" you are responsible for your own happiness "
In the weeks following Christmas break, Romy spent some time with Hermione, Harry, and Ron. After she thanked them profusely for their presents, they told her of their efforts to find out who Nicholas Flamel was, as he had something to do with what was hidden on the third-floor corridor. Over the break, Harry had broke the rules and searched the Restricted Section of the library, but found nothing of use. Evidently, he had almost gotten caught, but hid in an abandoned classroom. In this classroom sat a special mirror called "the Mirror of Erised". But that was a story for another time.
Romy sat in the Great Hall with her Gryffindor friends, as they had a free period and had no idea what to do with their free time. Harry had been telling them of Snape refereeing the next Quidditch game and, no matter Romy's insistences that the Potions master was a good guy, Hermione and Ron continued to offer Harry ways to get out of the Quidditch game. In the end, though, Harry agreed with Romy, not because he thought she was right, but because the Gryffindors had to reserve Seeker. As they talked, Neville Longbottom toppled into the Great Hall. His legs were locked together and he struggled to even move. Romy leapt from her seat, quickly performing the counter-curse, and asked, "What happened? Who did this?"
His voice wavering, Neville replied, "Malfoy. I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."
Romy huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Perhaps I should practice the finger-removing jinx on him...And remove one finger for every person he dares to pick on...No, he doesn't have enough fingers for that..." she murmured darkly.
Hermione shook her head at the Slytherin, and said to Neville, "Report him to McGonagall!"
Shaking his head furiously, he replied, "Report him! I don't want more trouble."
"You've got to stand up to him, Neville! He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier!" Ron declared, hoping to convince Neville to stand up for himself.
"Ther's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," he wailed.
Romy felt her heart clench, and she suddenly felt the urge to hug Neville. And so, she enveloped him in her arms and said quietly, "Neville, despite what you obviously think, bravery isn't the absence of fear...It's so much more than that. It's the capacity to perform when you're scared half to death. It's the ability to stand up for what's right, and not caring about the repercussions. It isn't something that's just born in people, it's something you work at, 'cause even the bravest people were once as scared and pitiful as you are now. And, you know, sometimes the greatest rewards come from doing the things that should leave you cowering in a corner. So, you're probably braver than all of us combined, but you're too scared to take any risks..." She took a deep breath and released Neville from the hug. "Take a few risks every once and while and, soon enough, you'll be moving mountains. Trust me."
Neville sniffled as Harry, handing him a Chocolate Frog, built onto what Romy said. "You're worth twelve of Malfoy. The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin."
Romy shot him a glare, but said nothing as his words made Neville's lips twitch into a weak smile. He unwrapped his candy and replied quietly, "Thanks, Harry...I think I'll go to the common room...D'you want the card? You collect them, don't you?"
Harry took the card, staring at it as Neville hobbled away. "Dumbledore again," he said. "He was the first one I ever..."
Suddenly, Harry gasped. "I've found him! I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read the name somewhere before! I read it on the train coming here...Listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discover of the twelves uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!!"
Hermione and Romy exchanged a glance, the information registering in their brains. Then, Hermione jumped to her feet, looking more excited than she did when they'd gotten back the grades for their very first piece of homework. "Stay there!" she said, and sprinted out of the Great Hall. It was barely five minutes laters when Hermione came running back, out of breath, clutching a giant book to her chest.
"I never thought to look in here!" she said excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."
"Light?" scoffed Ron, but was shushed by Hermione and flicked frantically through the pages, muttering something under her breath.
Then, she stopped on a page and her finger pointed to something in the book. "I knew it! I knew it!" she declared.
Grumpily, Ron asked, "Are we allowed to speak yet?"
Hermione ignored him, dramatically whispering, "Nicolas Flamel...The only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone!"
She began reading the passage aloud to them, her voice quiet and suspenseful. "The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Sorcerer's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal. There have been many reports of the Sorcerer's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight)."
As Hermione finished reading, Romy said, "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Sorcerer's Stone...He probably asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him...'Cause they're friends and all, and 'cause he knew someone was after it. That's why he wanted the Stone moved to the school...After all, what place is safer than Hogwarts?"
The trio was nodding along, Harry saying, "A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying? No wonder Snape's after that! Anyone would want it."
"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry," Ron said. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"
"That only leaves one thing, guys," Romy said, earning curious looks from her friends. "How do we stop Snape...or whoever it is that wants the Stone...from getting it?"
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Purple Hair Ties ♔ Draco Malfoy ♔
Fanfiction" you don't know what i'm capable of, you don't know what i've done " ♔ Romy Honey was never what you would call "normal". She came from a strange family with a strange culture, and her strangeness was further cemented by the owl carrying a letter...
