Zarif sighs as he looks at the mouse looking back up at him. The other people were trying to turn their mouse into a snuff box. 'I have practiced this spell enough,' Zarif tells himself, picking up his wand before making a loop like a maneuver before ending in a ninety degree straight parallel line with the floor and the white mouse turned into a gold like snuff box with many decorative engravings which thankfully had no whiskers. His wand however almost flicked out of his hand and he quickly grabbed it at the end before it could fly off, his mouth clenched to hold it together and keep it quiet.

Professor McGonagall, seeing this, wrote something down on her scroll before the bell rang, ending the exam. Zarif breathes out slowly, breathing through the small pain before turning his snuffbox back into a mouse, picking it up and placing it on his hand. "So…how do you think I did?"

The mouse shifts it's head as Zarif pets it.

"Yeah. Thought so," Zarif sighs at, watching as the mouse notices his bruise and sniffs it. "Okay. Time to give you back for the next exam taker," Zarif says, putting the mouse down and gathers his things and walking off.

On his way to the great hall, Zarif saw Merula waiting there for someone before she waved him down. "How did you do?" Zarif asks walking up to her.

Merula smiles. "Pretty good."

"Harry hasn't slept well since that night," Zarif says before they walked inside.

"I hear Malfoy has been having nightmares since then as well," Merula says.

"I have overheard those three talking. They think it was what was left of the one your parents served," Zarif says alarming Merula. "If that is the case then, god help his soul for there can not be much left of it."

Merula said nothing as they split to join their house's tables.

After eating, the two were about to head back to the library when they spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione heading for Hagrid's hut. Harry looking especially determined. "Merula," Zarif says before they started to follow the three.

When they got to the hut, they saw Hagrid who was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl. "Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"

"Yes, please," Ron said, but Harry cut him off, not noticing Zarif or Merula approaching.

"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"

"Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off."

He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.

"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head - that's the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."

Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas. "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"

"Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah…he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here…he asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after…so I told him…an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon…an' then…I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks. Let's see…yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted…but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home. So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy…"

"And did he - did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Well - yeah - how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep -" Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.

"Oh that is bad," Zarif says horrified overhearing that, getting all fours' attention.

"Very bad from the look on your face," Merula says.

"We may be in very bad trouble. We should see the headmaster," Zarif says as if reading Harry's mind.

"That may be a problem. I overheard from professor Snape talking to Filch that Dumbledore received a letter from the ministry and left to attend to business there," Merula says.

'That's too convenient. Quirrell, you have played this well, but now you have overplayed your hand to me,' Zarif thinks even more so alarmed.

"Are ye sure?" Hagrid asks.

"Perfectly," Merula says.

'I can't believe we are doing this,' Zarif thinks as he was with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Merula under the invisibility cloak, walking to the door where Fluffy was.

"And now the important question, can any of you play an instrument?" Merula asks the obvious.

Harry produced a flute and started to play, from the first note, the beast's eyes began to droop. All of them walking all in and shutting the door behind them and putting the cloak away. Harry hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased - it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.

"Keep playing," Ron warned Harry as they slipped out of the cloak and crept toward the trapdoor. They could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads. "I think we'll be able to pull the door open," said Ron, peering over the dog's back as they pulled it open. "Want to go first, Hermione?"

Zarif didn't wait for a reply and just jumped down the trap door.

All of them look down the hole where he went before looking to each other, Harry still playing away.

One by one, they made their way down the trap hole, Harry being last because he was playing Hagrid's flute.

"What is this stuff?" Ron asks as they landed on something soft.

"Quick, use lumos. You landed on Devil's Snare!" Zarif calls from below them.

"Lumos," Harry calls, flicking his wand and lightning up the area to show a large number of vines covering the room.

"Wha…wait…don't these things…" Merula starts as the vines start to move before they grabbed hold of them and made them start to struggle, except for Hermione who just sighs. "How do we get out of these things again?!" Merula finishes.

"Relax or hit them with intense enough light/sunlight," Zarif and Hermione calls.

"You're not joking…right?" Merula calls down to them through the snare, slowly calming down.

"Hermione, if you please cast that fire spell," Zarif requests.

Hermione sighs as she slowly takes out her wand and waves it around. "Incendio," she calls and a stream of fire flew from the tip of her wand, hitting the center of the tangle of vines and made it curl up and get away from the heat and light. Letting all of them fall through, most of them landed on their back as Zarif looks up to the holes they left behind in the vines.

"That is two down," Zarif says as the rest started getting up from the floor.

"Does that leave five more?" Merula asks.

"I believe so," Harry says.

"Shall we?" Zarif calls ahead of them, already walking down the hall.

Harry wasted no time running after him with the others following soon after. The corridor leading further down, making Zarif wonder as they descended where they were in relationship to ground level. Soon they arrive in a new well lit chamber with it being full what seemed to be small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. "Hum," Zarif says thinking aloud, trying to figure out what they just walked into.

"Why are keys flying around?" Merula asks the obvious.

"Keys?" Ron asks back looking confused as Zarif looks closely at any one of them to see what she is talking about.

"The door is locked and it seems spells can't unlock it," Merula calls.

Zarif walks over to where she is as she went ahead to the door ahead of them and raises an eyebrow at the door before looking to the broom floating in the middle of the path. "It feels like each professor made this…this seems like Flitwick test…Harry? You ready for a flight?"

Harry got on the broom and started flying to try and look for an old-fashioned silver key to match the handle of the door.

"One has a messed up wing," Zarif observes.

Harry looks around before seeing one flying in a shoddy fashion and tries to move closer before all the little keys flew off and leave the big broken wing one to fly by itself. "That makes thing easier," Ron comments smiling.

"Only one reason for a pack of little things to spread out like that," Zarif mentions.

Harry hears that and looks behind him to see many clouds of keys coming towards him, not even diverting away from their flight path. Harry quickly turns back to the key he needs and leans in, trying to speed up. Reaching out and using his seeker skills, he almost grabs the key handle before grabbing it and making it flap its wings once in a while before flying back to the others. The other keys now catching up and pecking at him in a way. "Grab it!" he calls as he throws the key to them.

Zarif reaches out and grabs the key before rushing back to the door as the others watch Harry fly off a bit away before hearing the door open. "In! Now! Harry, let's go!" Zarif calls, waiting to shut the door while the others run in.

Harry quickly turned around, flying through the key clouds and aiming for the door. Zarif starts to shut the door when Harry flew through and he slams it shut, backing away when many keys embedded themselves in the wood. "Someone needs to consider iron doors," he mutters as he walks past Harry, who is getting off the broom and looking it over. "Practice broom by the way. Not bad."

The five didn't stay long before they headed forward where they soon found a huge chess board with statue sized game pieces.

"You must be kidding," Merula blurted out, looking at the size and style of the pieces before seeing stone pieces that had broken edges in the canals of the sides of the room.

"Three blank spots…" Zarif says thinking and soon Ron got on the knight piece without a rider and got Hermione and Harry to join him acting as substitute pieces.

"That leaves us as the audience," Merula says, sitting down near the edge.

"Was it to stop us from using spells?" Zarif asks.

"Possibly? You can bewitch some pieces to be in your favor. But with the way things are going, there must be counterspells built into the walls," Merula hypothesized as he looks around.

"True…looks like this is wizard's chess," Zarif says as the first move was made.

"It will take a while. I have heard these games take hours," Merula notes.

"They can depending on how long the players take," Zarif says taking a seat.

Merula hums as he sits down near her. "Want to play our own game?"

"What do you have in mind?" Zarif asks.

"A chess game to follow their moves?" Merula suggested.

"Alright," Zarif says.

As the game went on, Merula somehow got a regular version of the chessboard and they start to set up the pieces as the bigger game going on. Both of the two students figuring out what move would be next. "Here…maybe?" she suggested, pointing to an empty area next to where Ron is.

"The rook is there," Zarif points out, tapping the piece.

"Hum…" Merula says thinking as they both look at the board.

"…wait…I think I see his plan now," Zarif says looking up and when Ron made his next move it confirmed it for him. "Ron is going to sacrifice himself to make it so the king can be checkmated," Zarif says.

"Wait…what?!" Merula yells as they turn to the larger game.

"Watch," Zarif says picking up the piece Ron was playing as and moves it into check. Then takes the queen and takes Ron. Then he moved the piece Harry was playing as and the king was in checkmate. "See?" Zarif asks.

"Ron!" Merula calls.

"I don't think he is going to listen," Zarif says looking up worried as he watched it start to happen as he showed her.

"Ron!" Hermione now calls.

Everyone could do nothing but watch the queen attack Ron. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor - Hermione screamed but stayed on her square - the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out.

Shakingly, Harry moved three spaces to the left. In response, the white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. "Go on ahead. I will see to Ron," Zarif says.

Harry and Hermione, hearing that, ran ahead. "Not going to join them?" Zarif asks looking to Merula.

Merula sighs. "Rather stick with you."

"Alright. We may have to deal with the chess pieces to get to Ron. You practiced the Reductor Curse anymore since we learned it?" Zarif asks taking out his wand.

"I have…but can you with that?" Merula asks, slightly worried and looking to his wand arm.

"For this and Ron's life being at stake," Zarif says sheathing his wand. "I will go hands-free," Zarif finishes and starts coursing magic through his hands.

Merula now smiles before aiming her wand. "Reducto!" she yells and a ball of magic flies out and hits a pawn piece, turning it into dust.

"Reducto barrage," Zarif says before creating balls version of the curse before starting to launch them at the chess pieces as the defenses started to activate and shield the pieces while they moved to attack the two.

After a few seconds, Zarif spoke again. "It seems the defense can't keep up with my speed. So work together. Blast the one that gets shielded and it can't shield that one as well," Zarif says.

Merula nods as she moves up beside him and aims at another. "Reducto!"

Zarif and Merula keep going at it as they keep blasting till none were left. "You know the professors' probably know by now so shall we head back up?" Zarif asks, starting to grab Ron and check him.

"Maybe we should. How are we going to carry him?" Merula asks.

"Put his arm over your shoulders and carry," Zarif says satisfied with what he can tell for now.

Merula nods as she grabs his arm and starts to carry Ron with Zarif. "Let's get going."

The two made their way back and as they neared the devil's snare, through the door came Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall came through it and they stood aside.

"How much trouble do you think we are in?" Merula asks as they pass by, the two giving a heavy glance to them. "Three weeks of detention?"

"I think they are more concern with Quirrell trying to steal the philosopher's stone," Zarif says.

"Yeah…let's take Ron to the infirmary," Merula says, helping carry him out with Zarif.

"How do we get through the trapdoor or back up to it for that matter?" Zarif asks.

"Lift Ron by magic?" Merula almost jokes.

"Yeah, but ourselves, not to mention Fluffy?" Zarif asks before Dumbledore put his hand on the two and, the next thing they, knew they were with him in the medical wing. "Teleportation magic. Very impressive to get all four of us here in an instant," Zarif says, mistakenly letting his more adult mind shine through for a moment.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow but said nothing before disappearing again, leaving the two with Madam Pomfrey.

After leaving the hospital wing, Zarif seemed to disappear for the next week, only showing up to take classes. None of his friends or any prefect could figure out where he went, except Merula. She had a very good idea he was going to the centaurs to talk with the chief, but on what, she didn't know.

When people started seeing him around the library and courtyard, Harry woke up. "So you find what you needed?" Merula asks Zarif as they and other students play with Morganna, happy the tests were over.

"Yes and no. In that order," Zarif says letting a book rest on his face as he was laying in the grass as Morganna ran by chasing a ball.

"How is that both yes and no?" Merula almost demands.

"Got answers and found stuff, but not all I would like," Zarif says cryptically as Morganna comes running back, running over his stomach.

Merula smiles a little at Morganna's tricks. "…so you are heading back to the orphanage?"

"I would, but the Weasley twins Fred and George have invited me to come to stay with them for the summer," Zarif says getting up.

"Really?" Merula asks surprised.

"Yeah, seems they have taken a liking to me after our misadventure with Ron. You should try and come as well," Zarif says putting the book aside, showing her it was one on magical creatures.

Merula presses her lips together and looks away, not wanting to say much at the moment that came to the forefront of her mind.

Zarif shrugs as Morganna came up with a ball still in her mouth.

Merula takes the ball and throws it away for Morganna to bark and chase after.

"I would enjoy having you there," Zarif says.

Merula hums. "I…have family to get back to."

"I understand," Zarif says reminding her he no longer has one and how he lost them followed not far behind.

"…sorry…" Merula shakily apologized.

"It's fine," Zarif says laying back down.

When Merula looked, she saw no anger or sadness, just acceptance. This was worse. Merula was used to people being sad or angry with this kind of thing, but just accepting it. She was unsure how to handle it. She can see that he wasn't judging her. Not even glancing her way to see how he was sizing her up. He just lives in his own world and staying in the now behind that sight of his.

"Are you okay?" Zarif finally spoke, shaking her out of her trance. "You have been staring at the book for five minutes. Want it?" he asks holding it out to her.

"No…I was just thinking is all," Merula says.

"I see. You can have it anyway. Keep yourself company for some fun reading," Zarif almost jokes as he holds it out to her.

Merula hesitates, but eventually takes the book and looks to see what he was reading on.

"I have to start some packing to save time now. Take care of Morganna, ok?" Zarif asks getting up and starts heading in.

"Yeah…" Merula sighs as she opens the first page.

Zarif gives her a smile as he walks away.

The final day, Harry had gathered the team who had gone down the trapdoor that night and told them everything. Zarif didn't look surprised when Harry told them it was Quirrell like Zarif had thought since the troll on Halloween, the mirror, which from Merula's expression, she had heard of, and the fact the stone was now gone, but what unnerved all four was the information about Voldemort himself and that he was on the back of Quirrell's head the entire time like some sort of parasite.

"Creepy…" Merula merely said.

"If he has taken such measures…does he still have a body?" Zarif questions aloud next to her in the hall.

"After something like that, I doubt it since Harry…maybe defeated him," Merula theorized.

"I think it had to be something more his parents' did that beat him in the end. After all, how can a baby beat a wizard, especially one as powerful as him?" Zarif questioned.

Merula eyes him now. "How…old were you when…?"

"I have no memories of them," Zarif informs, already knowing the question.

"…sorry…again…" Merula apologizes.

"You don't have to apologize for it. No one does. The one who did it is long since dead," Zarif reminds.

"But I keep bringing it up…" Merula points out.

"Of course. Because of the shadow, he has cast. Even now, people are now people are afraid to say his name, are they not?" Zarif asks.

Merula slowly nods. "But you are not," she points out.

"Yeah, but doesn't that say something about saying his name?" Zarif asks.

Merula tries now to think why his name is considered a curse and why a lot of people would try to…oh. "Hide the truth and bury a heavy thought."

"Right, the fear is still there and that fear gives him power over people," Zarif says.

Merula says nothing as she wonders were her parents on his side out of some form of loyalty or just afraid.

"But either way, that is neither here or there. Tonight is the last feast of the school year and the house cup. Slytherin is in first, but since the school has a general idea what happened, you think Dumbledore will try and give our group house points to show his approval?" Zarif asks.

"Maybe, Maybe not. Who knows with him…" Merula tries to figure out.

"Either way, I have never cared for the house cup," Zarif says getting up as he saw a familiar feline. "Hi ms. Norris, doing your rounds?" Zarif asks smiling at the cat.

"Meow," Ms. Norris meows at him as she purrs a bit.

"I still can't believe you befriended her," Merula says as Zarif starts to scratch her under the chin.

"You just have to know what each side wants," Zarif says wisely as he lets Ms. Norris go.

"…wish I can do that," Merula admits.

"You can," Zarif assures.

Merula smiles a little before sighing. "I have to get to my table at the feast and finish packing…"

"Sit with us on the train ride tomorrow?" Zarif asks.

Merula sighs deeply before smiling at him. "Sure."

Zarif gives her a smile as she leaves. "I am heading to the feast, Ms. Norris. You have a good summer now," Zarif says.

"Meow," Ms. Norris meows.

Zarif, hearing that, headed to the great hall that was decorated in silver and green for the house cup. The feast was a fun time, but then Dumbledore started to give his end of year speech and in the middle, gave fifty house points to all of the group, resulting in Gryffindor coming from the last place to first. Three out of the four houses started celebrating the end of Slytherin's streak after that. The party kept going late into the night.

The next morning, the results of exams came. Zarif and Hermione had tied for best of the first year to many surprises while the rest of the group passed with good marks. As they got their things, they all received notes that were handed out to all students, warning them not to use magic over the holidays before Hagrid took them down to the fleet of boats that sailed across the lake. There they boarded the Hogwarts Express; talking and laughing as the countryside became greener and tidier; eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans as they sped past Muggle towns; pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station. It took quite a while for them all to get off the platform. A wizened old guard was up by the ticket barrier, letting them go through the gate in twos and threes so they didn't attract attention by all bursting out of a solid wall at once and alarming the muggles.

Zarif talked to Merula, Fred, and George as they wait their turn to get out to the muggle's world, barely catching Ron inviting both Harry and Hermione to come to stay at the Weasley's home. Harry, Ron, and Hermione went before the four and when they finally made it through, Harry was already gone and soon Merula left as well, leaving only Zarif and the Weasley family.