y 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 studying," 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.

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

danger's coming...."

Ron couldn't get worked up, it was too hot.

"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."

Harry nodded, but he couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that

there was something he'd forgotten to do, something important. When

he tried to explain this, Hermione said, "That's just the exams. I

woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes

before I remembered we'd done that one."

Harry was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything

to do with work, though. He watched an owl flutter toward the school

across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid

was the only one who ever sent him letters. Hagrid would never

betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past

Fluffy... never... but --

Harry suddenly jumped to his feet.

"Where're you going?" said Ron sleepily.

"I've just thought of something," said Harry. He had turned

white. "We've got to go and see Hagrid, now."

"Why?" panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd," said Harry, scrambling up the

grassy slope, "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 I see it before?"

"What are you talking about?" said Ron, but Harry, sprinting

across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer.

Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his

trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into

a large bowl.

"Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer

a drink?"

"Yes, please," said Ron, but Harry cut him off.

"No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You

know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were

playing cards with look like?"

"Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off."

He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows.

"It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's

Head -- that's the pub down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon

dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up."

Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas. "What did you talk

to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"

"Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to

remember. "Yeah... he asked what I did, an' I told him I was

gamekeeper here.... He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took

after... so I told him... an' I said what I'd always really wanted

was a dragon... an' then... I can' remember too well, 'cause he

kept buyin' me drinks.... Let's see... yeah, then he said he had

the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted... but he

had ter be sure