𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 - Harry Potter x Fem!Reader¹

13.. NICOLAS FLAMEL

Dumbledore had convinced Y/N not to go looking for the Mirror of Erised again, and for the rest of the Christmas holidays the invisibility cloak stayed folded at the bottom of her trunk. Y/N wished she could forget what she'd seen in the mirror as easily, but she couldn't. She started having nightmares. Over and over again she dreamed about her parents disappearing in a flash of green light, while a high voice cackled with laughter.

"You see, Dumbledore was right, that mirror could drive you mad," said Ron, when Y/N told him about these dreams.

Hermione, who came back the day before term started, took a different view of things. She was torn between horror at the idea of Y/N being out of bed, roaming the school two nights in a row ("If Filch had caught you!"), and disappointment that Y/N hadn't at least found out who Nicolas Flamel was.

They had almost given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a library book. Once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks. Y/N had even less time than the other three, because Quidditch practice had started again.

Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic, but Y/N was on Wood's side. If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the house championship for the first time in seven years. Quite apart from wanting to win, Y/N found that she had fewer nightmares when she was tired out after training.

Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave the team a bit of bad news. He'd just gotten very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.

"Will you stop messing around!" he yelled. "That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!"

George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words.

"Snape's refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud. "When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin."

The rest of the team landed next to George to complain, too.

"It's not my fault," said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us."

Which was all very well, thought Y/N, but she had another reason for not wanting Snape near her while she was playing Quidditch....

The rest of the team hung back to talk to one another as usual at the end of practice, but Y/N headed straight back to the Gryffindor common room, where she found Ron and Hermione playing chess while Harry was watching them with his head propped up by his hand. Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Y/N, Harry, and Ron all thought was very good for her.

"Don't talk to me for a moment," said Ron when Y/N sat down next to Hermione, "I need to concen --" He caught sight of Y/N's face. "What's the matter with you? You look terrible."

Hermione and Harry looked up.

Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Y/N told the other three about Snape's sudden, sinister desire to be a Quidditch referee.

"Don't play," said Hermione at once.

"Say you're ill," said Ron.

"Pretend to break your leg," Harry suggested.

"Really break your leg," said Ron.

"I can't," said Y/N. "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all."