wanna be yours

VIII. HIDDEN DRAGONS

chapter eight; the philosophers stone

1991

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"You cannot be serious?" Elodie said when she and Hermione came back the day before term after hearing what Harry and Ron did over the Christmas break. "What did you see in the mirror?"

"Ellie!" Hermione said as Elodie shrugged.

"What?" the blue-eyed girl, "I want to know!" 

Harry gave a nervous chuckle at Elodie's comment. He didn't want to tell her he saw the two of them, around sixteen, on a date together. 

Hermione was torn between horror at the idea of Harry being out of bed, roaming the school three nights in a row, and disappointment that he 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 Harry was still sure he'd read the name somewhere. Once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks. Harry had even less time than the other three because Quidditch practice had started again.

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"Hey, how was practice?" Elodie asked when Harry sat next to her while Ron and Hermione were playing chess. Chess was the only thing that both Elodie and Hermione ever lost at. Elodie looked at Harry's face and furrowed her eyebrows. "What's the matter with you? You look terrible."

Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Harry told the other three about Snape's sudden, sinister desire to be a Quidditch referee.

"Don't play," said Hermione at once.

"Say you're ill," said Elodie.

"Pretend to break your leg," Hermione suggested.

"Really break your leg," said Ron as Elodie looked at him in surprise then back at Harry.

"I can't," said Harry. "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all."

At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. How he had managed to climb through the portrait hole was anyone's guess, because his legs had been stuck together with what they recognized at once as the Leg-Locker Curse. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor tower.

Everyone fell over laughing except Elodie, who leapt up and performed the counter-curse. Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling.

"What happened?" Elodie asked him, leading him over to sit with Hermione, Harry and Ron.

"Malfoy," said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."

"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!"

Neville shook his head.

"I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.

"You've got to stand up to him, Neville!" said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier."

"There's no need to tell me I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that," Neville choked out.

Harry pulled out a Chocolate Frog from his pocket and gave it to Neville, who looked as though he might cry.

"You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin."

Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog.