"Your performance in my class has been so exemplary, that I devised a bit of an obstacle course for you. Should you succeed in making your way through it, I would recommend you for… advanced classes in the following year." Quirrel stuttered out.
That was something to think about. More advanced Defense classes? Harry was certainly intrigued.
"The others are almost as good as I am in defense, will they get to do this obstacle course as well?" Harry asked. Advanced classes wouldn't be very fun without his friends there with him.
"Depending on how well you do, if it proves too much for you I likely won't invite them to try, as I do believe that you have the best chance of succeeding." Quirrel stuttered out. "Are you interested Mr. Potter?"
"Yes, I am. When will we be doing this?" Harry asked. He hoped he had some time to prepare, refresh himself on some spells, maybe grab some equipment.
"Tonight at ten o'clock, you may bring whatever you feel you may need to succeed. You will meet me on the third floor. Do not tell your friends of your trial, I do not want them to get their hopes up before we see if you are capable of the task. I shall see you tonight then. Do not be late." Quirrel said, before leaving.
Harry's anxiety kicked into overdrive, as his brain revved up to start problem solving. He needed to plan, and to pack, get everything he needed ready for this evening. He bolted to his room, not even stopping to say hello to Padma and Hermione in the common room.
Harry had only 6 hours to attempt to prepare for this obstacle course, and Harry doubted that it was going to be a simple test of athleticism. If it was for Defense Against the Dark Arts, it likely meant that there would be some kind of dark creature for him to fight, or at least avoid. Harry ran through the list of creatures he could possibly encounter.
Zombies would be pretty easy, they didn't like fire at all, so the Bluebell flames spell that Hermione found and had become infatuated with would be useful, especially since she had found a way to make it lash out like a whip. Harry had never tried that move, but simply producing it was something he was proficient at, and Hermione had told him the theory behind the technique.
Gnomes wouldn't be particularly dangerous obstacles, they were more nuisance than anything else, but also not prone to actual violence, simply leaving them alone would likely be enough, or a basic knockback spell to make them keep their distance.
They had learned about Vampires and Werewolves during the year, but Harry sincerely doubted he would see one of them. It wasn't a full moon, so a werewolf would just be a person anyway. A brief flash to his earlier experiences in the year made him think of trolls and cerberuses, so Harry thought about what he could do about those. His flute could possibly lure a cerberus to sleep, like Orpheus had done in the myth. Hagrid had all but confirmed that such a thing also worked on the cerberus that was here in Hogwarts, so Harry packed it away.
A troll gave him pause. He had gotten lucky last time, while Harry did believe his strategy to overpower a knockback jinx to send something into it's head was worthwhile still, and he could likely do it without passing out this time, he didn't have much in the way of objects that he could prepare for that with. Carrying a loose stone, even if he could find one would be very heavy, and not particularly useful in other situations. Harry had a small penknife that he used to trim his quills to keep them sharp, but didn't believe it would manage to pierce a troll's skin. He packed it in anyway, just in case. His idea of a stone had given him another idea, and he reached under his bed to pull out a set of Gobstones. This was a set that the boys he dormed with had gotten him for Christmas, after realizing that they hadn't gotten him anything. The gobstones themselves were marbles, roughly two centimeters in diameter, and weren't very heavy. They had some weight to them though, and were easy to throw, so they might be a good distraction for something.
He grabbed a ballpoint pen and a small notebook as well. His own research into curse-breakers and their work had known that occasionally they would find puzzles or riddles in tombs and the like, or strange symbols that needed investigating. This way, Harry would have something to write clues in, instead of needing to remember them.
Another hour of panicked thought passed, and Harry could think of nothing else that would be particularly useful for him to take with him. His anxiety deflating, but still present, he went down to the common room, and saw Padma and Hermione sitting on what had become their couch. He walked over to them.
"Hey guys, sorry I didn't stop by earlier." Harry said, easing himself onto his section of the couch.
"You seemed really focused, what's going on?" Hermione asked. Her face scrunched up as she closely examined him.
"I'm working on something with Professor Quirrel for Defense class, can't say more than that for now. I'm nervous about it though. I want to do well, you know how much I like Defense." Harry said, releasing some of his tension.
"Ah! That'd do it. You are the best at defense in our year, so if he wanted a first year for a project you're the best choice." Padma said, rubbing her hand over Harry's back. It felt nice, and made him relax a little bit.
"Well, if you're studying some creature or whatever, make sure to stay safe, and also to take good notes! I wanna know everything, even if I don't enjoy the class as much as you." Hermione said, pulling out her Defense textbook.
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