Draco told Harry, Ron and Hermione what happened at home when he got back to school the same day as Hermione. He said that from now on he was to stay at school over the holidays unless it was the Summer. His Father didn't want him at home any more.
It was one rainy day that they were looking for Flamel in a book that they had borrowed from the library. When Neville suddenly toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognised at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor Tower.
Everyone fell about laughing except Hermione, who leapt up and performed the counter-curse. Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling.
'What happened?' Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit
with Harry, Ron and Draco.
'Goyle,' said Neville shakily. 'I met him outside the library. He
said he'd been looking for someone to practise that on.'
'Go to Professor McGonagall!' Hermione urged Neville. 'Report
him!'
Neville shook his head.
'I don't want more trouble,' he mumbled.
'You've got to stand up to him, Neville!' said Ron. 'He's used to
walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier.'
'There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Goyle's already done that,' Neville choked.
Harry felt in the pocket of his robes and pulled out a Chocolate Frog, the very last one from the box Hermione had given him for Christmas. He gave it to Neville, who looked as though he might cry.
'You're worth twelve of Goyle,' Harry said. 'The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Goyle? In stinking Slytherin.'
Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the Frog.
'Thanks, Harry ... I think I'll go to bed ... D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?'
As Neville walked away Harry looked at the Famous Wizard card. 'Dumbledore again,' he said. 'He was the first one I ever –'
He gasped. He stared at the back of the card. Then he looked up at Ron, Draco and Hermione.
'I've found him!' he whispered. 'I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here – listen to this: "Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel"!'
Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd got back the marks for their very first piece of home- work.
'Stay there!' she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Harry and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms. 'I never thought to look in here!' she whispered excitedly. 'I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading.'
'Light?' said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself.
At last she found what she was looking for.
'I knew it! I knew it!'
'Are we allowed to speak yet?' said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him.
'Nicolas Flamel,' she whispered dramatically, 'is the only known
maker of the Philosopher's Stone!'
This didn't have quite the effect she'd expected.
'The what?' said Harry and Ron.
'Oh, I heard Father mentioned it in the Summer.' Draco murmured.
'Oh, honestly, don't you three read? Look – read that, there.' She pushed the book towards them, and Harry, Ron and Draco read:
The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with
making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary
substance with astonishing powers. The Stone
will transform any metal into pure gold. It also
produces the Elixir of Life, which will make
the drinker immortal.
There have been many reports of the Philosopher's
Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently
in existence belongs to Mr Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera-lover. Mr Flamel, who
celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday
last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife,
Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).
'See?' said Hermione, when Harry, Draco and Ron had finished. 'The dog must be guarding Flamel's Philosopher's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it. That's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!'
'A stone that makes gold and stops you ever dying!' said Harry. 'No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it.'
'And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry,' said Ron. 'He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?'
Next morning in Defence Against the Dark Arts, while copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites, Harry, Ron and Draco were still discussing what they'd do with a Philosopher's Stone if they had one. It wasn't until Ron said he'd buy his own Quidditch team that Harry remembered about Snape and the coming match.
'I'm going to play,' he told Ron, Hermione and Draco. 'If I don't, all the Slytherins will think I'm just too scared to face Snape. I'll show them ... it'll really wipe the smiles off their faces if we win.'
'Just as long as we're not wiping you off the pitch,' said Hermione.
'Good point, Granger.' Draco trying not to start laughing.
***
Ron, Hermione and Draco, meanwhile, had found a place in the stands next to Neville, who couldn't understand why they looked so grim and worried, or why they had all brought their wands to the match. Little did Harry know that Ron, Hermione and Draco had been secretly practising the Leg-Locker Curse. They'd got the idea from Goyle using it on Neville, and were ready to use it on Snape if he showed any sign of wanting to hurt Harry.
'Now, don't forget, it's Locomotor Mortis,' Hermione muttered as Ron slipped his wand up his sleeve.
'I know,' Ron snapped. 'Don't nag.'
'Ron! Draco!' said Hermione suddenly. 'Harry –!'
'What?'
'Where?'
Harry had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew
gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, as Harry streaked towards the ground like a bullet.
'Come on, Harry!' Hermione screamed, leaping on to her seat to watch as Harry sped straight at Snape. Up in the air, Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches – next second, Harry had pulled out of the dive, his arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in his hand.
The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly.
'Ron! Draco! Where are you? The game's over! Harry's won! We've won! Gryffindor are in the lead!' shrieked Hermione, dancing up and down on her seat and hugging Parvati Patil in the row in front.
Harry jumped off his broom, a foot from the ground. As Gryffindors came spilling onto the pitch, they saw Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped
***
'Harry where have you been?' Hermione squeaked.
'We won! You won! We won!' shouted Ron, thumping Harry on the back. 'And I gave Goyle a black eye and Neville tried to take on Crabbe single-handed! He's still out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right – talk about showing Slytherin! Everyone's waiting for you in the common room, we're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens.'
'Never mind that now,' said Harry breathlessly. 'Let's find an empty room, you wait 'til you hear this ...'
'So we were right, it is the Philosopher's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy – and he said something about Quirrell's "hocus- pocus" – I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell which Snape needs to break through –'
'So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?' said Hermione in alarm.
'It'll be gone by next Tuesday,' said Ron.
'It can't be. We have to do something.' Draco cried out.
YOU ARE READING
Draco Malfoy: Year 1 (Alternate Reality)
FanfictionDraco Malfoy has just been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But he is supposed to follow his family into Slytherin and become a Death Eater when he is older. But something has gone wrong, he has been sorted into Gryffindor...
