Disclaimer: As soon as I had completed the alter to J. K. Rowling, I made a sacrifice of this chapter to her, for she is the rightful owner of all that I have written here, and indeed all that could ever be in your universe.

AN: Yeah, this chapter is late again. My computer is broken, and I was too lazy to get to a public computer until now. Fortunately I have been writing in Google Docs, so I have not lost anything. I will have regular access to a public computer in June; until then, updates may be irregular. Also, there are only three chapters left in book one after this chapter, only one of which is actually written. After I finish posting book one, I plan to take a two or three week break to work on the PDF and to get a start on book two.

Chapter Twelve

What Daphne Learned

Or How the Identity of Nicolas Flamel was Discovered

Daphne Greengrass rolled over in bed yet again. She had gone to bed over three hours ago, but she still couldn't fall asleep. Deciding that she needed a nice strong cup of tea to help her sleep, she begrudgingly rolled out of bed.

Sneaking past her sister's room, as to not disturb her sleep, she crept down the stairs to the kitchen. When she arrived, she was surprised to see that her parents were still awake, and sitting together talking in hushed voices.

As she walked over to the table, her father looked up at her. "What are you doing up, sweetheart?"

"Couldn't sleep, so I figured I'd make a cup of tea."

Her father nodded at her. "We couldn't sleep either, that's why we came down for a glass of brandy."

"Daddy, how do you feel about muggleborns?"

"Well, I don't have anything against them; in fact, when I was at Hogwarts I had a friend who was a muggleborn. He was a smart man."

This surprised Daphne. "Really? I never knew that you had a muggleborn friend. Have I met him?"

"No, I haven't talked to him since we finished school. I think he got a job at the ministry or something. That's how you know he was smart; he was able to do well for himself despite being a muggleborn. I don't have anything against them, but they just don't know our ways, and most of them can't do very well for themselves. It's not their fault, really, they were just born below us."

"Oh, okay. So, it's okay if I have a muggleborn friend then?"

Daphne's father nodded at her as he handed her a cup of tea. "I don't see why not. I hope that hasn't been keeping you up; they really aren't worth losing sleep over." He yawned. "Well, the brandy seems to have fit the ticket. I'm headed to bed, are you coming dear?"

Mrs. Greengrass spoke for the first time. "That's alright dear, I'll be up in a little bit."

Mr. Greengrass left the kitchen, and Daphne's mum turned to her. "Your father just doesn't understand. It's probably because he was in Ravenclaw. Tell me about this muggleborn friend of yours."

"Well, she's probably the smartest girl in our year, and she's the Ravenclaw in our group of friends. Harry Potter thought that it would be a good idea to have a friend in every house."

Daphne's mum nodded at her. "That sounds like it could be a good idea, the other houses all have virtues that could help you reach your ambitions, and a smart muggleborn could be helpful to have around. Just remember not to get too friendly with her. Friends are to be used, not sacrificed for. Especially muggleborn friends."

"That's why you married dad, because you knew that he would be a useful husband," Daphne intoned the well-known fact.

"Yes. I wanted someone smart from an old house. He was open-minded enough not to mind me being the first pureblood in my house, and I didn't care that the Greengrass fortune isn't what it once was, because I knew that he would take me, and give my children an old name.

"Be careful with your friend. I met my great-grandparents, so I know that being muggleborn doesn't really matter outside of social context. Don't let her forget that you are better than her, or she might make you and everyone else forget it too."

BOOM.

Mrs. Greengrass might have gone on, but she was interrupted by a loud explosion from the basement.

"Oh dear, it seems that your brother's latest experiment isn't going as well as he had hoped. Do try not to stay up too late." With that, Daphne's mum left her alone in the kitchen with her cup of tea.

Curious as to what her brother was up to now, Daphne took her tea and headed downstairs.

When she got to his lab, her brother was trying to clear brown sludge off of an open book.

"Are you okay?"

Derick Greengrass looked up from his book and smirked arrogantly at his little sister. "As if something so mundane could harm me. It does seem that the gold cauldron I just bought has not fared as well. I suspect that not enough gold could find its way into the potion."

"Really? Maybe you just need some sleep, you look exhausted."

Derick laughed. "Sleep is for the weak of heart, sis. That is why I shall eliminate the need for it."

Daphne smirked. "Looks more like you are establishing the need for better cleaning charms."

"Perhaps, but I shall discover a potion to rid the world of the need for sleep yet. I think it might work if I just throw some Galleons at it."

"Do you really think that carelessly tossing around Galleons will solve your problem?"

Derick shrugged. "I don't see why not. It's just money, and my research has shown many wizards have used that strategy with great success. Just study up on the people who managed to get themselves on Chocolate Frog cards, and you'll see the pattern emerge."

The jestful boast gave Daphne an idea. If there was one person she could feel safe asking, it was surely her brother. "Hey, do you know who Nicolas Flamel is? I came across his name somewhere and it rang a bell, but I just can't figure out where I know him from."

"Of course. You probably know him from Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog card. Wait a minute, I know I have an extra of him somewhere." Derick disappeared behind an ominous pile, and reemerged triumphantly with a card held high.

Daphne read over the card. So Flamel was Dumbledore's old alchemy partner? Surely he had done something else if Dumbledore was going through so much trouble to hide something of his. "Oh, is that it? I thought he'd done something of his own, for some reason."

Derick looked at her incredulously. "He did. Nicolas Flamel was the greatest alchemist who ever lived. He's the only one to ever create the Philosopher's Stone!"

"The what?"

"The Philosopher's Stone. It's only the highest aim of the noble art of alchemy. It can turn any base metal into gold, and it can make people live forever. That's why he's still alive; he's lived six hundred years or something. After I eliminate my need of sleep, I shall be the second person ever to create the stone."

"Can you do that by throwing away our dwindling supply of gold?"

Derick smiled at her playfully. "Shut up."

When she got back to her bedroom that night, Daphne dug out her old Chocolate Frog cards, and found a few copies of Dumbledore's card. She knew what she would be sending the other Children for Christmas.

AN: Wow, it has been years since I have written anything in third person past tense. Amazing how hard it was not to call Daphne 'you'.