The Boys Who Lived | The Philosopher's Stone | (Hermione X Male Reader)

Chapter 16: Through The Trapdoor

In the years to follow, Y/N would never fully understand how he had completed his exams while living in constant fear that Voldemort would suddenly burst through the door. Yet, as the days passed, it became clear that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door.

Particularly in the enormous classroom where students completed their written papers, it was swelteringly hot. For the exams, they were handed unique, brand-new quills that had been enchanted with an Anti-Cheating spell.

They had practical exams as well. They were called into the classroom one at a time by Professor Flitwick to see if they could make a pineapple tapdance across a desk. Professor McGonagall observed them transforming a mouse into a snuffbox, awarding points for aesthetic appeal but deducting them for whiskers. They were all uneasy because Snape was breathing down their necks as they struggled to remember how to brew a Forgetfulness Potion.

Y/N made the best of his efforts while attempting to ignore the stabbing pains in his forehead that Harry and he had been experiencing ever since their trek into the Forest. Neville assumed that Harry and Y/N's insomnia was the result of exam anxiety, but the fact was that they were being kept awake by their old nightmare, which was now even worse than before because a hooded figure was gushing blood in it.

Ron and Hermione didn't appear as concerned about the Stone as Y/N and Harry did, which could have been because they hadn't witnessed what Harry and Y/N had in the Forest or because they didn't have scars burning on their foreheads. They were undoubtedly terrified by the thought of Voldemort, but he didn't frequently appear in their nightmares, and they were preoccupied with their revision that they didn't have much time to worry about what Snape or anybody else may be getting up to.

History Of Magic was their final exam. They would just have to spend an hour answering questions about crazy old wizards who created self-stirring cauldrons before they were set free for a delightful week until their exam results came out. Y/N couldn't help but join the others in rejoicing when the ghost of Professor Binns instructed them to lay down their quills and fold up their parchment.

"That was far easier than I thought it would be," Hermione said, as they mingled with the masses streaming outside onto the bright grounds. "I needn't have learnt about the 1637 Werewolf Code Of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric The Eager."

Hermione enjoyed going over their exam papers afterwards, but Ron claimed that doing so made him feel ill. So they decided to head down to the lake and flop under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the giant squid's tentacles as it lounged in the warm shallows.

"No more revision," Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You two could look more cheerful, Harry and Y/N, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet."

Harry and Y/N were rubbing their foreheads.

"I wish I knew what this means!" Harry burst out irritably.

"Our scars keep hurting," Y/N said. "It's happened before, but never as often as this."

"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione recommended.

"We're not ill," Harry said. "I think it's a warning... it means danger's coming..."

Ron struggled to get worked up because of the heat.

"Relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."

Y/N nodded, but he couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that there was something crucial he had overlooked. When he attempted to explain this, Hermione said, "That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one."