Hally Potter

Chapter 15

New Discoveries

Christmas break we spent together as Ron tried his best to start learning sign language, too. We had two whole days when we only used sign. I also helped them start learning to bake, but it went pretty bad, so I stopped. Once school started back up, I immediately thanked the twins. They told me they ate their cakes in only three days and made me laugh before promising to make them more eventually.

The rest of the school year til now has flown by. My friends and I continued meeting on Wednesday, and the twins designated that Saturdays were for them. Saturdays were also the days I decided to allow the snakes to roam the castle. At first, I watched them and kept them near, but eventually, I realized they just tended to end up outside and usually at Hagrids.

Now I'm sitting in the library after finally convincing the boys to read. The three of us are reading peacefully when Hermione suddenly appears with a huge book and thumps it onto the table, making Harry jump and me flinch. She says sorry quickly before moving on, "I had you looking in the wrong section. How could I be so stupid? I checked this out a few weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"This is light?" Ron exclaims as Hemrione flips through the pages, "Of course! Here it is!" She says before reading from the pages. "Nicholas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone." She reads aloud. "The what?" Ron asks, confused as I tilt my head confused.

"Honestly, don't you read?" She says before reading more. "The Philosopher's Stone is a legendary substance with astonishing powers. It'll transform any metal into pure gold and produce the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal." Ron looks at her, "immortal?" He asks. "It means you'll never die," she explains, "I know what it means!" Ron shouts, making me giggle a little. Harey shushes him before I urge Hermione on.

"The only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicholas Flamel, the noted alchemist who last year celebrated his 665th birthday." She reads before gasping, "That's what Fluffy's guarding on the 3rd floor. That's what's under the trapdoor. The Philosopher's Stone." She says. We all look at each other, our faces holding concern. We decided then and there to visit Hagrid tonight.

Later that night, we run across the castle grounds to Hagrid's hut. As we arrived, we instantly knock. Hagrid, who is wearing an apron and oven mitts, opens it from the inside. "Hagrid!" Harry shouts. "Oh, hello, sorry, don't wish to be rude, but I'm in no fit state to entertain today." Hagrid says before starting to shut the door.

"We know about the Philosopher's Stone!" The three of them exclaim, as Hagrid opens the door again, all he says is Oh before welcoming us in. "We think Snape's trying to steal it." Harry tells, "Snape? Blimey, yer not still on about him, are yeh?" Hagrid asks. "Hagrid, we know he's after the Stone. We just don't know why." Harry explains. "Snape is one of the teachers protecting the Stone. He's not about to steal it." Hagrid tells us. My jaw drops, "What?" Harry says, shocked.

"You heard. Right. Come on, now, I'm a bit preoccupied today." Hagrid says, "Wait a minute," Harry says, making me sit down on the floor next to Fang. As I pet him, Harry questions him more, "One of the teachers?" Hermione from the large chair she is sitting in pipes in, "Of course! There are other things defending the Stone, aren't there? Spells, enchantments." She realizes.

"That's right. Waste of bloody time, if yeh ask me." Hagrid says before continuing, "Ain't no one gonna get past Fluffy. Hehe. 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." A cauldron over a fire begins to rattle, "oh!" Hagrid shouts as he hurries over and grabs something. "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!" He says as he places it on the table. It's an egg I realize as I stand up and walk towards it.

We crowd around it, "Uh, Hagrid, what exactly is that?" Harry asks as I look at it with my head tilted. "That? It's a... it's, um..." He stutters. "I know what that is! But, Hagrid, how did you get one?" Ron exclaims, shocked. "I won it. Off a stranger I met down at a pub. Seemed quite glad to be rid of it, as a matter of fact."

The egg rattles and cracks. Pieces fly off as a dragon emerges. It squeaks and slips on an egg piece. "Is that...a dragon?" Hermione asks, astonished. Ron surprisingly answers, "That's not just a dragon. That's a Norwegian Ridgeback! My brother Charlie works with these in Romania."

Hagrid looks fancy down at the baby dragon, "Isn't he beautiful? Oh. Bless him, look. He knows his mummy. Hehe. Hallo, Norbert." The dragon squeaks as he looks at Hagrid. "Norbert?" Harry asks, looking up at Hagrid, "Yeah, well, he's got to have a name, doesn't he?" Hagrid says, still looking fawnly at the baby dragon. Ron laughs as I look at the cute creature. "Don't you, Norbert?" Hagrid asks before he raises fingers back and forth across Norberts chin.

Norbert backs away, hiccups, and blows a fireball of fire into Hagrid's beard. "Ohh! Oooh, ooh, ooh, well...he'll have to be trained up a bit, of course." Hagrid says. As Norbert hiccups, Hagrid looks out the window. I follow his trail of vision and nudge Harry, "Who's that?" Hagrid asks. The rest of the group look, "Malfoy." Harry says. "Oh dear..." Hagrid says.

As we walk back to the castle, we reach a corridor and suddenly hear an owl screech. "Hagrid always wanted a dragon. He told me the first time I met him." Harry says, making me nod repeatedly in agreement. "It's crazy. And worse, Malfoy knows." Ron says to us, "I don't understand. Is that bad?" Harry asks. I look at my dumb brother shocked he hasn't realized, "It's bad." Ron answers, making me nod in agreement again.

We stop as McGonagall, in her nightgown, appears. "Good evening," She says as we stand in front of her, Malfoy then appears looking smugly next to her. "Come," She says, leading us through the castle and to her classroom. My group stands in front of her desk as Malfoy is a couple of steps away, smirking. "Nothing, I repeat, nothing gives a student the right to walk about the school at night. Therefore, as punishment for your actions, 50 points will be taken." McGonagall scolds.

"50?!" Harry asks, shocked as I frown. "Each. And to ensure it doesn't happen again, all five of you will receive detention." She continues scolding. As I process her words first, I smirk, then Malfoy nods as he processes the words, and his smirk drops. "Excuse me, Professor. Perhaps I heard you wrong. I thought you said..."The five of us." He says.

McGonagall looks at the boy, "No, you heard me correctly, Mr. Malfoy. You see, as honorable as your intentions were, you too were out of bed after hours. You will serve detention with your classmates." She replies. Hermione, Harry, Ron, and I grin as Malfoy sags solemnly.