...
Their tests were a joke.
A literal freakin' joke.
Rodrick found himself utterly flabbergasted between the factually wrong parts written by incompetent ministry workers, to the abysmally easy practical- But most of all, how pointless the amount of time he'd spent preparing for them had been.
Of course his friends, housemates, and more or less everyone practically disagreed but he was standing by his opinion.
He was currently in one of the two final ones he'd have for the year, idly waiting for the clock to tick by as he watched McGonagall scour the rest of the students for any attempts to cheat- The ludicrous thought. If someone had to cheat to get through these tests, they might as well just give it all up now really.
As the clock ticked by, Rodrick found himself idly doodling at the end of one of the pieces of parchment, his magic deleting it as quickly as it came, which in itself was another worrying thought.
The fact he could use wandless magic during the test was another perplexing thought- Sure, the average student couldn't pull it off but you'd think they would've taken the necessary precaution against it anyway.
Letting out a sigh, and earning McGonogall's attention in the process, the woman eyeballing him as if she expected him to either go through someone else's paper or help his needlessly worried friends was rather amusing.
Though at the very least the professor had had the sense to separate the first year tests between two different classrooms, each one housing two different houses- Though why they thought the Gryffindors would go well with them, he still didn't have a clue.
Of course, that was the moment everything started going... Differently.
The door to the classroom, to his surprise, rapidly swept open as the replacement Defence professor practically jumbled his way in as if he'd suddenly been taken over by the spirit of the, still living, Quirinus Quirrell what with his stuttering and utter panic that laced through him.
The man had been seeing shadows in every corner ever since he'd showed up at the castle- It seems his paranoia had finally reached its peak given he'd thrown caution to the wind and interrupted McGonagall's test.
He'd never really paid much attention to him, his mind idly noting whether he'd ever looked as harried as he currently did. What with the pale expression, greased hair, and overall stress lines that marred his face.
Maybe there was something wrong with the class itself- Given Quirrel had looked rather tame at the start of the year, and only turned worse for wear as it got on, though in retrospect he'd had a spirit possessing him.
"Professor Abatoth, can you not see that-" Whatever the Transifugaration expert had been about to say was promptly interrupted, the silence in the class only held by the woman's sheer presence up until then.
"The Gryffindor Tower has been attacked!"
Even Granger had broken the rules of silence at that remark. While Malfoy probably cost them a few points with his sudden glee.
"The Headmaster has called all heads-" And the professor hadn't even finished the words before a tumbling sound practically reverberated through the floor they were on-
Needless to say, he'd stiffened at that, and promptly clasped hold of the wand hidden up his sleeve, which by the way they'd been allowed to bring, though according to the professor here as well as the others during their tests, there was some kind of magic that prevented them from using it. Or made it easy to notice them using it? He wasn't sure, he hadn't really paid much attention to said rules.
A flurry of emotions filtered through their current professor before it settled onto an almost grim acceptance, while all the while Rodrick felt himself... Feel rather off- There was something... Almost sinister floating in the air, a feeling he'd been having since the start of the tests for that matter though he'd simply put it up to the pressure he was expected to have...
It felt so much more nuanced right now though and that unsettled even his Occulumency.
He was broken out of his stupor, his mind finally noting the sounds of his whispering classmates, a few of the Gryffindors even having stood up at the announcement before stumbling back into their seats at the sheer seriousness that radiated out of Minerva McGonagall.
"Very well." The woman remarked calmly, Rodrick's mind noting that barely a few seconds had transpired since the tumbling sensation- Said sensation coming back somewhat stronger than before as the Professor briefly gazed at them, before settling back onto the panicky Defence teacher as she nodded. "I am going to have to ask you to keep an eye on the students while they finish their tests-"
Well. At least she can prioritize.
The Defence professor nodded, a relieved and sagging expression filling his face at the words.
"That's why the headmaster sent me actually." The man remarked with a sheepish expression as he rubbed the back of his head. "No good in an emergency he said,"
The woman let out a sigh and shook her head calmly, though quickly, before warning them about taking the opportunity to break any rules before swiftly exiting the room.
A few seconds passed following said exit as the Defence teacher seemed to fidget for a moment, hesitating between coming in further into the room or not, his gaze scouring through them all- Hesitating the slightest bit at the Gryffindor section before settling onto the Slytherin one.
He wasn't sure what made him turn at that point, his gaze filtering over the Gryffindors- Whatever it was, his gaze suddenly found itself narrowed at the sight of... Harry Potter scratching at his scar-
"Mr Malfoy!" The Defence professor quickly caught his attention once again. "As I am sure you're a model student-"
What.
"-I have some business the headmaster needs me to take care of,"
Hadn't he just said-
"So, um, until I return from the Forest, I'll be leaving you in charge."
Time seemed to almost stand still for him at that moment, his mind barely processing what had just occurred because-
Was he talking about the three-headed dog? Maybe it was at risk of attacking the castle grounds, which with a possible evacuation could be an issue- Or maybe it was the stone itself... He supposed he could've been given multiple jobs and the man was just prioritising one over the other because quite frankly the key to immortality or a ravenous three-headed dog was a tad more important than the first-year test results...
"Of course Professor!" The blonde remarked with glee as he stood up from his seat, one hand on his chest. "I'll make sure the Gryffindors don't cause any problems!"
The cries of, well, basic outrage from said house were promptly ignored as the professor simply turned on the spot on and walked out.
A hush of whispers later, the blonde idiot quickly swept towards McGonagall's desk and openly started looking for an answer sheet that definitely didn't exist.
With all that was happening, between his rather understandably confused friends, and vastly irritated Gryffindors, he almost missed the way a certain duo, and extremely uncomfortable and argumentative Granger promptly swept from their feet and headed for the door.
Malfoy, of course, took notice and promptly started trying to abuse whatever power he thought he had, only for Harry Potter to give him one look, roll his eyes at him and proceed to ignore him as he headed out the door, Malfoy's threats going through deaf ears, even if every word seemed to tackle Granger's confidence at doing the same, while Weasley simply fired back with insults as he followed Potter-
The Philosopher's stone wasn't in the castle anymore. It couldn't be, what with the three-headed dog vacating the third floor. And there was no way the headmaster would've hid it in the bloody Forest, where any creature could stumble upon it and take it.
Hell, even Hagrid implied Fluffy's job was over.
He mentally disassociated calling a three-headed beast fluffy from his head and focused back on the matter at hand.
The professor had to know that.
But Harry Potter clearly didn't.
Now, he wasn't sure what mental gymnastics convinced the boy a legendary artefact was thrown into the bloody forest, but whatever did, seems to have convinced him the Defence professor was after it.
And that it was his job to stop it.
...Had the professor chosen those words specif-
It took him three seconds to conclude it was a trap.
It took him another before he promptly swept from his seat and walked towards the door.
Malfoy frowned as he watched him do so, his mouth about to open in response- His gaze ignoring the two very confused girls as they called out towards him- Only for him to narrow his eyes at the blonde for a moment before he simply turned back towards the door and continued on his way.
To the blonde's credit, he pretended it hadn't happened as he simply started trying to cheat off of everyone else's paper.
Without a missed beat, he threw a disillusionment charm on himself, and an Arresto Momentum later he found the nearest window to jump out of if only to get to the forest before the three idiots walked into a trap set by a very likely Dark Wizard.
He was definitely starting to question the headmaster's hiring practice.
...
Hope You Enjoyed! Don't Forget Feedback!