Chapter 11: Norbert and Flamel
The first thing that Hermione mentioned the next day before breakfast was that her parents, who were dentists by trade, had never heard of Nicholas Flamel. Harry lamented the story about how he had nearly found out but been stopped by his aunt and banned from the library.
"Didn't you find anything?" she asked desperately.
Harry froze. "Well, there was one thing. It mentioned Alchemy, which if memory serves me right, involves turning materials into gold-ACK!" Hermione grabbed Harry by his robe sleeve and began dragging him up flights of stairs. When they reached the seventh floor, Harry had a feeling of foreboding.
"Hermione, are you sure this is a good idea?" The girl wasn't listening, and Harry could almost hear the gears turning in her head.
They reached a portrait of a large woman in a pink dress. This must be the Gryffindor Portrait.
"Daisy Fly," Hermione spoke. The portrait, which had been sleeping, awoke with a start and swung open. Then she caught sight of Harry, and slammed shut.
"He can't come in!" the woman cried. Hermione shook her head.
"Let him in. There is no rule against bringing a member of another House into your dormitory," Hermione said confidently. The woman sighed, and the portrait swung open. Hermione grabbed hold of Harry's shirt collar and practically threw him into a red armchair in front of the fire while she ran up the stairs, presumably to the girls' dorms. "Stay there!" she shouted down at him, and he settled in, placing his feet on the table and relaxing.
He smirked as Ron, Fred, and George Weasley, followed by Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas began to walk down the stairs. They were talking about him.
"So then Potter says…WHAT THE BLOODY HELL?" Ron bellowed. Harry smirked up at him.
"Greetings, Weasleys," Harry drawled. After spending so much time with Tonks, his desire to mess with other people's heads had grown. "I don't recall saying that, actually."
"What are you doing-" Fred began.
"-in our Common Room?" George demanded. Harry smiled pleasantly at them.
"I was dragged in here by Hermione. I'm not completely sure why, I could have waited for her…oh, here she comes." Sure enough, Hermione came pounding down the stairs, carrying a massive book. Ron turned on her.
"What do you think you are doing, inviting a Slytherin into our Common Room? Have you no sense?" Harry snorted. He glared at him. "Think this is funny, do you?"
"Yes," Harry admitted, casually getting up. Hermione gestured for him to sit, and he sat back down. "You asking some one else if they have no sense is quite amusing, actually. Don't you agree?" he said, turning to Fred and George. They smiled evilly at him.
"Oh yes-" said George.
"-After all-" said Fred.
"-We suspect that-"
"-Ickle Ronniekins-"
"-was dropped on his head as a baby," they finished together.
"I can't believe you are taking his side!" Ron cried indignantly. Hermione finally reached their location, and set the book down on the table. It hit with a lump THUMP that rattled the table.
"Blimey Granger-" Fred said.
"-are you going to kill someone with that?" George asked.
She scowled at them. "Only your brother if he doesn't keep quiet."
