Several weeks had passed since Thomas and his friends returned to Hogwarts after their winter break. In that time, they had managed to keep their suspicions about Snape to themselves and continued to keep a watchful eye out for any strange behavior from him or anyone else who might be involved.
The Gryffindor Quidditch team had their first game after the winter break against the Slytherin team. It was a tough game, but the Gryffindors managed to pull off a win once again, with Harry catching the Snitch in the end, to Malfoy's horror since he had lost against Potter once again.
Meanwhile, in the Ravenclaw vs Hufflepuff game, the Ravenclaws had dominated the field with their superior tactics and skill. And even though Thomas caught the snitch and won the game, the score was already in their favor with more than a hundred points difference. As for their studies, Thomas and his roommates had made good progress in most of their classes, Thomas himself had been working hard in all his classes, but especially in Potions. Ever since he started believing that Snape was the one who harmed Harry, he slowed down his enthusiasm in this particular class, but after a while, it was quite clear that Professor Snape was not exactly the bad guy in this story and that there was something else in between, something that none of them had thought about. Nevertheless, once Snape saw that Thomas has become once again active in his class, he had started to give him more challenging assignments, wanting to push the boy to his limits. Most of his potions, the ones that could be used for pranks, were either gifted to James or sold to the Weasley twins for favors or for pranks upon Malfoy, which was one of the best deals the twins could get.
James, on the other hand, had managed to befriend the Weasley twins, Fred and George, and sometimes joined them in their pranks. Thomas and his other roommates had mixed feelings about this, as they didn't want to get in trouble for anything the twins might do when they would undoubtedly be dragged together with them, mostly because that would force them to help Filch clean the hallways or spend hours cleaning creature manure with Hagrid.
Adam had been practicing his dueling skills with the help of Thomas and Michael and had become quite good at it. He even managed to beat Michael in a friendly duel once, which was no small feat. Especially since between the four of them Thomas and Michael were the best ones.
Michael had been excelling in his Charms class and had managed to impress Professor Flitwick with his wandwork. He had also been spending a lot of time in the library, researching anything that might be useful for them in combating different beings and creatures of all natures, but sadly most of the books didn't mention anything about the other factions and pantheons.
As for the golden trio… Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Harry, Ron, and Hermione would press their ears to the door to check if Fluffy was still growling inside. Snape was sweeping about in his usual bad temper, which surely meant that the Stone was still safe. Whenever Harry passed Quirrell these days he gave him an encouraging sort of smile, and Ron had started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell's stutter. Thought that seemed strange, especially since out of nowhere Quirrell had started paying more attention to Harry, ignoring Thomas completely in class, which was good for Thomas and bad for Harry, since the man was beyond creepy.
Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Philosopher's Stone. She had started drawing up revision timetables and color-coding all her notes with Thomas and Michael's help. Harry and Ron wouldn't have minded, but she kept nagging them to do the same.
"Hermione, the exams are ages away."
"Ten weeks," Hermione snapped. "That's not ages, that's like a second to Nicolas Flamel."
"But we're not six hundred years old," Ron reminded her. "Anyway, what are you revising for, you already know it all."
"What am I revising for? Are you mad? Do you realize we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? They're very important, I should have started studying a month ago, I don't know what's got into me …"
Just then, as they walked towards the Herbology classroom, Thomas and Adam stumbled across the trio. "Hey, guys," Thomas said, waving at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "What are you all doing here?"
"Just trying to get some studying done," Hermione replied, flipping through her textbook.
"Studying for what?" Adam asked.
"Our end-of-year exams," Harry said, looking a bit sheepish.
"End-of-year exams? But we just got back from winter break," Thomas said incredulously.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "They're very important, Thomas. We need to pass them if we want to move on to the next year. And despite your immaculate performance you still need to study. "
Thomas shrugged. "I guess I should start studying too, then."
"You definitely should," Hermione said sternly.
"We should probably get going," Adam said, glancing at the clock. "We don't want to be late for Herbology."
"Right, see you guys later," Thomas said, as he and Adam walked off towards the classroom.
Unfortunately, the teachers seemed to be thinking along the same lines as Hermione. They piled so much homework on them that the Easter holidays weren't nearly as much fun as the Christmas ones. Even though it wasn't all that bad for Thomas, Adam, and Michael since they were usually the ones who joined Hermione in her mad quest for perfection. However, for James, Harry, and Ron, spending their free time in the library and being forced to do their homework was worse than torture.
"I'll never remember this," Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really fine day they'd had in months. The sky was a clear, forget-me-not blue and there was a feeling in the air of summer coming.
James nodded in agreement as he closed his textbook with a sigh. "I know what you mean, mate. My brain feels like it's going to explode with all this studying," he said, rubbing his temples.
Ron groaned and leaned back in his chair. "I just can't take it anymore. I want to go outside and do something, anything but this," he said, gesturing to the pile of books and parchment in front of him.
Thomas, who had been quietly studying beside them, looked up with a raised eyebrow. "I'm just guessing here, but if we fail, I fear that our mothers would make sure we won't ever treat a book worse than a wife, you know that right?" he said, trying to hide his amusement at their frustration.
Adam, who had been sitting across from them, chuckled. "Come on, Thomas. Let them vent a little. We're all feeling the same way."
Hermione, who was sitting at a nearby table, looked over at them with a disapproving frown. "Honestly, Ron and James, you can't give up now. The exams are only a few weeks away, and if you don't study, you'll regret it," she said, shaking her head.
Michael, who was sitting beside her, nodded in agreement. "She's right. We can't afford to slack off now. We've worked too hard to get this far," he said, gesturing toward the pile of books in front of him.
Ron rolled his eyes. "I know that, Hermione. It's just that we've been cooped up in this library for hours on end, and it's starting to get to me," he said, standing up and stretching his arms.
James followed suit and stood up, stretching his back. "Yeah, I think we all need a break. Let's go outside and get some fresh air," he said, looking at his friends.
Harry, who was looking up 'Dittany' in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, didn't look up, not wanting to be dragged into the verbal debate between his friend until he heard Adam say, "Hagrid, how come you are in the library? Do you need help finding something?"
Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat. But despite the sudden movement, he tried to play it cool.
"Oh, hey,jus' lookin'," he said, in a shifty voice that got their interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"
"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron impressively. "And we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Philosopher's St…''
"Shhhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"
"There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact,' said Harry, 'about what's guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy …"
Thomas, James, Adam, and Michael exchanged curious glances as they watched Hagrid shift nervously from one foot to the other. They knew there was something he was trying to hide behind his back, and they couldn't resist the urge to find out what it was. Ignoring Hermione's disapproving frown, they slowly made their way toward Hagrid, trying to sneak a peek at what he was holding behind his back. But Hagrid was too quick for them. As they got closer, he turned his body, effectively hiding whatever was in his hand from their view.
"Come on, Hagrid, what are you hiding?" James asked, trying to peek over his shoulder.
Hagrid shuffled his feet, looking even more nervous. "Oh, it's nothing, just some things I picked up in Diagon Alley," he mumbled, trying to move away from them. But the group was persistent, and they kept pressing him, asking questions and trying to catch a glimpse of what he was holding.
Hagrid continued to deflect their questions, becoming more and more agitated with each passing moment. Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Hermione continued their discussion about the Philosopher's Stone, oblivious to the commotion happening just a few feet away from them. But as Hagrid's nerves got the better of him, he accidentally dropped whatever he was holding. Sadly, for them, Hagrid was quick enough to cover it before they could see what it was.
"What is that?" Michael asked, his eyes widening in surprise.
"SHHHH!" said Hagrid again. "Listen, come an' see me later, I'm not promisin' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed ter know. They'll think I've told yeh …"
"See you later, then," said Harry.
"Did you see the way he was acting?" asked Michael, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Yeah, he was definitely hiding something," agreed Adam, tapping his chin thoughtfully.
"I wonder what it could be," mused Thomas, staring off into space.
Ron shook his head. "Who knows? Knowing Hagrid, it could be anything from a rare magical creature to a new cake recipe."
James chuckled. "You never know with Hagrid. But whatever it is, I'm sure it's important."
Hermione, who had gone back to her studying, looked up at them with a disapproving frown. "Honestly, I don't think it's any of our business. We should focus on our studies and not get involved in other people's affairs," she said firmly.
Thomas raised an eyebrow at Hermione's comment. "Where would be the fun in that?" he said with a smirk. "I mean, isn't it natural to be curious about what others are up to?"
Michael nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I don't see any harm in speculating a little bit. It's not like we're going to go digging around in Hagrid's hut or anything," he said, giving Hermione a reassuring smile.
Adam chuckled. "Exactly. It's just harmless speculation," he said, before turning to Ron. "But you might be onto something with that cake recipe. Hagrid's cakes are legendary."
Ron grinned. "I wouldn't be surprised if that's what he's hiding. Maybe he's working on a new flavor or something."
James rolled his eyes playfully. "You lot are hopeless. But I have to admit, now I'm curious too," he said, a mischievous glint in his eye.
Hermione sighed, but couldn't help but smile at their banter. "Fine, you can speculate all you want. Just don't let it distract you from your studies," she said, before returning to her books.
As the boys continued to speculate about what Hagrid could be hiding, Hermione's eyes darted around the floor, scanning for any clues. Just then, she noticed a book lying on the ground behind the spot where Hagrid had been standing a few minutes ago. She got up from her chair and walked over to pick it up, her curiosity piqued.
The book was titled "Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland; From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide." Hermione's eyes widened as she realized the significance of the book. "Guys, look at this," she said, holding up the book for the boys to see. "It's a dragon keeper's guide."
The boys looked at each other in surprise. "What does that have to do with Hagrid?" asked Ron, his brow furrowed in confusion.
Hermione shook her head. "I don't know, but it's definitely interesting. Maybe Hagrid has been studying up on dragons for a reason."
Thomas leaned forward, his interest piqued. "Maybe he's trying to raise a dragon or something. That would be pretty cool, wouldn't it? Having your own dragon…now that I think about it, can anyone get one?"
James chuckled. "I think it depends, and mate, it would be cool until it burns down half of your house or in Hagrid's case half of the bloody school. But seriously, I don't think Hagrid would be foolish enough to try to raise a dragon. He knows the risks involved."
Adam nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think Thomas is just getting a little too excited. But it does make you wonder what Hagrid is up to."
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