23 23. Beginning Of Year’s End 

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Happy spent more of his time in the Room of Requirement. He needed to do that as it was the best place to try complex magical spells or simply relax. The fact that only he knew about it was even better.

But, a sense of uneasiness was slowly creeping into his heart. He could feel that something was going on, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He felt eyes on him on many occasions, but he couldn't identify exactly who and from where.

'What if Harry fails this time? What if I caused some problems? Is Dumbledore really that incompetent? Or is he playing a game of his own to double-cross the enemy? Why keep the stone, such a prized possession, in a school? How is it that Dumbledore hasn't yet realized that a bunch of children are onto his plan? Or will my luck get me something juicy this time?' Happy wondered alone, in silence.

"Argh! Exams are also coming." He mumbled and focused on studying.

....

As Happy returned to the common room, he immediately sensed something was amiss. The atmosphere was dense, with a strange, depressing air that seemed to permeate the entire room. He scanned the area, trying to pinpoint the source of the tension. It was then that he noticed the scowls and angry glares directed toward Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

"What happened?" Happy asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Fred and George burst out in giggles, their faces wearing matching grins.

"Oh, nothing much," Fred said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"It's just that Harry, Hermione, and ickle Ronniekins here lost a whopping hundred and fifty points for sneaking out and wandering around the school at night," George added.

"Seriously? One hundred and fifty points? Why is it even an issue? Isn't it the school's failure if they can't make it a safe place for kids? Why even call this place a school if it's not safe? Why not call it a prison?" Happy mumbled near the trio.

"Yes, exactly!" Ron agreed with Happy. "They don't even tell us what to be wary of."

"Let's not talk about that anymore. We have a more pressing matter." Hermione interrupted and headed to the side so the other Gryffindor members couldn't hear them.

Happy followed them to hear what they were planning now. "So, what actually happened?"

"It's Voldemort! He's the one trying to get the Sorcerer's stone! Snape is helping him." Harry exclaimed.

"Shh…!" Happy placed his finger on Harry's mouth. "First of all, stop using his name until we're old enough to beat him. Voldemort cast a strange magic that allows him to detect whenever someone uses his name. Don't use that name if you wish to keep your location a secret from him and his goons."

Harry and Ron gulped in silence and nodded. Hermione didn't believe him, however. "That's impossible. How can someone possess so much magical power? To cast such a wide-ranged spell."

"Why do you think everyone calls him 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named,' even those powerful adults? There are types of magic out there that you can't even imagine, Hermione. Especially the dark side, which is a pathway to many abilities some may consider unnatural." Happy claimed, blatantly and knowingly ripping off Darth Sidious.

"Ugh… I could feel the willies all over me." Ron muttered.

"Anyway, we need to stop Snape, or else Vold… I mean 'You-Know-Who' would come back to life and…maybe....kill me." Harry added.

Happy agreed. "If what you say is right, then yes. We need to stop him."

"..."

All three looked at Happy strangely since this was the first time he had ever agreed to do something according to their plan.

Although, Happy's reasoning was different. He was trying hard to make a decision that also concerned his relaxed life. 'It's a curse to know the future. Should I worry about not changing the future right now? Or should I worry about what I've already changed? I don't think I'm the kind of person who'd watch someone die while knowing I could have saved them.'

"Will you help us?" Hermione eagerly asked.

Happy smirked. "Sure, but you will have to help me study for the exams first. I'm having some trouble with Transfiguration."

"Err... I reckon I need some help, too," Ron said, raising his hand meekly. "I wouldn't mind a bit of assistance in Charms, Potions, History of Magic, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, and Herbology.

"..."

Hermione glared. "That's all of the subjects!"

"Yeah, I need help with them."

And so, their marathon to study and pass the exams started.

…

A few days later, Happy walked out of the classroom feeling relieved about the exam but a bit perplexed. He had successfully completed all his exams but couldn't shake off the feeling that he had relied heavily on his luck to pass them.

As he pondered over his experience, he realized that every time he was stuck on a question, he just had to look left or right, and then, someone would happen to be flipping or fiddling with their sheet of paper, revealing the answer to the question he had been struggling with.

'Could I possibly ace everything in the exam because of this?'

But still, the exams were finally over, and Happy couldn't be more relieved. Since it was now time to relax, Happy went to the common room and joined the three in their usual spot, in front of the fireplace.

As Happy saw their expressions, he knew that something was up.

"What's going on, guys?" Happy asked, "Did Ron fail the exams?"

"It's very bad, Happy...But not that bad." Hermione exclaimed, smirking.

"Hey! I didn't fail!"

Happy chuckled, amused as well. "I never knew Miss Hermione Jean Granger could make a joke. I wonder if the sun will rise from the West tomorrow."

"Enough, guys," Harry interjected, his green eyes filled with worry. "Dumbledore's gone out of the school."

"And?"

Hermione chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Well, we were hoping to talk to Dumbledore about what we found, but he's gone out of the school. We're not sure when he'll be back."

The trio exchanged glances again until staring at Happy together, and Hermione continued. "We're going to try and find the stone and protect it ourselves. But we could use your help, Happy. Will you come with us?"

Happy didn't hesitate. "Sure, let's go."

Happy had already prepared his leather adventurer robe he had bought from Diagon Alley a while back. 'Finally found a use for them.'

"Great! We should hurry. Otherwise, Snape gets to it before we do." Harry rushed.

....

That night, while all the students were sleeping and no one was roaming the castle besides Argus Filch and his cat, four students snuck out of their beds.

As the trio made their way through the corridor, Happy tiptoed quietly behind them, his mind wondering how his luck would affect things.

As they were sneaking out of the Gryffindor common room, they saw Trevor the toad hopping along the corridor.

"Look, it's Trevor!" Ron exclaimed.

"Where are you three going?" Just then, Neville's voice reverberated in the dark common room hall. He rose from the sofa and came to pick up his frog.

"W-We were..." Hermione stuttered.

"Are you going to lose us house points again?" Neville asked them.

Happy saw Hermione slowly raising her wand to hit Neville with a spell. So he came forward to talk. "Neville, my friend. Trust me, we are not going out to lose points but to gain them. I swear by my magic, what we're doing tonight will earn us the House Cup."

Neville stared into Happy's eyes for a moment. A moment later, he shrugged. "If it's you, I will believe it, Happy. Don't let them do something wrong, please."

'Woah! It worked! Are we good brothers now?' Happy wondered.

Happy rubbed his chin and walked over to Neville while fiddling with his robe pockets. Finally, he took out a few chocolate bars and handed them over. "Here, eat these and count to ten thousand. By then, we will be back."

(●__●)

Neville just blankly stared at Happy's face but took the chocolates. "W-Who tells someone to count for that long."

Happy smirked and showed his thumb with a wink. "Happy Lestrange does. Now, we will go before someone else comes."

The trio and Happy hurried towards their destination.

"How did you do that? I thought he hated you." Ron asked while they ran.

Happy smirked proudly. "Perhaps he couldn't handle my handsome charm."

"Pfft...! I'm sorry for asking."

As they continued to run, they soon found Flinch in the way but easily fooled him and bypassed Mrs. Norris.

Tap!

Tap!

However, just when they arrived at the door leading into the forbidden third-floor corridor, footsteps resounded behind them as if someone was approaching very fast. In response, they tried to open the gate hurriedly with the unlocking spell.

But they were too slow, and the footsteps seemed just beyond the nearest corner.

"You all go in. I'll stop whoever it is." Happy assured them because he recognized the situation as a deviation from what he remembered. He reckoned it was his luck at work, and there was something to be gained.

Tap!

"Hurry!" Happy urged them.

Eventually, Hermione opened the door with magic, and all three jumped inside. Happy stood alone for a few seconds outside and then started walking toward the oncoming footsteps.

Soon, he came face to face with a man.

"Mister Lestrange—out of bed and roaming the castle at night?"

"Professor Snape…I was jus–"

Whoosh!

Thud!

To Happy's utter shock, before he could even react, a surprising light of magic came out of Snape's hidden wand and hit him, freezing him like a statue.

"To hell with my good lu—"

Before he could ask anything, he lost consciousness.

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