C H A P T E R F O U R T E E N
NORBERT THE
NORWEGIAN RIDGEBACK
Q
uirrell, however, must have been braver than they’d
thought. In the weeks that followed he did seem to be get-
ting paler and thinner, but it didn’t look as though he’d cracked yet.
Every time they passed the third-floor corridor, Harry, Ron, and
Hermione would press their ears to the door to check that Fluffy
was still growling inside. Snape was sweeping about in his usual
bad temper, which surely meant that the Stone was still safe.
Whenever Harry passed Quirrell these days he gave him an en-
couraging sort of smile, and Ron had started telling people off for
laughing at Quirrell’s stutter.
Hermione, however, had more on her mind than the Sorcerer’s
Stone. She had started drawing up study schedules and color-
coding all her notes. Harry and Ron wouldn’t have minded, but
she kept nagging them to do the same.
“Hermione, the exams are ages away.”
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