Willow

P.23

Willow smiles as she finishes her last exam of the year, meeting Draco, Theo, Blaise, Hermione, Ron and Harry at the door "So glad that the exams are finally over." Draco smiles. "That was far easier than I thought it would be, I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager." Hermione smiles. Willow smiles at her friend as they all head down to the lake and lie under a tree, Will laughing as she watches Fred, George and Lee tickle the giant squid "No more studying. You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet." Ron tells HArry, who is rubbing his forehead in pain. "I wish I knew what this means! My scar keeps hurting. It's happened before, but never as often as this." Harry tells them. "Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggests. "I'm not ill, I think it's a warning... it means danger's coming..." Harry explains. "I could always ask my dad, Aunt Freya and Uncle Finn if they know why it's hurting." Willow tells him. "Thanks Willow." Harry nods.

"Harry, 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." Ron tells his friend. "It's not Professor Snape!" the four Slytherins and Hermione exclaim. Harry suddenly jumps to his feet, startling Blaise who had started to doze off "Where're you going?" he asks sleepily. "I've just thought of something. We've got to go and see Hagrid, now." Harry tells them. Groaning, they all get up and follow Harry towards Hagrid's "Why?" Theo asks. "Don't you think it's a bit odd 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? Why didn't I see it before?" Harry asks. "What are you talking about?" Ron asks.

They finally reach Hagrid's, finding the man shelling peas outside his hut. Willow smiles and starts fussing Fang with Hermione, Draco, Theo and Blaise "Hullo. Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?" Hagrid asks. "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?" Harry asks before anyone else can say anything. "Dunno, he wouldn' take his cloak off. It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head, that's the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up." Hagrid explains. "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?" Willow asks, realising the same thing that Harry has realised. "Mighta come up. Yeah... he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here... He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after... so I told him... an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon... an' then... I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks... Let's see... yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted... but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home... So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy... " Hagrid explains.

"And did he... did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asks, trying to keep his voice calm. "Well, yeah, how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep- I shouldn'ta told yeh that! Forget I said it! Hey, where're yeh goin'?" Hagrid asks as the seven friends all run off back to the castle.