Chapter 61 - Strange thoughts and situations

The week of final exams was upon Thomas and his friends, and the scorching heat outside seemed to permeate even the confines of the Hogwarts castle. The large classroom where they gathered for their written papers felt extremely uncomfortable for most, with only a few windows providing a slight relief from the heat.

At the same time, Thomas, like the rest of the students, was handed a special quill, enchanted with an Anti-Cheating spell. The quills were supposed to prevent any attempts at dishonesty during the exams, ensuring fairness among the students. The written exams were the easiest part of the exams for Thomas and his friends, well, minus Ron and Harry who both hated with passion studying.

On the other hand, the practical exams were what most were looking for. Their first practical exam was with Professor Flitwick, who called them one by one into his classroom. Each student was given a pineapple and instructed to make it tap-dance across a desk using their charms knowledge. It was an easy task, but the pressure to perform well made some of the students take more than one attempt at this. Unsurprisingly, Thomas and his group of friends finished the task on their first try, well other than Ron who had to take four attempts before the pineapple finally started dancing.

Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall oversaw their transfiguration practical exam. The students were tasked with transforming a mouse into a snuff-box, with extra points awarded for creating an aesthetically pleasing result. However, any residual signs of whiskers on the snuff-box would result in points being deducted. Because of that, Thomas and Hermione found themselves in friendly competition during their exam.

As they each received their mouse, both of them went to work. Thomas waved his wand, applying precise wand movements and uttering the incantations, not minding the rest of the students who were struggling to make sense of their task. Remembering what a snuff-box looked like, Thomas concentrate on every detail he could remember, trying his best to make the transformation as close to his mental image, and soon, the mouse gradually morphed into a snuff-box.

Meanwhile, Hermione's dedication to perfection led her to meticulously analyze the transfiguration process. She was so careful with it that her hand movements seem to move in slow motion and rather than chanting the incantation out loud she whispered it, fearing that if she makes a mistake her score would suffer. Then, she carefully manipulated the mouse's form, pouring her energy into creating a flawless snuff-box, hoping that it would be even better than Tom's.

When both Thomas and Hermione finished their transfigurations, they look at each other snuff-boxes in anticipation to see what McGonagall was going to say about theirs. Thomas's had a polished, dark wooden appearance, with some rather luxurious-looking carvings adorning its surface. Hermione's snuff-box, on the other hand, had a delicate, porcelain-like texture, adorned with floral patterns.

The attention to detail and precision displayed by Thomas and Hermione impressed Professor McGonagall, who observed their work closely. The absence of any residual whiskers on their snuff-boxes attested to their exceptional transfiguration skills, unlike some other students.

"Mr. Grayson, Miss Granger," she commended them. "Your attention to detail and the aesthetic appeal of your snuff-boxes are truly remarkable. I must say, you both have outdone yourselves."

"Thank you, Professor," Thomas replied, trying to sound as modest as he could, despite being proud of his product. "We wanted to create something that showcased our understanding of transfiguration and our ability to achieve precise results."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "Yes, Professor, we wanted to challenge ourselves and make something that shows just how much we love transfigurations."

McGonagall didn't say anything, but she smiled at them before heading towards the other students, scolding some like Ron and James who failed quite miserably, and praising others like Michael and Adam who had managed to make decent snuff-boxes with little to no mistakes.

Among all the professors, Snape was the most intimidating and one who failed the most students. He loomed over the students, scrutinizing their every move as they attempted to brew the Forgetfulness Potion. Everything from the heat, their nervousness, and even Snape's presence made it difficult for many to recall the steps and ingredient measurements necessary for brewing the Forgetfulness potion.

Thankfully, for Thomas and his group, once they finished this exam with various results, they were finally free from the horrors of having to take another practical exam for the rest of their school year. Most of the easier exams had been held in the first two days when the writing exams took place and for a good reason, after all, there was little to no practical means of holding a history practical exam or an astronomy one. Unsurprisingly their defense against the dark arts exam was for some reason unknown to anyone, not required, instead, Quirrell himself gave everyone grades that, from what Thomas and his friends guessed to be their activity in class.

However, something strange happened the day when they finished their potion exam. Harry and Hermione were called by Filch to detention and both of them were sent to help Hagrid in the forest, just as Thomas and Michael had done. The next day, Harry did the best he could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his forehead, which had been bothering him ever since he stepped into the forest the night before Forest. He even talked about it with his friends, but other than Thomas, everyone else thought Harry had a bad case of exam nerves because Harry couldn't sleep, but the truth was that Harry kept being woken by his old nightmare, except that it was now worse than ever.

When Thomas and his friends left the Great Hall after finishing their exams, he noticed that Harry seemed distant and preoccupied. Knowing very well that face, Thomas decided to approach Harry and see what was on his mind, since it clearly wasn't the food they ate.

"Hey, Harry, is everything alright?" Thomas asked. "You seem, how should I put it, scared? Is something bothering you?"

Harry glanced around nervously before meeting Thomas's gaze. He hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether to tell Thomas the truth. Finally, he sighed and decided to trust his friend with his secret.

"Thomas, it's these nightmares," Harry replied, unsure if this would help at all. "You know that last night, Hermione and I went into the forest for detention with Hagrid, my nightmares… they've been getting worse. It's not just the usual dream of my parents dying anymore. There's this hooded figure, like a shadowy presence, tormenting me."

Thomas's eyes widened at Harry's revelation. He had a hunch that something more sinister was happening to his friend, and that this hooded figure that he was having nightmares about, could be the hooded figure that was eating that poor unicorn. Just thinking about this made Thomas want to curse Hagrid for bringing Hermione and Harry to the forest, so soon after what he had gone through.

"Blood hell… Harry, have you seen this figure anywhere else? Does it appear in your waking moments or only in your dreams?"

Harry nodded. "I don't know… I hadn't got all that much sleep and I've seen glimpses of it during the day as well. It's like it's haunting me, Thomas. "

Thomas furrowed his brow, trying to figure out if all of the things that happened this year were somehow related to this hooded figure that seem to be attracted to Harry.

"Harry, I don't think is something we can tackle ourselves. Now I don't say that it's bad, but we have to tell Dumbledore about this," Thomas suggested in a serious tone. "He needs to know what you're experiencing, because, frankly I don't find this normal. Not to mention that this might be connected to everything that's been happening lately."

Harry didn't respond, instead, he rejoined the group, before glancing at Thomas with a strained expression. He didn't want any of them to worry right before their last exam so Harry attempted to change the subject.

"You know, Thomas, we can't let this distract us right now. We've got our last exam, History of Magic, and we need to give it our best shot. We can discuss the hooded figure and everything else afterward."

Hearing Harry's words, Thomas shook his head, choosing not to push any further, since it was clear that his friend didn't want him to worry at least not now and not here.

After one hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self-stirring cauldrons, the seven of them were finally free of the horror known to man as exams. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Harry couldn't help cheering with the rest.

"That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Hermione, as they joined the crowds flocking out into the sunny grounds. "I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager."

Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but Ron said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows.

"No more revision," Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet."

Harry was rubbing his forehead. "I wish I knew what this means!" he burst out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting, it's happened before, but never as often as this."

"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested.

"You should listen to Hermione, mate," Michael said, worried for his friend's well-being. "Madam Pomfrey might be able to help you figure out why your scar is hurting so frequently. It's better to be safe than sorry."

Adam nodded in agreement. "Exactly. There's no harm in getting it checked out, Harry. It's better to address it now than to let it escalate into something more serious."

James, on the other hand, took a slightly different approach, trying to lighten the mood.

"Come on, Harry," James said. "Don't be a worrywart. Maybe your scar is just trying to tell you that you're destined to become the world's greatest headache consultant or something."

"James, let's not turn Harry into a dumb troll," Thomas said, trying to stifle his laughter. "But seriously, Harry, Hermione's right. If you don't do you know what, at least listen to Hermione. It wouldn't hurt to have Madam Pomfrey take a look. She's an expert at healing magical ailments, and who knows, she might find what's causing your scar to hurt."

"I'm not ill," said Harry. "I think it's a warning … it means danger's coming …"

"Harry, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."

As Ron reassured Harry about the safety of the Philosopher's Stone and the unlikelihood of Snape attempting to retrieve it again, a realization dawned on both Thomas and Harry simultaneously.

Thomas's eyes widened as he spoke, "Wait a minute, Harry. Remember that owl that delivered the note about Norbert to you? What if... what if whoever gave Hagrid, Norbert's egg was somehow connected to the danger you're feeling? I mean, who in their right mind would carry a dragon egg, knowing it's illegal?"

"You are right. Guys, don't you think it's a bit odd," said Harry, turning to the rest of their group, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't we see it before?"

"What are you on about?" said Ron, but neither Harry nor Thomas, Adam, Michael, or James answered, as the five of them sprint across the grounds towards the Forest.

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