The Cowardly Lion (Book 1)

17: Of Exams and Standing Up

Harry and Draco were both incredibly distracted, when the exams finally came, and neither of them knew how they managed to get through them all. Harry was always glancing at the door, as though Voldemort might come in any minute; Draco was always glancing at Harry, remembering the agony he'd been in when they had gone into the forest and worried that it might come back.

Hermione annoyed them all thoroughly by insisting on going through their exams after they'd finished them, and she did that for a good half hour before Ron, who had taken his practical exam during that half hour, came and told Hermione bluntly to shut it, or he'd hex her. Ron and Hermione, besides the exams, did not seem nearly as worried as Draco and Harry, perhaps because they had not seen what Draco and Harry had seen in the forest.

The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan, their best friend, were tickling the tentacles of the giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows; it was a nice day, overall, as they'd finally finished their exams with History of Magic. Draco allowed Harry to rest his head in his lap, something he'd been doing a lot of lately, and began combing the mess that was Harry's hair.

"No more studying," Ron announced gleefully. "C'mon, blokes, look more cheerful, we're done, it's over..."

Harry sat up and rubbed at his forehead. "I wish I knew what this means!" he said angrily, and Draco looked at him with worry, as though he might start screaming as he had in the forest. "My scar keeps hurting," he explained to Ron and Hermione, "it's happened before, but never as often as this..."

"It's not as bad as it was, in the forest," Draco said, pulling Harry close to him. "You sounded like you'd undergone the Cruciatus Curse..."

"That's an Unforgivable Curse," Hermione said sharply, as Harry turned to face Draco. "How do you know about that?"

"Er - read it, perhaps?" Draco offered.

"That's why you really went mute, isn't it," Harry said quietly. "Your father, he used it on you. Draco, you can't go back there for summer, you simply can't..."

Draco blinked; he'd been so worried about Harry, he'd forgotten all about summer. "Oh, blimey," he whispered. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Let's just focus on whoever's trying to steal the Stone, yeah? Making sure he doesn't get past Fluffy," Draco said, trying to take the topic off of his upcoming torture.

"Get past Fluffy..." Harry said thoughtfully, before jumping up and startling Draco.

"What? What's happened?" Draco asked worriedly.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd," Harry said, "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?"

Before Harry could elaborate, as Draco, Ron, and Hermione were all still a bit confused, he started off on a run towards Hagrid's hut.

Draco looked to Ron, who looked just as confused as he did, before following; Hermione sighed and set off at a brisk walk, apparently determined not to run as wildly as Harry, Draco, and Ron were all doing.

"Hullo, Harry," beamed Hagrid. "Finished yer exams? Got time for a drink?"

"Yes, please," Ron panted, having beaten Draco, but Harry cut him off.

"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," Hagrid shrugged. "Never saw his face; he wouldn' take his cloak off."

He looked at everyone's stunned faces, and rolled his eyes. "It's not that unusual, not in the Hog's Head, you get a lot o' funny folk in there..."