Chapter 34 - The New Dragon Ridder
People in this Chapter.
Lewis James Potter, Harry James Potter, Ronald Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe,
Gregory Goyle, Norbert, Hagrid, Minerva McGonagall
Quirrell, however, must have been braver than
they had 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. Lewis was still doing his security
check-ins with fluffy. The Brotherhood was following Quirrell.
"Lewis, the exams are ages away." Said Ron.
"Anyway, what are you studying for,
you already know it All." Said Harry.
"What are we studying for? You realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? You three want to go to the next year with me right." Asked Lewis.
The teachers seemed to be thinking along the same
lines as Lewis. 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 Lewis 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 him.
Trying to get through all their extra work.
"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, who was looking up "Dittany" in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, didn't look up until he heard Ron said,
"Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"
Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back.
He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.
"Just looking," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "And what're you lot up to?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "You not still looking for Nicolas Flamel, are you?"
"Oh, we found out where he is ages ago," said Ron impressively. "And we know what that dog's guarding,
it's a Sorcerer's St -"
"Shhhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if
anyone was listening. "Don't go shouting about it,
what's the matter with you?"
"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Harry, "about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy -"
"SHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen - come an' see me later, I'm not promising I'll tell yeh anything, mind,
but don't go rabbiting about it in here, students aren't supposed to know. They'll think I've told yeh -"
"See you later, then," said Lewis.
Hagrid shuffled off.
"What was he hiding behind his back?" Asked Harry.
"Do you think it had anything to do with the Stone?" Asked Ron.
"I'm going to see what section he was in," said Ron,
who'd had enough of working. He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.
"Dragons!" he whispered. "Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! Look at these."
Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland
From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide.
"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon, he told us so the first time we ever met him, " said Harry.
"But it's against our laws," said Ron. "Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709,
everyone knows that. It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden - anyway,
you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous.
You should see the burns Charlie's got off
wild ones in Romania."
"But there aren't wild dragons in Britain?" said Harry.
"Of course, there are," said Lewis. "There legions and lore of dragons going back through history.
Those are not just lore those are real dragons that the Ministry failed to hide."
"What on earths Hagrid up to?" Said Harry.
"He has one, seen it is his mind." Said Lewis.
"We need to fix this, or we will be losing him."
When they knocked on the door of the gamekeeper's hut an hour later, they were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed. Hagrid called "Who is it?" before he let them in,
and then shut the door quickly behind them.
It was stifling hot inside. Even though it was such a warm day, there was a blazing fire in the grate. Hagrid made them tea and offered them stoat sandwiches, which they refused.
"So - yeh wanted to ask me something?" Asked Hagrid.
"Yes," said Lewis. "We were wanted to ask if you could tell us what's guarding the Sorcerer's Stone apart from Fluffy."
Hagrid frowned at him. "0f course I can't," he said.
"Number one, I don' know myself. Number two,
yeh know too much already, so I would not tell yeh if I could.
That Stone's here fer a good reason.
It Was almost stolen out of Gringotts – Is suppose you have worked that out? Beats me how you even know about Fluffy."
"Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us,
but you do know, you know everything that goes on round here," said Lewis in a warm, flattering voice. Hagrid's beard twitched and they could tell he was smiling. "We only wondered who had done the guarding, really." Harry went on. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you."
Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words.
Harry and Ron beamed at Hermione.
"He really does not know." Said Lewis. "This guy does not know how to lie. Hagrid only the teacher that did the protection know what it is apart from Dumbledore, Correct?" Asked Lewis.
"So who all helped, that would put us at ease."
"Well, I don't think could hurt for to tell you that... let's see... he borrowed Fluffy from me... then some of the teachers did enchantments...Professor Sprout - Professor Flitwick - Professor McGonagall -" he ticked them off on his fingers, "Professor Quirrell - and Dumbledore himself did something,
of course. Hang on, I've forgotten someone.
Oh yeah, Professor Snape. Yeah - you not still on about that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the Stone,
he's not about to steal it."
"Not any more remember Snape got fired." Said Lewis
"I moved on to Quirrell." Said Lewis.
"Aside from Louis and Dumbledore, you're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy. aren't you, Hagrid?" said Harry anxiously. "And you would not tell anyone, would you?
Not even one of the teachers?"
"Not a soul knows except me and Dumbledore," Said Hagrid.
"You know how to get past Fluffy?"
"I been visiting Fluffy nightly. The big guy likes me.
We been talking he would like me to adopt him." Said Lewis.
"Well, that's something," Harry muttered to the others. "Hagrid, can we have a window open? I'm boiling."
"Can't, Harry, sorry," said Hagrid. Harry noticed him glance at the fire. Harry looked at it, too."
"He has to keep the windows shut. It is to late the process of hatching the dragon has already started." Said Lewis.
"You got to keep the egg in the fire because that how dragons are hatched by the Mom and Dad Dragons."
"Hagrid you did not." Said Harry, "Hagrid - what's that?"
But he already knew what it was. In the very heart of the fire,
underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.
"Ah," said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard,
"That's er..."
"Where did you get it, Hagrid?" said Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look at the egg.
"It must've cost you a fortune."
"Won it," said Hagrid. "Last night. I was down in the village having a few drinks and got into a game of cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad to get rid of it, to be honest."
"Hagrid you know why they wanted to get rid of it.
Because you get real jail time." Said Lewis in a very
Molly way. "Do you want to be here or jail."
"Well, I've doing some reading," said Hagrid,
pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this out of the library - Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit - it's a bit out of date, of course, but it's all in here…"
Lewis interrupted Hagrid with a pissed look on his face.
"Hagrid we don't want to lose you because you go to Jail,
also Hagrid, you live in a wooden house."
He was humming merrily as he stoked the fire.
So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut.
"Wonder what it's like to have a peaceful life," Ron sighed, as evening after evening they struggled through all the extra homework they were getting.
"Hagrid." Said Lewis.
"Yes." Said Hagrid.
"You know we think of you as family right." Said Lewis.
"I think the same about you." Said Hagrid.
"Then Uncle Hagrid do you want me losing someone else.
I just got Serius back I don't want to lose you." Said Lewis.
Putting on the saddest looking face he could.
"Lewis that is not fair." Said Hagrid.
"Your right losing you is not fair, so you let me send the dragon off to safety with Charley in Romania." Said Lewis.
"No." Said Hagrid.
"Your right we can't till he hatched." Said Lewis,
"If moved off the fire he will die."
"You know he is going, be he?" Said Hagrid.
"Yes, there a powerful mind inside that egg."
Said Lewis, Lewis sat down by the fire and started staring at him and held his hand out to the egg, the egg glowed for several minutes while Lewis just sat there,
then he touched the egg, and it shocked him,
knocking him unconscious and then Harry felt a small jolt.
"Lewis are you ok?" Said Harry.
"There something Charley told me about where dragon become permanently bounded with wizards. It can't be undone."
Said Ron, "But according to Charley this has not happened in thousands of years."
"When the egg hatches, we will help you get rid of him.
I think you know how bad it would be on us to lose you."
Said Harry, "So we will be here then to send him to charley."
This whole time Lewis was just setting their looking at the egg,
the egg still glowing, then a noise happened in the egg and the glowing stopped, Lewis steering and looked around.
"Lewis you ok." Said Harry.
Looking confused and asked, "Yes why do you ask?"
"You became transfixed on the dragon." Said Harry.
"We need to talk to our brother Charley." Said Lewis.
"I have a felling, and also Hagrid you're going be very happy
because if it is true Saphira can't leave now."
"His name is Norbert." Said Hagrid.
"Hagrid I was communicating with him,
he is a dark purple dragon, and he likes the name Saphira."
Said Lewis. "He must talk to us this is important.
He will want to see this."
"Let's go." Said Harry.
Next morning at breakfast.
"It is happening." Said Lewis.
"What?" Said Harry and Ron.
"The egg." Said Lewis. "Don't you fell it Harry?"
Then Hedwig brought Harry another note from Hagrid.
He had written only two words: It's hatching.
"I said he started hatching not that he was ready." Said Lewis.
Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut.
"We can skip classes, or we stand out." Said Lewis.
"Lewis, how many times in our lives…" Started Ron.
Lewis elbowed Ron in the gut. "What?" Asked Ron.
"Ron we are in the room with the most ears." Said Lewis.
"Shut up!" Harry whispered.
Malfoy was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen. How much had he heard? Harry and Lewis didn't like the look on Malfoy's face at all.
They agreed to run down to Hagrid's with the other two during
morning break. When the bell sounded from the castle at the end of their lesson, the three of them dropped their trowels at once and hurried through the grounds to the edge of the forest. Hagrid greeted them, looking flushed and excited.
"It's nearly out." He ushered them inside.
The egg was lying on the table. There were deep cracks in it. Something was moving inside; a funny clicking noise was coming from it. They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath.
All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table.
He had a beautiful purple body.
The dragon stood there looking directly at Lewis.
"He is wonderful right?" Said Lewis.
He sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.
"He beautiful?" Hagrid murmured. He reached out a hand to stroke the dragon's head. It snapped at his fingers,
showing pointed fangs. Then the dragon went and stood on Lewis's shoulder.
"Hagrid," said Ron, "Do you know how fast
dragons, exactly?"
Hagrid was about to answer when the color suddenly drained from his face - he leapt to his feet and ran to the window.
"What's the matter?"
"Someone was looking through the gap in the curtains - it's a kid - he's running back up to the school."
Lewis did a spell and he fell to the ground feet away from the Hagrid house. Lewis then knocked him out, then Lewis and Harry went out and picked Draco up,
and dragged him into the house.
"What are you doing?" Said Hagrid.
"Malfoy had seen the dragon." Said Lewis.
"Just let him go," Ron urged. "I got a plain. I can't and don't want to lose you, do you want to go to jail instead
of being here with us."
"Even if we let Saphira go, he will not leave now." Said Lewis.
"I've decided to call him Norbert," said Hagrid,
looking at the dragon with misty eyes. "He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mommy?"
"He's lost his marbles," Ron muttered.
"Hagrid," said Harry loudly, "give it two weeks and Norbert's going to be as long as your house. We can't keep Malfoy here forever and make the story sound reasonable."
"First Hagrid his name is Saphira. Second we still need to talk to Charley now." Said Lewis. "Hagrid Saphira may
be staying a long time."
Lewis bent down to Hagrid Fire, Pulling up a call with Charley.
"Lewis why are you calling?" Said Charley.
"I need your help now big brother." Said Lewis,
"You know Hagrid, and his favorite subject.
You might want to see us we need information now."
"Can it wait at all." Asked Charley.
"No, I have a student I knocked unconscious,
so I can get him up to the hospital wing in short enough time it does not look strange, and I get kicked out." Said Lewis.
"I got someone to bring with me,
he can help, and he will keep your secrets." Said Charley.
"Get him quickly." Said Lewis.
"Here he is." Said Charley and a boy was standing behind him.
Lewis said a spell in Atlantean, and then.
"Lewis how did you do this, get us here." Asked Charley.
"Hi Merlin, and you know what a Dragon Ridder is?" Asked Lewis.
"Yes, but why do you ask?" Asked Charley.
"There is a new Dragon rider." Said Lewis.
"When did this start?" Asked Charley.
"A week ago." Said Lewis.
"You now have a full sole bound with the Dragon now."
Said Charley, "Can't be undone."
Lewis sat down for a minute, Added a new large room to the HQ held a garden large enough for the dragon
to fly around but a dome he could see.
Also made a room for Charley Weasley and Merlin Dumbledore with books about Dragons shelfs worth, Magical Creatures, Charms. Models of dragons everywhere, pictures of dragons.
"I am transporting you both somewhere stay there till I get there. Stay in that room. I will explain ok." Said Lewis.
Lewis comminuted with Saphira, 'Saphira I have to teleport you to a secret HQ of the Brotherhood. Please stay there with Charley you will be safe I must take care of
something or I will get in trouble.'
'Sure.' Through Saphira.
Then translocated Saphira, Charley, Harry, Ron,
and Merlin to the Room.
"We must get him back to the castle." Said Lewis,
he extended the unconscious spell, and messed with his memory enough to confuse Draco, and then used healing magic on his head to make it seem as if his head had been injured but healed.
"Do you want me to carry Draco." Asked Hagrid.
"I changed his memories so he not sure he was here."
Said Lewis. "But we can say you found us on the way,
offered to carry him up to the hospital wing."
Hagrid was carrying Draco with Lewis following,
as they were entering the hospital wing,
Robert seen them and asked, "What happened to him?"
"He tripped and hit his head on a rock." Said Lewis.
"I healed his head. Did not want him bleeding out
in route up here. Then I cleaned the blood up."
Had Lewis thought that things couldn't have been worse?
He was wrong. When Professor McGonagall appeared,
she was leading Neville.
"Guys!" Neville burst Out, the moment he saw the other two.
"I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a…"
Lewis gave a look, to shut Neville up,
but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Saphira as she towered over
the three of them.
"What are you doing here?" Asked Minerva.
"I was visiting Hagrid and on way back to the main doors,
and we saw him lying on the ground with his head on a rock.
I healed Draco so he would not bleed out and then I cleaned up all the blood, Hagrid picked him up and carried him here."
Said Lewis, "Is that not correct Hagrid."
Draco wacked up and seen Lewis and Hagrid,
and said, "Professor he has a Dragon."
"Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you -"
"You don't understand, Professor. Lewis Potter's he's got a
dragon!" Said Draco.
"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies!
He saved your life you got a concussion and was bleeding."
Said Minerva. "Don't lie to get him in trouble,
he in enough already."
"What?" Said Lewis.
"You where sneaking about outside you house after hours."
Said Minerva.
"I was not sneaking around after hours,
I went out earlier sitting down by a Hagrid's visiting
and fell asleep and just woke up,
was so peaceful down there," Said Lewis.
"I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on,"
said Professor McGonagall. "It doesn't take a genius
to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble,
and he got injured but you did save him.
I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?"
Lewis through to Neville, 'act heart broke, I will explain when we get back to our dorm,'
then Neville was looking stunned and hurt.
"You can ask any one I don't talk to this boy." Said Lewis,
"I don't care to waste brain cells on trying to trick him,
but I saw him heart and we could not leave him there,
right Hagrid."
"That right." Said Hagrid.
"I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall.
"Three students out of bed in one night! I have never heard of such a thing before! You, Lewis, I thought you had more sense
and I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this.
All three of you will receive detentions - yes, you too,
Mr. Longbottom, nothing gives you the right to walk around
school at night, especially these days, it's extremely dangerous and one hundred points will be taken from Gryffindor."
"One hundred?" Lewis gasped - they would lose the lead,
the lead they'd won in the last Quidditch match.
"One hundred points each," said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose.
"Professor – please, you are punishing me for
visiting with Hagrid, and saving him. You can't -" Said Lewis.
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter.
Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students."
"You saved my life, Lewis?" Asked Draco.
"Yes, you are my fellow student." Said Lewis.
"But we are enemies." Said Draco.
"Only in your mind Draco." Said Lewis.
"I don't want to be your enemy, you still need to earn my trust,
but we don't need to be enemies."
A two hundred points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place.
In one night, they had ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup. They felt as though the bottom had dropped out of their stomach. How could they ever make up for this?
Lewis and Neville went into the HQ.
"Neville you like Hagrid?" Asked Lewis.
"Yes." Said Neville.
"We saved him from losing his job and getting through in jail."
Said Lewis. "We did not want to lose him."
"He got that dragon." Said Neville.
"Yes." Said Lewis.
"Do you want to see him?" Asked Lewis.
"Sure." Said Neville.
Neville followed Lewis. He opened a new door that had the name Saphira – Do Not Enter without Permission.
They also seen a very pissed off Harry and Ron.
Ron and Harry walked up, and Harry said,
"You know you did not have to Port me off,
we would have stood with you." Said Harry,
"but I guess we should thank you,
not be mad at you." They then hugged him.
Neville saw a small purple dragon, Lewis went up by him, connecting to his mind, he shared the ability to read mind,
connect to multiple people and talk to them,
and secure his mind.
Then they all heard, "Hi boys."
Ron said, "You can talk?"
"You can hear my throughs in a way it seems that I can talk.
So your Lewis' Ron, Lewis your right he is cute in Person."
Said Saphira.
Ron just sat. "You know who I am?"
"Lewis has been communicating with me for the last week,
our mind has been merging together." Said Saphira.
"His mind is now secure." Said Lewis. "We also share an energy pool and can reinforce spell powers."
"You just became the most powerful wizard or
witch in the world." Said Charley.
"They are now even more powerful than me." Said Albus.
"You now have another lifelong friend,
someone you can't hide anything from.
You are the first Dragon Riders in an exceptionally long time and the first dragon ridder to be a set of dragon ridders to have two ridders connected to one dragon."
Saphira said, "Harry is merged with us in this."
"This is awesome, but how did that happen?" Asked Lewis.
"When the sole bond started you must have been thinking
about Harry, so he was included into sole bound." Said Albus.
"Dad." Said Merlin.
"How have you been." Said Albus.
"Dad you remember my Husband, Charley,
but you already meet him.
Wish we would have found each other at school." Said Merlin.
Lewis then trained Charley and Merlin in all his abilities but the unforgivable curses. "I have trained you two to be able to do anything I can do. I need sleep good night. You two can also use the rune to come into the first-year dorm to." Said Lewis.
They went to bed. What would happen when the rest of Gryffindor found out what they had done?
Before breakfast he connected to the Brotherhood.
'Emergency Meeting in HQ.'
The hole Brotherhood showed up and sat at the round table.
"You are going hear this any way. Gryffindor lost two hundred points last night." Said Lewis.
"Who did it?" Said Fred.
"I did, I alone." Said Lewis.
"Assuming you mean You, Harry, Ron, and Neville." Said Fred.
"What was so important?"
"I said I alone, do you like Hagrid?" Asked Lewis.
They all said. "Yes."
"Was he was tricked into buying a dragon?" Said Fred.
"Yes, and my brother got the dragon out,
and no proof is to be found I hope." Said Fred.
"Dumbledore knows about the Dragon."
Said Lewis, and in walked Charley and Merlin
from Saphira's room.
"Charley why are you here?" Said Fred. "And is he a Member."
"We, Me and Merlin are needed for our dragon knowledge,
and you think I am going be left out when a new dragon ridder is born." Said Charley. "History is being made here."
"Who is the dragon ridder?" Asked Fred.
"The Potter Twins." Said Charley.
"So are there two dragons?" Asked Fred.
"No, we got paired with the same dragon." Said Lewis.
"Ok, what had to be done was done." Said Fred.
"Let go to breakfast and they can start hatting you, Lewis."
"Went from unknown to hated." Said Lewis.
They all left for breakfast.
At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there had been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a two hundred points fewer than yesterday?
And then the story started to spread Lewis Potter,
the Lewis Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches,
had lost them all those points.
From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school, Lewis was suddenly the most hated.
Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on him,
because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup. Everywhere Lewis went, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him.
Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, whistling and cheering, "Thanks Potter, we owe you one!"
Only the brotherhood stood by him.
"They'll all forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here,
and people still like them." Said Ron.
"They've never lost a two hundred points in one go,
though, have they?" said Lewis miserably.
"Well - no," Ron admitted.
Lewis went to Wood. "Oliver I must resign off
from the team."
"Resign?" Wood thundered. "What good will that do?
How are we going to get any points back if we
can't win at Quidditch?"
But Quidditch had not lost its fun.
The rest of the team seemed to know the truth and was business as normal practice.
At the end of practice Lewis asked them while they were setting on the bench, "Not that I am complaining,
but don't you guys hate me to?" Asked Lewis.
"Fred come to us and was more serious when he told us you did something to save some one of our former Gryffindor's,
'Once a Gryffindor Always a Gryffindor',
he said you had to do what you did when you lost the points,
Fred is never this serious, so we had to do what he said."
Said Wood. "I mean when is Fred ever serious?"
"Thank you, guys." Said Lewis.
Then Fred and George walked in. Lewis run up and hugged him.
"What this for." Asked Fred.
"You should have kept that secret,
but thank you for telling the team." Said Lewis.
"My big brothers."
Neville was speared because no one know he has half the points. Lewis was blamed directly nobody would speak to him outside the brotherhood.
They all worked late into the night,
trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart,
memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions... Then all a sudden the school changed.
The Gryffindor first, they slowly started talking to them again, then the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws.
Lewis overheard a Ravenclaw say, "He saved Hagrid from something and Draco tried to get him fired."
Said the Ravenclaw. "I like Hagrid, he is a big sweetheart."
Then Lewis came around the corner. The Girl said,
"Hi Lewis how are you doing?" Said the Girl.
"Good. You?" Asked Lewis.
"Good so far, how your studies going, need help?" She asked.
"You're not mad at me?" Asked Lewis. "Like the rest of school?"
"You saved My Hagrid." Said the Girl. "It was done in secret so natural the hole school knows. The school is behind you,
most of it but part of Slytherin."
"Your Hagrid?" Asked Lewis.
"I help him with the creatures around the grounds."
She Said. "But I guess we can share him."
"Sure, why not?" Said Lewis.
Hagrid was behind Lewis the hole time.
"Why are you talking about me as a pet?" Asked Hagrid.
"We are claiming you as family." Said Lewis.
"You don't have a choice in this. Right?"
"No, he does not." she said.
"Oh." Said Hagrid.
Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Harry's new resolution not to interfere in anything that did not concern him was put to an unexpected test.
Walking back from the library on his own one afternoon,
he heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead.
As he drew closer, he heard Quirrell's voice.
"No - no - not again, please -"
It sounded as though someone was threatening him. Harry moved closer. "All right - all right -" he heard Quirrell sob.
Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. He strode out of sight;
Harry did not think Quirrell had even noticed him.
He waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared,
then peered into the classroom. It was empty,
but a door stood ajar at the other end.
Harry was halfway toward it before he remembered what he had promised himself about not meddling.
All the same, he would have gambled twelve Sorcerer's Stones that Snape had just left the room after sneaking back into the school, and from what Harry had just heard, Snape would be
walking with a new spring in his step - Quirrell seemed to have given in at last.
Harry went back to the library, where Lewis was testing Ron on
Astronomy. Harry told them what he had heard.
"Snape's done it, then!" said Ron. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell -"
"There's still Fluffy, though," said Lewis.
"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without
asking Hagrid," said Ron, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them. "I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog.
So what do we do, Lewis?"
She could tell from a distance that something was about to happen with the light of adventure that was showing in Lewis's and Ron's eyes, but Hermione walked up answered
before Harry could. "Go to Dumbledore. If you try anything else, you'll be thrown out for sure."
"Hermione mind your own business please." Said Lewis.
"It is, you lost two hundred points." Said Hermione.
And she walked away.
"But we've got no proof!" said Harry. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he has not been on the campus and does not know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor - who do you think they will believe, him or us? It is not exactly a
secret we hate him. Dumbledore will think we made it up. Filch would not help us if his life depended on it, he was too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he will think. And do not forget, we are not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining."
"If we just do a bit of poking around -" Said Lewis.
"No," said Harry flatly, "we've done enough poking around."
He pulled a map of Jupiter toward him and started to learn the names of its moons.
The following morning, notes were delivered to Lewis and Neville at the breakfast table. They were all the same:
Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight.
Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall.
Lewis has forgotten they still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they had lost. They have half expected Lewis to complain that this was a whole night of studying lost,
but he did not say a word. He felt there was no way out of this without getting Hagrid fired.
pg. 24