Changing our Mistakes

20. Norbert the Norwegian Rideback

NORBERT THE NORWEGIAN RIDGEBACK

"If that doesn't sound interesting," Fiana muttered.

Quirrell, however, must have been braver than they'd thought. In the weeks that followed he did seem to be getting paler and thinner, but it didn't look as though he'd cracked yet.

Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Harry, Ron, and Hermione would press their ears to the door to check that Fluffy was still growling inside as Astra rolled their eyes at them. Snape was sweeping about in his usual bad temper, which surely meant that the Stone was still safe. Whenever Harry passed Quirrell these days he gave him an encouraging sort of smile, and Ron had started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell's stutter.

"I don't even know what to say," Evan muttered, shaking his head.

Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Sorcerer's Stone. She had started drawing up study schedules and colour-coding all her notes. Harry and Ron wouldn't have minded, but she kept nagging them to do the same.

A lot of heads collectively turned towards three people in the crowd.

"Regulus does that too?!" James asked. To his surprise, Sirius nodded, "I swear he is the most organised little shit you'll ever meet."

"Hermione what the hell is that?!" Astra asked, pointing at her transfiguration book which was covered in tabs and highlights.

"It's called being organized," Hermione snapped, adding another tab to her reading page.

"Some things really don't change," Luna muttered, a nostalgic smile flowing on her face.

"Hermione, the exams are ages away."

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

"She has a point."

"Shut up, Lily."

"But we're not six hundred years old," Ron reminded her. "Anyway, what are you studying for, you already know it all."

"He also has a point."

"Shut up, Sirius," Lily mimicked him.

"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...."

A couple of fifth graders in the library hushed at them.

"O.W.L. tension," Sirius shuddered.

"I am glad we are over that," James said.

Fiana and Rabastan glared at them, "Lucky you."

Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. They piled so much homework on them 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 and Ron spent most of their free time in the library with her, trying to get through all their extra work.

"Easter holidays are never fun, nothing exciting ever happens during them," Evan said.

Unsurprisingly Astra was spending less time with them. Harry hadn't wished to be in a different house until now.

"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 they'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, Hermione and Ron were sitting in the library studying, after having failed to drag Astra.