The Gryffindor Royal

Chapter Eight

"Nonsense," Hagrid huffed. "Why would Snape put a curse on 'Arry's broom?" The five Gryffindors were telling Hagrid about their suspicions. "Who knows. Why was he trying to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween?" Harry countered. Hagrid furrowed his eyebrows in suspicion and shock. "Who told yer abou' Fluffy?" "Fluffy?" The corners of Ron's mouth twitched. "Tha-that thing has a name?" Shelena looked up at Hagrid. "Well o' course he's go' a name. He's mine!" He said proudly. "I bough' him off a Irish fella I met in a pub las' year! Then I len' him ter Dumbledore ter guard the..." his voice trailed off. "Yes?" Harry said,trying to get Hagrid to spill. "I shouldn' have said tha'. No more questions. Don't ask any more questions. Tha's top secret tha' is." Hagrid insisted with a certain decisiveness in his tone. "But Hagrid," Harry pleaded. "Whatever Fluffy's guarding,Snape's trying to steal it. "Codswallop. Professor Snape is a Hogwarts professor." "Hogwarts teacher or not,I know a spell when I see one. I've read all about them,Shelena can vouch for me. You've got to keep eye contact,and Snape wasn't blinking." Harry and Shelena nodded solemnly as they stared at Hagrid. Ron,like always,looked clueless. "Exactly," Harry added. "And he's got it in for Harry. I wouldn't put trying to kill him past Snape." (Y/N) mused. Hagrid sighed lowly. "Now,yer listen ter me. All five of yer. Yer meddling in things tha' ought not ter be meddled in. Wha' tha' dog is guarding is stric'ly between professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel." His eyes widened in shock when he realised what he said. "I shouldn' have said tha'...." he muttered as Harry turned to face Hermione and Shelena. "Nicholas Flamel?" Hermione and Shelena shook their heads. "We haven't read anything about him." Harry turned to Hagrid's retreating back. "Nicholas Flamel...who's Nicholas Flamel?" "I don't know." Hermione whispered as she turned to Ron,whom she hoped,by some miracle,knew who this Flamel was. •••••Christmas season rolled around a few weeks later,and Hagrid could be seen dragging large Christmas trees into the school. (Y/N) looked out the window of her dorm some days,wishing that she could help,but her powers were still too weak. On the bright side however,she could now lift larger objects like crystal balls. She'd also successfully burned Dumbledore's hand,filled a small tub with water,and managed a mini landslide that Dumbledore prepared in his office. The day before Christmas,everyone was packing to leave for the holidays. Most of the Gryffindor first-years would be leaving,except for Ron,(Y/N) and Harry. The Hogwarts ghosts sang Christmas songs in the hallways and exchanged happy greetings with passing students. Hermione and Shelena,both of whom had just finished packing,made their way to the Great Hall while pulling their luggage behind them and scanning the room for Ron,Harry and (Y/N). Since there were so little people in the hall,it made the girls' jobs much easier. They soon found the three sitting at the Gryffindor table playing chess. Technically,(Y/N) was helping Harry,but she wasn't much help since she wasn't the best at chess. "Knight to E-5." Harry told the chess piece. (Y/N) mouthed 'no,no,no!' To him,but he didn't pay attention. The knight did as it was told and Ron smirked lightly. "Queen to E-5." Hermione and Shelena,who had never played wizards chess before,watched as Ron's Queen piece slid across the board to the knight. She got up from her chair and swung it at the knight,which crumbled to pieces. Hermione's face scrunched up in indignation. "That's totally barbaric!" "That's wizards chess. I see you two've packed." "I see you two haven't." Shelena turned to (Y/N). "Change of plans." She answered. "Our parents decided to go to Romania to visit our brother Charlie. He's studying dragons there." "Good. You can help Harry then. He's going to go and look in the library for information on Nicholas Flamel." Hermione instructed. "We've looked a hundred times!" Ron moaned. Hermione bent down so that no one would hear her. "Not in the Restricted Section. Happy Christmas." She and Shelena turned to leave. (Y/N) gave a low whistle. "Never thought I'd live to see the day Hermione Granger broke a school rule!" Ron nodded as he looked at Harry. "I think we've had a bad influence on her."•••Next morning,Christmas day,dawned bright and cold. All was quiet,until...."HARRY,WAKE UP!" Ron shouted from the common room below his and Harry's dorm. "Come on Harry, wake up!" (Y/N) said in a much softer voice. The raven-haired boy sat up in bed and put on his glasses. He jumped out of bed and raced across the room and shot out of the already open door. "Happy Christmas,Harry." The twins grinned in unison. "Happy Christmas Ron,(Y/N). What are you two wearing?" "Oh,our mum made them. Looks like you've got one too." Harry's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. "I've got presents." He marvelled. "Yeah," (Y/N) spoke in a voice that people normally used on little children. Harry's grin widened as he disappeared down the stairs and reappeared in the common room. "There they are," Ron turned to the Christmas tree next to the fireplace. He reached for a carton of Bertie Botts Beans,but was beat to it by (Y/N),who shovelled about a dozen beans into her mouth. Harry opened his first present and slipped out a letter that came with it. "Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well." Harry tore open the wrapping paper and pulled out what seemed to be a silvery cloak-like object. "What is it?" Ron asked. "Some kind of cloak." Harry stared down at the cloak with interest. "Who cares what it is just put it on!" (Y/N) exclaimed,nearly falling off her chair in excitement. Ron nodded in agreement. "Well,let's see then. Put it on." Obliging,Harry swung the cloak onto his back. Much to the three's surprise,Harry's body disappeared! "Whoa.." Ron breathed,putting his snack down as he marvelled at the cloak. Harry couldn't believe his eyes. "My body's gone!" He said,not sure whether to be shocked,happy or scared. "I know what that is!" (Y/N) exclaimed excitedly. "That's an Invisibility Cloak! Hermione and Shelena made me research them." "I'm invisible?" Harry asked as he tried to locate his body. "They're really rare." Ron continued for (Y/N). "Wonder who gave it to you..." he wondered aloud. (Y/N) picked up the abandoned note and read it again. "There was no name. It just said...'use it well'." Harry replied,coming to stand next to the two. (Y/N),on the other hand,knew immediately who the sender was. The very same person gave her notes to schedule their next lesson,wrote her encouraging letters when she needed them,and she'd seen him write letters and sign documents when she was in his office. Dumbledore. After the Cloak,the friends exchanged gifts. Ron and (Y/N) had pooled their money and got Harry an assortment of candy that Fred and George had bought for them in Hogsmeade,Hermione gave him some Bertie Botts Beans,Shelena gave him a Quidditch book,Hagrid gave Harry a wooden flute,and the Dursley's gave him 50p. Harry gave Ron some more candy,and (Y/N) a picture of all five of their friends. Later that night,while his two friends were fast asleep,Harry did as Hermione suggested and crept out of bed and into the Restricted Section of the library. Only his hand,which was carrying a lamp,was visible,as the rest of his body was hidden by the Invisibility Cloak. Harry unbolted the door,a little unnerved by how loud the sound produced was. He muttered the names of books under his breath while trying to find a book that might contain any information about Nicholas Flamel. Harry pulled the cloak off while he wandered around. It was a clever object,but stiflingly hot to be under. His eyes flickered to a book that looked like it was suitable. He carefully placed the lantern down onto the ledge below him and his other hand reached for the book. The book opened and Harry began to read,but one of the pages turned into a face and began yelling loudly,possibly loud enough to wake the entire castle. He shut the book with a snap and placed it back on the shelf,hoping that no one had heard the yells. Of course,that would be impossible. "Who's there?!" Filch was right around the corner! Harry,in a state of panic,grabbed the Cloak carelessly. His lantern,which he'd placed on the Cloak,dropped onto the floor. "I know you're in there." Filch snarled. Harry could see the caretaker's shadow. "You can't hide." Harry could practically see the malicious grin on the man's face. That's when he remembered the Invisibility Cloak. He put it on and covered himself completely just as Filch rounded the corner. "Who is it? Show yourself!" Filch barked. Harry slowly took his first step. When the floorboards below him didn't creak,he took another step. Filch wandered in the opposite direction and Harry finally dared to breath. He crept along the wide walkway as silently as he could while Filch muttered insults to the air. After Harry got to the door of the library,he opened and closed it quickly. It made some noise,but hopefully not enough to alert Filch. He was about to run back to his dorm and tell the twins what had happened,but a soft meowing stopped him. He did a double take when he realised who it was. Mrs Norris,Filch's cat. Did Invisibility Cloaks work on animals? Harry didn't know. Why,why why had he not checked when (Y/N) told him to? Harry edged around Mrs Norris,who was now hissing and spitting in Harry's direction. He rounded another corner,only to see Snape with his hand around Quirell's neck. "Severus I thought..." the DADA teacher stuttered. "You don't want me as your enemy Quirell." Snape threatened,his grip on Quirell's neck tightening with each word. "W-what d'you m-mean?" the latter gasped. "You know perfectly well what I mean." Snape said hoarsely in his monotonous voice. By now,Harry was diagonally behind Snape. He couldn't believe his luck,Snape hadn't noticed him! But,he rejoiced too soon;Snape turned and looked directly at him. Whether Snape knew of the Cloak Harry didn't know,and didn't want to find out. His hand went to his mouth quicker than ever before. Snape reached out to grab at Harry Cloak,but missed it by just and inch. Harry's eyes widened as he tried to think of an excuse why he was out of bed at this hour,lest he be caught. He was saved when Snape gave up trying to catch him and turned back to Quirell. "We'll have another little chat soon," He said. "When you've had time to decide where your loyalties lie." The conversation ended there,because Filch came scurrying down the hallway. "Oh,professors," he gasped,slightly breathless but still grinning evilly. He held up Harry's lantern. "I found this in the Restricted Section. It's still hot. That means there's a student out of bed." Snape tensed,eyes widening with each word and he took off without another word,Quirell following at a slower pace. Harry went in the other direction,opening a door he hoped would lead to the Gryffindor common room. Lady Luck didn't seem to be Harry's side very often,and this definitely wasn't one of those rare times. He'd ended up in a room that he'd never seen before,very old and surrounded with pillars. He wandered around slowly,taking in the new sight. That's when he saw a mirror. It looked old;perhaps older than Hogwarts itself,and its edge was covered in gold. Harry stared into the mirror feeling something he'd never felt before. He saw some words engraved into the edge of the mirror,but couldn't understand. Instead,he focused on the mirror. Much to his surprise,two people materialised in the reflection. He turned to look behind him,but no one was there. He looked back to the mirror. The two people looked vaguely familiar. Who were they? That's when realisation struck and a small smile formed on his face. "Mum?" The red-headed woman grinned back. Harry turned to the man. "Dad?" He too smirked happily down at his son. His mother turned serious as Harry reached out to touch the mirror. He stroked it gently,as though scared he might break it if he dared to do anything else. Lilly Potter held her son's shoulder. Harry,forgetting it was all an illusion,pat his shoulder. He was slightly disappointed when he didn't feel his mother's hand resting below his. He looked back at the mirror,and smiled at his parents,who grinned back. After that,everything happened in a blur. Harry felt himself throwing on his Cloak and racing back to his dorm to wake Ron and (Y/N). "Ron! (Y/N)! Wake up! You've really got to see this!" (Y/N) woke up first and sat up groggily. "Wh-whazz happening?" She asked tiredly as she slipped out of bed to help Harry wake Ron up. Harry shook Ron's shoulder roughly,but to no avail. (Y/N) chuckled and pushed Harry aside gently. "Trust me," she said. "I've been doing this for the past eight years. She inhaled deeply and shouted:"RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY WAKE UP!! VIKTOR KRUM IS OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW AND WANTS TO PLAY QUIDDITCH WITH YOU!" That's all it took. Ron shot out of bed faster than Harry had ever seen him do anything and ran straight to the window. "Where? Can you get Fred or George's broom for me?" He asked eagerly. Harry wasted no time in grabbing Ron's arm and dragging him off before he had the chance to fall back asleep,(Y/N) jogging behind them. Harry pulled the Cloak over their heads and brought them to the mirror he'd been to earlier. "Come on,come. Come look,it's my parents. The three stopped in front of the mirror. "I only see us." Ron said dazedly. (Y/N) nodded in agreement. "Yeah,for the first time in my life,I think I agree with Ron." "Look in properly you two. Go on,stand there." He pulled the twins to the side. Ron was the first to speak. "There,you see them,don't you?" "That's me!" Ron exclaimed happily. "Only I'm Head Boy. And I'm holding the Quidditch Cup. And bloody hell! I'm Quidditch captain too. I look good." Ron said dreamily. (Y/N) scoffed and rolled her eyes. "The day you look good is the day I start liking pink frilly dresses and begin dreaming of happily ever afters and waiting for my knight in shining armour to save me." "But you don't like any of those things." Ron said in a confused manner. "Yes Ron. And I'll never like them. Just like how you'll never look good. Now lemme see what's in that mirror!" (Y/N) shoved Ron aside and looked into the mirror. Her mouth sagged and she stiffened with shock. "What's wrong?" Harry asked. "I-I'm just seeing you,Harry and Ron, Hermione,Shelena,that Hufflepuff girl,Lisa,the one I met on the train,and some Slytherin girl. You're all surrounding me and we all look really happy. But I'm not friends with any Slytherin girls,and Lisa and I aren't even that close! And I think we look around... 17,maybe 18?" Ron's eyes widened and he looked as though a light bulb had gone off above his head. "Harry,do you think this mirror shows the future?" He suggested. "How can it? Both my parents are dead." "But maybe they'll be brought back to life? If that's even possible,that is." (Y/N) murmured,still trying to find out who the Slytherin girl in the mirror was. "By the way,(N/N),can you describe the girl? The Slytherin one?" "Umm, brown hair with green and silver streaks at the end,green eyes,very lightly tanned skin,wears glasses." Ron's face paled slightly. "That's Saskia Fernsby." "Who?" Harry asked. "Her dad's Aaron Fernsby. Used to work for You-Know-Who,but claims he was under the Imperius Curse. Saskia is one of Malfoy's best friends." (Y/N) looked shocked but realisation waved over her. "Oh...I remember now! I comforted her in the halls the other day,because her father went to Azkaban!"