Wands And Wings

Chapter 13 : The Sorcerer's Stone

Exams had been dominating the minds of everyone at Hogwarts for weeks. Denia Lily Potter, sitting under the sweltering heat of the classroom, had just finished another written exam and was now scribbling furiously on her Transfiguration parchment with her bewitched Anti-Cheating Quill. She could feel beads of sweat forming on her forehead, but her mind was too preoccupied with the exams to care.

In truth, Denia felt relatively confident. Sure, the pressure was mounting, but being in Slytherin, and her past life, had taught her the art of keeping her composure. Her housemates—people she had initially thought she would never get along with—had grown used to her strange ways. Even Draco, who had once sneered at the very mention of her name, had begrudgingly started to respect her. Though, Denia could sense there was also a bit of fear behind that. His attitude had changed after the incident in Potions class, where she'd subtly shown him that she wasn’t someone to be trifled with. The look on his face when she slammed her dagger onto the table near his hand was something she'd cherish for a long time. Since then, Draco had been... careful.

The exams weren’t all written, thankfully. Denia had just come from her practical Transfiguration exam with Professor McGonagall. It had gone well—better than she had expected, really. While some of her classmates struggled to transfigure their mice into snuffboxes, Denia had produced a sliver box with emerald engravings that had earned her an approving smile from McGonagall.

Potions had been another story entirely. Snape was watching everyone like a hawk, and though Denia usually felt calm under his gaze, today she found herself sweating as she worked on the Forgetfulness Potion. She could feel the weight of his eyes on her, but she focused, refusing to falter. When she finished, her potion was a perfect shimmering blue, and while Snape said nothing, Denia knew it was as close to praise as she was going to get from him. The slight incline of his head as he moved on told her all she needed to know.

Later, as the exams were finally over, Denia found herself walking down to the grounds with Harry, Hermione, and Ron. The summer sun was blazing, making the grass shimmer with heatwaves. Denia could feel the tension in Harry. He kept rubbing his forehead, wincing as though in pain.

"Your scar still hurting?" Denia asked, giving her twin brother a sideways glance.

"Yeah," Harry muttered, frowning deeply as they sat down under a tree, the giant squid lazily sunbathing its tentacles in the lake. "It’s been hurting more and more lately. I just—something’s coming. I can feel it."

"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione said sensibly, adjusting her bushy hair which had frizzed even more in the heat.

"We’re not ill," Harry replied. He stared at the water, his brow furrowed in thought. "I think it’s a warning... It means danger’s coming..."

Ron, sprawled out on the grass with his arms behind his head, seemed utterly unconcerned. "Relax, Harry. The Stone’s safe as long as Dumbledore’s around. Besides, Snape’s not going to try anything again after what happened last time. He nearly had his leg bitten off by Fluffy, remember?"

Denia couldn’t help but smirk at Ron’s casual dismissal of Snape. "Yeah, and Neville’s going to play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."

But Harry wasn’t listening. He was staring at an owl soaring across the sky, his eyes suddenly wide with realization. Without warning, he jumped to his feet.

"You were right, Denia!" Harry exclaimed. "You were right all along! Why didn’t I see it before?"

Ron, startled by Harry’s outburst, scrambled to his feet. "What? What’re you talking about?"