Chapter 9

It seemed like months before Hermione and Cedric came back from Christmas break. They arrived on the Sunday after Christmas and Harry and Ron were excited to show them one particular gift Harry received anonymously.

"Welcome back Hermione." Ron and Harry said in unison.

"Thanks I missed you guys. How was your Christmas?" Hermione asked happy to be back with her friends.

"It was good. Ron got a wizard's chess set, and I" he lowered his voice "got an invisibility cloak."

"What? Who would send you something like that?" Hermione asked in disbelief.

"There was no name, but the note said that it belonged to my father." Harry said with a shrug.

"It's strange that they would want to remain anonymous." Hermione said and looked around them.

"I figure it can come in handy if we ever have to get to the third floor corridor again."

"It can be useful for other stuff too, but Harry is to much of a wuss." Ron mumbled.

"I don't even want to know." Hermione said making a disgusted face. She looked around again. "Have you guys seen Cedric yet?"

"No and it's been nice and peaceful without that git." Ron said.

"Git? You aren't talking about me are you Weasley?" Cedric said from behind Ron with a smirk.

"Wow are you sick or something? That's the first time all year you didn't call me Weasel. Are you feeling alright?" Ron said pretending to be stunned.

"I'm just trying to be nice. I didn't realize how much I missed that stupid face of yours until I saw it again." Cedric said smiling.

Ron rolled his eyes but Cedric ignored him.

"So, long time no see. How was your Christmas? Of course I already know how Hermione's Christmas was from the book she wrote me."

"You got one too. How is it possible to write that much without your hand falling off!?" Ron exclaimed.

"Forget about her hand. Think about the poor owl that had to deliver those letters!" Cedric exclaimed right back.

"Fine then maybe I won't write you letters anymore."

"Oh please." Ron said.

"Is that a punishment?" Harry asked.

"Don't tease us like this." Cedric followed.

"You are all insufferable." Hermione huffed with her arms crossed.

All three of the boys laughed and Hermione shook her head at them with a little smile on her face.

"So how was your Christmas here?" Cedric asked again.

"It was good. A little quiet, but nice. I got an invisibility cloak from someone."

"What? Who would give you that?"

"I don't know but we will probably have to use it eventually."

"This must be some kind of joke. You three roam about the castle as you please without the cloak, and now someone just made it ten times easier for you to go looking for trouble." Cedric said.

"I know it's great right." Ron said.

After they talked a while more Cedric left to go find his friends and Marrietta. They decided to meet up in the afternoon to go play quiddich and fly around a little. When they met up Hermione told them she didn't want to go, but after a little, okay after a lot of convincing from Cedric the four of them were on their way.

It had snowed the day before, and a fresh layer of snow lied over the Hogwarts grounds. Of course Hermione saw the snowball fight coming long before the first snowball was even thrown.

Ron got smacked in the back of the head with a snowball and turned around to yell at Cedric when another one hit him square in the face.

Cedric burst out laughing.

"That's it Diggory!" Ron shouted picking up some snow.

"Show me what you got Weasley." Cedric said ready to dodge the first snowball.

Cedric wasn't paying attention to Harry and Harry took the opportunity to make a nice big snowball that he threw at Cedric.

"Hey two on one is no fair! Hermy get over here and help me!"

"Hey you started it, and now you're on your own."

"Please Hermy don't do this to me!" Cedric said as he got hit with another snowball and dramatically fell in the snow as if he'd been shot.

"Only if you call me by my proper name." Hermione said.

"Fine. Hermione, can I get a little help please!" Cedric yelled with a face full of snow.

Hermione smiled and made a snowball. She threw it at Ron and it missed him by a few feet.

"Merlin! Looks like it's still two against one!" Cedric said when he saw Hermione's throw.

"Oh really?" Hermione said as she threw her second snowball at Cedric and hit him square in the face.

"Oh sure, that one was perfect." Cedric said spitting out snow.

"Big target." Hermione said and laughed at Cedric's shocked face. Harry and Ron laughed with her.

"Are you saying I have a big head Granger?"

"So what if I am?" Hermione said as she began to run away.

Cedric followed after her followed by Ron and Harry who were throwing snowballs at the both of them.

"Take it back Granger or I'll call you Hermy for the rest of your life!"

"Never! Help me!" Hermione shouted behind her to Cedric and Ron and Harry.

Cedric eventually caught up to Hermione and they fell into the snow. Cedric dumped snow all over Hermione and she squealed from the cold. Ron dropped a huge snowball over Cedric and the three Gryffindors attacked him with snowballs together.

"Alright, alright I give up! This is what I get for hanging out with three Gryffindors." Cedric said completely soaked.

"We better go back inside before we catch pneumonia. We can't fly like this." Hermione said.

The boys reluctantly agreed and they began their walk back to the castle. They were almost to the door when something caught Ron's eye.

"Hey isn't that Snape?" Ron asked pointing to two figures walking towards the forbidden forest.

"Yeah and that's Quirrell with him. What could they be doing in the forbidden forest?" Hermione asked.

"I'll go check it out." Harry said mounting his broom.

"What if you get caught!" Hermione said worriedly.

"Don't worry I'll be fine."

"We'll be inside so they don't see us looking at them and become suspicious." Cedric said.

Harry nodded and kicked off the ground. He flew over quietly and hid in a tree a few feet away from the two professors. It was hard to hear them, but Harry knew he heard something about the philosopher's stone. Then he clearly heard Snape ask if Quirrell found a way past the three headed dog. He didn't hear Quirrell say anything but he heard Snape ask Quirrell which side he is on.

When the professors left Harry was able to fly back to the school and met his three friends by the staircase.

"What did you hear?" Cedric asked.

"Snape asked Quirrell if he found a way past the three headed dog and then asked him what side he was on." Harry whispered.

"I knew it! Snape wants to get the stone to help you know who come back." Ron said loudly.

"Shhh blimey Weasley now the whole school knows." Cedric whispered angrily.

"Sorry." Ron said sheepishly looking around to see if anyone was around.

"We have to tell Dumbledore about this immediately." Hermione said and the three boys nodded in agreement.

They didn't know the password to get into Dumbledore's office so they ran to Professor McGonagall instead.

"Professor we have to speak to Professor Dumbledore immediately." Harry said urgently.

"I am afraid Dumbledore is not here at the moment."

"Please this is important. It's about the Philosopher's Stone. We know that Snape is trying to steal it"

"I don't know how you four know about that but I can assure you it is safe and Professor Snape would never do something like that. You should not go throwing around accusations about a teacher Mr. Potter and that goes for all of you. Now you four are sopping wet. Please go to your dormitories and change before you catch a cold." Professor McGonagall dismissed them.

As the four students went out into the hallway they resolved not to take no for an answer.

"We should go to Hagrid's tonight. Explain to him. We have to try something." Harry said.

"Alright why don't we get changed and then meet outside the Great Hall." Cedric said.

"Sounds good to me." Ron said.

Harry and Ron waited for Hermione before they walked to the Great Hall together. When they got there they saw Cedric talking with Marietta.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Great, just what we need."

As they approached Cedric greeted them and Marrietta politely said hello a little too sweetly… to Hermione anyway.

"Hello, you three. So what could a bunch of first years be running off to that they need to take my Cedric with them?" Marrietta asked.

"Oh well I promised them I would…" Cedric trailed off.

"Tutor us." Hermione said.

"Oh really? I thought I heard that you were the smartest witch of your age?"

"Oh, well I don't know… we just wanted to learn about Patronis' and we won't cover that till third year so…"

"That's where I come in. I promise it will only take a little while then we can do whatever you want." Cedric said to Marrietta.

"I still don't see why I can't come."

"Well these are first years. They don't know what they're doing and if they accidentally do the spell wrong and cast a different spell I just couldn't stand it if you got hurt." Cedric said seriously.

Ron almost burst out laughing but Harry elbowed him in the stomach and Ron pretended to be coughing instead.

"That's so sweet. Isn't he just a lovely boyfriend? Marrietta asked the three first years.

"Yeah, he's one in a million." Ron said sarcastically.

"Anyways we better go. I'll see you later." Cedric said to Marrietta.

Marrietta kissed him goodbye and they all ran out of the castle to Hargids.

As they were running Ron couldn't pass up the opportunity to tease Cedric.

"I couldn't stand it if you got hurt." Ron said in an over dramatic lovey dovey voice and then burst out laughing.

"Shut it weasel."

"Yeah Ron don't make fun of Cedric he's 'just a lovely boyfriend' Harry said mimicking Marrietta and sending Ron into another laughing fit.

"Okay, get it all out now, but I'll have you know you just witnessed the master at work. We got away from her didn't we?" Cedric defended himself.

"Yeah sure, after: 'I promise it will only take a little while and then we'll do whatever you want.'" Hermione said in a worried tone mimicking Cedric.

Everyone started laughing again.

"Alright you three that's enough."

They mocked Cedric all the way to Hagrid's hut. When they finally got there to Cedric's relief Hagrid answered quickly on the first knock on the door. Hagrid hurried them inside without a greeting.

"I have to show you four something." Hagrid hurried to the fire and took out a huge egg. "You can't tell anyone I got it alright."

"I know what that is, but Hagrid how did you get one?" Ron asked.

"I got it from some wizard I met in a pub. He bought me some drinks and we got to talking.

"But Hagrid isn't it illegal to have a dragon?" Cedric asked.

"Shhh look it's hatching.

The four students turned to the egg as it began to shake and eventually crack open. A little dragon came out and went straight towards Hagrid who picked him up in his huge hands and gently cuddled him.

"Bless him he knows his mommy. Hello little Norbert."

"Norbert?" Harry questioned.

"He has to have a name doesn't he."

"Hagrid you can get in trouble for this. You can't just buy a dragon egg off some stranger." Cedric said.

"He was very nice. Seemed interested in all magical creatures just like me."

"What did he look like?" Cedric asked.

"Don't know. He had a cloak on with his hood up. I'm telling you he was nice. We talked about fang and fluffy and…"

"Did he seem interested in fluffy?" Harry asked.

"Well yes. He asked how such a ferocious beast could even be approached let alone put in a school."

"What did you say?" Cedric asked.

"I told him Fluffy is just a big softy. If you play him a bit of music he falls straight to sleep."

The four students looked at each other.

"Hagrid we think that hooded man was Professor Snape and that he is going to try to get past Fluffy and steal the Philosopher's stone! You have to do something about that." Hermione begged.

"He may even try tonight." Ron said.

"Nonsense, you four need to stop worrying about the stone. It is perfectly safe. No one could get it no matter how much they want to." Hagrid said.

"We better get going Hagrid." Harry said.

"Yeah we got a lot of homework to do." Ron added.

"Good luck with Norbert Hagrid." Cedric called out as they were leaving.

"Good night Hagrid." Hermione said as she walked out the door.

"Bye you four. Stay out of trouble." Hagrid yelled from his doorway.

The four young students ran back to the castle.

"We have to go check the third floor corridor and see if Snape has tried to get past Fluffy yet." Harry said.

"What if he's there when we get there? How are we supposed to stop him?" Cedric asked.

"We have to go right now and try to get the stone before he can."

"What if we run into him?" Cedric asked again.

"We have to get the invisibility cloak. It will make it a lot easier to sneak around." Ron said.

"What could four students possibly do against a teacher?" Cedric yelled.

"Cedric relax. We will stay under the invisibility cloak until we know that Snape isn't around." Hermione said.

"Don't you think this is a little crazy? We should go get McGonagall and bring her to the third floor. Make her see that someone is trying to steal the stone. She can do something. We'll just end up getting ourselves killed." Cedric ranted.

"Then don't come. We have to do something now. We can't wait. We have to do whatever we can to stop Snape from getting that stone to Voldermort. If you're too chicken then go back to the Hufflepuff common room and hide under your covers." Ron said.

"I'm not a chicken I just think we are acting irrationally. We should get someone who knows what they're doing!" Cedric yelled back at Ron.

"We're going so meet us outside the Gryffindor common room or don't. It's your choice." Harry said as he walked up the stairs.

Ron followed after Harry and Hermione hesitated but went with them as well. She turned and looked at Cedric as she walked away.

Cedric watched them walk up the stairs until they were out of his sight. He began pacing and talking to himself.

"This is ridiculous. They are gonna get themselves killed." Cedric said running his hand through his hair.

"What am I doing?" Cedric asked himself as he took off up the stairs to join his friends in their ridiculous plan.