A few days later we were in the library, doing homework while Hermione was looking around.
"How could I've been so stupid. I had you looking in the wrong section." She said, slamming the book down on the table, "I checked this book out weeks ago for a bit of light reading."
"This is light?" Ron asked as Hermione flipped some of the pages.
"Of course! Here it is. Nicholas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone." Hermione said.
"The what?" Ron and Harry asked at the same time.
"Honestly, don't you two read? The Philosopher's Stone is a legendary substance, with astonishing powers. It will transform any metal into pure gold, and produces the elixir of life. Which will make the drinker immortal." She read.
"Immortal?" Ron questioned.
"It means you'll live forever." Hermione replied.
"I know what it means." Ron argued.
"The only stone currently in existence belongs to Nicholas Flamel, the alchemist, who recently celebrated his 665 birthday. That's what Fluffy's guarding on the third floor. That's what's under the trap door. The Philosopher's Stone."
"Hagrid." Harry said as Hagrid opened his door later that night.
"Oh, hello. Sorry, don't wish to be rude, but I'm in no fit state to entertain today." Hagrid said before trying to shut the door.
"We know about the Philosopher's Stone." We all said at once and Hagrid opened the door.
"Oh." He said before letting us in.
"We think Snape is trying to steal it." Harry said as we took off our cloaks.
"Snape? Blimey, yer aren't still on about him are ya?" Hagrid questioned as I sat down next to Fang.
"Hagrid, we know he's after the stone we just don't know why." Harry said.
"Snape is one of the teachers protecting the stone. He's not gonna steal it." Hagrid replied.
"What?" Harry asked.
"You heard. Right, now I'm a bit preoccupied today." Hagrid said.
"Wait a minute, one of teachers?" Harry asked.
"Of course. There are other things defending the stone, aren't there?." Hermione said. "Spells, enchantments."
"That's right. Waste of bloody time if you ask me. Ain't no one gonna get past Fluffy. Ain't a soul knows how. Except for me and Dumbledore. Ah, I shouldn't have told you that." Hagrid said.
We all looked behind him when we heard a noise coming from the pot over the fire. Hagrid grabbed an egg and hurried over to the table and we followed.
"Uh, Hagrid, what exactly is that?" Harry asked, grabbing me hand.
"That is, uh, it's um..." Hagrid started.
"I know what it is. But Hagrid, how'd you get one?" Ron finished
"I won it. Off a stranger I met down at the pub. Seemed quiet glad to get rid of it, matter of fact." Hagrid answered.
We backed away and the egg burst open. It was a baby dragon.
"Is that... a dragon?"
"That's not just a dragon. It's a Norwegian Ridgeback." Ron said.
"He's beautiful, Hagrid." I smiled, petting the dragon's head.
The dragon then turned toward Hagrid.
"Oh, bless him, he know's his mummy." Hagrid said with tears in his eyes. "Hallo, Norbert."
"Norbert?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, well, it's gotta have a name." Hagrid said before petting Norbert and Norbert blew out fire onto Hagrid's beard. "He'll have to be trained up a bit of course."
"Who's that?" Hagrid asked, looking out the window.
"Malfoy." Harry answered.
"Oh, dear."
"Hagrid told me he always wanted a dragon, told me the first time I met him." Harry said when we got back to the castle.
"It's crazy. Worse, Malfoy knows." Ron responded.
"I don't understand, is that bad?" Hermione asked.
"It's bad." Ron answered when we saw McGonagal.
"Good evening." She said and Malfoy was smiling next to her.
"Nothing, I repeat, nothing gives a student the right to walk around the school at night. Therefore as punishment, 50 points will be taken." McGonagall said.
"50?" Harry asked.
"Each. And to ensure it doesn't happen again, all five of you will receive detention."
"I'm sorry, Professor, perhaps I heard you wrong. I thought you said the five of us." Malfoy said.
"You heard me correctly, Mr. Malfoy. You see, as honorable as your intentions were, you were also out of bed after hours. You will join your classmates in detention." McGonagall replied.
The next night Mr. Filch led us towards Hagrid's for detention.
"A pity they let the old punishments die. Was a time detention would find you hanging by your thumbs in the dungeons. God, I miss the screaming. You'll be serving detention with Hagrid tonight. He's got a little job to do inside the Dark Forest." Filch said.
"Sorry about this lot, Hagrid." Filch said after we walked up to Hagrid.
"For god's sake, forget about the dragon, pull yourself together. You're going into the forest after all. Got to have your wits about ya-" Filch started when Hagrid sniffled.
"The forest? I thought that was a joke. We can't go in there. Students aren't allowed. And there are-" Malfoy was cut off when we heard wolves howling, "Werewolves."
"Oh, there's more than werewolves in those trees, lad, you can be sure of that. Nighty-night." Filch said before leaving.
"Let's go." Hagrid said, grabbing is crossbow, Harry grabbed my hand and we started walking into the woods.
We walked in silence through the woods, after about ten minutes we stopped when Hagrid put his fingers in something silver.
"Hagrid, what is that?" Harry asked.
"What we're here for. Unicorn blood. I found one dead a few weeks ago. And now, this one's been hurt bad somethin'. So, it's our job to find the poor beast. Ron, Hermione, you'll come with me. Harry, Emily, you'll go with Malfoy." Hagrid said.
"Okay, then I get Fang." Malfoy said.
"Fine. Just so you know, he's a bloody coward." Hagrid replied.
"Just wait until my dad hears about this. This is servant stuff." Malfoy complained as we walked.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were scared, Malfoy." Harry said, still holding my hand.
"I'm not scared, Potter!" He exclaimed before there was a howling noise, "Did you hear that?"
"Come on, Fang." I said.
We walked until Fang, who was ahead of us, stopped and started growling.
"What is it, Fang?" Harry asked.
My grip on Harry's hand got tighter when I saw the cloaked figure drinking the blood out of a unicorn's neck. Harry's other hand went up to rub his scar. The figure looked up at us and growled. Malfoy screamed before taking off running with Fang. It started coming toward us. The way it moved reminded me of a snake. Then it stood up. Harry and I walked backwards until we tripped over a large branch. The I heard the hooves of a horse and it jumped over us. It was a centaur. He kicked his front legs at the thing and it disappeared.
Harry helped me up before we walked over to the centaur.
"Harry Potter, you must are known to many creatures here. The Dark Forest is not safe at this time. Especially for you." He said.
"But what was that thing you saved us from?" Harry asked.
"A monstrous creature. It is a terrible crime to slay a unicorn. Drinking the blood of a unicorn will keep you alive even an inch from death. But at a terrible cost. When the blood touches your lips, you will have a half-life. A cursed life." He answered.
"Who would choose such a life?" Harry questioned.
"Can you think of no one?"
"Do you mean to say, that that thing that killed the unicorn, that was drinking its blood, was Voldemort?" Harry replied.
"Do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?"
"The Philosopher's Stone." I answered.
I heard a dog bark, "Harry, Emily."
"Hello there, Firenze. I see you've met our young Mr. Potter and Miss Richards. You two alright?" Hagrid said.
We nodded in response.
"You mean to say, You-Know-Who is out there right now, in the forest?" Hermione asked when we got back to the commonsroom.
"But he's weak. He's living off of unicorns." Harry replied as he paced. "Don't you see, we've had it wrong. Snape doesn't want the stone for himself, he wants the stone for Voldemort. With the elixir of life Voldemort will be strong again. He'll... He'll come back."
"But, if he comes back, you don't think he'll try to... kill you, do you?" Ron asked.
"I think if he had the chance he would have tried to killed me tonight." Harry answered.
"And to think I'm worried about my potions final." Ron said.
"Hang on a minute. We've been forgetting one thing. Who's the one wizard Voldemort always feared?" Hermione interrupted.
We looked at each other before she continued.
"Dumbledore. As long as Dumbledore is around, Harry, you're safe. As long as Dumbledore is around, you can't be touched."