A new beginning

Winter Break Begins

"I'm telling you," said Harry, trying to fight the irritation out of his voice, "he said it was not him."

"And I don't believe him," answered Ron. "Why do you anyway?" Ron was also annoyed now. Both he and Harry were facing each other. Hermione continued to sit on the ground, legs crossed, looking up at them, not saying anything.

"Because " was all that Harry answered. He did not want to explain himself to Ron. He would have to reveal too much, and he was not ready for that. "I just do, alright."

"But how can you?" Ron's face was red, nearly matching the colour of his hair. "Did you not see him limping? What about how much he hates you?" He stared at Harry for a second. "I thought you hated him too, that git."

"Well, I don't." Harry could feel his neck heating up at that admission. It was his turn to scream back. Ever since he came back from his latest detention with Snape, Ron had yelled question after question at him.

"Hermione, say something please." Ron was now looking at the seated girl, pleading with his hands. But she said nothing. Instead, she picked up the book that laid forgotten on her lap and closed it as she stood up. The only thing she did say was a short "Goodnight" as she spun around and made her way to the staircase leading to the girl's dormitories, leaving both boys stunned and annoyed.

...

The next morning, the grounds were covered in snow, reminding everyone that Christmas break was near. Harry's and Ron's bad moods had dramatically decreased overnight, yet, they quickly rekindled after a small row they had over some news Ron received by owl.

The week before, Professor McGonagall passed a list for students intending to stay over the break to fill out. Harry had been delighted to find out that Ron and his brothers would be staying as well since their parents would be visiting Charlie in Romania. The news from this morning stated that plans had changed. Ron and his brothers were no longer staying. There was not a lot of information on the reason why, but Harry would now stay alone. That in itself was not the issue, however. He would much rather stay at Hogwarts than go back to Privet Drive. The issue was that now he, and only he, was entrusted with the task of finding more information on Nicolas Flamel. He, of course, tried his best to sort of explain why he could not be the one in charge of such a task. He gave as many excuses as he could think of, short of actually telling his friends the real reason behind his hesitation.

Unlike the night before, Hermione joined this discussion, siding with Ron. That made it impossible for Harry to find good arguments. So in the end, he agreed, hoping that some miracle would occur and he did not have to carry out any part of the plan the three of them had concocted.

....

The two weeks remaining until the Christmas break passed quickly and mostly uneventfully, making Harry forget his worries about their plan. So far, the three of them managed to sneak little searches through the library without getting caught. Harry had also finished his detentions, only adding an extra day when Snape found him holding onto Malfoy's robes after he insulted Ron's family. Weirdly enough, Snape had not brought up anything they discussed that one night. Nothing about Fluffy, or the third floor, nor about Nicolas Flamel. That meant Harry would have to continue the search on his own. And now, every time he thought about it, with the castle slowly emptying, Harry could only think of how much easier it would be for Snape to find him. And that made his stomach flip.

...

After a few hours of sitting in his dormitory, Harry decided to use his first couple of days of freedom to attempt to find any and as much information as he could on Nicolas Flamel. That way, if he was able to find some information, he could actually enjoy the rest of his break for things such as perfecting his magical chest skills. But for now, he would go to the library.