AUTOPHOBIA - G. WEASLEY

First year: Detention

✯ CHAPTER FOURTEEN ✯

❝Told you he's a coward.❞

May, 1992.

WITH EXAMS COMING up, things started to get a little easier as all the studying Estella was doing caused a distraction in her mind from everything else that was going on. Her, Harry, Ron and Hermione kept to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions....

Then, one afternoon when Estella was walking with Harry back from the library, they heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As they drew closer, they realised it was Quirrel, and he was talking to someone.

"No -- no -- not again, please--"

Whoever he was talking to was inevitably threatening him. The two students moved closer.

"All right -- all right -- " they heard Quirrell sob.

Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight; Estella didn't think Quirrell had even noticed her and Harry. She stood for a minute and waited until she knew he was gone before taking a step into the now empty room.

"Strange," she said, turning to look at Harry. "He was talking to someone, but the rooms empty."

Harry grabbed her by the arm, pulling her away from the place. "It is strange, but we've been in enough trouble already. Let's just go back to the common room."

Estella rolled her eyes at the boy, finding his words quite hypocritical, but continued walking anyway without an argument.

She knew that her and Harry were both thinking the same thing, though. There was no doubt that Snape had just left that room -- and from how it had sounded, Quirrel had finally given in. The Potions Master was probably closer to getting the stone, and there was absolutely nothing that they could do about it.

They went back to the common room and explained what they'd seen to Ron and Hermione.

"Snape's done it, then!" said Ron. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell--"

"There's still Fluffy, though," said Hermione.

"I hate Snape," Estella said, "but he's not dumb. I can guarantee you he's found a way around that."

Ron nodded. "There's probably a book about getting past three-headed dogs somewhere. So what do we do, Harry?"

Before the Potter boy could reply, Hermione stepped in for him. "Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."

Estella nodded. She actually agreed with this.

"But we've got no proof!" explained Harry. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor -- who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining."

This convinced the two girls. Not Ron, though.

"If we just do a bit of poking around--" he began.

"No," said Harry flatly, "we've done enough poking around."