SuperPotterLock- The Philosopher's Stone

Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback

In the weeks that followed, John watched Quirrell nervously for signs that he'd given in to Snape, and Castiel's exploding letters became so frequent that he'd stopped coming down to the Great Hall for breakfast altogether, choosing instead to have a small snack in the hospital wing with Madam Pomfrey. This took its toll on everyone. Sherlock had taken to pacing irritably whenever he had a spare moment, while Hermione went about muttering counter-curses that may help, as much for Quirrell as for Castiel. Gabriel could be seen wandering the corridors looking tired and worried, although he always spared a smile for them whenever he saw them. Lucy remained as amused about the whole thing as she had ever been but she started becoming more chaotic as the days rolled by.

All too soon their minds turned to their exams, and drove almost all thought of anything else out of their heads. Hermione had drawn up revision timetables and colour-coded hers, and everyone else's, notes. Castiel had begun leaving neatly stacked piles of notes and reminders where everyone could find them. John was very grateful for them as he feverishly copied them down. He was beginning to realise just how much he'd been missing during his mid-lesson naps. Sherlock and Ron, however, weren't worried.

'Don't know what you lot are so worked up about,' Ron said one day, 'the exams are ages away.

'Ten weeks,' Hermione replied. 'That's like a second to Nicolas Flamle.'

'Yeah but we're not six hundred years old,' he reminded her.

'Come on, Ron, even John's revising.'

'Yeah, that's because he sleeps through most of our lessons,' Ron laughed. Hermione humphed but said nothing as she was reminded of John and looked over at him jotting down Castiel's handy tips.

Unfortunately the teachers thought it was high time they started revising as well and piled as much homework on them as they possibly could over the Easter holidays, which, incidentally, were not nearly as fun as the Christmas ones. It was hard to relax with Hermione reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood next to you and John and Castiel's constant scribbling. They spent most of their time grumbling and moaning in the library.

On one particularly sunny afternoon Ron was gazing wistfully out of the library window at the clear blue skies and the bright sun warming the grounds. He could just see the giant squid basking in the sunlight. No one except Hermione was concentrating very well. John was resting his forehead against the desk, most likely asleep, Sherlock was tapping his foot impatiently and Castiel had been staring at the same page of his book for the past hour or so. Harry, who was looking up Dittany, in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, didn't look up until he heard Ron say, 'Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?'

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

'Jus' lookin',' he said shiftily. Everyone except John's attention was immediately captured. 'An' what're you lot up ter?' He looked suddenly suspicious. 'Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel are yeh?'

'Nah we found him ages ago,' Ron said impressively. Sherlock narrowed his eyes at the section Hagrid had just been in and slowly started narrowing down which it might be.

'There's a few things we wanted to ask you, actually,' Harry said. 'First of all, what's guarding the Stone besides Fluffy-'

'We know what's guarding it though,' said Ron.

'No, we know who's guarding it,' Hermione corrected.

'SHH,' Hagrid hissed, looking around worriedly. 'Listen- come an' see me I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin' mind, but don't go rabbittin' about it in here. Student's'll think I told yeh-'