"Harry's up! Come on!" Ron shouted, pulling Petunia, Hermione and December up. Without another word they all bolted over to the hospital wing in time to see Professor Dumbledore leaving.
"Professor Dumbledore, sir. Is Harry awake?" Petunia asked, looking up at his twinkling eyes behind his half moon spectacles.
"Why yes he is." He smiled, wandering off down the hall with a whistle. The four grinned as they knocked on the door of the infirmary.
"Harry is not ready to see people yet!" Madam Pomfrey said, but she turned around when a muffled voice said something. "Oh alright." She sighed, opening the door.
"Harry!" They shouted, running over to see him.
Hermione looked ready to fling her arms around him again, but as he looked so sore she held back.
"Oh, Harry, we were sure you were going to -- Dumbledore was so worried--" Hermione gushed.
"The whole school's talking about it," said Ron. "What really happened?"
It was one of those rare occasions when the true story is even more strange and exciting than the wild rumors. Harry told them everything: Quirrell; the mirror; the Stone; and Voldemort. The four were a very good audience; they gasped in all the right places, and when Harry told them what was under Quirrell's turban, December got so scared her hair went white.
"So the Stone's gone?" said Petunia finally. "Flamel's just going to die ?"
"That's what I said, but Dumbledore thinks that -- what was it? -- 'to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.'"
"I always said he was off his rocker," said Ron, looking quite impressed at how crazy Dumbledore was.
"So what happened to you three?" said Harry.
"Well, I got back all right," said Hermione. "We brought Ron round, which didnt take long since Petunia thought of dumping him in the troll room and having the stink wake him. And then we were flew up to Fluffy's room where Pete got attacked, so Ron took her here. I continied dashing up to the owlery to contact Dumbledore when I met him in the entrance hall -- he already knew -- he just said, 'Harry's gone after him, hasn't he?' and hurtled off to the third floor."
"D'you think he meant you to do it?" said Ron. "Sending you your father's cloak and everything?"
"Well," Petunia exploded, "if he did -- I mean to say that's terrible -- you could have been killed."
"No, it isn't," said Harry thoughtfully. "He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don't think it was an accident he let me find out how the mirror worked. It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could..."
"Yeah, Dumbledore's off his rocker, all right," said Ron proudly. "Listen, you've got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Slytherin won, of course -- you missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you -- but the food'll be good."
At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over.
"You've had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT" she said firmly. The four went out, annoyed but relieved they got to see Harry. That night was the large year end feast and to their pleasure Harry showed up. The Great Hall was already full by then. It was decked out in the Slytherin colors of green and silver to celebrate Slytherin's winning the house cup for the seventh year in a row. A huge banner showing the Slytherin serpent covered the wall behind the High Table.
