Chapter 5

"Come on, come on! You guys are so slow, hurry up, will you?" Regine yelled irately over her shoulders. "What's keeping you girls?"

It was one of those times that Regine demonstrated how bossy she could be. When she's determined and excited, no amount of force or army could shatter her willpower. They knew that quite well. That is the reason why they permitted her into hauling them to see one of Hagrid's new dangerous creatures. Her owl had arrived not long ago with a note from Hagrid, enlightening her of some creature he discovered and that she would be interested in it. Luck wasn't on their side when Hagrid also cited for them to tag along.

"Slow down, Regine… Hagrid's hut isn't going anywhere, I tell you." Harry cringed at the display of sheer power from Regine as she forcefully yanked his arm towards Hagrid's hut. He often wondered if all girls packed this much strength, or was it just his friends?

"What's so special about this one that's causing you to be this impatient? Can't you just tell us and be done with it?" Daphne grunted, already picturing some nasty creatures leaping in on her. She shuddered at recalling the events of last year, not ones she fancy to undergo again. Mercifully, Harry was there. "Can't we just go tomorrow? I find it uncomfortable at going this late."

"Regine… is this really worth it? You drag us out here right after we got out of the library, and Daphne is right. I agree with her, we'll get in trouble if someone caught us out here." Callista looked around in all directions as if imagining someone to swoop out from behind a tree or bushes.

"Yes, this is worth it," Regine countered steadfastly. "Hagrid mentioned in his note that he's expecting it to hatch this evening and Callista, we've done this like many times, so stop worrying too much."

"Regine is right, you two are such spoil sports!" Sheila stated bravely, a hint of apprehension in her tone. "This isn't like last year, right? That three headed dog scared the crap out of me."

"So much for Gryffindor bravery..." Daphne drawled. Sheila glared at her Slytherin friend in response.

"Ah, come on you guys. Fluffy isn't that bad, he's cute…"

"You're saying that because that- that thing actually likes you! It almost bit my head off! If it weren't for Harry, I wouldn't have a head left!" Sheila's body quivered, dashing to Harry and clutching his robes to seek for his protection. "I don't want to end up like headless Nick. It would be so weird if people start calling me the headless Sheila."

"Oh Sheila, don't be so dramatic. Fluffy was just playing with us. There was nothing for us to worry about Fluffy at that time…" All three girls shivered at the idea of 'playing' with a Cerberus. More like the huge dog was taunting them as if they were his food to chew on. "Now that you guys mention it, I kinda miss the big dog. I'll ask Hagrid about Fluffy later on!"

Harry stared at Regine's look of total bliss and the three girls' expression of terror. He heaved a weary sigh. "Look, perhaps we ought to not visit today and come back another time-"

"What! No!" Regine was immediately against his idea.

"Harry has a point here, Regine, it's already late…" Callista backed up, possibly saving their lives from whatever Hagrid had hidden in his hut. "I'm sorry, Regine, but we need to go back to the castle."

"I'm with Callista on this. We promise we'll go see Hagrid the first thing tomorrow morning, but for now, a beauty sleep would be adequate," Daphne reasoned. Nevertheless, deep inside, she was hoping the girl would disregard it the next day.

Not acquiring positive responds from the three, Regine moved to Sheila, masquerading pitiful looks. "Sheila?"

Sheila bit her bottom lip at the looks Regine was giving her. There was no way she could resist those round yellow-gold eyes. She glanced at her other three companions before returning her gaze to Regine. She continued this for several minutes. They were surprised her neck didn't fracture from looking back to fro at such a fast rate. Resigning a defeated sigh, she nodded her head dismally, halfway through planning to leave a will behind for her parents.

"What? Jonnet, you cannot be serious! I am not going, you can forget it!-" She ceased her rant at Regine's look. Her eyes twitched madly, and she too capitulated in the end. "Fine, but only for a short time. We see this creature which intrigues you so much and question Hagrid regarding that blasted Cerberus of his and we are leaving! That's it, no more delays and no chatting. Understand?"

Grinning, she nodded her head. "Crystal clear, ma' am!"

"Are you sure?" Callista asked fearfully, viewing a giddy Regine lugging a whimpering Sheila.

"No…" Daphne murmured in the exact fear as Callista. "Why do I feel like I just signed our lives away to one of Hagrid's beasts?"

Harry observed the girls, preferring not to interfere. Shoving his hands into his trouser's pockets, he smirked, definitely amused by their interactions. All four were exceptional witches in their own right. What they lacked in some areas of magic, they made up in another.

"Don't worry about it. You can all hide behind my back if you're so scared."

"You better, Potter. I'm entrusting our lives in your capable hands, so you better not slack off from your job."

"When am I not saving you?" He rolled his eyes. "If it is a job then why am I not getting paid?"

"Stow it, Potter!"

An arm hooked into one of his arms. He circled his head to his side and arched an eyebrow at the person. Callista felt the heat creeping up her cheeks. "It's for r-reassurance…" she spluttered a bit.

When Harry felt another arm hook into his, his head twisted to his other side. "Don't look at me like that. As Callista said, it's for reassurance so I'm simply following her lead. Don't get this wrong, Potter, just shut your lips tight and go after them," she hissed strictly, the blush, however, didn't correspond with her stern expression.

Rolling his eyes for the second time, Harry shook his head and continued striding down to Hagrid's hut with two girls by his sides. As they gained closer to Hagrid's door, they saw Regine and Sheila. Both girls were pressing their ears to the door.

"What are you two up to now?" The both shushed her severely. Daphne scowled at being order to be quiet.

"They're going to hear us!" Sheila explained, whispering.

"Who are they? And, why are we whispering again?" Callista considerately remarked in a low voice.

"Hagrid and some first years." It was Regine who voiced it out. "They're discussing about the forbidden corridor."

Harry hardly suppressed his frown while the two girls' eyes broadened. Freeing their arms from Harry, the girls joined them, allowing their curiosity to rule them. Callista was brilliant enough to cast silencio around them. They beckoned Harry to do the same. Harry did whatever they wished him to do, not desiring for them to be aware of the researches he was doing lately. He managed to unmask that Quirrell is some loyal Death Eater, and was commissioned by Voldemort to steal whatever artifact lies inside the forbidden corridor. He was flabbergasted that Snape was putting an effort in stalling Quirrell from reaching whatever it was that was hidden. Initially, Harry believed the man to be a loyal Death Eater.

What generated Harry to feel unease, however, were the two magical cores within Quirrell's body. One was of an average wizard, but the other was a powerful aura radiating from the back of his head. He had an immense urge to incendio his bizarre smelly turban to ashes but didn't, not wanting to cause a scene in front of other students. Noiselessly, he paid attention to the conversation inside Hagrid's hut. All five teenagers listened carefully, too stuck on the conversation to produce any comments. When they touched on the subject of Nicholas Flamel, a scowl worked its way to Harry's face. In his head, he put the pieces together straight away. It was the philosopher stone.

That's why Harry sensed a large magical core flaring around the forbidden corridor. But why? Why would a renowned Alchemist scrap away his life's work for no purpose? That stone was the only thing that preserved the Flamels on the path of immortality. This has gone too far. Why were the brats persistent in protecting the thing? As soon as the Granger girl smoothly persuaded Hagrid into recounting who set up the traps, Harry opted to intervene. There was no denying how smart that girl was. She reminded him of Callista, a lot. He didn't fancy on letting anyone get involved in this, specifically the girls. Irritated, he shattered the silencing charm from Callista.

He knocked the door rather insensitively, jolting the girls and halting Hagrid from feeding them any more of the information. Harry adopted an innocent expression before the door burst open, revealing Hagrid's large form. The girls pulled themselves together, tidying up their appearances. Not the least bit perturbed or suspicious, Hagrid beamed and ushered them inside. They nearly stamped on Fang, who was sleeping peacefully on his own bed. All the while, the girls tossed a questioning look to their male companion. Harry discarded the looks, choosing to merely act innocent.

"What are they doing here, Hagrid?" The Weasley boy sounded hysterical. "They're going to report us! A snake too! The slag-"

Harry reacted faster than anyone, whisking out his wand. A powerful defensive shield was erected, enclosing the three first years. A variety of three spells clashed his shield before rebounding off to someplace else. Of course, it didn't prevent the assailants from firing a rapid of curses and hexes. Daphne, the only calm girl out of the four, was able to appease the girls. She was not insulted by petty words, deeming it a trivial matter. The first years were frightened at the scene played out in front of them. They didn't have any moment to react at all, and by the time they could comprehend the situation, they were already shrouded with a multitude of spells. The only thing they saw were the blur of color after color. Their attacker was unmistakably aiming to maim or seriously injure. There were huge holes everywhere in Hagrid's hut. Lucky for them, Harry saved their arses.

Harry cast reparo, patching up the damages the girls had done. Gesturing Daphne to guide them to the far corner of the hut, he looked apologetically at the groundskeeper. "Sorry about that, Hagrid. They are over protective of each other. You know, how angry they are when someone insults one of them."

"Not ter worry, Harry. It's my fault to tag these lots alon', I understan'. I'm furious meself." Hagrid shifted to the trio, livid. "An' Ron, if I ever fin' you insultin' Daphne again, I'll personally kick you ou'!"

Hagrid's proclamation was downright unexpected, and it swept them off their feet. As far as they thought, Hagrid was on their side, the Gryffindor side. Defending a Slytherin was definitely not in character for the groundskeeper. "What do you mean, Hagrid? She's a bloody Slytherin! They're all slimy and evil! My brother says they're all slu-"

His words were cut off when Sheila screamed angrily. She stepped in front of the group and pointed her wand precisely at the red-headed boy's head. Eyes widening, Harry swiftly slapped her hand, forcing it to point upwards. A blast of scarlet light unleashed from her wand and destroyed Hagrid's roof, in the form of a huge hole. This time, he had to stand in the middle of the trio and the girls. Sighing, he fixed the roof for the second time in five minutes.

Now, they were gobsmacked. A Gryffindor of their own attacking them? All for a Slytherin.

Daniel was the first to snap back, realizing the perilous situation they were in. "Ron, shut up! Do you want us to get hurt that badly?"

"But mate, she's a-"

"Have you forgotten what the prefects warned us about? About them! That warning applies to all of us, to the first years! This happens if we affront one of them!" Hermione scathingly hissed, still visibly shaken at what could have occurred to them. "We're fortunate Daniel's brother protected us and didn't participate! Just keep your mouth shut, Ronald!"

Scrutinizing each person, Harry had to control himself from grinning stupidly. The three girls were glaring furiously at the trio. Their eyes flashed in murdering intent, whereas the trio couldn't stop themselves from visibly shuddering. An awkward tension swarmed around the hut and silence reigned over them. He shared an amused glance with Daphne, who was studying her perfect nails. A part of him was itching to curse the Weasley boy, but he settled on the revenge for another time. He clapped his hands one time, seizing their attention and schooled his face into a cheerful one.

"Well, isn't this just wonderful. What a lovely introduction, don't you all think so?" Harry endeavored to imitate one of Dumbledore's looks.

Overlooking Harry, Sheila snarled crossly, "If you insult Daphne one more time, I'll show you how good I am at transfiguring. I always wanted to bloody try transfiguring someone into an animal. Unfortunately, it's a NEWT level skill, so I might not get it right." The color on their faces drained at the thought of being trapped in some part-human and part-animal stage.

Unnoticed by all, Harry placed a calming charm over the girls. "Hagrid, you sent Regine a note just now, right? Well, let's see this new creature of yours."

Immediately, Regine's face brightened up. "Where is it, Hagrid? Come on, show it to us! Is it larger than the last time? Or is it a tiny little thing? Come on, stop beating around the bushes, will you? And, show it to us!"

Hagrid barked a thunderous laugh. "Now, now, calm down, Regine. It's abou' to hatch now. Hey, hey, stay still, would yer?"

The girl was persistently jumping up and down, pursuing Hagrid to where the kettle was. Underneath it, there was a black egg. An inquisitive Sheila towed them not far, assuming necessary precautions. Callista, still annoyed of their blatant disrespect, flicked her wand, casting silencio. When Hermione was about to speak, no sound emerged from her mouth. Trying again, she scowled frustratingly and whipped her wand to cancel the charm.

"Don't bother. I know well who you are. You're that girl, who spent all her time in the library, aren't you? No matter how many books you have read, that charm won't come off until I do it myself. I didn't just cast silencing charm, it's a ward of silence that I put around us. That silencing charm just triggered the ward to fully activate. Only to those I approve can speak. You can say this is my territory, for now." Aggravated, Hermione tried it again and again. No way was she going to be defeated by her. Not only did they interrupt when Hagrid almost spilled the beans, moreover they're stomping them as if they're no one. "Try as many times you wish, it's futile and pointless. Just silence yourself for once until I ultimately calm down."

"Impressive…" Harry complimented. He surveyed the Granger girl was on the verge of tears, struggling to disentangle herself from Callista's spell. "You constructed a ward without us knowing? Very impressive..."

"That's our Callista, never underestimate her...I, for one, rather have her wand point anywhere else, provided that I'm not her target." Daphne smirked in a friendly manner. Callista reddened at her friend's praise, it was rare for them to distribute such praise to anyone.

Harry crossed his arms, leaning against the door and monitored the people around him. Hagrid was hovering over some egg with Regine and Sheila crouched over the fire to get a closer look. Daphne and Callista were having a silent deep conversation. A grin threatened to rip his face once his gaze perched on the trio of first years. The Granger girl renounced her attempts long ago, just motionless still with a blank expression on her face. The Weasley boy was screaming yet no sound was heard. His brother was what intrigued him. Harry could tell when he wasn't looking, his little brother would sneak a glance at him. The brat had been acting strange ever since Christmas. Harry dismissed it to the back of his mind, considering it to be insignificant at the moment.

"Cme closer, cme closer, it's almost out!"

Hagrid situated the egg on the table. There were sounds of cracks on the hard shell. Something was stirring to get out of its shell. The girls approached nearer to the table, utter fascination carved on each of their faces. The trio, still silent, came closer as well, drawing a good distance from their attacker. On his toes, Harry strained his neck to look at it. The scraping sound carried on for a while. Then, a solid crack appeared, splitting the egg.

"That's a Norwegian Ridgeback..."

"Right yer are, Callista. It's-"

"A bloody dragon!" Sheila was awed.

"Isn't it illegal, Hagrid? How did you get one of these?" Daphne was staggered, eyes squinting at the baby dragon.

"Won it actually. The other night, havin' a drink down the village and foun' meself into a game of cards," Hagrid explained, beaming.

"It's so cute..." Regine cooed.

The trio watched in horror as the girl cradled the baby dragon. Hermione tried to advise her of the threat of a dragon, but furrowed her eyebrows in confusion when neither Hagrid nor her companions displayed any concern. Her mouth hanged opened in admiration as the dragon wriggled more comfortably in her arms. It's as if the dragon was treating her as its real mother. Who is this girl? That cannot be normal.

Regine grinned, petting the dragon gently and it purred. "Got a name for it, Hagrid?"

"I was thinkin' o' Norbert!" he chirped, extending his large hand to stroke the dragon. It snapped at his fingers, exhibiting it's dangerously pointed fangs.

"That's a great name!" Regine claimed. "Norbert, I like it!"

Harry and the other three girls exchanged glances. They shook their heads, smiling. Trust Regine to agree wholeheartedly at whatever monikers Hagrid cropped up with.

"What did you just do? Even my brother, Charlie, said taming dragons is impossible!" Ron clamped his mouth lock with both hands. The trio was stunned at this, but a look of warning from Callista caused them to reflect carefully of their next words

"Well, Regine has this ability that I'm envy o'," Hagrid said, plopping down on his bed.

He and the trio looked at the girl as she grabbed Sheila's hand. Sheila closed her eyes fearfully, but reopened them once she felt her hand on the dragon's head. Her grin quickly turned to yelp and she hastened to Harry for protection as it sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its mouth. All four chuckled at this and Sheila glared at them, still gripping Harry's robes fearfully.

"Ability? What kind, Hagrid?" Daniel took note of his brother's interaction with his friends.

"Yer know, able to understan' creatures. It's amazing she understan' em'. Wish it for meself. Not only that, any creatures like Regine. Don't care if it's dangerous or not an' in return she likes em' back. Brilliant girl, Regine."

"You mean, communicate with animals?" Hermione was engrossed in the conversation.

"Yeah, sort o'."

"Is that even possible?" Ron whispered harshly. "I mean, look at her! Dragons aren't supposed to be tame, they're dangerous even for a baby! The ministry has a hard time hushing them up. They have to keep doing spells on Muggles who spot them! Charlie got burns all over his body from the wild ones in Romania!"

"But, a baby dragon isn't a wild one," Daniel pointed out.

"No, but when it grows up, it will be. She's mental, that's what! All of them are!"

Hagrid flung him a hard look. "Now liste' Ron, I don't like how you insult them so don't try it again! I forgive you this time bu' it's my las' warnin', I tell yeh! If there is anythin' possible, it's them an' I trus' them a lot. Understan'?" Ron bobbed his head rapidly.

"Hagrid!" Regine called out. "I was wondering if you know where Fluffy is, I haven't see the big dog for a while!"

The girls paled dramatically and Harry pretended to be oblivious. He knew the exactly where the Cerberus was and he did not want anyone else finding out. The trio inhaled a sharp breath, marveling how she knew about that huge beast. Hagrid was about to answer, though after a look from Harry, he was forced to hush himself.

He smirked. "Well, well, what do we have here? Looks like, we have a spy in our midst. Why don't you come out and say hi properly, Draco Malfoy?" There was a rustling sound outside the hut, and it followed by a squeak.

Hagrid leapt to his feet and bolted to the door.

"Oh no…" Ron moaned, glaring accusingly at Daphne. "Why don't you stop him! It must be her that brought Malfoy out here in the first-"

A whoosh of wind rushed past him. Behind him, there was small sound of explosion where the spell had landed. Everyone in the hut was dead silence. Looking over his shoulder, Ron swallowed audibly. Harry hurled whatever horrible spell he had in mind, missing Ron's face by inches. He did it without even looking at Ron as his eyes were still attached on the door.

"Darn… I missed… I was so sure I aimed it right at his head…" Harry said, moving his attention to the boy. "Another word from you and the next time, I won't miss."

"W-w-what are you goin-g-g to do, Malfoy has seen u-us." Hermione's legs were all wobbly.

Hermione knew the situation was not funny. Whatever spell he cast was dangerous. He also did it wordlessly. Harry Potter was not someone you want to mess with. What her eyes grasped in just now, confirmed a lot of rumors she heard about him. When she first learned of the rumors, she scoffed. Her mind was evaluating how impossible it was and resented him for becoming most of the professors' favorite student. That's what kept her in denial regarding Harry Potter.

"I'll ask the twins if they can mail their brother, Charlie, to have Norbert," Sheila replied solemnly.

"Hmm…" Daphne hummed. "The Weasley who's studying dragons, right? My parents won't be much help to us. They'll be appalled instead and we'll get an earful from mother."

"As much as I want to care for the fella, it isn't safe for him to be here. Hagrid will get in trouble if someone learns he has a dragon in his possession. Norbert will have to go." Regine smiled sadly at the baby dragon that was sleeping in her arms.

"Blimey, no!" Hagrid protested as he entered his hut, scooping Norbert from Regine.

"Sorry Hagrid, but it's for the best, for you and for Norbert…" Callista smiled apologetically at the groundkeeper.

Hagrid's eyes brimmed with tears, threatening to fall. Harry faced away from them and transferred his awareness to the first years, advancing to them casually. He smirked as they quivered in fear at his sudden closeness. He leaved the coaxing part to the girls. Hagrid would consent to whatever the plan in the end.

"Now, I know you three want to help Hagrid as much as we do. Just leave the preparation to us, but you guys will be in charge on delivering the dragon to Charlie Weasley and then, we five won't be involved in this matter anymore, so you three are on your own after that. As for Malfoy…"

Harry closed his eyes, striving to sense where that little bastard was at this point in time. He had been doing this technique frequently over the past few months and after performing it regularly, it was unproblematic for him to execute it now. A smirk tugged the corner of his lips. Malfoy was heading straight to McGonagall's office. It almost felt like he was forced to go there.

"We'll be facing him shortly with… Professor McGonagall. Don't fret about him too much. He won't report without any proof backing him up. Until he finds some evidence to prove his claims, he'll not make his move, though he'll be watching you three closely. It's you three's job to act clueless unless… you want another demonstration of that spell I used a while ago…I won't mind doing it… Let's see what kind of effect it has if it actually hits one of you…" They trembled, shaking their head vehemently. "Good… as for you Weasley, I'm not the type to easily forgive someone who insults my companion. I heard what you said about Regine and I'm longing to curse the life out of you for what you said to Daphne. I hold a grudge, you see… so prepare yourself for whatever inevitable is coming for you. Maybe you'll learn in the future to keep your big mouth shut." He gulped at this and nearly soiled himself at the devilish smirk on Harry's face.

Half an hour later, nine people stumbled into McGonagall's office. The first years were sitting still, motionless as marble statue. Five fourth years were mildly composed, not entirely alarmed. If they were in their first year, they might have cowered and shrunk by the sight of McGonagall's glare. Likely, quaking in fear and raking their brain for some ideas to dodge out of the situation.

McGonagall breathed in some deep air. "I have never imagined this many students in my office at this late hour. What in Merlin's beard are you all still up and not in your dormitory? Especially you five! You are all excellent in your respective studies and I'm shocked that you, Mr. Potter, would break the school rules-" Daniel hoisted his neck up. "Not you, Mr. Potter- the- the elder Potter! I'm truly disappointed with you five. You are supposed to be the role models for the younger students."

"Please, Professor McGonagall, can we explain?"

"Ms. Campbell!" McGonagall shook her head, undoubtedly upset. "You of all people, Ms. Campbell! I expect nothing less from you and in truth, all you five! Now, I'm reconsidering that opinion thoroughly. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"It is my fault actually…" Harry shamefully dropped his gaze to the floor.

The first years were rendered speechless by the immediate changes in his attitude. This isn't the Harry Potter they encountered a moment ago. He was a different person. He was cocky, composed and naturally cool.

"Mr. Potter?"

"The girls weren't part of this… To be quite honest, it's my fault. If you want to punish someone, punish me, Professor…" The girls dissented this.

McGonagall glowered, instructing for them to hush. "I believe an explanation would be pleasant, Mr. Potter."

"Yes, well, I realized how late we were when we left the library. We were researching something but um… I-I…" he hesitated, glancing nervously at Daniel. McGonagall didn't fail to notice this. "I don't think it will be wise to blame this on someone, Professor… just assign me the appropriate punishments and leave the girls alone…"

"Mr. Potter, allow me to be the judge of that," she insisted reassuringly at him. "Please, carry on…"

"We caught my brother, Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley walking towards the school ground. I persuaded the girls into pursuing my brother, even though they pleaded me not to, Professor. I was concerned for him and we did-"

"That's a lie!" Ron roared.

"Mr. Weasley! Be quiet!"

"B-but P-Professor…" A terrifying glare from her compelled him to take a seat.

"Please continue, Mr. Potter…" McGonagall softly urged.

"Yes…um… we did follow them, Professor, and they were on their way to Hagrid's hut. Not long after that, all five of us joined them inside. Hagrid tried his best to get us to bed, but the three of them were too stubborn and now, it brought us here. I'm sorry, Professor. I should have been more responsible and be aware of the rules. That's why I request any actions are to be considered as my fault and not the girls." The first year's jaws dropped at his ingenuous facade, it was so convincing.

"Yes, this is the kind of story I had in mind. For you to act irrationally without a reason is impracticable." McGonagall smiled warmly. The first years were simply stunned. So far no one had managed to get the stern transfiguration professor to smile. "It is not your fault, Mr. Potter. You're older fulfilling your duty as an older brother, nothing more."

"Professor?"

"There is nothing to be sorry for. You were merely looking out for your younger brother, like any older brother should. No, you absolutely did nothing wrong, Mr. Potter. In fact, I ought to award you ten points for this and another ten points for being honest. Yes, that would suffice."

"B-but?" Harry stuttered.

"No buts, Mr. Potter, I should've known all along that you are not one to break the rules without a cause. For that, forgive me for doubting you and I apologize to you four girls as well. The remarkable loyalty is not something I should oppose. Instead, do take twenty points for each of you for that display of devotion and house unity," McGonagall said. "You five may go now."

There was a gagged sound of disbelief from the first years.

"Oh, I almost forgot, Professor!" Sheila squealed all of a sudden.

"Ms. Jonnet?" Her eyes fluttered at the girl's sudden outburst.

"I know how you do it! I know how you do it!" she chanted, hopping up and down giddily. They all looked strangely at her, as if she had grown two heads. Ron mumbled something about crazy witch, which McGonagall glared at him for. "Remember in our first year, you made the desk into a pig. I know how you did it!"

McGonagall's eyes widened. She knew the girl was admirably talented in transfiguration, but if she figured it…

"Watch, watch this!" Sheila pointed her wand to her desk and changed it into pig. She grinned at her look and then, turned it back again. "See? See, I did it!"

"That- That-" McGonagall was speechless. That was sixth year advanced transfiguration! She shook her head, smiling. "That was marvelous, Ms. Jonnet. Wonderful, wonderful performance!"

"I was thinking of the opportunity to show it to you, Professor, but now I'm here, I thought of simply doing it."

"Yes, yes, tell me how did you do it?"

"Oh that's simple, they helped me with it. That's the reason why we were in the library just now. We lost track of time. Transfiguring an object into a living animation is quite hard though."

"You all have been doing research on this?"

"We have always been curious on how you did it, Professor. So…" Callista trailed.

"We tried to uncover the answers in the library," Daphne added briskly. "We practiced it once..."

"We hope you're not mad at us. Sheila had a sudden inspiration and said she worked it out a while ago. We know you're supposed to teach it to us in our sixth year but uh…we were just excited and uh…" Regine ended her line, fidgeting her fingers timidly.

"Mad? Absolutely not!" That jolted all of them. "Twenty points to each of you and thirty to Ms. Jonnet!"

That was the last straw as there was a sound of thud, hinting something large had fallen. It was Malfoy.

"Can we please go now professor?" Callista begged. "We have classes tomorrow and..."

"Yes, you five may go."

As the girls exited, Harry lingered. "Mr. Potter, is there something else you would like to add?"

"Yes, Professor, as a matter fact I do," He said. "I'm doing this out of concern, Professor. I'm really worried about them. When we were entering Hagrid's hut, we sort of eavesdropped on what they were saying. Yes, it is bad for one to pry on other's conversation, but this is terribly serious. I heard something was going on the forbidden corridor, and then something about Nicholas Flamel. They even got Hagrid to expose them the traps that were set. I suspect they've been going to Hagrid often for the sole purpose of gaining information. I'm telling you this, Professor, because it's for their own good. They are poking their noses in something that is dangerous and unfathomable to them. It would appear they didn't heed the headmaster's warning seriously, and they seem to think it's a game for glory. Their life is what is at stake here, don't you agree, Professor? I trust you to resolve this matter, that's all."

At each word spouting out of Harry's mouth, the feeling of dread began to shape inside the Transfiguration Professor. At the end, her face lost all every color. Seeing McGonagall momentarily preoccupied with her mind, he directed his head to the trio. He winked at their mixed expressions of panic and terror. Smirking evilly, he mouthed 'good luck'. He stepped out of the room, vanishing out of their sight. The girls were waiting for him up ahead and he jogged up to them.

"What took you so long?" Sheila pressed out of curiosity.

"Oh, you know, just a little bit of revenge."

"What do you mean-" Callista's words were overwhelmed by a loud furious scream. It looks like McGonagall had lost her temper.

"Ah, so the volcano has erupted at last. I was beginning to wonder if I gave her a heart attack with all the silence after I finished my little speech," Harry said. "You know what they say then, 'The strange abrupt silence implies a raging storm nearby'."

"Do you think we went overboard? I can't help to think we were too cruel and harsh to a bunch of first years," Regine voiced out worriedly.

"Not really...I'm not bothered by it," Daphne drawled. There was another yell from McGonagall, saying she deducted seventy points from each of the trio and detention. "I spoke too soon... perhaps, we might have exaggerated a bit too much..."

"Don't worry about it. They'll remember not to cross our path in the future." Harry brushed their concerns aside.

"By the way, your transfiguration was brilliant, Sheila..." Regine grinned.

Callista exhibited a grin of her own, eyes gleaming in mischief. "Yes, it was brilliant. I could have never come up with something so clever..."

"And, to think we did that transfiguration ages ago in our second year," Harry asserted.

"Eh! Stop it, you guys! You guys are making me blush now!" Sheila buried her red hot face in her hands. They shared a good laughter as she moaned out, "Why am I always the victim?"

"Who knew you girls had it in you, lying to McGonagall's face like that," Harry said. "Not bad acting at all."

"Blame Daphne for instilling her Slytherin-ish into each one of us." Callista offered a smile to her friend

Sheila reverted back to her normal color. "Yeah, she even dragged me into it. It must be some kind of Slytherin disease, infecting those few that are personally selected. I hope I don't turn into a copy of her... that would be weird...Ice Princess Sheila... Nope, totally weird!" Harry smirked at her words. Callista and Regine incapable of restraining themselves, succumbed to fits of giggles. Grinning, she playfully danced and shuffled her way to Harry, taking shelter. Daphne was trying to hit her senselessly. Daphne huffed, folding her arms.

Gradually, a smile swiped her lips. "No...We all influence each other..." They all smiled at that. They couldn't refute with her words.