CRIMSON TEARS | Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone [1]

𝘅𝘃𝗶𝗶𝗶 | 𝗵𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗱'𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗻

Quirrell, it seemed, was braver than they had thought; weeks went by and none of them had heard anything about the stone. Gwen and Ron's birthdays rolled around, exactly seven days apart, and the Weasley twins had stolen some cakes from the kitchens so that they could celebrate together. By the time the Easter holidays had come, Hermione had much more on her mind than the Philosopher's stone. She had started drawing up study timetables and colour coding her notes. Gwen was too busy learning new charms and hexes, while Harry and Ron spent most of their time yawning and moaning about the workloads teachers had been setting.

'We've got ages,' Ron said to Hermione one day when they were in the library. 'Why are you studying?'

'Why am I studying? Are you crazy? We have ten weeks. That's a second to Nicolas Flamel. I should have started a month ago. I don't know what's gotten into me.'

'We're not six hundred years old,' Gwen told her. She leaned back in her chair, practising diffindo on a blank piece of parchment, watching as it sliced cleanly into tiny bits.

'I'll never remember this,' Ron groaned, slumping in his chair. He looked longingly out the window; it was the first nice day they'd had in months, and it would've been lovely to be spending it outside.

'Everill?'

Gwen looked up, coming face to face with Theodore Nott. The other three had looked up as well, almost glaring at him. It was no secret he was friends with Malfoy, and Gwen understood why her friends would be hostile. He paid no attention to them though, instead asking Gwen if he could speak to her for a moment. She nodded, following him to the other side of the library.

'What's up?'

Nott looked her in the eye.

'Who's Nicolas Flamel?'

Gwen froze. She felt her mouth drop, her hair begin to fade to blue, but she steeled it as quickly as it happened.

'Who?'

'Don't play dumb. It was on the back of the card. It wasn't Dumbledore you reacted to like that.'

'I know that Harry's collecting the cards,' she told him, though she was struggling to even believe herself. 'I didn't know if he had Dumbledore yet.'

Nott smirked. 'You underestimate me. It's insulting.'

'So be it,' she said. 'You're reading too far into something innocent. Now if that's all--'

'Secrets have a sly way of revealing themselves, Everill,' he said. 'Don't think you can keep them forever.'

Gwen walked away, ignoring him.

'He was looking at dragons,' Ron was saying as she returned.

'He's always wanted a dragon,' Harry said. Gwen took her seat next to him. 'He told me when I first met him.'