The four of them didn't dare to linger any longer and hurriedly left the place. But once they were back in the common room, except for Hermione, they cheered as if they had all aced the exam.
"I declare, Professor Fawley is my idol!" Ron shouted loudly. He tilted his head back, looking up at the ceiling, and raised his hands as if Professor Fawley's image could be seen up there.
Harry grinned. "The professor has been my idol for ages."
Neville chuckled shyly, murmuring, "Me too."
But Hermione wasn't pleased. She pouted, wiping away the tears on her face with a handkerchief, and swatted Ron's hand away irritably.
"In the end, we shouldn't be wandering around outside at night. Remember what the professor said? Gryffindor's tradition is bravery, not mischief!"
"Oh, come on," Ron rubbed his sore arm. "If it weren't for tonight, we wouldn't have seen such a good side of the professor, not to mention that three-headed beast."
He couldn't help but chuckle after saying that. Hermione sheepishly squeezed the hand behind her back, holding onto the handkerchief.
Harry chimed in, "But what's the deal with that three-headed dog? Why would the school keep such a dangerous creature in the castle?"
"Didn't you notice?" Hermione furrowed her brows. "Underneath that three-headed dog, there's a trapdoor. It's clearly guarding something!"
"What could it be?" Ron scratched his head in confusion. "And how did you notice the trapdoor in that situation?"
Hermione turned away from them. "How would I know? Anyway, I'm not in the mood for guessing games with you two anymore."
As Hermione left, Harry seemed lost in thought. He seemed to have an idea about where the package Hagrid took him to get at the beginning of the school year was located.
On the other side, Professor Fawley hadn't actually left. After disappearing from Harry and the others' view, he doubled back.
Just now he appeared deliberately.
Harry is the biggest variable in his plan!
He needs Harry's help to get the Philosopher's Stone for Quirrell, but he can't let Harry attract Dumbledore's attention.
At least, Dumbledore can't show up so quickly before he snatches the Stone from Quirrell.
So tonight, he decided to leave Harry with a trustworthy image, to get closer to him, so he can better control Harry's actions.
He knows Dumbledore is watching Harry, so he has to proceed discreetly.
Reinforcing his plan once again, Tewell set up a small detection charm in the fourth-floor corridor.
Tonight's events also reminded him that if Quirrell got hold of the Philosopher's Stone early because of some clues and ran out of Hogwarts, he would be in real trouble.
So he still needs to carefully monitor this corridor.
After doing all this, Tewell quietly left, and the corridor returned to its silent darkness, indistinguishable from before.
...
The next day, unlike Tewell, who was accustomed to staying up late, Harry and his friends were all yawning in class.
However, by the afternoon, they had to force themselves to stay awake.
Because it was Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Tewell arrived early in the classroom, but he didn't expect the students to arrive even earlier than him.
Especially Hermione, sitting in the front row, with a small piece of bread on her desk, probably having lunch in the classroom.
Harry and Ron, for once, were also sitting in the front row, flipping through their textbooks, unaware of his entrance.
"Good afternoon, everyone," Tewell placed the test papers on the desk, facing the students, "It seems that no one is going to be late today, so I won't take attendance."
He smiled as he watched Harry and Ron shrink a little, and Hermione hastily tidy up her desk.
"I suppose you've heard about what's been happening in the other years. It has become a tradition in this class to do the test before the lesson starts."
The students all showed a resigned expression.
Since the beginning of the week, they had heard about this situation from the older students, and they had also heard that the tests were very difficult, which was why they had arrived so early.
Last-minute cramming!
Tewell walked to the front of the classroom.
It was right in front of Hermione, who looked up at him with her small head, seeming to be the only one in the class looking forward to the arrival of the exam.
"Don't worry, your first year will be a bit different," he said, pulling out his wand and pointing towards the back of the classroom, "Your test will be a fun little game."
A gentle red light flashed, and a red light sphere appeared on the back wall, firmly stopping in front of the wall.
The students turned their heads one after another, curious about this light sphere, thinking it might be some kind of magical enchantment, but after ten seconds, it was still just the same light sphere.
Tewell didn't explain first, but shouted to them, "Stop standing there like idiots, come to the back with your wands!"
Realizing they didn't have to do a written exam, the students cheered, having had the experience of the first class, they skillfully lined up in two rows in the empty space, eagerly watching Tewell standing in front of them.
"I need a volunteer to demonstrate for us, that'll be you, Mr. Potter."
Tewell pointed casually, seemingly nonchalant, but to Harry, it felt like a punishment for last night.
Under Hermione's envious gaze, Harry walked out of the crowd, allowing Tewell to manipulate him.
"Yes, stand here, facing the light sphere, then raise your wand," after preparing Harry's actions, Tewell addressed everyone, "The light sphere will continuously change between three colors and move irregularly. What you need to do is—"
He flicked his wand, another red light hit the light sphere, causing it to ripple and change from red to green, with the number 1 appearing in the middle, while the others remained the same.
"Hit it with the same light, and it will change color, earning you one point. You will have two minutes to deal with the light sphere. The house with the highest score will earn ten points."
Harry was nervous, his hands trembling, but the students were excited.
As first-years, they hadn't had the chance to engage in combat yet, spending the past two weeks watching students from second and third years showing off.
Although the other students hadn't attended Professor Tewell's class, they could still participate in discussions about combat.
Only they were standing there dumbfounded!
Now they could finally experience a little bit of what combat feels like, wishing it was them demonstrating.
But Harry, who was being watched by the whole class, felt a bit nervous. He kept recalling the technique for releasing the light sphere. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of the class, and he certainly didn't want to disappoint Professor Tewell.
Tewell restored the light sphere to its original state and looked at Harry, who was nervously silent on the side.
"Just a reminder, the light sphere won't just stand still," he walked behind Harry and conjured an hourglass, "The moment you emit the light, the timer will start, so, are you ready?"
Harry nodded reluctantly.
"Then let's begin!"