Merlin's Snake: The Philosopher's Stone

Nicholas Flamel

After seeing the mirror, the invisibility cloaks stayed folded at the bottom of Faye and Harry's trunks for the rest of the holiday.

Faye wished she could forget what he'd seen in the mirror as easily, but she couldn't. She started having nightmares. Over and over again she dreamed about her family, together. Connor her mentor and Zeidan cured of their curses. Io:nhiòte finally able to be with the one she loved, her parents alive, her friends around her. She dreamed of them laughing, having the time of their lives, then of her parents shoving her in a cupboard, and disappearing in the flash of green light. Her mentor becoming young again, Zeidan growing pale, his fangs flashing out once more. Connor ripping himself away from Io:nhiòte and snarling at her, his dark brown eyes tinting amber.

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

They had almost given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a library book, even though Faye was still sure she'd read the name somewhere. Once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks. Faye and Harry had even less time than the other two, because Quidditch practice had started again.

Flint was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The rest of the team complained that Flint was becoming a fanatic, but Harry was on Flint's side.

If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Ravenclaw in the house championship for the first time in seven years he had explained. And Faye found out she had fewer nightmares when she was tired out after training.

Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Flint gave the team a bit of bad news. He'd just gotten very angry with the Beaters, 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 Slytherin!"

Aria Perry really did fall off her broom at these words.

"Snape's refereeing?" she spluttered through a mouthful of mud.

"When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair when we have Potter and Adder on the team! He hates them, screw winning the cup!" The rest of the team landed next to Aria to complain, too.

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

The rest of the team hung back to talk to one another as usual at the end of practice, but Faye and Harry headed straight back to the Epoch common room, where they found Ron and Hermione playing chess. Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something they all thought was very good for her.

"Don't talk to me for a moment," said Ron when Harry sat down next to him, "I need to concen—" He caught sight of Harry's face.

"What's the matter with you? You look terrible."

Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Harry and Faye told the other two 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," Hermione suggested.

"Really break your leg," said Ron.