Part Sixteen

Exams had come and all of them were very nervous, but Erin and Hermione at least were pleasantly surprised to see that each question's answer came easily enough and then in the practical parts they knew the spells. For Flitwick they had to make a pineapple tap-dance across the small wizards' desk and for McGonagall they had to turn a mouse into a snuffbox. Even with Snape breathing down their necks they were able to remember the ingredients in a Forgetfulness Potion.

Their last exam was History of Magic, in a sweltering classroom, with no windows open to the lush cool greenness outside. Everyone looked petrified as they tried to answer the questions. The heat just made it worse. Erin was done before the bell sounded and she rolled up her parchment and put her quill down. Ron looked over and his mouth dropped wondering how she could have done it that fast. Erin shrugged at the redheaded boy grinning apologetically. He went back to the exam. Hey, they went over that stuff last night, if he didn't remember, then that was just too bad.

Finally Professor Binns told them to roll up their parchment and put down their quills. Everyone cheered because it was over and they just wanted to get out of that classroom. Hermione had been sitting closest to the door and waited for the other three just outside the classroom. They left together and Erin rubbed her neck and shoulder as they walked. Her scar was positively burning again…well it might have been a muscle spasm or something. She tried to write it off as such, anyway, though she knew perfectly well it wasn't.

Hermione was talking. "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, do us a favor and don't talk about the exam." Erin said.

"But, Erin—" Upon seeing that Ron and Harry agreed with the girl she was quiet. They wandered down to the lake and sat under a tree watching Fred and George tease the giant squid that lived in the lake. The squid was basking in the shallows. Erin thought the squid was probably a nice, gentle creature. Fred and George didn't bother him, but he did play along tickling them back with its tentacles.

"No more studying." Ron said happily. "You could look more cheerful, Harry, you too, Erin. You two are just a barrel of laughs today. We've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet."

Erin gave him a look. "Some people don't need a good neck and shoulder massage." She grumbled.

Harry was rubbing his scar. "I wish I knew what this means!" He said angrily. "My scar keeps hurting—it's happed before, but never as often as this"

"Go to Madam Pomfrey, both of you." Hermione said.

Erin glared at her and she was quiet. "I'm not ill." Harry said. "And I doubt Erin is either. I think it's a warning…it means danger's coming…" He glanced at Erin curiously, but he didn't know why he did, he just felt that somehow Erin felt what he did.

"Harry, relax." Ron said. "And Erin you definitely need to relax. OUCH! Lay off, woman! The back of my head must be black and blue by now!" He was rubbing his head again where the girl hit him. "Hermione's right, though, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around."

Erin remembered that the night before Harry had said something about forgetting to do something. Hermione hadn't been any help; she just said it was exam jitters. When she had gone to get a book Erin put her hand lightly on Harry's arm. "I know what you mean, Harry. I can't help but feel that way too. I'm not worried about exams…there just seems to be something nagging at the back of our minds that we can't quite catch…it's been driving me crazy." He nodded and Erin put her arm around his shoulders giving him a quick squeeze. "We'll figure it out."

In front of her Harry jumped to his feet. "Harry, what—"

"Where are you going?" Ron asked.

"I've just thought of something," Harry said and as Erin looked at him she knew…

"Oh, my god!" Erin said jumping up too.

"Hagrid!" Harry and Erin said at once and hurried off across the lawns with Ron and Hermione trying to keep up.

"Erin, Harry! What is it?" Hermione gasped out.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd," Harry began.

"That what Hagrid wants most is a dragon," Erin continued.

"And a trader shows up that just happens to have one?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Why didn't we see it before?" The girl sighed agitatedly.

They found Hagrid sitting on his steps playing a recorder. "Hello, there." Hagrid said cheerily. "Finished your exams, yet?"

"Just finished." Ron said happily.

Harry wasn't in the mood for chitchat and quite frankly neither was Erin. "Hagrid." She said and the tone of her voice was such that he looked at her surprised.

"Hagrid, down in the pub, what did the stranger look like that gave you the dragon's egg?" Harry asked.

"I dunno. He kept his hood up."

"You and he must have talked." Erin prodded.

"Well, he wanted to know what kind of creatures I looked after. I told him after Fluffy a dragon's gonna be no problem."

"Did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked.

"Well o' course he was interested in Fluffy. I mean how many three-headed dogs do you come across, even when yer in the trade? But I told him the trick with any beast is to know how to calm 'em. Take Fluffy for example, you play him some music and he falls right asleep."

Erin's mouth dropped. "Hagrid, you didn't!"

"What?" He asked. "I shouldn' a told yeh that."

They all looked at each other and then ran back up the hill to the bridge. "We have to tell Dumbledore." Harry said.

No on argued with him. They just ran through the bridge and through the courtyard into the castle. They didn't stop until they got to Professor McGonagall's classroom. "We have to see Professor Dumbledore, immediately." Harry said.

"I'm afraid he's not here." McGonagall said surprised. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and left immediately for London."

"He's not here?" Erin gasped.

"But this is important." Harry said.

"It's about the Sorcerer's Stone!" Erin blurted out.

"How do you know—" McGonagall had gone white.

"Someone's going to try and steal it!" Harry said.

"I don't know how you four know about the Stone, but I guarantee you it's perfectly safe. Now will you go outside, quietly?"

"But, Professor—" Erin was going to make her see reason.

"Now, Miss Lyancomp!" She said severely.

They left then, but stopped outside her classroom. "That was no stranger in the pub." Erin said.

"It was Snape." Harry said.

"And with Dumbledore gone…" Hermione started.

"Good afternoon." They all whirled around to see Snape standing there. "Now what would four young Gryffindors be doing inside on a day like today?"

"We were just…" Hermione faltered.

"You'd better be careful." Snape said. "People will think you're up to something. More than going off to find a suitable dragon place."

The word felt like more than a jibe. Erin grew red. "You wouldn't know about that would you? Something like that isn't up your alley," she said.

"Any more nighttime wanderings and I will make sure you are all expelled." He hissed, but Erin noticed, to her satisfaction, a delicate pink flush on his cheeks. "Good day, to you." He swept off.

"Hermione, you've got to keep on eye on him." Erin said.

"Me?" She asked.

"Yes, you." Harry said. "You can wait outside the teachers' room and pretend to be waiting for Flitwick."

"What would I say?" She asked.

"That you're afraid you got number 14b wrong on the exam." Erin said. "Now, go."

"Ok, ok." She said hurrying off.

The three went outside, but didn't speak for several minutes. "At least Hermione is on his tail." She said.

"I think you spoke too soon." Hermione appeared behind them.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"Well, I was waiting by the staff room door and Snape came out. He wanted to know what I was doing there, I told him I was waiting for Flitwick. And then he went in and got him! I only just got away."

"Well, that's it." Harry said. "I have to go tonight, I have to get to the Stone before he does."

"You're mad." Ron cried.

"You can't be serious!" Hermione wailed.

"You can't." Erin said.

"What do you mean I can't?" He practically yelled. "Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursley's and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it's only dying a bit later than I would have, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side! I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothin you three say is going to sop! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?" He glared.

"No, Harry." Erin said shaking her head. "I meant you can't go alone."

"I'll use the invisibility cloak—wait, what?" He said looking at the girl just realizing what she said.

Erin rolled her eyes. "Harry, you are not going anywhere without us." She looked at Ron and Hermione and they nodded. "So forget it. You'd better hope that cloak of yours fits all three of you because we are all going." Ron had grown quite a few inches in the past few months.

"But if we get caught all of us will be expelled."

Erin sighed. "Harry, do you really think Voldemort will let any of us live?" She gave him a hard searching look. "No, he will not. We are too close to you and anything close to you will have to go, because we are going to be by your side when he comes for you."

"And besides they won't expel me." Hermione said almost bitterly. "Flitwick told me a secret, he said Erin and I have the highest grades of all the first years. I got a hundred and twelve percent on his exam."