Medusa's Heir Book I: The Sorcerer's Stone

Chapter 15: Through the Trapdoor

In years to come, Harry and Y/n would never quite remember how they'd managed to get through their exams when they half expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment. 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 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.

Y/n and Harry did the best they could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in their forehead and wrist, which had been bothering them ever since their trip into the forest.

Neville thought Harry had a bad case of exam nerves because Harry couldn't sleep, but the truth was that Harry kept being woken by his old nightmare, except that it was now worse than ever because there was a hooded figure dripping blood in it.

Maybe it was because they hadn't seen what Harry and Y/n had seen in the forest, or because they didn't have scars burning, but Ron and Hermione didn't seem as worried about the Stone as the duo.

The idea of Voldemort certainly scared them, but he didn't keep visiting them in 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, Harry 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.

"It was, I guess we didn't need to learn about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager." agreed Y/n.

Hermione always likes 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."

Harry was rubbing his forehead while Y/n rubbed her sore wrist.

"I wish I knew what this means!" he burst out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting-- it's happened before, but never as often as this."

"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested.

"I'm not ill," said Harry.

"I'm always with Madam Pomfrey," added Y/n. "I think it's a warning... it means danger's coming..."

Ron opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the sound of someone shouting Y/n's name, it was Cedric. "Y/n!" shouted the teen as he waved his hands.