Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone (rewrite)

Chapter 20

In years to come, Harry would never quite remember how he had managed to get through his exams when he half expected Voldemort to come bursting through

Yet the days crept by, and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door. 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 Anti-Cheating 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 tap-dance 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. Harry wasn't all that nervous about his performance, he and the other first year Slytherins had spent a prolific amount of time in the library, studying for each individual subject. Through the whole exam period however Harry had to deal with a stabbing pain in his forehead. Truth be told it had been bothering him since the adventure in the forest, he hadn't mentioned it to the others though. He didn't want to worry them during exams. Each night Harry thanked his lucky stars for the silencing charm around his bed. The old nightmare had returned, worse than ever because there was a hooded figure dripping blood in it.

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, Harry couldn't help cheering with the rest.

"That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Daphnie as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager." Daphnie always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but Draco said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. Harry noticed the red haired Weasley twins down by the lake side, tickling the tencales of the giant squid.

"No more studying," Draco sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet." Harry was rubbing his forehead. "I wish I knew what this means!" he burst out angrily. The group all turned to him, looks of concern on each of their faces. "What what means Harry" Pansy asked, sitting up from her spot under the tree. "My scar keeps hurting — it's happened before, but never as often as this." "Go to Madam Pomfrey," Daphnie suggested. "I'm not ill," said Harry, a bit more ruddily than he had intended. "I think it's a warning ... it means danger's coming. ..." Pansy looked at Harry, concern clear on her face. The rest of the group now all looked concerned, Harry didn't like this. Worring his friends that was. "Harry mate" Draco said, sitting up on his hunkers. "During the War Dumbledore was the only man You-Know-Who ever feared that stone will be safe as long as he's in this castle.".

Harry nodded, but he couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something he'd forgotten to do, something important. When he tried to explain this, Teddysaid, "That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one."

Harry was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though. He watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent him letters. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy... never... but -- Harry suddenly jumped to his feet. "Where're you going?" said Teddy. "I've just thought of something," said Harry. He had turned white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now." "Why?" panted Daphnie, hurrying to keep up. "Don't you think it's a bit odd," said Harry, scrambling up the grassy slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky, they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?" He was rambling and he knew it but there was no time explain his theory. "What are you talking about?" said Draco, but Harry, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer. Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl. "Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?" "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. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' 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?" "Mighta 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 sorta 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. Teddys face lost all colour as he caught onto what Harry was getting at. "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.