"Percy and Neville are already on their way there. Come on!!" Harry waved his hand to signal them to follow, and the three first-years ran to Hagrid's house as fast as their legs could carry them, adrenaline rushing through their veins as their previous exertion faded.
They found Percy and Neville on the way to meet Hagrid, so when the five reached his hut, they found him peeling potatoes outside.
"'Ello kids. 'Ow was your exams??" Hagrid asked. Hermione, distracted by the question, started to open her mouth and go into a long speech about how everyone felt they did when Harry spoke first.
"They went well, but that's not why we're here. When you were given the dragon-" Harry was interrupted.
"Norbert." Percy corrected.
"Right, Norbert- Did you see the face of the man you won him from??"
"Nah." Hagrid said, oblivious to the five identical expressions of 'Oh, crap!!' on the first-years' faces. "Not tha' unusual, though. Kinda shady place, that is."
Drco, having been taught how to manipulate someone to gain information since birth, took up the mantle of 'Interrogator'. "And did he ask you about your experience with handling dangerous creatures??"
"'E kept buying me drinks, so I don' remember too well. Let's see... 'e asked me 'bout me job, and stuff. Told 'im I was the Groundskeeper at 'Ogwarts, and 'e asked about the creatures I looked after. I told 'im that I wanted a dragon, and 'e said 'e 'ad an egg we could play cards fer. I agreed, but b'fore we played 'e said 'e needed to know 'ow I was with tamin' creatures, so I told 'im that if I could 'andle Fluffy, I could 'andle anythin'." Hagrid explained.
"Did he seem interested in Fluffy??" Draco continued.
"Of course!! Who wouldn' be interested in a three-'eaded dog??" Hagrid asked as if the answer was obvious.
"I see. So what happened next??" Draco questioned.
"Well, I told 'im bout Fluffy, and that the key to taming a creature is teh know what calms 'em down. For Fluffy, all yeh 'ave teh do is play 'im some music, and he'll be slumberin' like there's no tomorrow!!" Hagrid announced proudly, then realized what he said and clammed up. "Shouldn' 'ave told yeh tha'." He muttered, watching the five friends trade horrified looks and run back to the castle as fast as they could before he went back to peeling potatoes and grumbling.
The five took a break from running when Neville nearly collapsed and they practically were kicking themselves as Percy gave them an "Impromptu Lesson in New York Speed-Walking," which was really some of the fastest power walking you would ever see.
"Why didn't we think of that sooner?? It's just like the tale of Orpheus when he charms Cerberus to sleep by playing a lyre!!" Percy exclaimed.
"I don't remember that being in the History textbook." Hermione claimed.
"It wouldn't be. My mom told me a lot of Greek Myths when I was younger, and that was one of them."
"Why should we warn?? Dumbledore??" Neville asked hesitantly, cringing slightly as everyone stopped suddenly and stared strangely at him.
"Why would we go to Dumbledore if he was the one to bring the stone in the first place??" Hermione asked.
"I don't know!!" He exclaimed. "I'm panicking, and my Gran told me that if something went wrong, then go to McGonagall or Dumbledore!!"
"McGonagall would probably get us in trouble then believe us. We'd be better off going to Snape." Percy declared, and then he was the one everyone stared incredulously at.
"What?? Why are you looking at me like that??" He asked.
"Because you mentioned Snape of all people to go to!!" Neville said.
Confusion flashed on Percy's face before melting into understanding. "Oh, right!! You guys still don't know about Halloween!!"
"What are you talking about, Percy??" Hermione asked.
"I followed Snape to the third floor corridor on Halloween while Harry encountered he troll.
That's how we found out Quirrel was after the stone, like I told you earlier this year at.Hagrid's. But I didn't get to finish what I said because Hagrid interrupted. Snape tried to stop him and almost got eaten by Fluffy. That was when he was limping, because Fluffy gave him a huge gash on his leg!!"
"Oh, I remember that!!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Are we heading to Snape then??" Harry asked.
"He's our best chance at getting help." Percy said. The other three glanced at each other, then nodded.
"Alright, let's go!!" Hermione said.
They broke into a run again, nearly bowling over the eldest Weasley brother as they ran like madmen and women down to the dungeons. They stopped at an intersection of halls, unsure of where to go.
"Now where do we go??" Neville groaned.
"This way!!" Draco pointed and started to run again.
"Draco!!" Hermione shouted, but the boy didn't stop. She huffed in annoyance before following him in an effort not to lose him in th bowels of the school. The three Gryffindors shrugged at each other and took off as well, wonder how the blonde-haired boy wasn't a Gryffindor as well.
They stopped in front of this empty section of wall, with Draco waiting patiently for the boys to catch up. Finally, Neville arrived, clutching his quivering knees as he gasped for breath as if each breath he took was his last. Harry wondered if the poor boy was asthmatic before he directed his attention to Draco.
"Why'd we stop here, Draco??" He asked, looking around. "Are we lost??"
"No, but before I do anything else I need you all to promise me you won't tell anyone where Professor Snape's private quarters are, okay?? Only a select few know it's whereabouts, and I could get into a lot of trouble for showing you guys where it is."
The other four nodded. "We promise."
"Good." Draco smirked, pushing off the wall he had been resting on with his right foot and turning to face it.
"To be or not to be, that is the question." The wall seemed to melt away, much like the entrance to Diagon Alley did, revealing a short hallway with two doors at the end. Draco led them to the door on the right and was about to knock when Hermione stopped him.
"That password was Shakespeare, wasn't it?? I didn't know wizards knew about Muggle Literature!!" She exclaimed, surprised flittering over her features. Draco's eyebrows creased together in confusion.
"Are you joking?? Shakespeare was a pureblood!! How else do you think he wrote Romeo and Juliet?? Those events were a major turning point in the Malfoy-Weasley blood feud!!" Draco said, astonished that they didn't know that.
"What do you mean??" Hermione asked, her eyes glinting at the thought of more knowledge.
"You can explain it later, we need to talk to Professor Snape now. Or have you forgotten what we're here for??" Percy asked, getting annoyed by all the interruptions.
"Oh, right." Draco said, quickly knocking on the door.
"Wait, Draco." Neville interrupted, causing Harry to groan and throw his head back against the wall in frustration, because it seemed as if he and Percy were the only two who realized how serious the situation was and the other three kept getting distracted.
"What??" Draco answered, ignoring Harry's outburst.
"How come you know where Snape's private quarters are??" The shy Gryffindor asked right as Snape demanded to know who was there.
"Hold that thought for a moment." Draco held up a finger, before raising his voice. "It's Draco, Sev!!" He exclaimed, before turning back to his friends.
"Didn't you know?? Severus is my godfather." He grinned, as he watched his friends' various looks of shock, horror, and understanding.
"Enter!!" The professor barked. Draco opened the door and was treated to a raised eyebrow from his godfather.
"Mr. Malfoy, how unexpected. What brings you to my private quarters, especially with those unauthorized to know of it's whereabouts??"
"It's about the artifact in the forbidden corridor, sir." Hermione blurted out, hating being chastised by a teacher.
Snape gave her a sharp glance. "I was not talking to you, Miss Granger, and I do not have an inkling of an idea why you would approach that subject with me."
"Sir, with all due respect, the events of Halloween are the only reason we're here in the first place." Percy said, giving a slight glare to his professor for his attitude.
"Professor, we have reason to believe Quirrel will strike again soon to get the stone." Harry interrupted before they could be sent out.
Snape paused what he was doing at the statement, then he whispered a spell at the cauldron in front of him and turned off the burner. He pivoted sharply, allowing his robes to flare as he conjured a long couch and a chair facing each other.
"Sit." He ordered, and the students scrambled to do so. He positioned himself on the chair and rested his elbows on the armchairs, his hands connected and resting on his stomach.
"Now, tell me everything."
"It took a few minutes for the five friends to explain what they discovered about the stone, as well as the information they got earlier that day that led to their suspicion that Quirrel would try to get the stone again. Snape listened intensely as they talked, showing no emotion until they finished. When they did, they waited with bated breath as he considered his options before asking something that had been on the forefront of his mind since they arrived.
"Why did you come to me with this?? Most students would consider any other professor before me. Why did you not go to McGonagall or even Dumbledore instead??"
Percy was the one who answered. "Because you're the only one we can trust to take this seriously."
The solemn statement left Snape flabbergasted. "What??"
"Who else could we trust?? Dumbledore's the one who brought the stone here, in a school full of children I might add, in the first place. McGonagall is more likely to take points from us for "sticking our noses where they don't belong" or something like that than actually listen to us. We don't know Professors Flitwick and Sprout well enough to know whether they would help us or take points away and go to Dumbledore. Hagrid's on to us and won't help us anymore if we tried to get him too, the other teachers besides Quirrel don't know it's here, and if we told Quirrel he'd either kill us or wipe our memories so we couldn't stop him!! Besides, you've already proven yourself trustworthy on Halloween by getting in Quirrel's way."
Snape raised an eyebrow. "And if I wanted the stone for myself??"
"Then you would already have it." Percy said with a straight face.
"What do you mean??"
"Have you ever read Greek Mythology, Professor?? Stories of old about gods, monsters, magic and heroes?? Many magical creatures are in there including Cerberus, a three-headed dog." Percy saw Snape's eyes widen in realization.
"All someone would need to do to figure out how to subdue Fluffy is either manipulate Hagid into telling them, which is what Quirrel did, treat it like any other dog, which is what we did, or go to the library and read a book on Greek Mythology . Don't you think anyone could figure it out if they knew what Fluffy was??"
"As far as I know, there aren't any books like that in the library."
"Have you ever looked??" Percy challenged. Snape thought about it for a second before he nodded.
"I see your point."
"But let's say you're right, and there aren't any Greek Mythology books here. Someone could then pick up a book on magical creatures found around the world and the same thing would happen. Or, if it was a muggle-raised student-" Percy gestured to himself, Harry, and Hermione, "-that found Fluffy, they would already know what it was since Greek Mythology is taught in Elementary school."
"Don't you mean Primary school??" Hermione interrupted.
"Elementary, Primary, it doesn't matter. It's before Hogwarts, and you're getting me off topic. I swear Hermione, sometimes you're more ADHD than I am." Percy rolled his eyes as he said this.
"Anyways, what I'm saying is that if you had the knowledge, what you would need is the courage to face it, and you're already past one of the obstacles to get to the stone." Percy finished.
"And since most of you are Gryffindors..." Snape trailed off as everything connected and the true purpose of the stone was laid out before him. "You all believe it is a trap??" The five students nodded.
"Alright, here's what we'll do. You will stay in your dormitories tonight and pretend like it's a normal night, or join in on whatever your dorm mates are doing-" The students burst into shouts that were silenced by a glare, "-and I will get the stone. If I am not back before curfew, you take this matter to Dumbledore immediately."
"But, sir-" Draco tried to interrupt.
"Immediately, Mr. Malfoy. As long as the Dark Lord is in Hogwarts, you will not seek him out. Do you understand??"
"Yes, professor." They all said, though reluctantly. Snape smirked in triumph.
"Good. When I return and have the stone, I will spell the words 'All Clear' on this parchment." Snape proceeded to conjure a piece of parchment, split it into six pieces, and then gave a slip to each student. He kept the last slip on his person.
"I will see you all in the morning. You better go before you're late for dinner." Snape said in a clear tone of dismissal. He watched as their eyes widened when they realized how late it had gotten and dashed through the door. Draco was the last one out, but he paused and turned to Snape.
"Thank you, Uncle Sev." Snape's mouth twisted in a rare, genuine smile.
"You're welcome, Draco." He sat back down at his desk, vanished the conjured furniture and pulled a parchment off a stack. "Now run along before you're friends get lost in the dungeons." The man smirked as Draco paled slightly and turned tail, dashing through the halls without another word.
Snape waited until he could no longer hear footsteps to speak. "Ten points each to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw for making a wide decision and coming to a professor rather than foolishly going after a dangerous criminal themselves." If asked, he would deny giving those points until the day he died.