After Our Eyes Met

Chapter Thirteen

"I had you looking in the wrong section." Hermione walked over to Ron, Harry, and Hollyn sitting at a table in the library. "How could I be so stupid?" She dropped the enormous book she had been carrying on the table. "I checked it out weeks ago for a bit of light reading." She opened the book.

"This is light?" Ron questioned and Hermione only looked at him before she started reading off of the page she wanted.

Hollyn could tell Hermione was getting tired of his questions. Sometimes Ron could seem daft and Hermione always grew annoyed with his comments.

"Of course, here it is!" She tapped the page. "Nicholas Flamel is the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone.

"The what?" The three on the right side of the table asked in unison.

"Honestly," Hermione rolled her eyes at her friends, "don't any of you read?"

"Only when forced to." Hollyn answered. They all three looked at her. "Continue." Hollyn told Hermione with a weak smile.

"The Sorcerer's Stone is a legendary substance with astonishing powers. It can transform any metal into pure gold and produces the elixir of life, which will make the drinker immortal." She read from the book.

"Immortal?"

"It means you'll never die." Hermione told Ron.

"I know what it means!" Ron quickly came to his own defense.

"Shh!" Harry and Hollyn shushed Ron who had forgotten they were still in a library.

"The only stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicholas Flamel, the noted alchemist, who last year celebrated his 6665th birthday." Hermione looked up from the book. "That's what Fluffy's guarding on the third floor. That's what's under the trapdoor—the Sorcerer's Stone."

- - -

Late that night the group of four ran to Hagrid's cottage at the bottom of the hill. Harry ran up the steps and knocked on the wooden door three times.

The door opened and they didn't wait a moment. "Hagrid!"

"Oh, hello." He said to the small children. "Sorry, don't wish to be rude, but I'm in no fit state to entertain today." He went to close the door but all four of them spoke up at the same time.

"We know about the Sorcerer's Stone!" They said before the door could completely shut on their faces.

Hagrid opened the door for them. "Oh." He walked inside and the four followed him.

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

"Snape? Blimey, you're not still on about him, are you?" They all took a seat in the over sized furniture near the hearth.

"Hagrid, we know he's after the stone. We just don't know why." Harry insisted.

"Snape is one of the teachers protecting the stone. He's not about to steal it." Hagrid explained.

"What?"

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

"Wait a minute. One of the teachers?"

"Of course!" Hermione spoke up from the leather chair she was sharing with Hollyn. "There are other things defending the stone, aren't there? Spells, enchantments."

"That's right." Hagrid said. "Waste of bloody time, if you ask me." Hollyn tried to listen to what Hagrid was saying but she was busy watching the slobbering dog lick Ron's face. "Ain't no one gonna get past Fluffy. Ain't a soul knows how, except for me and Dumbledore. I shouldn't have told you that. I should not have told you that."

The pot over the hearth suddenly started rattling and they all peered over into the hearth to see why. Hagrid grabbed an oval shaped item out of the pot.

"Oh! Ooh! Oh!" He carried a black egg over to the table. He sat down at the table and the kids ran over to see it.

"Uh, Hagrid, what exactly is that?"

"That? It's a—it's, um—"

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

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

The egg rattled and started cracking. They all jumped back as fragments of the agh shell broke at out in every direction.

A slimy, green lizard with wings stepped onto the table. It screeched as it almost slipped on a piece of the shell.

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

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

"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid smiled down on the creature with proud eyes. "Oh, bless him. Look, he knows his mummy." Hagrid chuckled. "Hello, Norbert."

"Norbert?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, well, he's got to have a name, doesn't he?"

"He looks more like an Oscar." Hollyn thought out loud.

"Norbert is a fitting name." Hagrid argued back and rubbed Norbert's chin. The dragon had a small hiccup that made him blow fire all over Hagrid's beard. "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Well. He'll have to be trained up a bit, of course."

Hollyn slowly ran her hand over the dragon's back. It's wings speed and he turned to muzzle his snout against her finger.

"Who's that?" Hagrid asked looking out the window. When they all turned to face the boy in the window, they all saw the blonde move his head away from the window.

"Malfoy."