The Weasley of Slytherin: The Philosopher's Stone

Chapter 15: Flamel

"They was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' their family."

"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape silkily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, five points from Slytherin and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you."

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past my still outstretched hand and the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking.

"I'll get him," said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back, "one of these days, I'll get him —"

"Count me in on that mate." I said thinking of all the ways I could get back at him. I just needed to learn how to magically light him on fire.

"I hate them both," said Harry, "Malfoy and Snape."

"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat."

So the four of us followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.

"Ah, Hagrid, the last tree — put it in the far corner, would you?"

The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.

"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked.

"Just one," said Hermione. "And that reminds me — Harry, Ron, (Y/n) we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."

"Oh yeah, you're right," said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.

"The library?" said Hagrid, following them out of the hall. "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"

"Oh yeah we're planning on reading through the entire library tonight, you know just a bit of light reading before the holidays." I said sarcastically.

"Oh, we're not working," Harry told him brightly. "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."

"You what?" Hagrid looked shocked. "Listen here — I've told yeh — drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."

"Yeah but then again I want to know what it's guarding." I commented.

"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione, scowling at me.

"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Harry added. "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere — just give us a hint — I know I've read his name somewhere."

"I'm sayin' nothin', said Hagrid flatly.

"Just have to find out for ourselves, then," said Ron, and we left Hagrid looking disgruntled and hurried off to the library.

We had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Hagrid had let it slip, because how else were we going to find out what Snape was trying to steal?

The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book. He wasn't in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, or Notable Magical Names of Our Time; he was missing, too, from Important Modern Magical Discoveries, and A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry.

And then, of course, there was the sheer size of the library; tens of thousands of books; thousands of shelves; hundreds of narrow rows. Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random.

I was laying with my head down in a book, slowly drifting off to sleep, while Harry wondered over to the Restricted Section.

I felt as though I was falling before finally I felt like I hit the ground. It was the strangest feeling, as though I was in another persons body looking out at the world.

I couldn't feel my left leg, it was as if it wasn't there. And my vision, it felt as though I could only see out of my left eye, as if my right eye was missing.

I could barely move without pain shooting through me, it felt like it'd been it by a bus, not that I would know what that would feel like.

There was a blinding white light above, and I could feel whatever I was in jerking around as if it were moving. I could see... no feel that there were people around me shouting something I couldn't make out.

"Are you alright (Y/n)?" Harry called to me pulling me out of my dream.

"Hmm? Oh er yeah just fell asleep." I said rubbing my eyes.

"Yeah you were making the horrid hissing noise again." Ron said boredly turning a page of the book he was reading.

Harry looked at him confused. "Weird hissing noise?"

"You couldn't hear it?" Ron asked Harry looking surprised. "You heard it right Hermione?"

Hermione nodded at this, barely looking up from her book.

Harry shrugged. "Sounded like you were muttering something to me."

"No way, you must've just been hearing things." Ron said. "That's what you get from reading too many books. (N/n) was making this horrid hissing sound. He usually does it when he had a nightmare."

Nightmare? Was I having a nightmare? I couldn't even remember what I had been dreaming. Something about a light, or a car. I wasn't quite sure.