Chapter 29:
Hermione's determination didn't weaver and once term had started, they were back to skimming through books for ten minutes during their breaks, looking for the mysterious Nicholas Flamel. Skylar and Harry had less time than the other two for Harry had Quidditch practices which had started up again and Skylar was back at her Legilimency lessons with Professor Dumbledore.
The girl had received a letter within the first few days from the headmaster confirming they were going ahead with their lessons still this term as well. Also within the letter had been the password for the Gargoyle in order for her to access the Headmaster's office up the top of the spiral staircase. Much to the girl's surprise, Professor Dumbledore had decided he was now teaching her by herself, she was no longer to have lessons with Nick. The main purpose, of course, for Nick joining in with her lessons was to a, make her more comfortable and b, for him to practice what he'd learnt on someone else. The headmaster was also able to gage Skylar's abilities that way. However Nick had been having lessons for the last two and a half years now.
Must get boring to always be revisiting the same things… Skylar thought. Nick also had lessons a lot less frequently than Skylar did. Now it meant that Dumbledore would be solely focused on only her and helped her progress, rather than having to refine for Nick as well. Her lessons were still Friday afternoons in her free period starting at three o'clock.
Her first one was the first Friday of the term and the girl bid Hermione, Ron and Harry goodbye in order to proceed towards it.
Dumbledore spent most of the lesson revising what they'd learnt so far, the differences in interpretation as well as navigating the mind carefully. She was yet to begin reeling her ability in.
"Until you have reached your potential it is not wise to begin limiting it." Dumbledore had said when she'd asked. "If it does bother you, you should learn to not speak about what you hear so often." he said looking at her over his half-moon spectacles, a look that seemed to be as if he was looking through her, not just at her.
"Before we get to that however there's your defences. Next year we'll move on to Occlumency and developing those more."
Skylar only knew the basics of Occlumency, enough to block her brothers out but she was sure if they tried they'd be able to break through it.
Skylar returned to the common room after her lesson to find Hermione and Ron playing chess. Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Harry and Ron thought was very good for her. Skylar believed it'd help her to build her character and tolerance a little, seeing as she could progress at anything else with just a book. The girl sat herself down, glancing at the windows as she did. It was pouring wth rain outside.
"Harry not back?" she asked as he was missing from the common room and they both shook their head without looking up. Skylar rose an eyebrow at them both before the porthole opened and the boy in question walked in. Skylar grinned at him before she saw his face looked rather pale.
"Harry…?" she said as he sat beside her
"Don't talk to me for a moment," said Ron, "I need to concen-" He caught sight of Harry's face as Skylar looked concerned. "What's the matter with you? You look terrible."
"Snape's decided to be the Quidditch referee for the next match." he said
"What?" Skylar asked surprised
"Don't play," said Hermione at once.
"Say you're ill," said Ron.
"Pretend to break your leg," Hermione suggested.
"Really break your leg," said Ron.
"Ron." Skylar scolded
"I can't," said Harry. "There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all."
At that moment the porthole opened and Neville suddenly 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 recognised at once as the Leg-Locker Curse.
Everyone within the room fell over laughing except Hermione, who leapt up and performed the countercurse. Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling.
"What happened?" Hermione asked him, leading him over to sit with Harry, Skylar and Ron.
"Malfoy," said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."
Skylar grit her teeth, glancing at the porthole.
"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione urged Neville. "Report him!"
Neville shook his head.
"I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.
"You're not going to cause trouble Neville." Skylar believed "You might just put him in his place, he happily rats everyone else out to Snape."
"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.
"That's not true, Neville." Skylar said as Harry handed the boy a chocolate frog, he looked like he was about to 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."
"Of all the choices I think you got the better stick." Skylar nodded
Neville's lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog.
"Thanks, Harry, thanks Skylar… I think I'll go to bed… D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?"
As Neville walked away, Harry looked at the Famous Wizard card.
"Dumbledore again," he said, "He was the first one I ever —" Skylar looked up at him as he suddenly gasped. He was staring at the back of the card before he looked up at the three of them.
"I've found him!" he whispered suddenly, looking excited.
Skylar, Ron and Hermione shared a look, Skylar with a raised eyebrow.
"I've found Flamel!" he elaborated, causing the three to look surprised. "I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here — listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!"
Skylar looked surprised while Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework.
"Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Harry and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks, Skylar staring up the dormitory stairs before the girl was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms.
"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."
"Light?" said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself.
At last she found what she was looking for.
"I knew it! I knew it!"
"Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him.
"Nicolas Flamel," she whispered dramatically, "is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!"
Skylar looked at her surprised while the boys looked quizzical.
"Are you serious?" she asked and Hermione nodded at her, giving her her attention as the boys said nothing. "One was actually made?!" Hermione nodded again. "That's incredible." Skylar believed while Hermione turned to the boys.
Both shared a lot before turning back to the two girls.
"The what?" said Harry and Ron. Hermione and Skylar shared a look.
"Oh, honestly, don't you two read? Look — read that, there." She pushed the book toward them, and Harry and Ron read the passage about the Philosopher stone, a legendary substance that had the power to turn metal into pure gold and produce the Elixir of Life that made the drinker immortal.
The two boys looked up when they finished.
"See?" said Hermione "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Philosopher's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!"
"A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!" said Harry. "No wonder Snape's after it! Anyone would want it."
"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry," said Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"
"Six hundred and sixty-five?" Skylar said and they all nodded before pushing the book towards her where it declared Flamel's age, as well as his wife, eight years younger.
"Wow…" she muttered "Imagine having lived for six hundred years!" she said looking alight at the idea "The way the world has changed, muggles advancing and wizards changing as well. Imagine if he could have been old enough to know Merlin and the Hogwarts founders." she said thinking
"That's why you'd want to live forever?" Ron asked with a raised eyebrow
"Well it's a little hard now to meet those people but watching how things evolve would be so interesting. And the people you'd get to meet."
"How about the fact that you can make anything into gold. What would you buy?" Ron questioned looking excited. "Well I guess its different for you, you probably could have what ever you'd like." he said to Skylar.
"It's not all mine remember, it's my parents, I only get so much."
Ron muttered under his breath inaudible words while Harry, Hermione and Skylar all shared a look, the latter rolling her eyes.
The discussion on what they'd use a Philosopher's stone for continued into Defence Against the Dark Arts the following morning. The two boys were discussion the opportunities while Hermione gave them disapproving looks and Skylar simply listened while they wrote down the different ways of treating werewolf bites.
Ron decided he'd buy his own Quidditch team and Skylar looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.
"And what would you gain from that?" she questioned quietly
"I'd always get a seat at matches." Ron shrugged
"You'd get tickets for your team, are you sure you'd get tickets for any game?" Skylar asked
"My game would be the best anyway."
"How can you be sure? And can you pay people enough to switch teams?" Skylar offered "What colours will your team be, can't be orange that's been taken." she said obviously.
Ron looked at her annoyed and she smiled. "It's easy to say something, but having a Quidditch team sounds a lot more like a hassle." she mumbled
"Coming from the hardcore fan."
"Not a hardcore fan. Passionate spectator." she said before noticing Harry was staring at his parchment looking unsure.
"Harry?" she said and he looked up at her. Saying his name caught Hermione and Ron onto his look and they turned to him as well. "Are you alright?" she wondered
"Thinking about the match." he muttered. Ron and Skylar shared a look as Hermione looked a little worried.
"What are you going to do about though?" Skylar asked "You've only got two options, play, or don't play."
Harry looked at her before glancing around the room.
"I'm going to play," Harry decided. "If I don't, all the Slytherins will think I'm just too scared to face Snape. I'll show them… it'll really wipe the smiles off their faces if we win."
"Just as long as we're not wiping you off the field," said Hermione.
"We need to remember that other teachers will be watching the match too." Skylar said "Could he do things with all eyes on him in the field?"
They all shared an unsure look.
"If we're that worried, and I know it's easier said than done, but Harry, the sooner you catch the snitch the better." she said. "If the game doesn't drag on, there's no opportunity for Snape to do anything." she said and Harry nodded.
"If I can find the snitch soon enough." he muttered and Skylar sighed.
"That's the issue yes." she muttered before copying some more notes. It seemed so surreal that a teacher was attacking Harry, she knew Snape held a grudge but wasn't this a bit much?
