After the written tests came the spoken and practical ones.
When it came to Charms, Flitwick wanted to see if they could make a pineapple step on desk, everyone did all the tests alone.
At McGonagat's they had to change a rat into a Tabatierre; if it turned out especially pretty she gave the student bonus point or points, but if it had something like a mustache she took points.
With Snape they had to remember and make a Unforgetfullnes elixir.
When it came to History of Magic, Binns made them answer utterly unimportant questions; when is he ever going to need to know when a self-mixing couldron was made?
When all of the tests were done, everyone got outside to relax.
"It was much easier then I thought it'll be," Hermione stated, "I didn't have to learn the order about werewolves from 1637, not even the Elfric's protest." She looked at her best friends who are walking alongside her to a tree under which they'll sit, "don't you agree?"
"Well, it was pretty decent, History of Magic was the worst though," Harry said, also glad that the tests are over, "I'll never need it,"
"You sure?"
"I didn't need it before I got sent back, so I doubt I'll need it this time around." Harry shrugged.
"And how old were you when you got sent back anyway?"
"Seventeen," Harry casually answered.
"Seventeen?" That caught both Hermione and Ron off guard.
"But you'd still be attending Hogwarts!" Hermione added, "you'd be in... seventh year! Or end of the sixth!"
"..."
"What is it Harry?"
"Actually, I - nor you two - went to Hogwarts for seventh year..." Harry cringed a little.
"What? And why wouldn't we?" Ron is confused.
Hermione gasped, "were - were we expelled?"
At that Ron looked terrified, "please tell me we weren't!"
"No, no, of course not," Harry tried to calm his best friends down.
"Then why?"
"It's complicated and I don't really want to get into it-" Suddenly Harry sucked in a breath and his hand flew to his scar.
"What's wrong?"
Great, now his best friends are worried about him.
"Nothing," Harry tried to make the conversation head a different direction, his scar doesn't hurt anyway, at this exact moment, so he has his hand back down.
"Stop, just stop, we know something's wrong."
"Really, Harry, just tell us," Hermione tried.
"Okay, okay," Harry sighed, knowing there's no going away from it, "remember how I told you my scar tends to hurt 'cause of Voldemort? Welp, there's the reason why my scar hurt a bit just now." Harry shrugged, making it clear for his best friends just how used to this he really is.
"You should go to Madam Pomfrey..."
"Why? This isn't something that could just be stopped."
"Then go to Dumbledore!"
"Absolutely not!" Why can't his best friends just understand that he doesn't trust Dumbledore anymore?
"But, but he might be able to help you," Hermione tried.
"Yes, but you have to realize that that's not really an ideal option for me, plus, I don't want to be a puppet in his plan again,"
"A p-puppet?" That revelation terrified Ron and Hermione.
"Yes, but whatever-" now the pain in Harry's scar was worse then a while ago and it stayed for half a minute, for some reason he also had suddenly seen Fluffy just now.
"Harry? Harry!" His best friends are shaking him.
"H-huh?" Harry sat up and blinked a little, then it hit him, has he accidentally accessed Voldemort's mind again? But... he saw Fluffy - maybe becuase Voldemort's on the back of Quirrell's skull maybe that's why he saw Fluffy?
"Have I fallen asleep?" He only ended up asking them.
"Um... yes, it seemed like it... but don't do that again! You scared us!" Hermione answered.
"Asleep? Mate! You had your eyes open and stared into nothing!" Ron added to Hermione's explanation, "Seriously don't do that again!"
"Heh, I'll try not to, guess I'll have to get used to Legilimency again."
"Legilimency?" Hermione is absolutely confused, as if she's never heard of it.
"I've heard of it... is it something to do with ones mind?" Ron said.
"That's one way to put it," Harry confirmed, then he gasped, "wait, the Stone!"
Harry immediately stood up, and urged his best friends, "come on!"
"W-what?" Hermione and Ron are absolutely confused, "what about it?"
"I saw Fluffy through Voldemort - or Quirrell?" Harry shaked his head, "whatever - basically, we have to go and try to stop Voldemort from returning with the help of the Stone!" Harry explained and made his best friends to run into the castle with him.
"Hey you three, what are you doing inside?" that made Harry immediately stop.
When he turned to see who it was - it turned out to be McGonagal.
"Um..." Harry, Ron and not even Hermione know what to say.
"So?"
"It's um..." Harry thought for a second and then continued, "it's about the Philosopher's Stone."
Ron, Hermione and McGonagal gasped at that.
Ron and Hermione did becuase he's told her.
McGonagal because, out of an assumption just made, the three of them know about the Stone.
"How do you know about it?" She asked, suspicious.
"That's not important," Harry tried to explain it as vaguely as possible, "we just know Quirrell's trying to steal it."
"That's a huge assumption mr. Potter." She crossed her arms.
Both Harry and his best friends don't know what to say now.
McGonagal sighed, finally giving in, "okay, if you think so... I'll go sent an owl to professor Dumbledore about it..." and she walked away.
When she left behind the corner Harry shot his best friends a look and began to run again.
They didn't go to the third floor yet, first they got inside the Gryffindor Common Room.
"Um... Harry? Why are we here? Aren't we supposed to go save the Stone?"
"I came here to take the flute Hagrid gave me as a Christmas present."
"And why is it so important?"
"Remember how I told you that Fluffy falls asleep immediately when he hears music?" Harry explained, "that's what the flute's for."
"And why don't you take your Invisibility Cloak too?"
"Well, we don't need it at the moment, do we? And I don't want to risk someone stealing it."
Then Harry went into the Dormitory, took the flute and went back downstairs.
"Okay, let's go!"
Their way to the the Forbidden hallway on the third floor was much easier then Harry remembers. Harry immediately realizes why that's so - because, unlike in the original timeline, it's not midnight.
When they've finally gotten there, Harry suddenly thought about something, "are you sure you want to actually go with me? He asked.
"Don't be silly,"
"Of course we do!"
Harry nodded, and opened the door, he's surprised it's unlocked, but he guessed he's shouldn't be so surprised.
Once the door opened Fluffy began to bark loudly, at that, Harry immediately started whistling on the flute, and Fluffy immediately fell asleep.
"Woah! It's really working! Okay... who wants to go first?" Ron began.
No one answered, Ron blushed, clearly not wanting to go first, "women first," as he opened the trap door.
Hermione crossed her arms, not wanting to go first, but when Harry gave them a look she complied and jumped through it, after her Ron did. When Ron was down too Harry went towards the trap door, stopped playing and jumped down.
When Harry landed the ground was soft.
"Phew, good thing the ground was soft,"
"'Good'? That's a Devil's Snare!" Hermione snapped.
"A what?" Ron asked.
"Devil's Snare," Harry calmly repeated, "just stay calm and don't move,"
"W-what?! And let it go over us completely?!" Ron called out.
"Oh calm down, if we don't move it'll actually let us go," and as a demonstration Harry stopped moving and fell through it.
His best friends screamed, both out of fear, surprise and worry.
"Don't worry guys!" Harry immediately said when he fell, "it's not that high!"
A moment later Hermione stopped struggling too and fell next to Harry.
But Ron, just like in Harry's original life, hasn't stopped struggling.
"He's really not stopping, is he?" Hermione helplessly asked Harry.
"I guess not" Harry shrugged, "do you think we should help him get out of it?"
"I guess..."
Harry nodded, took out his wand and nonverbally made a small, easily extinguishable fire.
Hermione seems really impressed, but Harry doesn't care, he isn't doing all of this to flex and brag, but out of necessity.
When Ron fell down he, still laying down, put his thumb up and mumbled "thanks," as he stood up.
"No problem, but we have to stop Voldemort, and I want to get rid of him - for now - as soon as possible." Harry explained.
"'For now'???" Ron and Hermione are in complete confusion, but immediately began to follow Harry through another door.
"W-what?" His best friends just stared at the flying keys with wings in the air.
"Come on, let's get the key, it should have a slightly damaged wing," Harry explained as he handed them two brooms and mounted the third.
Harry immediately flew into the air, but quickly realized Hermione and Ron haven't followed suit, "come on! The quicker we do all of this the sooner we'll get rid of Voldemort for the year!"
That made his best friends finally follow him into the air.
Finding the correct key took them much quicker then in the original, probably becuase Harry knows what they're actually searching for.
"It's that one!" Harry pointed and immediately started holding it, but quickly realized he'll need the help from his friends to be able to get a full hold and control of it, "come on, let's get it into that keyhole!"
And with the help from his best friends, they managed to put it inside it and unlock another door.
Up next is Wizarding Chess.
"Okay, Ron, this is up to you." Harry said.
"Wh-what??" That caught Ron completely off guard, "why me? Why not you?!"
"Because you're good at Chess? And plus, I absolutely suck at it; you've seen that when I play with you I keep losing."
Ron sighed and began thinking of the moves and what to do with his best friends.
Ron, just like last time, made Harry be the Bishop piece, Hermione the Rook and Ron a Knight.
Then the game begun, it went very similarly, if not the same as the last time.
To Harry's and Hermione's horror, Ron also ended up having to sacrifice himself, amd thus making Harry be able to do the Checkmate.
After the game has been won by the trio, Harry and Hermione immediately ran to Ron.
Ron seems to be unconscious.
"Ron!" Hermione tried to wake him up but ended up being unsuccessful.
"Harry, what should we do?" She's practically desperate by now.
"I don't k-" Suddenly he remembered, "wait, let me try something," Harry breathed in and out, this is his first time actually doing this spell on someone, and pointed his wand at Ron, "Rennervate!"
Suddenly, Ron gasped and opened his eyes and sat up.
"Ughh... what happened-?"
"Oh, Ron!" Hermione suddenly hugged him tightly.
Ron shot Harry a question look.
"You were knocked unconscious," Harry simply asked the unspoken question, "so I woke you up,"
"Y-you what? That's possible to just - you know - do?" Ron is completely confused.
"Of course it is," Harry shrugged, "I've seen people do it, but I've never actually done it before I did it on you,"
"So y-you just made me a testing subject?!"
"Don't say it like that," Harry cringed, "I just wanted to wake up since you got knocked out."
"S-so what about the Stone?" Ron asked.
"Oh, right-," Harry's scar burned a little again, "okay, let's go to another protection, I think the next one should be one of the last ones."
When they entered the next room Harry's scar began to burn the most it did so far since he had traveled back in time.
The trio gasped at once in shock.
It's Quirrell.
He doesn't seem like he noticed them just yet.
"Harry? What should we do?" Hermione and Ron urgently whispered to Harry.
Suddenly they heard a strained voice that didn't belong to Quirrell, "Qirinus, I think I've heard something," the voice whispered.
Harry immediately recognized it, it's none other then Voldemort himself.
"What do you mean, my Lord?" Quirrell asked and looked up from the parchment he's holding, the stuttering act completely gone now.
Harry immediately shot his best friends a look saying: 'pull out your wands, please, I don't want us to die here just because he'll try to kill us.'
"Look behind you! I feel that there's someone!"
Harry is trying his best to block Voldemort from accessing his mind, which is surprisingly easy, he's guessing that's becuase Voldemort's just a literal parasite so far.
Suddenly, Quirrell looked behind him in confusion; but once he saw Harry, Ron and Hermione his expression turned into annoyance.
"Oh, it's just you three?" He asked, almost laughing.
Harry just stared at him, his wand at ready, actively thinking of his next moves.
"Let me look at Potter," Voldemort said.
"B-but, my Lord, you're still too weak!" Quirrell tried to reason.
"I don't care!" Voldemort snapped back at him, "just do it!"
Quirrell sighed and unwrapped the turban and turned around, so Voldemort could see Harry and his friends.
"Harry Potter - see what's left of me now? See that I just have to live off someone else?" Is Voldemort really trying to emotionally manipulate him? Now? Is he dumb?
"See what you've done to me? But no matter, no matter. If I'll get to the Stone I'll get back to my full power..."
Ron and Hermione are staring and frozen in absolute horror.
Meanwhile, Harry has unintentionally completely forgotten about them and just kept staring at Voldemort, with something resembling absolute hate.
"If you think so," Harry mumbled, not realizing he had mumbled it.
"Oh yes, yes, I do think so, Harry Potter," Voldemort laughed in amusement.
Harry just kept staring, ignoring the pain in his scar.
After a while Voldemort had enough and ordered Quirrell to kill both him and his best friends.
"Kill them!" Voldemort ordered Quirrell.
And the said professor immediately jumped into action; he drew his wand and shot a spell at the three of them. Luckily Harry managed to duck and managed to make Ron and Hermione not get hit by it either.
Quirrell grunted and tried to hit them once again, but this time Harry blocked it and it backfired and hit Quirrell instead.
That surprised Quirrell.
"Are you incompetent?!" Voldemort snapped, "just kill them already!"
Quirrell pointed his wand at the trio, Harry pointed his wand at the professor.
"Avada-!"
"Expeliarmus!" Harry disarmed Quirrell before he even finished saying the killing curse.
"You're so incompetent!" Voldemort is outraged at Quirrell now, "you don't need your wand to attack them!"
"I don't?" Quirrell questioned.
"You don't?" The trio questioned.
"Ugh, no! Have I taught you nothing?!"
"Oh, you mean-?"
"Yes I mean that! Just do it!" Voldemort is absolutely angry now.
And Quirrell jumped back into action, he did the unsupported flight and jumped onto Harry and began to choke him.
Harry's best friends screamed in shock, fear and worry.
But Harry immediately went into action, mostly out of reflex. His hands flew up to Quirrell's face. At that Quirrell screamed in pain, stopped choking him and immediately backed away slightly.
Harry's scar is hurting as hell whenever he touches Quirrell, but he's willing to suffer through it if it means defeating Voldemort for now.
"What are you doing?!" Voldemort just can't stop talking, can he? "Kill him!" He ordered angrily.
So, Quirrell begrudgingly attacked Harry again. Harry managed to dodge Quirrell but, to the trio's horror, Quirrell managed to get a hold of his wand again.
Quirrell almost started laughing, but stopped as soon as Voldemort reminded him that he has to kill them. So the fight continued.
But this time he shot a spell at Ron, Ron was shot back and onto the wall and almost fell unconscious again.
Then he shot a spell at Harry again, but he managed to duck, roll away from it, stand up and attack him back.
Quirrell was shot back and hit a wall, but his wand still remained in his hand.
Harry began to approach him, carefully, ready to use his wand again if Quirrell attacks him once again.
As expected, Quirrell stood up and tried to use the Killing Curse on Harry but, luckily, he managed to dodge it once again and it hit the further wall.
"Potter, why don't you and your friends just give up?" Voldemort tried, pretending to care about him, but he only wants to manipulate him into giving up; Harry's not going to give him the satisfaction.
Harry just stared, dead in the eyes, and his wand and hands at ready.
"Too scared to speak?" Quirrell mocked him.
"What do you think?" Harry retorted back.
"Oh, I think you're just hiding your fear behind bravery!"
"..."
"Hah!" And then Quirrell realised he has a chance to try to kill Harry again.
So, he pointed his wand at Harry, but Harry disarmed him once again.
"I don't need a wand to kill you!" And he began choking Harry once again, both Quirrell and Harry are completely ignoring just how much pain they're in right now.
Harry then shot his hands up and onto Quirrell's face.
Again, Quirrell stopped choking him, but Harry hadn't put his hands away from professor's face.
The longer he held his hands on Quirrell's face, the more Quirrell screamed in pain.
Unfortunately, this is an absolute agony for Harry too, Harry's scar hurts so much it feels like his skull might tear apart or even explode becuase of the pain; he's almost screaming in pain (but the only good thing about the pain is, that it's still not worse then the pain caused by the Cruciatus Curse).
After a while Quirrell began to turn into turn even paler then he usually is; but, of course, after a while Quirrell has fallen to the floor, any life remaining in Quirrell is completely gone now.
"We've done it!" Ron celebrated immediately after Quirrell died.
Meanwhile Hermione stared in absolutely horror, suddenly she noticed something behind Harry, and although she couldn't speak because of the shock and the fear that hasn't gone away yet she just pointed with her finger and let out a scared and surprised noise.
Harry immediately turned around but suddenly something dark went through him.
Harry stumbled and tripped, but tried his best not to fall unconscious.
"Harry?" Ron helped Harry get up, "are you okay?"
"I guess..."
"A-are..." Hermione is still unable to speak but is getting out of it.
"Are you sure?" Ron finished for her.
"Yea, besides, I've been through worse." Harry shrugged.
Ron and Hermione just looked at eachother, not knowing what else to say.
After a very short while, Harry, Ron and Hermione walked out of the rooms and flew back up to the room where Fluffy is on the brooms found in the room with the flying keys and walked out.