Tory Potter and the Pathological Liar

Nicolas Flamel

"Suspicious" was the first word that came to mind when Harry packed the invisibility cloak at the bottom of his trunk. Did he really intend to not use it again?

I asked to borrow it, since it was from our father, but Harry advised me to stop seeing Fluffy since I had Terrance now. I secretly refused.

Harry started having nightmares. Over and over again, he dreamed about his parents disappearing in a flash of green light while a high voice cackled with laughter.

"You see, Dumbledore was right. That mirror could drive you mad," Ron said when Harry told us about these dreams.

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 being out of bed, roaming the school three nights in a row ("If Filch had caught you!"), and disappointment that he hadn't at least found out who Nicolas Flamel was.

She, upon seeing Terrance for the first time, tried smashing the poor acromantula with the heaviest book she had at her immediate disposal - the potions book.

My hand took the blow for Terrance, who scuttled up my sleeve and then onto my head. "Are you mad, Hermione?! You can't just hit Terrance like that! You could have killed him!"

"Yes, indeed," the acromantula agreed as he eyed the muggleborn warily.

"It talks!" She gasped.

"He," I corrected, a bit sick and tired of having to do that every time I introduced Terrance to someone. "He is an acromantula named Terrance, and I'm his human escort for a year."

"O-oh, I see." Hermione blushed as she set her book down. "I-I apologize for trying to kill you. I thought you were…"

"Yes, that happens quite often since I am smaller than my brethren," Terrance said stiffly.

Hermione was then told by my brother and Ron that I had been sneaking out every night to go see Fluffy, and that really got her riled up ("All the points you could have lost us!"). She was then distracted, once again, by Nicolas Flamel and how we would have to continue searching.

The first breakfast back, everyone seemed back to Hogwarts, even Malfoy and his crew.

"What's that you've got on your head, Potter?" He asked as he passed by the table. "A bug?"

"I'll have you know, boy, that I'm an acromantula," Terrance said with the utmost annoyance.

Malfoy nearly jumped back. "Wh-wha-"

Even Crabbe and Goyle looked shocked.

"It spoke!" Malfoy exclaimed.

"That's it!" I yelled as I stood up abruptly, gaining the attention of practically everyone in the great hall. "I shall not stand another person calling Terrance an "it"! He is an acromantula! He is living with me for the next year, and if I hear so much of a whisper of you disrespecting him, we shall have words!" I then stormed out with Terrance still on my head, clicking his pinchers in excitement.

"Yes, I picked the right human," the acromantula muttered to himself.

In any case, we had almost given up hope of ever finding Nicolas Flamel in a library book, even though Harry and I were still sure we'd read the name somewhere. Once term had started, we were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during our breaks.

Harry and I had even less time than the other two because quidditch practice for Harry and private tutoring for me had started again.

Oliver was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasleys complained that Oliver was becoming a fanatic, but Harry was on Oliver's side. If they win their next match against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the house championship for the first time in seven years.