Chapter 41 - 41- forbidden forest and tests

Third's pov

The detention Marcus got was a detention worthy for the boy who lived, otherwise, why would professor McGonagall would give A couple of first years detention in the forbidden forest to find a unicorn killer? Why would Hagrid split them to two groups and leave Marcus and Malfoy with only Fang?

Anyhow.... Marcus was prepared to find the killer, and the shaking his hand is experiencing? It is from excitement, not fear.

After a while of searching, the excitement, fear and wonder of the forest disappeared, and in its place came boredom, so when they saw a horse shaped creature running it shouldn't come as a surprise to you that they ran after it. What should come as a surprise is that they actually caught up to it, but as they where in a sight distance, they understood why they managed to come close to it. The unicorn was caught by a human shaped shadow and it was bleeding. Malfoy screamed and started running in the opposite direction while Marcus was frozen in fear. Malfoy's scream shifted the shadow creature's attention from the unicorn to Marcus, but, just as the shadow was about to jump a Centaur charged forward scaring the creature away. The Centaur went to the unicorn, saw it was dead and bowed to it. That was the point Marcus came back to his senses and started running in the direction Malfoy ran, after all, he didn't want to die.

In the weeks to come, while studying for the exams, Marcus also convinced Hermione to read about the magical properties of unicorns and understood one thing, some one was going to steal the stone soon!

Harry's pov

Tests were near and like all students, Harry was in a study frenzy, the only differences are that Harry wasn't studying for the tests and that Harry always was in a study frenzy, which was why this time of year's only affects was the use of the History of Magic class to do the extra homework with the help of the notice me not charm, and as he finished his second year chemistry' master degree he was only annoyed by the wast of time and not outright angry.

He was in the second half of the seventh year's charm book and was planing on finishing it by the end the year, his forging was going well, and he was becoming better and better at creating swords, his control over his magic was becoming better, his magical energy grew stronger and even his physical strength and endurance grew.

The only thing that didn't improve by much was his transfigurations, he stoped at the peak of the second year and he didn't manage to do any of the third year's transfiguration correctly, as while in first year's curriculum it was an inanimate to inanimate (dead is also inanimate) things that looked similar and the same size with not much details and in second year's curriculum it is again inanimate to inanimate just with more details or bigger sizes with extra points for both. As for third year's curriculum, the first half is inanimate to animate and the second half is animate to inanimate and while Harry managed to change things like a pot to a tortoise, it was a dead tortoise as he didn't manage to transfigure an inanimate to a live creature and after thinking about it he started using the wand waving method and cutting the animals he transfigured while simultaneously doing the same wandlessly and trying to figure out the differences in the end result and was planing to learn next for his biology's master degree and maybe also biochemistry as next year the DADA class was going to be useless.

Marcus's pov

The exams were complete and Marcus felt he did the best he could, or at least during the tests, but studying serously were for Hermione and Ravenclaw, he lost the invisibility cloak, Gryffindor hated him and his friends for losing 150 points in one night which throw them from first place to last in the house cup competition and he couldn't really calm down with the knowledge that someone (likely Snape) was going to try to steal the sorceress stone and that he didn't know when so that he would be able to save the stone like the Hero he is and so Gryffindor would love him again. But after the last test was done and hearing Hermione recounting the History exam for the forth time, he decided to do the noble thing and tell Dumbledore so that he would be prepared.

Searching for a professor was easier then you would think as just as he looked for one Professor McGonagall came from behind the corner, carrying a large pile of books.

"Professor, we want to see Professor Dumbledore" Marcus said

"See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. "Why?"

"It's sort of secret," he said, wanting to get credit from the headmaster himself, but he wished at once he hadn't said it, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared.

"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once."

"He's gone ?" said Marcus thinking the best time to steal the stone is when Dumbledore is out of school.

"Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time--"

"But this is important."

"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?"

"Look," said Marcus, throwing the chance for credit away, "Professor -- it's about the Sorcerer's Stone--"

Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up.

"How do you know -- ?" she spluttered.

"Professor, I think -- I know -- that Sn -- that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore."

She eyed him with a mixture of shock and suspicion.

"Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."

"But Professor--"

"Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said shortly. She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."

But they didn't.

"It's tonight," said Marcus, once he was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. "Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up."

"We're going out of here tonight and we're going to try and get to the Stone first. It is like the Troll, we have to do it!"

"Lets do it," Neville said after a moment of hesitation with determination in his eyes "my father and mother would have been proud to hear I am doing the right thing."

As they were planing how to go tonight, they didn't know near them with an invisibility charm on, Dumbledore stood with his wand up manipulating all of them so they would go tonight to the third floor.