Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Chapter 14

"So, you're saying that Snape was trying to figure out how to get past the three-headed dog from Quirrell?" Ron asked Harry.

"That's what I heard in the forest last night," Harry said.

Apparently, Harry had followed Snape and Quirrell into the Forbidden Forest just after the game the night before and overheard them talking about the Stone.

"So, in other words, the stone is safe unless Quirrell blabs about how to get past the dog?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded and started pacing around the empty common room.

"In that case, the stone is going to be gone before next week!" Ron said.

"Emily…you're not saying anything," Hermione said.

"Yeah, that's probably because she doesn't believe us," Ron said. "Snape's the good guy, right?"

I shot Ron a look, and he backed off.

"There's just something not right," I said.

"What's not right?" Ron asked. "Snape found the most pathetic teacher in the bunch to get the secret out of him, seems like something that he would do."

"No," I said, glaring at Ron. "It's just that…before Christmas, I ran into the two of them in the corridor…"

"What?" Harry said, as his pacing stopped. "What happened?"

"Well," I started. "I was walking in the hallway, when I ran into Quirrell. He was acting rather strange and started to corner me. Then, from out of nowhere, Snape came in and started yelling at Quirrell. When Quirrell left, Snape started asking whether or not he hurt me or something and then told me not to wander the hallways anymore."

Harry and Ron looked at each other.

"He probably didn't want you in the hallways while he interrogated Quirrell," Ron said. "Snape probably thought that he might tell you what he was doing to him!"

I rolled my eyes, "This is unbelievable…"

I walked over to a chair and sat down in it, staring into the fire. Everyone else was freaking out about how Snape was after the Stone and how they had no doubt about it. I had automatically regretted telling them about what happened during Christmas because they took what I said and twisted it into what they wanted to believe.

I walked into the Potions room that night for my detention, and saw that I was the only one there other than my teacher.

"Good evening, Miss Potter," Snape muttered from his desk, not lifting his head from the papers he was grading.

"What am I doing tonight, Professor?" I asked him.

"You will be writing lines for me," he said handing me a piece of parchment.

"How many?" I asked him.

"Just until I say you are finished…" he murmured. "I want you to write, 'I will not talk back to my teacher'…"

I took the parchment from him and sat at the nearest desk. I took out my quill and ink and began writing. I couldn't help but notice that every now and then he would glance up at me, but as soon as I looked back, he would go right back to grading.

"That will be all, Miss Potter," Snape said.

I stood up and handed him the parchment that had the many lines that I had managed to write.

"I hope that you learned something…" he said.

"I still don't see what I did wrong, sir," I said politely. "I was just trying to help Neville, because, I'm sure you've noticed, he isn't exactly the greatest in your class."

"I am well aware of that," he said. "However, the boy needs to learn how to do the work, or at least stick up for himself instead of allowing some girl to do that for him."

"I understand, Professor," I responded. "I just hope that you can go a little easier on him…"

He looked up slowly from his work, and our eyes met for a moment and his dark eyes began to soften slightly.

"I could try," he murmured softly.

"Thank you," I said. "Goodnight, Professor Snape."

"Goodnight, Li-" he stopped himself quickly, his eyes widening.

"What?" I asked him, not quite understanding what he had said.

"I said goodnight, Miss Potter," he said, going slightly pale.

I nodded slowly as I left the room, still confused as to what had just happened.

"Honestly, Hermione," Ron said. "The exams are so far away, why even bother studying now?"

"Because Ron, we have to pass in order to come back next year!" Hermione said as she looked through all her notes.

We were in the library, looking through random books that Hermione had given us to prepare for the exams that were being given at the end of the year.

"This is ridiculous…" Harry muttered to me.

I nodded in agreement, but tried my best to keep looking at the book that I had in front of me.

"Hagrid?" Harry said. "What are you doing in here?"

I looked up from my book and saw Hagrid standing there with a book in his hands, trying to hide it.

"What are you doing with a book on dragons?" I asked.

"Never mind that…" he muttered, looking embarrassed that he didn't hide the book fast enough. "You all aren't trying to find out more about Nicolas Flamel are you?"

"Oh, we already know all about him," Ron said proudly. "We know that he made the Philosopher's St-"

"HEY!" Hagrid said, trying to shut Ron up. "Forget about all that, yer not supposed ter know it. Just…come by my hut later, okay?"

We all nodded as he exited the library.

"So, tell us what all is guarding the stone," Ron said to Hagrid. "We know that it can't be just the dog."

"Yer not supposed to know about that," Hagrid said in a warning tone.

"Come on Hagrid," I said. "There's no point in hiding it, we already know most of it."

Hagrid looked around for a moment, as if he was trying to see if anyone else was listening in.

"Fine," Hagrid said. "All I know is that some of the teachers put some enchantments around it…"

"Like who?" Hermione asked.

"Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, Professor Quirrell, Professor Dumbledore, and Professor Snape."

"Snape?" Ron asked. "He's protecting the Stone?"

"Didn't I already tell ya that?"

"Yes!" I said to him. "But everyone refuses to believe that Snape is innocent."

"Come off it, Emily!" Ron snapped.

"She's right!" Hagrid said in my defense. "Yer always blamin' him fer everything."

Suddenly, we heard a noise coming from the fireplace.

"What is that, Hagrid?" Harry said, slowly moving towards the fireplace.

"It's a dragon's egg, isn't it Hagrid?" Hermione asked as she looked at the pot over the fire.

Hagrid nodded as he went to grab some oven mitts and started walking towards the pot in the fire.

"No wonder it's so hot in here…" Ron said.

"Hagrid…" I said. "You do realize that you live in a wooden house, right? The place could burn down!"

"It's not going to burn! The dragon's only a baby!" he said as he started moving the egg around.

"Wait, where did you get a dragon's egg anyway?" Ron asked.

"Oh, some guy at the pub gave it to me, seemed happy to be done with the thing.

"It's illegal to own a dragon, Hagrid!" Hermione said nervously.

"Don't worry about it, Hermione. I know what I'm doing!"

We all looked at each other, knowing that it was only a matter of time before he was caught.

"That is why you must handle this type of plant with caution," Professor Sprout said towards the end of Herbology.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I, however, were not too concerned about the new kind of plant that the teacher was introducing to us. We were too concerned that Hagrid was going to get caught, after all, it was a strong possibility.

"They're fascinating, aren't they?" Neville said smiling up at the plant.

I smiled back at him, even though I wasn't even positive what the plant was even supposed to be, not to mention what it does.

Once the class had ended, we all decided that it would be best to check up on Hagrid to make sure that everything was okay in his hut.

"It's nearly hatched!" Hagrid said with a huge smile on his face.

We all looked at the egg, which was completely black and was currently falling to little pieces. Within the next few minutes, the egg burst open revealing a small dragon that was inside of it.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid asked us, practically crying.

"Sure Hagrid…" I mumbled, watching as the dragon spit fire as it sneezed.

Suddenly, Hagrid grew extremely pale as he looked out of the window.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's Malfoy!" Harry said pointing out of the window. "He's seen the dragon!"

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