Chapter Eight - The Flying Key
Millie did not seem overly pleased to greet Harry and Blaise at the beginning of second term, but she brightened considerably when they each presented her with a large box of chocolate frogs, plus a stylish new scarf that Mrs. Zabini suggested they purchase. Harry was glad she didn't stay angry with them, because he was excited to tell her everything they'd learned over break.
"Did you have any luck asking your folks about Flamel?" Blaise asked cheerfully after telling Millie all about their new brooms.
Millie scowled, saying, "My parents are useless. They think he might have studied alchemy, but they could have been confusing him with Agrippa."
"Our luck was a bit better than yours," Harry said with false modesty.
"Did you find out who he is?"
"Actually, we met him."
"You what?"
Millie's parents had been right about one thing. Flamel was an alchemist. Harry and Blaise informed Millie of everything they'd discovered about the Philosopher's Stone. Millie was unusually silent, even by her standards, as Harry and Blaise explained the properties of the stone, including turning metal to gold, and allowing someone to live forever.
"Flamel said he and his wife are like 500 years old or something. Older than even Dumbledore!" Blaise concluded happily. "Can you imagine? Being able to stay young forever? It's no wonder Snape's trying to steal the thing."
"Are you stupid?" Millie asked incredulously, "Who cares about that when you can be rich beyond your wildest dreams? Snape probably wants the stone so he can quit teaching forever."
Blaise shrugged, "Well, whoever has the stone can be both immortal and fabulously wealthy. He doesn't need to pick."
"Do you think Snape has had a chance to steal it over break?" Harry asked anxiously. He kept coming back to this worry, despite Blaise's constant assurances that whatever was guarding the stone besides Fluffy would keep it well protected in their absence.
"Why don't you just take the cloak up to the third floor and check to see if the dog's still there?" he suggested.
"What cloak?" asked Millie. In their excitement to share what they'd learned about the stone, they'd completely forgotten about the mysterious invisibility cloak. Quickly, they explained how Harry had received the gift from an anonymous source.
"Well, that will come in handy, won't it?" said Millie, "You'll be better at avoiding Malfoy now."
Harry thought of another way to allay his fears about the stone. As soon as they had a chance, they walked down to Hagrid's hut near the edge of the forbidden forest.
They knocked on Hagrid's door and heard the booming barks of his boarhound, Fang, immediately greet them from the other side. Hagrid, however, did not come to the door right away. They tried knocking again and again, but still there was no answer.
"Maybe he's out?" said Millie just as the door finally opened a very small crack.
"Oh, it's you lot," said Hagrid, and he opened the door wider. Although his large body effectively filled the entire door frame, they could still feel a wave of stifling heat waft out of his cabin.
"Er... Feeling a bit chilled, Hagrid?" Harry asked, noticing the trickling sweat forming rivulets down Hagrid's face. Some of it was dripping from his beard.
Hagrid looked a bit distracted. "Wha? Oh, yeah. It's all this snow innit? Just trying to keep things comfortable 'round 'ere. Yeh wouldn' believe the drafts yeh get in this ol' place."
"Um, sure Hagrid. So can we come in?" asked Harry, though he wasn't sure he cared for the idea of sitting in Hagrid's cabin-turned-sauna.
"Er... No, no... No need fer that. Anything I can do fer you kids?"
"Actually, we came to bring you something..." said Harry. They unveiled the gifts they'd been hiding under their cloaks and thrust them at Hagrid.
"Happy Christmas! Sorry they're a bit late..."
Harry had no need to apologize. Hagrid was touched by their gesture. He didn't open his gifts right away, but he accepted each with thanks, turning away to dab at his eyes. Harry wasn't sure if he was wiping away sweat or tears, but he was willing to bet it was the latter. Harry was struck by how much it meant to Hagrid that they thought of him at all, and he felt a little guilty for buying him nothing more than a few pumpkin pasties. Privately, he vowed to get Hagrid something much better next year.
"Also, Hagrid," said Blaise, "We were wondering if you could tell us whether Snape's already stolen the Philosopher's Stone or not?"
Hagrid's sentimental expression vanished instantly. "Who told yeh about that?!"
"Nicolas Flamel told us about the stone over Christmas break," Harry explained.
"Flamel?"
"Yeah, the guy who made it. So if he thinks it's fine for us to know about the stone then I don't see why..."
"Nice try, Harry. But I don' believe yeh. I told you kids not ter go meddlin' in business what ain't got nuthin' ter do with yeh!"
"But Hagrid!" Harry protested, "If we don't do something, Snape's gonna get the stone first!"
"Ain't no way Snape's tryin' ter steal the stone! I dun told yeh tha' already!" Hagrid bellowed, "He's protectin' it!"
"Well someone is trying to steal it!" Harry argued, "That's why Dumbledore had you move it to Hogwarts in the first place!"
Invoking Dumbledore's name had a strange effect on Hagrid, who swelled up to his full height and declared "Enough," in an uncharacteristically authoritative voice. "Now I'm not sayin' nothin' more about it ter any of yeh. If tha's all yeh came to say, then yeh best be gettin' on now."
Blaise and Millie both looked to Harry, who gave a silent nod, signaling that they should go. Hagrid was clearly angry with them, and it wouldn't do any good for them to stay. As they made their way back to the castle, Harry was glad that his friends didn't start abusing Hagrid for his obstinance. After all, Hagrid's unwillingness to betray Dumbledore would at least keep the stone safe from Snape. There was no way Hagrid would ever tell him how to get past the dog. The trouble was, he didn't seem keen on helping Harry get past it either.
"So what do we do know?" Millie asked sullenly as they stepped into Hogwarts again.
"Nothing's changed," Harry said, every bit as stubborn as Hagrid, "We'll just have to find a way past Fluffy ourselves."
As second term started, their mutual resolve to stop at nothing to acquire the stone for themselves added an extra level of excitement to their classes. Harry was convinced that a few of the other teachers must be helping Hagrid and Dumbledore guard the stone, but the question became which teachers he had entrusted with the secret. Harry was certain that Professor McGonagall, as deputy headmistress, was part of the scheme. Blaise jumped on the idea, convinced that the other heads of houses were complacent in the plot to protect the stone as well.
"Hagrid's already said that Snape's guarding it," Blaise said, "And I don't see why Dumbledore would trust him over any of the other house leaders. McGonagall's one, too. So that means Flitwick and Sprout, as well."
They began paying particular attention to the subject of their lessons, wondering if there would be some clue as to the method each professor had used to conceal the stone, although it was unlikely they would teach very strong magics to a bunch of first-year students. But that didn't stop Harry from watching Snape like a hawk. Potions would have been nearly unbearable if Harry hadn't started thinking of them as a sort of espionage mission. Snape was behaving positively dreadful to him as usual, though Harry thought there might be a bit more menace to his behavior. Perhaps he guessed that Harry had discovered the secret of the stone? It wouldn't have surprised Harry. Sometimes he had the very unpleasant impression that Snape could read minds.
As the days dragged on, their grades improved, but they were no closer to discovering how to get past the dog. Fortunately, Snape hadn't had much luck either. He appeared to be growing more sour with each passing day, which was actually good news for Harry and the gang. He knew that if Snape's attitude were to suddenly improve, it would spell disaster for their plan to nab the stone out from under him.
The opportunity finally came for them to do some real sleuthing. The second Quidditch match of the year was set to take place between Slytherin and Hufflepuff that weekend. Harry, Blaise, and Millie decided that the match would be a perfect opportunity for them to sneak into their professor's offices to look for clues. So, as the rest of the school headed down to the Quidditch pitch one morning, Harry and his friends loitered in the common room, waiting for the students to clear out before slipping under Harry's invisibility cloak.
It was uncomfortable. Harry was small for his age, and so he took up less space, but Blaise was taller than the average 11 year old boy, and Millie was wider than both boys put together. Somehow, they managed to all squeeze under the lightweight material, though they had to be very careful that their shoes did not appear while walking.
Harry had decided that the best place to start would be Professor Flitwick's office. He imagined the friendly little charms professor wasn't too concerned about security measures around his office. They directed their way tither, just as the first cheers were heard from the Quidditch pitch outside, signaling the beginning of the match.
They reached Flitwick's office without incident, other than a brief encounter with Peeves, the school's poltergeist. They found him floating near the ceiling outside of Flitwick's office, busily tampering with the helmets of the suits of armor so that they would fall onto the heads of unsuspecting students. Harry was concerned. They couldn't get into Flitwick's office without opening the door, and Peeves was sure to notice. He didn't know of any effective spells that worked on poltergeists, though. Just as he was about to signal the others to retreat and form a new plan, Peeves was suddenly confronted by the sharp bark of Filch, the caretaker.
"Peeves! What do you think you're doing?" he roared, running down the hall as fast as his rather lopsided gait could carry him. Peeves merely cackled in response, tossing the full suit of armor to the ground with a loud clatter and zooming away, tipping over any object he passed just to irritate Filch further.
The curmudgeonly caretaker continued to puff and wheeze his way within a hair's breadth of Harry and his friends. Harry held his breath as he passed and could feel his friends on either side sucking in their stomachs as if to make themselves less conspicuous. It was really lucky they had the cloak. They might have been able to come up with an excuse for being inside if confronted by a teacher, but without the cloak, they might have been the target of Peeve's mischief, rather than Filch and a few suits of armor.
Blaise pointed his wand at the door and whispered, "Alohamora."
The door swung open, but there was no sound of a latch being undone. Flitwick hadn't even bothered to lock his door. Harry was amazed that Flamel had entrusted the safety of his stone to the lax security of Hogwarts.
"Safest place in the country..." he muttered sarcastically.
They had decided before their venture that Millie would stay in the hall on lookout under the cloak. She was the best at jinxes and would therefore be more valuable if confronted by anyone else. Harry and Blaise slipped out of the folds of the cloak, and stepped inside Flitwick's office, carefully shutting the door behind them.
The room was well lit by three large windows framing a sort of reading nook in one corner. All around were stacks of books from the professor's personal library. Some of them had been stacked to form makeshift stairs, enabling the diminutive professor to reach even more books atop the high shelves. Harry hoped the answer to Flitwick's method of protecting the stone did not lie in one of the thick, leather-bound tomes. They'd never have time to read them all.
"Harry, look at this," Blaise said, giggling slightly.
Harry turned to see Blaise staring into what appeared to be a large glass terrarium. But instead of housing moss or quaint little houseplants, inside was a single, fluttering bird. Harry wondered what was so funny about it until he drew nearer, and realized what he thought was a very shiny bird was actually a large key with a pair of wings, fluttering randomly around the inside of the glass container.
"Do you suppose it's his pet?" Blaise asked, still giggling at the odd sight.
"No..." said Harry, who had just noticed a scrap of parchment sitting next to the glass case, "Look, he's been making notes on it."
He handed the paper over to Blaise who glanced over it quickly, "It looks like he's been monitoring how long the effects of the charm last."
Harry watched the little fluttering key, curious suddenly to know what would happen if he tried lifting the lid.
"Why a key?" he wondered aloud. "Does it say when he started studying it?"
Blaise checked over the figures listed out on the paper, "Looks like it starts just before first term."
The significance of the date struck them immediately, and Harry understood at once why it had to be a key. Obviously, it unlocked a door beyond the one Fluffy was guarding.
"If this one's here, there must be another that he's hidden to guard the stone," said Blaise, mirroring Harry's own thoughts.
"And you have to catch it to unlock the door. That's why it can fly. I don't suppose he's conveniently written the counter-charm anywhere?"
Blaise looked over the parchment again and shook his head sadly, "No such luck. I suppose we could talk a look around the library?"
"Later," said Harry, his curiosity getting the best of him. The little key was fluttering around lazily in its glass prison. As he watched it would occasionally tap the side of the glass with a little ting which would then send it floating off in another direction. Harry wanted a chance to see what would happen if he touched it, so without further ado, he gripped the top of the terrarium cover and lifted the lid.
The key instantly jerked past Harry, coming so close to his face he could actually feel the flutter of the wings.
"Watch it!" Blaise shouted, ducking as the key zipped past him as well. They watched, horror struck, as the key, now fluttering as fast as a hummingbird, continued to tear around the room, upsetting papers, knocking over an inkwell, and even sending a few piles of books tumbling to the floor.
"We have to stop it!" Harry said desperately.
"There's no counter-charm, remember?" Blaise said irritably, covering his face for protection as the rampaging key continued to send debris flying.
"Too loud!" Harry heard Millie's muffled voice mutter from outside the door. Perhaps they hadn't drawn any outside attention yet, but it was only a matter of time if he let this mess continue.
The key was fast, but Harry could still follow its erratic movements with his eyes. The sunlight streaming in through the window kept catching it's little golden body, and Harry was reminded powerfully of a snitch. Thinking fast, he ran atop one of the staircases of books stacked by Professor Flitwick. The little key wasted no time in zipping past him again, just outside of arm's reach. But Harry was prepared, he leaped at just the right time, his hand enclosing around the struggling key. For an instant, he smiled in triumph, and then he toppled off the top of the books and came crashing to the floor. Several of the larger volumes dropped themselves onto his head.
After muttering a few choice curse words, Harry thrust the key at Blaise, who then returned the key to the safety of its glass enclosure.
"Nice," said Blaise as he helped Harry to his feet. They both stared at the key, one of its wings now slightly bent from being gripped in Harry's hand. "I knew you had the makings of a great seeker in you."
"If he's got more of those hidden in the forbidden corridor, then I'm going to need a lot more practice with that snitch you gave me," Harry said, rubbing his shoulder where he hit it in his fall.
"Wish mum had let us bring our broomsticks to school with us," Blaise said sadly, "I mean, I know first years aren't supposed to have broomsticks at school, but I'm pretty sure Dumbledore wouldn't be happy about your invisibility cloak either, and mum let you have that."
"It was my dad's," Harry said flatly. In his mind, that was reason enough to let him take it with him to Hogwarts. He refused to be parted from it.
Except at the moment, when it rested over Millie as she waited in the hall. Harry thought he heard an impatient sigh from beyond the door, and he glanced around Flitwick's office guiltily. It hadn't exactly been tidy before, but now it looked as if a cyclone had passed through.
"Do you think he'll notice?" asked Blaise innocently.
"Yes. I think he will."
"Ah well. Reparo!"
Blaise pointed his wand at a vase that had been shattered during the key's flight. The broken pieces quickly sealed themselves back together.
"There, that's the least I can do."
Harry didn't want to risk checking any of the other teachers' offices that day. He was slightly worried that their presence would be missed at the Quidditch match, and Flitwick would be wondering who had sneaked into his office when he returned. They agreed to move through the school under cover of the cloak, at least until they reached the front doors. If anyone asked why they were coming in late, they would say that they had been at the match since the beginning, but needed to use the loo.
"Always use the bathroom as an excuse," Blaise said offhand, "People never want to hear the details after that."
"Shush!" Millie warned, "Snape!"
They moved out of the way just in time as Snape came oozing into the front hall, his black robes billowing around him like great bat wings. He paused, as if he had heard a piece of their conversation and was now searching for the source of the noise. Harry desperately hoped all of their feet were hidden, but he was too afraid to tilt his head down to check. Any movement might have alerted Snape to their presence only a few feet away.
Snape appeared satisfied that he was alone, and he began to stroll away again. Harry thought he seemed to be in a hurry, and he wasn't surprised when Snape made his way up the stairs in the general direction of the third floor.
Harry watched him go with a sense of dread. Had he already discovered how to get past all the teachers' traps? Was he now using the Quidditch game to do some investigations of his own, as Harry and his friends had? Millie and Blaise were impatient to be off to catch the end of the game, but Harry waved them away.
"I want to see what he's up to," Harry said as he pulled his cloak off of his friends and threw the hood over his face. "Go down to the game. If anyone asks about me, and it will be Malfoy if someone does, just make up an excuse."
"Bathroom," Blaise said with a nod. "Horrible diarrhea."
"Er... great thanks," said Harry sarcastically. Then he turned on the spot and raced as quietly as he could up the staircase after Snape.
Acting on suspicion, Harry directed his steps toward the third floor corridor. He was about halfway there when he heard whispered voices just ahead of him. Apparently, Snape wasn't the only one walking around the castle during the Quidditch match. Harry slowed his steps and crept closer toward the voices. Although he was effectively hidden under the invisibility cloak, still felt strange about hiding out in the open. Instead, he poked his head around the corner cautiously, preferring to watch from a distance.
Harry was surprised to see Snape talking with nervous Professor Quirrell. At that moment, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was doing a dismal job defending himself from Snape's harassment. As near as Harry could tell, Snape had backed him into the wall between two heavy statues, and appeared to be threatening him mercilessly.
"Have you found a way to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?" Snape was saying to the perspiring professor.
"B-b-but Severus, I..."
"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrel," Snape said in his most icy tone, taking a step toward him. Quirrel tried to take another step away, but of course he was already pinned helplessly against the wall. Harry felt terrible for him, but he wanted to see how this confrontation played out.
"I-I don't know what you..."
"You know perfectly well what I mean."
Quirrell's eyes swelled as large as ping-pong balls and he swallowed so hard Harry could hear him from his hiding place. He seemed on the verge of stammering something to Snape, but at that moment, a ghostly silver figure glided straight through the wall and passed directly through both professors.
Not even Snape could suppress a shudder as Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor house ghost, turned to survey the teachers. Quirrell was positively shaking.
"Oh, a thousand pardons, professors! I had no idea anyone was still in the castle," the ghost apologized, "But what are you doing here? Professor Snape, I would have thought you'd be present for the game, seeing as your own house is playing."
"Just settling an urgent matter, Sir Nicolas," Snape replied coolly, "Professor Quirrell and I were about to head down to the pitch. Weren't we, Quirinus?"
"A-Actually, I-I..."
Quirrell faltered under the sharp glare of Professor Snape and settled for nodding his head in mute agreement. Having no reason to suspect Snape of any treachery, Nick bid them both a good day and glided smoothly through the opposite wall of that which he entered.
Snape turned toward Quirrell, murmuring one final threat, "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decide where your loyalties lie."
Quirrell, clearly terrified, shifted uncomfortably around Snape and fled right past Harry, down the stairs. Snape watched him go, his eyes narrowed in something akin to disgust, before slowly making his way down the steps in Quirrell's wake. Harry pressed himself against the wall as Snape passed, careful to hold his breath. He knew getting caught by Snape now would spell certain doom. Luckily, Snape was none the wiser about Harry's presence, and Harry was able to trace his steps down the front hall again a few minutes. Apparently, neither Snape nor Quirrell had actually made their way down to the Quidditch pitch, as Blaise and Millie were still sitting on front steps, heads resting on their hands.
"What are you guys doing?" Harry asked, causing both of his friends to jump nearly out of their skins.
"Pyres of Gondor, Harry!" Blaise exclaimed, "Don't sneak up on us like that!"
Millie said nothing, but she glared at the empty space where Harry stood, her wand in her hand. She slid it back into her robes as Harry pulled the cloak off himself and stuffed it away.
"Sorry, but I thought you guys were headed down to the Quidditch pitch?"
"We wanted to know what you found out about Snape!" Blaise protested, "I can't focus on Quidditch while you're running about spying on people!"
"Alright! Just be quiet. We can't talk here," Harry said, glancing over his shoulder. He was worried that Snape and Quirrell would decide to make good on their lie to Nearly Headless Nick, and that one of them would head that way at any moment. They raced back through the castle, not bothering with the cloak now, and didn't speak until they were safely inside the Slytherin common room. It was completely deserted, as all of their fellow classmates were still at the match.
Harry told them everything he'd overheard from Snape and Quirrell's conversation, as well as everything he suspected.
"It's likely Quirrell was one of the teachers entrusted to protect the stone," Harry said, "But Snape is trying to get him to help him steal it."
"But why Quirrell? What if he told Dumbledore what Snape was up to?" Millie asked.
"He's the easiest to intimidate, probably," Blaise said, "And I'll bet he has some pretty useful information on how to break past the other teachers' enchantments. After all, he may be a stuttering coward, but he's also the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
"He said he wants Quirrell to figure out how to get past Fluffy," Harry reminded them, "That means Hagrid hasn't revealed any secrets yet... Except for the ones he's revealed to us by accident."
"So the stone is safe so long as Hagrid keeps his mouth shut?" Millie asked.
Harry, Blaise, and Millie all stared at one another with worry. None of them needed to say that relying on Hagrid's silence was not the safest means of security.