Harry Riddle || Harry potter

Chapter 17: Who Is Nicolas Flamel?

"Nice owl, Harry," Hermione said in greeting as soon as she walked through the Hogwarts Express compartment door.

Harry glanced down at the cage by his feet. Inside was a beautiful snowy owl. Isis leisurely stuck a paw through the bars. "Yeah. Aunt Bellatrix gave her to me for Christmas."

"What's her name?"

"Hedwig. We were in Germany over break so I went with a native name."

"I hope your trip to Germany went better than my trip to Spain."

"You have to stop sneaking up on me like that, Draco," Harry chastised while spinning around to face the blond who had just silently entered the compartment. "Oh!" Harry exclaimed once he could fully see him. His eyebrows rose. "What happened to you?"

"Barcelona," Draco spat while gingerly itching his beet-red skin. "It was horrible. Father wasn't there half the time, I couldn't understand a thing anyone was saying, and I got bloody burnt to a crisp."

"How does one get a sunburn in December?"

"It's a bloody Mediterranean country! The sun was out and I fell asleep on the beach!"

"With your pale complexion you really should use sunscreen," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"I didn't think to do it, mudblood," Draco spat back. Hermione huffed at him and sat down.

"Play nice, children," Harry snapped while rolling his eyes.

Draco threw himself down on the seat and crossed his arms over his chest. Hermione pursed her lips and took to staring out the window.

"So how was Germany, Harry?" she finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Great, actually. In the beginning I didn't really like it but it turned out to be fun. They don't have the whole civil war issue the British Wizarding World has, either. Much calmer."

"Probably because You-Know-Who wasn't born in Germany," said Hermione, glancing around nervously while she said the title.

Harry rolled his eyes again. What was it with people and Voldemort? Did they think the man waited in the shadows to jump out and kill them if he heard his name being spoken? "I'm going to the bathroom," he announced abruptly. "Make sure my animals don't kill each other."

"I know Dumbledore is hiding something in the third-floor corridor."
Harry stopped dead in his tracks.

"I wouldn't know anything abou' that, Severus."

Harry took two big steps backward and crouched down beside a jarred compartment door, where the voices of what sounded like Uncle Severus and Professor Hagrid drifted out from within.

"Whatever that dog of yours is guarding needs to be moved. Quirrell is trying to steal it."

Harry's eyebrows rose to his hairline. Professor Quirrell was a stuttering idiot - he doubted the man was competent enough to steal anything, not to mention figure out a way to get past a vicious dog. The frightened little man would probably run off screaming before he even opened the door.

"Quirrell? That man couldn't steal anythin'!"

"I'm telling you, he can and is! Who do you think let the troll in on Halloween? Did anyone stay in the Great Hall to watch Quirrell after he fainted?"

"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong! I don't know how the troll got in, but I know that Quirrell wouldn't have purposely let it in! You need to stop yer meddlin', Severus - it's dangerous. Now, you just forget abou' that dog, an' forget what it's guardin' - that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel!"

Harry's eyes widened. Someone named Nicolas Flamel was involved, then?

"Harry?"

Harry jumped in surprise and turned around, only to come face to face with Neville Longbottom.

"What are you doing here?" The Hufflepuff asked loudly.

"Shush!" Harry whispered, frantically motioning for the boy to squat down beside him.

Neville scrunched up against the wall and whispered in his ear: "What are you doing?"

"I think I've found a clue in what that three-headed dog was guarding."

Neville yiped loudly at the mention of the vicious dog. Harry slapped a hand over the other boy's mouth, but it was too late. The voices went suddenly silent only to be replaced by footsteps.

Harry's eyes widened. He jumped up, pulling Neville to his feet as well. The door opened and two heads popped out.

"What's going on out here?"

Harry pushed Neville behind his back. "Neville and I were just going back to our compartment when he stubbed his toe. Didn't you, Neville?"

Neville nodded fervently.

Hagrid glared at Harry suspiciously but Severus spoke: "Get back to your compartment before I take points."

Harry smiled. "Thank you, sir." He spun around and pulled Neville along with him back to his compartment.