35 Curious Cat

In the Hogwarts infirmary, Professor Quirrell lay on a bed, his burned hands wrapped in bandages. Madam Pomfrey had treated him after the fire incident in his Defence Against the Dark Arts class, but the psychological damage that Agustus had inflicted was still there.

Quirrell was thinking about how to approach the whole Philosopher's Stone situation. Dumbledore had already revealed its location on the first day of school and asked him to set up some countermeasures for the potential thief. But Quirrell had other plans, plans that involved a dark and powerful master.

Quirrell was regretting his decision of accepting Voldomort's proposal, his life force was getting sucked by voldomort, he needed Philosopher's stone to restore his life force.

He needs to know what measures the other Hogwarts faculty had put to protect the stone. And he couldn't steal the stone during classes, he had to plan something during the Halloween feast as everybody will be present in the great hall.

'Agustus, dumbledore and Snape all of them will be busy during that feast, and I could just go and steal the stone, if I needed to create a big distraction, I could just let loose a troll.' thought Quirrell.

As he was sitting on the infirmary bed, lost in thought, he did not notice the students who were peeking through the window. They were from other classes who did not believe the third years' stories about the fire. As they looked around the infirmary, they spotted Professor Quirrell and whispered among themselves.

Madam Pomfrey entered the infirmary and saw the students. She walked over to them and said sternly, "What are you doing here? Is anyone injured? Why are you crowding around the infirmary?"

One of the students nervously said, "No, Madam Pomfrey, we are here to see Professor Quirrell. We heard he was burned in the third year DADA class."

Hearing this, Madam Pomfrey was a little angry and said, "Go out now, Professor Quirrell is resting. Don't disturb him."

She shooed them out of the infirmary and went back to check on her patient.

"How are your hands, Professor Quirrell?" she asked.

Professor Quirrell stuttered, "They are fine now, I just need some rest and I'll be okay."

Madam Pomfrey looked sceptical and said, "Are you sure you don't want me to diagnose you? You look really pale. I don't think your health is good. There might be a parasite or something making you weak. It might be risky for you."

Hearing Pomfrey, Quirrell almost had a heart attack and jumped out of the bed. He hurriedly replied, "I am perfectly fine, Madam Pomfrey. Thank you for healing me. Now I must go to my room. I need some sleep."

He ran away faster than the time when his head was on fire during the lecture.

Madam Pomfrey watched him run away and sighed. "Why can't Hogwarts have a single good DADA teacher? All of them were incompetent weirdos, and now him."

She then resumed her work, thinking to herself, 'I have to make some healing potions for treating cold and flu, as The Winter is Coming.'

As the first year students' classes came to an end, the students were wandering around the castle.

We see Ron Weasley and Harry Potter talking to each other at the dinner table.

Harry, who was curious, asked Ron a question that was on his mind. "Ron, why do your brothers eat at the Slytherin table? They're Gryffindors, right?"

Ron, who was sitting on his right side, eating like there was no tomorrow, answered him with food in his mouth. "It's because of their friend, Agustus Peverell. Some Slytherin student stopped his friend from sitting at the Slytherin table in his first year, so he used some kind of magic to beat him up. He's a Slytherin, he definitely used dark magic. George and Fred were in trouble with Mum because of their friendship with him, but they don't listen to her." Saying that, he continued wolfing down food.

Hearing Ron's answer, Harry was really surprised, and Hermione, who was listening to their conversation, was aghast. She hurriedly asked Ron, "He wasn't expelled for hurting another student, why? He must have been punished for that!"

Ron and Harry were surprised by her outburst, and Ron, without stopping eating, replied to her question. "Nothing happened to him. He's the heir of the most ancient and noble House of Peverell, along with three other noble houses, which George told me but I don't remember their names."

Hermione was fuming. 'How could a student walk free without any punishment?'

She then asked again, "But he's just a student at Hogwarts, right? Headmaster Dumbledore wouldn't care about the influence of a student. He must have been punished, you just don't know." She nodded to herself.

Ron didn't like Hermione's behaviour and countered, "Oh, then please tell us his punishment, Miss Know-It-All. If you can't, don't say anything."

Hermione didn't liked that name and said "I will ask professor McGonagall about his punishment."

Ron was not having any of it and said "why that? He is sitting there you can ask him and tell us" said Ron pointing towards Agustus.

Hermione looked towards the Slytherin table where Agustus was talking to his friends, then looked backed at Ron.

She thought there was nothing wrong with asking him about that, she had already talked to him without knowing anything about his behaviour, he won't attack another student right!

Hermione looked back at Ron challengingly and got up from Griffyndors table and walked to the Slytherin table, where Agustus was talking with the twins about their first DADA class. Meanwhile, Dora and Cedric were laughing as Agustus was telling them the incident. The whole Slytherin table was listening to him.

Hermione walked closer to the table but as she reached closer, the strength in her feets got lower, reaching in front of them, but no one noticed her. She then got a little nervous and looked back at Harry and Ron, who were watching her. Ron had a smirk on his face. She then gathered her courage and shouted loudly, "AGUSTUS PEVERELL, WHAT PUNISHMENT DID YOU GET FROM HEADMASTER FOR BEATING A STUDENT IN YOUR FIRST YEAR?" Her eyes were closed and she was clenching her fists.

The entire Great Hall was looking at her. As she opened her eyes, she saw everyone staring at her. She felt like crying from nervousness. She was an eleven-year-old girl, after all.

Agustus, who was confused and surprised, looked at the girl he had met in the train compartment curiously. Suddenly, he heard laughter from his side. Dora, the twins, and Cedric had tears in their eyes. No one had dared to ask this question to Agustus, who was feared by the students. Even last year's first years didn't talk to him, and this first year student had shouted her question in front of everyone.

There was silence in the Great Hall, if we ignore Dora, Cedric, and the twins. Agustus stood up and walked towards Hermione. The students who thought Agustus was angry gulped nervously.

Draco who knew Granger due to his classes with her and knew the whole beating incident was excited to see Heir Peverell, putting Hermione in her place.

The Gryffindors were getting ready to protect their first year, but their palms were sweating. The twins, on the other hand, who knew Agustus, were not worried at all and enjoying the drama.

Ron and Harry, who saw Agustus walking towards Hermione, were pale. Ron thought he had just doomed a first year.

Hermione felt the changes in the others' faces and looked at Agustus, who was now standing in front of her, nervously.

As the Gryffindors who were about to stop him, they felt they lost their ability to speak.

Harry the savior, too wanted to stop Agustus but couldn't do anything.

Everyone was wondering, what is Agustus going to do?

________________________________________

Sup!

Question:

Suppose your best friend is meeting a girl he met online at a hotel. She cuts off his 'little finger' with a knife and flees the scene. Your friend calls you for help and you arrive there. You find out that she was collecting dicks of young boys. How would you react in this situation? What would you do?