Faux Bravery

Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback

I was surprised to find that Professor Quirrel was more strong-willed than I expected. Every time any of us passed by the Third Floor Corridor, we would listen in to see if Fluffy was still guarding, which he was. Hermione had started to create study timetables for the four of us due to exams being in two and a half months. We were in the common room one day when Ron finally said something. "Hermione, exams are ages away." Ron complained.

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

"But we're not six-hundred years olf. Anyway, what are you revising for, you already know it all."

"What am I revising for? Are you mad? You realise 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 got into me." It definitely seemed that the teachers took a page out of Hermione's book, tacking on extra homework. My teachers gave me almost triple what Harry and the others got, under the pretence of 'preparing us for our O.W.L's next year'. We were at the library, and I was sure I was in over my head. My forehead pressed against my Care of Magical Creatures Textbook, a headache starting to prick at my temples.

"Aren't you the top of your class in Care of Magical Creatures?" Harry asked me.

"I am." I grumbled under my breath. "But Professor Kettleburn is making us go over everything we learned this year and we had our Fire Crab lesson again. Those things burnt my hands...again. I know they don't mean it but it still hurt..."

"Hagrid!" Ron greeted happily, prompting me to lift my head to rest my chin on the open pages. "What are you doing?" Hagrid shuffled into our sight, moving something behind his back.

"Jus' lookin'." Hagrid told us. The tone of voice told me he was lying somehow. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He instantly looked suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"

"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago. And we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Philosopher's St-"

"SHHH!" Hagrid's eyes darted around to see if anyone had overheard. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"

"There's a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact, about what's guarding the stone apart from Fluffy-" Harry started.

"SHHH!" 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 are s'posed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh-"

"See you later then." And with that, Hagrid shuffled off. Hermione watched him curiously.

"What was he hiding behind his back?" Hermione questioned.

"Do you think it has anything to do with the Stone?"

"I'm going to see what section he was in." Ron stated, standing from the table. He left and returned a second later with a stack of books in his arms. He dumped them on the table with wide eyes. "Dragons!" He breathed. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about Dragons! Look at these. Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland, From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon's Keeper Guide."

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

"Anyone can check out these books if they wanted to." I reminded them. "But...it is against the Ministry's laws to own one. Dragon Breeding was outlawed in the seventeen-oh-nine by the Warlocks' Convention. I mean, if you think about it, it's kinda hard to keep something as big as a Dragon hidden from the Muggles."

"You should see the burns Charlie's got off wild ones in Romania." Ron said excitedly.

"But there aren't any wild Dragons in Brittian?" Harry questioned.