The Philosopher's Stone
Chapter Twenty-Two
Conversations and Exams
Yuery was unaware of his father's impending arrival. He was busy trying to avoid getting into any more trouble and finishing his exams. He also was trying to decide how to deal with the very dangerous situation involving the headmaster's possession of a sorcerer's stone.
He had just finished his last exam for the day, with two more tomorrow before they would have the rest of the week to relax. Hermione wanted to go to the library to study further. Ron wanted to take a walk on the grounds. Neville had taken to spending the afternoon with Dean and Seamus, understandably still shaken by their detention. Draco and Yuery were not particularly concerned one way or the other about what they did this afternoon.
"Hermione, overstudying is real. I assure you." Ron whined. "We are as prepared as we will ever be, please, just come for a short walk at least. I am pretty sure if you don't get any sunlight soon you could get sick, actually."
"Don't be ridiculous Ronald. I have been outside. Just the other day, I went to Hagrid's, and yesterday I went down to the greenhouses." Hermione argued.
"Actually, I believe Ron is right this time." Draco said without looking up from his own notes. "My mother has often said that you can go over your notes so long that you create a mental block on the material. Though Hermione is also right, she is not in danger of illness from lack of sunlight. We do go outdoors often."
"Yuery, what do you think?" Ron asked, looking at Yuery who had been ignoring their banter and reading a book quietly next to them.
"I have completed my review of tomorrow's material. Currently, I am engaging in the obscure study of dream interpretation." Yuery did not look up from his book as he turned a page. "I am also confident of my final scores on today's exams and will receive high marks."
"That's because today was Transfiguration and Potions. Tomorrow includes History of Magic. No one pays attention in the History of Magic, not even you." Ron frowned.
"I pay attention, I don't take notes. He is just reciting what is in the textbook which I read twice before arriving and several times since arriving." Yuery said dully. He wasn't feeling the best now, he hadn't been since lunch when he felt someone unseen staring at him. "Hermione knows it's true."
"It is." Hermione agreed reluctantly. "Professor Binns is just reading the book out loud. Which you all would know if you bothered to read it."
"I have read it and knew that." Draco offered. Ron stared at them all with a frown.
"Honestly. If you all have it memorized, why are we in here studying anyway?" Ron asked again. "Why not just go outside for a bit?"
"Perhaps we are hoping that by setting the example you will actually open the book." Hermione smirked. "It is unlikely at this stage, but stranger things have happened."
"I did read it already. It was just dull. I also borrowed all your notes several times, I know the material too." Ron said with a frown. "Do you have any idea how disappointed my mom would be if I brought home a failing grade? No thank you."
"You didn't use our notes to make cheat sheets, did you? I refuse to be involved if you get caught." Draco teased. "This time you're on your own."
"I didn't, I wouldn't. My mom would kill me for even thinking it. Then she would resurrect me and ground me for the rest of my life." Ron waved his arms around dramatically at that earning a pointed glare from the librarian.
"Well, let's go then before you get us banned from the library." Hermione shuddered at the idea before she began packing up her bag.
"We can study just as easily down by the lake, and Ron might behave better." Draco suggested as he packed up his own bag.
"This seems a pointless practice anyway." Yuery said as he placed the book on the returns cart. He had made the mistake of attempting to return the books to their proper shelves before. He was not going to make the librarian angry with him again. Apparently, she didn't believe he would place them correctly even after he HAD. His father had trained him and his siblings well when it came to handling and shelving books.
The children all finished gathering their things, left under the watch of the librarian's glare. As soon as they reached the courtyard Yuery huffed in frustration. "You would think after months of us spending our evening in there without causing any trouble she would relax the glares at least a little."
"Some librarians are very protective of their books." Hermione said with a shrug.
"Oh, I'm well aware. I grew up in the Alchemist Libraries of Central. No one's allowed in there without special permission, and even then, you are closely supervised. I still never got that level of hostility." Yuery frowned.
"Yeah, but that's because your Father is their boss." Draco said with a smirk that meant he was trying to tease Yuery.
"My father is everyone's boss except my grandfather, who is my father's boss." Yuery shrugged, not falling into the trap but allowing the banter. "We never got that hostility before Dad was their boss though."
"I thought your Father and Grandfather have been in charge since you were a toddler? How would you know?" Draco asked.
"Who was in charge before that?" Hermione asked curiously.
"My Great-great grandfather…before that, a monster." Yuery shrugged. "I was still a baby when the war happened, and my family became the leaders though, so I don't remember much of it."
"Wait you remember some of it?" Ron asked. "You said you were a baby."
"I remember bits and pieces. I remember being in the cabin with my father and his guards, and that Dad was injured and had to stay in bed…Ling took care of me, he's Dad's friend. I remember being on a train with Mom and her climbing off and running into the woods with me, but not what happened after that. Mostly, I remember things about after. Like sitting in my uncle's lap while he wheeled me around in his wheelchair, and I remember being out in the desert with Dad and Mom and Yeye and William. There was an explosion. It was scary. Someone died, I don't remember him well, but they all still miss him."
"That's a lot." Ron said sadly. "Sorry I brought it up."
"It's fine. Most of my memories are good ones, like spending time with my Dad and siblings. I was kidnapped once when I was, I think four? My father was livid, the ones who took me were scared when he showed up."
"Kidnapped?!" Hermione squealed.
"It happens sometimes." Draco shrugged. "Powerful families invite kidnapping. They think they can get something from the family using the kid as leverage."
"It happens in the Muggle world too. I just guess with all the stories I've heard about your parents I didn't think anyone would do something like that to you. Does it happen in the magical world often?" Hermione asked. "I've studied our history but there's still a lot I don't know."
"I guess it happens sometimes. I don't know." Ron said with a shrug.
"My friend Anya, her Dad rules Drachma, she was kidnapped three times when she was little." Yuery said. "However, Huan hasn't been kidnapped at all."
"How did we get on this subject?" Ron wondered, as he noticed Princess Chen walking closer to them.
"Good Afternoon." Draco and Yuery said together as they gave a small bow to the Princess.
"Good Afternoon children. I trust your studies are going well?" she asked.
"Yes, Ma'am. We've finished the exams for today. Tomorrow is the last of our exams for this year. Then we have a week free before the train arrives." Draco offered.
"Well then, I trust you will manage to remain out of trouble for the rest of your school term?" she asked with a small smirk.
All four children nodded in agreement. She smiled back at them, before she saw Severus Snape step out of the castle with Minerva McGonagall. "Excuse me children, I need to speak to the Professors."
"Should we have warned her about Snape?" Ron asked as they watched her walk away.
"Warned her? Why would you need to warn her of anything?" Draco asked.
"Well, I know he's your head of house, but he's dangerous. He hates Yuery too, always singling Yuery out." Ron shrugged.
"I already told you; he won't hurt me. You are wrong about him." Yuery rolled his eyes. "He does not single me out either, he calls upon me and Hermione most often as the ones who know the answers. He calls Draco and Blaise too if you paid attention."
"Yuery, mate. You won't face the truth." Ron patted his shoulder, and Draco looked livid.
"Se- Nape doesn't hate any students. He cares about the safety of all the students!" Draco said. "I think I need to return to my studies."
"Draco wait!" Yuery said, before glaring at Ron. "Now look at what you did. Apologize."
"It's not a rumor. Snape is dangerous." Ron said stubbornly as a shadow came over them.
"Snape ain't dangerous. He's one of the protectors of this school." Hagrid frowned. "Haven't we had this talk before?"
"Ron's just being stubborn Hagrid. How are you doing?" Yuery asked.
"As well as can be expected I suppose. Charlie wrote to say Norbert settled in well, he wanted to know where I got him so they could be sure he ain't got no more." Hagrid sighed. "I told him, that guy wanted to be rid of the one he had so bad he bet it in a game, I doubt he has more. Not that I could really tell them much anyway, he kept himself covered the whole time."
"The whole time? That didn't seem odd?" Hermione asked.
"Nah. You get all types in Hogshead." Hagrid shrugged. "He did seem interested in my job though. He asked what kind of animals I keep. To be sure I could handle a baby dragon, he said. I told him after Fluffy, a dragon would be a piece of cake."
"I can see that. He believed you though?" Yuery asked.
"Yeah. I told him, the key to handling animals is to know HOW to handle them. Take Fluffy for example, all you have to do is play him some music and he goes right to sleep…I shouldn't have said that. Pretend I didn't say that."
"You didn't tell him that though, did you? Because Fluffy is guarding the Philosopher's Stone so it would be bad if others knew that." Hermione asked nervously.
"How do you kids know about the stone? Who told you?" Hagrid demanded instead of answering.
"We worked it out ages ago after we found Flamel's name." Ron shrugged.
"There's more layers of protection after Fluffy though, right Hagrid?" Yuery asked, afraid now that this had come out. He knew that the conversation had happened weeks ago though, and no one had moved the stone. He believed it would have caused an uproar among the staff had it been taken even if they tried to hide it from the students.
"Yeah. Several teachers added their protection, all the Heads of House and Quirrell offered something, plus Dumbledore himself did something, I'm not sure what. Anyway, it's safe so don't go worrying about it." Hagrid said. "Go, enjoy the weather and have fun. It's all fine."
They nodded and headed toward the lake before watching Hagrid disappear into the castle. "We are still fine. Even with Hagrid spilling his and Snape offering his protection, that still leaves the rest to keep it safe." Ron said.
Yuery agreed he didn't think anything would come from Hagrid's slip. There was still the Heads of House protection plus the Headmaster. He just needed to figure out how he could get to it before the year ended, so that his father could destroy it and because he still doubted he would be returning next year. It was worrying that Quirrell was involved, though with everyone else's spells involved Yuery felt it would not be coming under attack anytime soon.
"I'm sorry I annoyed you Draco." Ron finally said to get the others to stop glaring at him more than anything else. "I will try o remember you are a Snape fan in the future."
"That was not an apology Ron." Yuery sighed, as Draco frowned again.
"Come on Draco let's get back into the library before it gets too busy." Hermione offered before Draco could storm off, and the two headed back up to the castle.
"You can't go ten minutes without trying to pick a fight with him, can you?" Yuery said tiredly. "Just leave him alone Ron the year is almost up what more can go wrong."