Beginning of the End [Harry Potter] {1}

Chapter 12

It was finally spring, Harry, Ron, Hermione and I were at the Great Hall, studying with everyone else as Ava and Hedwig flew toward me and Harry. Ava settled on one of the books beside me while Hedwig settled on one of the books beside Harry.

Hermione was helping me with the studying while Ron was playing with his cards. Hermione looked at him, "Look at you, playing with your cards. Pathetic." Ron made a face while Harry and I continued to study. "We've got final exams coming up soon."

"I'm ready," Ron said, "Ask me any question."

"Bad move," I muttered, smirking.

"What are the 3 most crucial ingredients in a Forgetfulness Potion?" Hermione questioned.

Ron looked down, "I forgot."

Harry and I shared a smirk as Hermione continued, "And what, may I ask, do you plan to do if this comes up in the final exam?"

"Copy off you," Ron replied.

"No, you won't," Hermione said, "Besides, according to Professor McGonagall, we're to be given special quills bewitched with an Anti-Cheating Spell."

"That's insulting," Ron said, "It's as if they don't trust us." He looked at his card and dropped it to the table, "Dumbledore again." 

Harry took the card before we heard people laughing and looked toward the doors to see Neville bunny-hopping toward us. "Leg-Locker Curse?" Ron asked.

"Malfoy," I said, rolling my eyes.

Neville reached toward us and I sighed. "You have got to start standing up to people, Neville," Ron said.

"How? I can barely stand at all," Neville said.

Seamus stood up as he grabbed his wand, "I'll do the counter curse."

"No, that's all I need," Neville said, "You'll just set my bloody kneecaps on fire."

"I don't appreciate the insinuation, Longbottom," Seamus said, "Besides, if anyone cared to notice, my eyebrows have completely grown back." With that he turned around and walked away.

"I found him," Harry said and he showed us the back of the card.

"'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945'," Ron read.

"Keep reading," Harry said.

I grabbed the card from Ron's hand and read, "'For the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner'." I looked at them, "'Nicholas Flamel'."

Hermione's eyes grew wide before grabbing her books, "Follow me." The four of us got up and grabbed out things before following Hermione out, ignoring Neville's calls.

The four of us were at the library. Harry, Ron and I sat at a table, reading when Hermione walked back to us and threw a large book on the table.

"I had you looking in the wrong section! How could I be so stupid?" She asked before sitting beside me, "I checked this out a few weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"This is light?" Ron asked.

Hermione glared at him before looking back at the book, "Of course! Here it is!" She said, "'Nicholas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!'"

"The what?" Ron, Harry and I asked together.

Hermione sighed, rolling her eyes, "Honestly, don't you three read?" She looked back at the book, "'The Philosopher's Stone is a legendary substance with astonishing powers. It will turn any metal into pure gold and produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal'."

"Immortal?" Ron asked.

"It means you'll never die," Hermione said.

"I know what it means!" Ron said.

"Shh!" Harry and I said.

Hermione looked back at the book, "'The only stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicholas Flamel, the noted alchemist, who last year celebrated his 665th birthday!'" She looked at us, "That's what Fluffy's guarding on the 3rd floor. That's what's under the trapdoor; the Philosopher's Stone." The four of us looked at each other in realization.

...................

After dark, Hermione, Ron, Harry and I ran across the wet ground to Hagrid's hut. I knocked on the door and Hagrid opened it, wearing a oven mitts and an apron.

"Hagrid!" Harry said.

"Oh, hello," Hagrid said, "Sorry, don't wish to be rude, but I'm in no fit state to entertain today."

"We know about the Philosopher's Stone!" The four of us said together as Hagrid was closing the door.

He opened it, "Oh." He looked around before back down at us, "Come inside." We walked in and Ron closed the door.

"We think Snape's trying to steal it," Harry said.

"Snape?" Hagrid repeated, "Blimey, Harry, you're not still on about him, are you?"

"Hagrid, we know he's after the Stone. We just don't know why," I said as the four of us sat down, with Hagrid's dog was sitting beside Ron.

"Snape is one of the teachers protecting the Stone," Hagrid said, "He's not about to steal it."

"What?" Harry and I asked at the same time.

"You heard," Hagrid said, "Right. Come on, now, I'm a bit preoccupied today."

"Wait a minute. One of the teachers?" Harry asked.

"Of course! There are other things defending the Stone, aren't there? Spells, enchantments," Hermione said.

"That's right. Waste of bloody time, if you ask me," Hagird said, "Ain't no one gonna get past Fluffy. Hehe, not a soul knows how. Except for me and Dumbledore. I shouldn't have told you that. I shouldn't have told you that." A cauldron over a fire started to rattle, making all of us to look at it. "Oh!" Hagrid hurried over and grabbed something. "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!" He placed the thing on the table as we crowded around.

"Uh, Hagrid, what exactly is that?" Harry asked.

"That?" Hagrid asked, "It's a . . . it's um . . ."

Ron smiled, "I know what that is! But Hagrid, how did you get one?"

"I won it," Hagrid answered, "Off a stranger I met down at a pub. Seemed quite glad to be rid off it, as a matter of fact." 

The disfigured ball rattled and cracked. Pieces flew off as a green dragon emerged. It squeaked and slipped on an egg piece before shaking it's head for a egg piece dropped from it's nose.

"Is that . . . a dragon?" Hermione asked.

"That's not just a dragon," Ron said, "That's a Norwegian Ridgeback! My brother Charlie works with these in Romania."

"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid said. The dragon squeaked as it looked at Hagrid. "Oh. Bless him, look. He knows his mummy. Hehe. Hallo, Norbert."

"Norbert?" I asked with a smile.

"Yeah, well, he's got to have a name, doesn't he?" Hagrid asked, and me, my brother and friends shared an amused look. "Don't you, Norbert?" Hagrid raised his fingers back and forth across Norberts chin.

Norbert backed away, hiccuping and blew a fireball of fire into Hagrid's beard. Hagird quickly put the fire away, "Ooh, well . . . he'll have to be trained up a bit, of course." Norbert hiccuped again and Hagrid frowned as he looked behind us, "Who's that?" We turned around to see a platinum blonde hair boy was looking at us from outside the window before he ran away.

"Malfoy," I spat.

"Oh, dear," Hagrid said quietly.