A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or any character thereof. Only the story line is mine so please don't sue! I don't own anything!
Chapter 32
After losing all those house points, Harry was once again being stared at as whispers were starting to go on around him. It really bothered him but he took that time and threw himself into his studies even more than he had previously.
Quidditch had even lost some of it's thrill because the team would call him 'the seeker' as opposed to his name.
It was extremely annoying.
A week before exams were supposed to take place, Harry looked at Hermione, who was writing a foot longer than necessary on their History of Magic essay and asked a question that had bothered him for a while. "Why do you write so much more than what's required? I can understand an extra inch or two, but a foot?"
"If I know it, then I may as well let the teacher's know that I know so much. Hiding my knowledge would be rather stupid. Besides, I have to tie in all the extra information that I mentioned in passing."
Harry just shook his head and sighed at the brilliant witch sitting in front of him.
As Harry, Hermione, Neville, Draco, and Filch walked towards Hagrid's hut, they were trying to figure out why their detention was at night and why it was outside.
It was at the point that Filch mentioned the Forbidden Forest that Draco started to complain and Harry heard quite clearly the fear in the blonde's voice.
Meanwhile, back at the castle in Dumbledore's office ...
"Albus, you've got to be out of your mind!" Severus exclaimed. "Four 1st years in the Forest at night! That's insane, even for you!"
"I think you underestimate the 4 of them. Besides, nothing will attack Hagrid or anyone that is with Hagrid in the Forest."
"That is beside the point. I agree with Severus. This is crazy." Minerva's mouth was pressed into a very thin line.
"Everything will be fine. I couldn't imagine that it would take more than an hour or two to find the unicorn."
"Why couldn't they have done this in the morning?"
"Because we all know that the aura of a unicorn is best sensed at night - not to mention it makes spotting the blood a tad easier while it's dark out."
"Just so you know, the Howler that I'm sure to get from Lucius is going to be directed straight to you."
"As is the one that I'm sure to receive from Longbottom's grandmother."
Albus winced at the thought of Augusta Longbottom. That woman was a force to be reckoned with.
Forty minutes later, Severus was still fuming at what Albus had given the students as a detention.
'What is the matter with him? Sure, he has a point about nothing attacking anyone with Hagrid but that doesn't make me feel much better.' Severus wished Lily was still here. She would have given Albus a piece of her mind. He actually grinned at the thought.
His musings, however, were interrupted by a slight twinge in his forearm for half of a second. He immediately flooed himself back to Albus' office and proceeded to stroll up to the second level to pound on the door to the Headmaster's quarters.
Behind him, he heard Fawkes give an irritated squawk.
At the same time Severus' arm twinged, Harry was staggering backwards into a tree trying to scurry away from a hooded figure with unicorn blood dripping from it's face.
His scar felt as if it was on fire.
Harry reached for his wand but once he drew it, he realized that while he could send a tickling jinx at it, it probably wouldn't work anyway. He suddenly realized that he really did not know any protection spells. At all.
Before he could do more than anything except stare at the approaching shadow, he got his first glimpse at a centaur as it drove the thing away.
Bloody hell. So tonight during our detention to find a wounded unicorn, I met Voldemort ... of sorts.
Snape wants the stone for Voldemort so that he can come back to life, in which point he'll probably come straight for me.
After all, why let the boy-who-lived stay alive when killing him would prove his strength, even if I am only 11 years old.
Harry proceeded to write in intimate detail about his first experience into the Forbidden Forrest and also about the mysterious return of his invisibility cloak, which befuddled him as well.
I swear Snape keeps turning up everywhere. I wonder if he knows that we know he's after the stone. I've been toying with the idea of going to a teacher, but I'm not sure that I'll be believed.
I mean, everyone knows Snape hates me, though I've yet to determine why. It's very frustrating.
Ugh. I should be studying or sleeping.
H. Potter
Two weeks before the end of June, exams began. O.W.L and N.E.W.T. students were ushered into special testing areas while the other students followed their exam schedule that had been given out by their head of houses.
All during the tests, Harry was jittery because he half expected Voldemort to come rushing into the room to kill him.
He had no trouble what-so-ever with his charms written or practical work, nor did he have any issues with his Defense written test. Since Quirrell never assigned practicals in class, there was no practical portion of the test, which Harry personally thought was stupid.
Tuesday had him sitting restlessly through his History of Magic and Transfiguration finals. He thought he had done all right on them but not perfect. Still, he'd be content if he passed them with the state of his nerves.
Wednesday afternoon consisted of his written astronomy test. During his midnight practicals, his eyes kept wandering over to the Forest, wondering where Voldemort was currently lurking at.
He barely finished his exam in time which left him feeling quite apprehensive about it.
Thursday found him in his Herbology exam which had a practical portion that involved de-bulbing and replanting a very stubborn cat-tail plant.
Friday was the day Harry dreaded the most. He figured that if Voldemort was stupid enough to barge in on any class, it would be during his Potions class.
His hand shook slightly during the written portion but he found he knew the answers easily enough. During the practical portion of the exam, he was pleased to note that he had managed to brew a somewhat decent Forgetfulness potion.
After he placed the completed potion on his professor's desk, he quietly cleaned up his area. As he was headed out the door, he saw Snape glare at him, so he glared defiantly back. Just as he reached the door, he heard a crash.
He turned towards the noise and saw Crabbe and Goyle by the desk and Harry saw his name on the cracked vial that currently lay on the floor with the potion seeping out.
He turned to look at Snape to see if he was going to say anything and when saw that he wasn't, he just glared even harder at the man before storming away.
After depositing their books back in their rooms, they went out to the lake for a while to relax. The last week of school had no official classes, so the time could be spent mostly as they saw fit. However, the final Quidditch game, Gryffindor VS Ravenclaw, was this up and coming week, so as soon as they sat down, that's what Ron started talking about.
During the week before exams, Severus decided to keep an eye on the brat discreetly. He used the invisibility charm on himself as Potter didn't seem to be able to detect those ... yet.
He rolled his eyes and nearly snorted when he had heard Granger answer Potter's question about essay length. He too could understand an extra inch or two but she wrote to the extremes. He had even taken to marking her down for the length of her essays but it never seemed to dissuade her. When she wrote, she sounded like a walking encyclopedia with facts and no depth to her answers what-so-ever.
The morning after Draco returned from his late night detention, Severus found himself storming back to Albus' office to yell at the Headmaster some more.
He noted that Minerva wasn't there. It seems that her Gryffindor's didn't tell her what happened in the Forest, which surprised him. Surely Precious Potter should have complained that he was attacked - at least Draco had said the thing went after both of them, and like the Slytherin he was - he ran to protect his sense of self.
During exam week, he would spy Potter absently wincing as he rubbed his scar. Actually, once he looked closer, he saw that the boy was jumpy and started rather easily. It was out of his character.
On Wednesday, he saw a boy accidentally drop a book near Potter. While Severus never saw the wand being drawn, the brat never-the-less had it in his hand a split second later.
During the Potions exam, he saw Potter shaking slightly. 'Maybe it's exam nerves.' Severus chuckled darkly as he thought, 'James Potter's son ... afraid of an exam.'
During the practical part, he watched as Crabbe and Goyle waited until Potter had cleaned up his station before knocking off his vial.
As soon as he had heard the crash, he saw the boy's wand drop into his hand from up his sleeve but noticed that he never pointed it.
He glared at the boy, who in turn glared back. He then watched as he strode out of the classroom, quite angry. As soon as he had stepped out of the room, he realized that the jars that had been shaking slightly along the walls suddenly stopped.
Severus turned and peered back at the door where Potter had just left, his eyebrow raised slightly.
Later after giving his final exam, he strode through the hallway in time to see Potter, Weasley, and Granger talking animatedly to McGonagall. She walked away looking slightly harassed.
Raising his eyebrow minutely, he edged his way towards the trio in time to hear, "Snapes going through the trap door tonight. He's found out everything he needs to know and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way."
Severus' other brow raised. 'Dammit, the brat is right!' He would need to watch the door closely to make sure Quirrell stayed away from it.
But first, he needed to discourage these three from going near the third floor corridor.
As he un-melded himself from the afternoon shadow's he heard Granger gasp.
"Good afternoon," he said smoothly.
He nearly laughed as they just stared at him dumb-foundedly.
"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," Severus said with an odd, twisted smile. "You want to be more careful, hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"
Severus smirked at the flush that appeared on Potter's cheeks. "Be warned, Potter - any more night time wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you."
He strode off in the direction of the staff room, hoping that that would keep the three away from the third floor corridor.
A/N: This story will stick mostly to canon of the Sorcerer's Stone book, and some quotes are from the book directly. However, every once in a while, a scene or two from the movie may sneak in. (All that of course aside from the fact that a lot of scenes from my own mind are sneaking in as well - evil cackle!)
A/N: Sorry for the update delay. I actually have most of the story through the CoS written (not typed yet though b/c I'm not quite happy with certain parts of it). I know right now, the story is still mostly canon, which is okay. I'm giving everyone different view points about what could have happened and why and I hope that that keeps everyone reading. I'm changing things here and there as I need for the my FF world hehe. Rest assured, I'm still writing. *points to the mess of notes all around me as proof*!
A/N: This story will stick mostly to canon of the Sorcerer's Stone book, and some quotes are from the book directly. However, every once in a while, a scene or two from the movie may sneak in. (All that of course aside from the fact that a lot of scenes from my own mind are sneaking in as well - evil cackle!)
A/N: Sorry for the update delay. I actually have most of the story through the CoS written (not typed yet though b/c I'm not quite happy with certain parts of it). I know right now, the story is still mostly canon, which is okay. I'm giving everyone different view points about what could have happened and why and I hope that that keeps everyone reading. I'm changing things here and there as I need for the my FF world hehe. Rest assured, I'm still writing. *points to the mess of notes all around me as proof*!