𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝; 𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡.𝐩

𝓨𝓮𝓪𝓻 1, 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 12: 𝓝𝓸𝓻𝓫𝓮𝓻𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓝𝓸𝓻𝔀𝓮𝓰𝓲𝓪𝓷 𝓡𝓲𝓭𝓰𝓮𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴

~ chapter twelve: norbert the norwegian ridgeback ~

In the weeks that followed the Quidditch match, Quirrell did seem to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn't look as though he'd cracked yet. Every time we passed by the third-floor corridor, Harry, Ron, Hermione and I would press our ears to the door to check that Fluffy was still growling inside. Snape was still sweeping about in his usual bad temper, which surely meant that the Stone was still safe. Whenever Harry and I passed Quirrell these days we gave him encouraging smiles, and Ron had started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell's stutter.

Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Sorcerer's Stone. She had started drawing up study schedules and color-coding all her notes, which wouldn't be a problem if she didn't keep nagging us to do the same thing.

"Hermione, the exams are ages away."

"Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. "That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicholas Flamel."

"But we're not six hundred years old," I pointed out. "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it all."

"What am I studying for? Are you crazy? You realize 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 gotten into me...."

Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. They piled so much homework on us that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones. It was hard to relax with Hermione next to you reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practicing wand movements. Moaning and yawning, Harry, Ron and I spent most of our free time in the library with her, trying to get through all our extra work.

"I'll never remember this!" Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really fine day we'd had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue, and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming.

Harry and I, who were looking up "Dittany" in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, didn't look up until we heard Ron say, "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"

Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.

"Jus' lookin'," he said, in a shifty voice that got our interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicholas Flamel, are yeh?"

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

"Shhhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"

"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Harry, "about what's guarding that Stone apart from Fluffy-"

"SHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "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 aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh-"

"See you in a bit, then," I said.

Hagrid shuffled off.