You're a Badger, Harry

8: You're a Finder, Harry

Summary: The author overuses the word find and its other variations just because she can.

With the holidays behind them, Harry's friends began to focus on finding out who Nicholas Flamel was. Harry pretended to help, but really he was using his past life's knowledge and his current status as a Hufflepuff to find the Horcruxes.

Sirius nearly had a heart attack when Harry told him through the two-way mirror that he knew what Horcruxes even were. Remus went to find a drink. Of pumpkin juice, he's not an alcoholic.

"Harry, that's really dark magic!" he said when he came back.

"I know," replied Harry, who did not care. "That's why I think Moldy-Voldy would know about them."

"But how do you know about them?" asked Remus, hazel eyes narrowed.

Harry found the floor to be very interesting. "Uh... Internet?"

Sirius shrugged. "Sounds legit."

"No!" protested Remus. "It does not! Harry is eleven!"

That was a very good point. "Harry... how did the Internet find out about Horcruxes?"

"Ask the Internet," said Harry while Remus spluttered that was most certainly not what he meant. "Look, the point is my gut instinct tells me Voldemort found out about Horcruxes and decided it was a brilliant idea to make some." Brilliant to Voldemort, of course. Only Harry had brilliant ideas, just ask the author.

(The author shakes her head vehemently.)

"And how are we going to find his Horcruxes?" asked Remus.

"Moony, I'm a Hufflepuff. Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders."

It was true. He already had the lost diadem of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff's Cup. They were currently at Gringotts for safekeeping until all the Horcruxes have been located. Then the goblins would destroy them — for a hefty price, of course.

Remus sighed. "All right. What do we have to look for?"

"I don't know," Harry lied. "Sirius, your parents were big Voldemort supporters, right? Maybe they have something that could have been used by him. You should see what you can find in their rooms or something. Or ask Kreacher. He might have an idea or two."

They ended the conversation, and Harry fell asleep feeling very good.

His good mood lasted until Potions, in which Snape docked points from Hufflepuff because he apparently found Harry's cheerfulness to be irritating.

"Again?" Susan muttered. "My aunt is sooo going to hear about this."

"Can you also tell her about the decline of mountain chickens?" asked Jayson. "Sid told me he bet they'll be critically endangered within the next ten years or so. We have to help them."

"Seriously?" muttered Zacharias.

"Mate, I wouldn't sound so dismissive if I were you," Jayson warned him.

"I don't care. They're not that important."

"NOT THAT IMPORTANT?!!!" Obsidian "Sid" Amsel was suddenly in his face.

"Told you," said Jayson as Zacharias shrieked and leaped back.

"I dare you to say that again," Sid whispered, nose to nose with Zacharias.

Zacharias gulped. "I didn't say anything. Mountain chickens are a, er, very important part of our world."

Sid grunted and marched off.

Ernie, who had ducked behind Justin when Sid appeared, poked his head out. "How did he find us?"

No one had an answer, least of all the author.

"What's a mountain chicken anyway?" Justin wondered.

"It's a type of frog that lives on some Caribbean islands," Jayson explained. "Also known as Leptodactylus fallax or giant ditch frog."

The others didn't look as thought they knew how to find this piece of information.

No body knows... the trouble that I've seen

No body knows my sorrow...

"This is nightmare fuel, I swear," Draco muttered.

Harry stopped singing and turned his head. "What do you mean?"

"He means the fact that you look like a floating head," said Ron.

Harry looked down, which was pointless due to the Invisibility Cloak that was currently hiding his body, then back up. "Your point?"

"Well, I find it very distracting!" Draco grumbled.

"Sounds like a you problem, Draco I Guess."

Hermione, who had been rather quiet for the past several minutes, suddenly gasped. "I found him, I found him!"

"Found who?" said Harry and Ron, though Harry knew exactly what she had found.

"Nicholas Flamel!" she exclaimed. "He's the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!"

Draco gaped. "I've heard of that! It makes the user immortal!"

"That must be what's on the third-floor corridor," Ron said in hushed excitement.

Hermione sat back, frowning. "But why is it there? Unless... unless someone wants to steal it. Wasn't there a break-in into Gringotts during the summer?"

Harry hummed. "I find that to be an interesting coincidence," he said, then went back to pacing. He had a Stone to get to.

Who knew three-headed dogs like Hot Cross Buns so much? Well, Harry found that out as he made his way past the trapdoor. As soon as he landed, he cast some flames, making the Devil's Snare that had started curling around his ankles flinch and release him. The flying key was harder to catch without Ron and Hermione helping him, but after several minutes, Harry attempted the Summoning Charm and it came rushing into his open palm.

"What a waste," he muttered.

Harry found the chess match to be the most difficult of all, but he had recieved an old book filled with chess tips from Jayson for Christmas when Harry had lamented that he'd never beat Ron. It was with this new knowledge Harry managed to get across without knocking himself out. And then the potion riddle, in which Harry managed not to die from drinking poison.

The Mirror of Erised stood tall and proud in the chamber past the flames. As Harry stepped up to it, the image of a small stone as red as blood appeared. A second later, Harry's pocket sagged under a heavy weight.

Where there's a Sid and Jay, there's a mountain chicken mention. I don't make the rules.

How many times did you see the word find and its other variations (e.g. finds, found, etc.)