March 1, 2002

It was now the last day of school. That's right. Hogwarts ends in March. Early March for that matter. All of the Hogwarts students were packing up to go home for the summer. Nesta was not looking forward to it but at least that meant no more school.

"I always thought Hogwarts's end-of-year exams were frightful, but I found them rather enjoyable," Emerie said with a proud smile. Catrin rolled her eyes. "Speak for yourself. I'd be lucky to live if my mother sees my grades," she argued as Gwyn looked over to Nesta who hasn't said a thing since lunch. "Hey Nes, you alright?"

"Huh, oh yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking that's all." Nesta replied as the four of them walked towards Eris's hut again. That's when Nesta decided to speak. "Hey guys, remember that night when Eris had that dragon egg?"

"Yeah?" They all replied eager to know why Nesta was bringing that up. "Well had it ever occurred to you exactly how he got that egg?"

"Nesta, he said he won it."

"Yeah, but who carries a dragon egg in their pocket? Isn't that a little weird?" Emerie thought about it. "Now that you mentioned it, it does seem a bit off." The twins nodded in agreement.

Once the girls reached Eris's hut, they didn't hesitate to pester Eris for answers. "Eris, who gave you the dragon egg?"

"What did he look like?"

"Did he make a bargain with you or-"

"Woah woah woah, girls calm down," Eris said taking a sip of his coffee. When he was done, he gulped and replied, "I'm not sure. I never saw his face. Never took the hood off either." It was Gwyn who spoke this time. "Did he talk to you? Ask and questions?"

Eris paused before he could answer. "Well, he did ask about the creatures I take care of." Catrin thought about the next question before asking. "Was he interested in any of the creatures that you told him about?"

"Only Fluffy. I told him the best way to tame a beast is to calm it. Fluffy always falls asleep whenever I play music."

Catrin smirked as Nesta, and the girls gasped. Music! That's the answer they've been looking for.

Eris froze. "I never should've said that."

--------------------

The girls raced back to the castle eager to tell Professor Kallias about the stone, but when they tried to get close, Viviane told them that Kallias was in London.

Sighing in defeat, the girls retreated from his office. "Well, that didn't work," Catrin said as Nesta spoke. "Look, guys, we already know that the hooded figure in the woods was Tamlin," Emerie added. "And now that Kallias is gone-"

"Afternoon ladies." The young students stopped short upon hearing Tamlin's voice. Right behind them.

Tamlin folded his arms. "Now what would 4 first-year students be doing inside on a day like this?" he asked rather calmly. The girls were too stunned to speak. He chuckled. "Careful. People will think you're...up to something." Tamlin rolled the last part off the tongue as he walked away.

The girls relaxed. "Now what?" Gwyn asked. Nesta sighed. They didn't have a choice. It's now or never. "We're going to the trapped door. Tonight."