The Sister

Chapter 18

Soon the holidays ended and school started up again. We are seated in the library, reading. Hermione comes up with a huge book. She thumps it onto the table. Harry jumps. "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." Hermione said. "This is light?" Ron asked, surprised. "Of course! Here it is! Nicholas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!" Hermione said reading from the book. "The what?" Ron and Harry asked. "Honestly, don't you two read? The Philosopher's Stone is a legendary substance with astonishing powers. It will turn any metal into pure gold and produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal." Hermione red. "Immortal?" Ron said. "It means you'll never die." Hermione said. "I know what it means!" Ron snapped. "Ssshhh!" Harry hissed. "The only stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicholas Flamel, the noted alchemist, who last year celebrated his 665th birthday! That's what Fluffy's guarding on the 3rd floor. That's what's under the trapdoor...the Philosopher's Stone!" Hermione said. We all look at each other. That night we snuck across the law to Hagrid's hut. "Hagrid!" Harry called. "Oh, hello. Sorry, don't wish to be rude, but I'm in no fit state to entertain today." Hagrid said and closed the door. "We know about the Philosopher's Stone!" We all said. "Oh." Hagrid said and let us in. "We think Snape's trying to steal it." Harry said. "Snape? Blimey, Harry, you're not still on about him, are you?" Hagrid asked. "Hagrid, we know he's after the Stone. We just don't know why." Harry said. "Snape is one of the teachers protecting the Stone! He's not about to steal it!" Hagrid said. "What?"   "You heard. Right. Come on, now, I'm a bit preoccupied today." Hagrid said, shooing us away. "Wait a minute. One of the teachers?" Harry asked. "Of course! There are other things defending the Stone, aren't there? Spells, enchantments." Hermione said. "That's right. Waste of bloody time, if you ask me." Hagrid said. "Ain't no one gonna get past Fluffy. Hehe, not a soul knows how. Except for me and Dumbledore. I shouldn't have told you that. I shouldn't have told you that." Hagrid said. A cauldron over a fire begins to rattle. Hagrid hurries over and grabs something puts the thing, an egg, on the table. We crowds around the table as the egg shook. "Uh, Hagrid, what exactly is that?" Harry asked. "That? It's a ... its um..." Hagrid trailed off. "I know what that is! But Hagrid, how did you get one?" Ron exclaimed. "I won it. Off a stranger I met down at a pub. Seemed quite glad to be rid off it, as a matter of fact." Hagrid said. 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 asked. "That's not just a dragon. That's a Norwegian Ridgeback! My brother Charlie works with these in Romania." Ron said, excited. "Isn't he beautiful? Oh. Bless him, look. He knows his mummy. Hehe. Hallo, Norbert." The dragon squeaks as it looks at Hagrid. "Norbert?" Harry asked. "Yeah, well, he's got to have a name, doesn't he? Don't you, Norbert?" Hagrid said, raising his fingers back and forth across Norbert's 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 said. I look up and I see someone looked thru the window. Hagrid also saw them. "Who's that?" Hagrid asked. "Malfoy." Harry said as he looked out the window. "Oh, dear." Hagrid said. "Hagrid if he saw Norbert they're going to try to take him away from you. Let me take him with me and I'll hide him until they know you don't have him." I said. The other three went outside to sneak back inside to the dorm. "But you can't possibly take care of him all day." Hagrid said. "I can't but I can look after him until the search your hut. I got this. I have a fire proofing cage that he can sit in during the day so he doesn't roast anyone. What does he need to eat?" I asked. "Anything really." Hagrid said. "Okay. I'll bring him to you tomorrow night." I said. He nodded and I carefully picked up the scaly ball that was Norbert. He burrowed his head into my side as I slipped him under my robes.