A Halliwell at Hogwarts: The Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter Love Story)

XI - Through The Trapdoor

The exams session came and everybody was nervous at the idea, but Persephone had other problems in mind. Indeed, during the days after the Forbidden Forest events she had been in constant alert, as she had been half expecting Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment and try to kill Harry. 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.

The exams weren't a big issue for Persephone, but Harry was suffering stabbing pains in his forehead since that night and he did the best he could. Neville thought Harry had a bad case of exam nerves because apparently he couldn't sleep... or that was what Ron had told Persephone.

If Harry couldn't sleep at all, Persephone kept waking up in the middle of the night covered in sweat because of nightmares. Every time she closed her eyes, she dreamed cloaked figures trying to reach Harry while chains blocked her every move. She couldn't help him, but only watch and scream as the figure killed Harry and drank his blood. Pretty creepy.

Maybe it was because they hadn't seen what she and Harry had seen in the forest, but Ron and Hermione didn't seem as worried about the Stone as Persephone and Harry. The idea of Voldemort certainly scared them, but he didn't keep visiting them in their dreams, and they were so busy with their studying they didn't have much time to fret about what Snape or anyone else might be up to.

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, Persephone couldn't help cheering with the rest.

"That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Hermione 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."

Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but Ron said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows.

"No more studying," Ron 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."

"Speak for yourself" Persephone murmured distractedly gazing the calming waters of Black Lake.

She felt numb under the warmth of the sun, she kept out every sound around her, simply watching the view in front of her. Her gaze fell on an owl that was fluttering toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. She watched intently at its wings.

'Wings—' she thought 'Wings to fly free, like Norbert. I wonder how he's doing... He's free now... how did Hagrid get the dragon egg again? Oh yeah... he won it from— what was his name? He never told us. Did he even know the guy's name? Mmh... I wonder how exactly this exchange happened. It's not an everyday thing that somebody tells you "Hey! You won a dragon egg, here you go" and then he leaves. They must have talked, maybe Hagrid told him he had always wanted a dragon— but still having coincidentally an egg in your pocket is a bit suspicious... Hagrid is a good man, but sometimes he lets slip information too easily. Is it possible—'