Surprise! I took major advantage of the inspiration bug and did a double update. Thank you to all who favorite, review or follow this story as it means a lot to me.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Andi and the plot with some helpful suggestions from all of you.
The arrival of spring brought on new life to the trees and plant life around the grounds along with the promise of warmer weather in the upcoming months. But for the Quartet it brought on a new exciting discovery in their search for mysterious Nicholas Flamel. The four sat in the library, Andi watched Hermione lift a large book from the shelves as she worked a few floral clips with ribbons dangling off them in her hair telekinetically. She pulled her right leg on the bench and hugged her knee touching her knee high black and white converse as she returned her attention to her copy of the Three Musketeers.
"I had you looking in the wrong section. How could I be so stupid?" Hermione chastised herself coming up next to Andi before dropping the book down with a heavy thud causing the other three to jump. "I checked it out weeks ago for a bit of light reading." She continued sitting down.
"This is light?" Ron asked as she leafed through it.
"For Hermione it is." Andi joked trying to hold back her snickers. Hermione shot both of them a look before gasping as she found what she had been searching for.
"Of course! Here it is." She told them. "Nicholas Flamel is the only know maker of the Sorcerer's Stone."
"The what?" The other three asked in stereo.
"Honestly, don't you three read?" She asked them. Andi rolled her eyes and tapped her book but listened as Hermione began to read out loud. "The Sorcerer's Stone is a legendary substance with astonishing powers. It'll transform any metal into pure gold and produces the Elixir of Life which will make the drinker immortal."
"Immortal?" Ron repeated.
"It means you'll never die." Hermione elaborated looking up.
"I know what it means!" Ron responded with a raised voice causing Harry to hush him with a finger to his lips.
"A little louder why don't ya?" Andi hissed leaning in. "I don't think they heard you over in Beijing!" Hermione finally continued reading.
"The only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicholas Flamel the noted alchemist who last year celebrated his 665thbirthday." Andi whistled.
"So I am guessing there's our incriminating evidence. The Sorcerer's Stone is what Fluffy must be guarding on the third floor. That's what is under the trap door." They all shared worried glances. "I think a little visit to our favorite groundskeeper is in order. Do I hear a nay?" No one objected.
(That Night)
That night Andi slipped on a grey, black and pink knitted sweater, pink skinny jeans, white and grey leg warmers and white combat boots. She clipped some of her hair to the side with a periwinkle barrette and slipped on her grey army jacket before she joined her friends in running across the wet grounds to Hagrid's hut. They reached it in the order of Harry, Andi, Ron, and Hermione. Harry banged on the door twice until Hagrid opened it, wearing, strangely, oven mitts and an apron.
"Hagrid." Harry greeted.
"Hello." He greeted them, "Sorry, don't wish to be rude, but I'm in no fit state to entertain today." He tried to shut the door on them.
"We know about the Sorcerer's Stone." They said in unison as it shut causing it to immediately be swung open again.
"Oh." Hagrid responded before turning back inside. They followed him in the other three shedding their cloaks as they went.
"We think Snape's trying to steal it." Harry began as they took seats.
"Snape?" Hagrid repeated as he busied himself at the fireplace. "Come on your not still on about him are ya'h?" He asked them. Andi sat on the armrest of Hermione's chair.
"Hagrid," Harry pleaded, "we know he's after the Stone. We just don't know why?"
"Yeah, there's not exactly a motive to steal it. So why would he even attempt?" Andi asked. "Or is there some super sketchy wizard black market that we don't know about?"
"Snape is one of the teachers protecting the Stone. He's not about to steal it." Hagrid protested.
"What?" Harry asked.
"Rewind and repeat please." Andi requested waving her hand.
"You heard." Hagrid countered. "All right, come on now. I'm a bit preoccupied today." He again attempted to get rid of him.
"Wait a minute." Harry requested. "One of the teachers?"
"Of course!" Hermione realized. "There are other things defending the Stone, aren't there? Spells, enchantments."
"That's right." Hagrid agreed. "Waste of bloody time, if you ask me. Ain't no one gonna get past Fluffy." He chuckled. "Ain't a soul knows how, except for me and Dumbledore." He pointed to himself and froze. "I shouldn't have told you that. I should not have told you that." He mumbled more to himself. Suddenly a sound was heard coming from the fire.
"What's that noise?" Andi asked. Hagrid didn't answer and instead turned to a bucket on the fire. He took something out of it making little sounds as if it were hurting him as he took it to the table. They all followed crowding around.
"Um… Hagrid," Harry tried, "what exactly is that?"
"That?" Hagrid repeated inclining his head towards said object, "It's… a…"
"I know what that is!" Ron told them astonished. "But Hagrid, how did you get one?"
"I won it." He answered. "Off a stranger I met down in the pub. Seemed quite glad to be rid of it, as a matter of fact." Andi faced palmed.
"Gee, I wonder why." She mused sarcastically. The object started shaking more and they all leaned back. It began to crack until it exploded open and a winged creature popped out. It looked around them and crawled around making sounds with droll running down his mouth.
"Is that a dragon?" Hermione asked amazed.
"It is." Andi replied astonished.
"That's not just a dragon." Ron began, "That's a Norwegian Ridgeback. My brother Charlie works with these in Romania."
"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid asked close to tears. The dragon turned towards him at the sound of his voice. "Oh, bless him. Look, he knows his mummy." Andi rolled her eyes as Hagrid laughed and petted the baby dragon. "Hello, Norbert." The dragon cooed in response.
"Norbert?" Harry repeated.
"He's gotta have a name, don't he?" Hagrid countered. Ron smiled and shook his head as Hagrid continued coddling the dragon. "Don't you, Norbert?" He asked tickling him. Suddenly Norbert made a noise that sounded like burping and spat fire onto Hagrid's beard causing the groundskeeper to let out a startled cry. He quickly brushed the embers out of his smoldering beard.
"And that is why we don't play with dangerous baby dragons." Andi commented flicking her finger and water from the bucket shot forward splashing onto Hagrid's beard.
"Well, he'll have to be trained up a bit, of course." Hagrid told her as Norbert spat out another small ember. A sight from the window caught his attention. "Who's that?" He asked the four preteens. They all turned to see a familiar blonde head peeking through the window. Once Draco saw them he turned and ran off.
"Malfoy." Harry answered for them all.
"Oh, dear." Hagrid said. The four soon bid him goodnight and ran back to the castle.
"Hagrid always wanted a dragon." Harry told them. "Told me so the first time I ever met him." Andi shook her head from her spot between him and Ron.
"But still that dragon's going to get a whole lot bigger." Ron nodded.
"It's crazy."
"And worse, Malfoy knows." Harry added. Ron caught sight of something that shocked him. Professor McGonagall stepping out of a doorway looking displeased.
"I don't understand." Hermione spoke up confused. "Is that bad?"
"It's bad." Ron answered causing them all to look forward.
"Good evening." McGonagall commented as Draco stepped out looking extremely pleased with himself. She dragged the five students to her classroom and the four Gryffindors stood in a line in front of her desk with Andi next to Ron. Draco stood off to the side with his arms crossed. "Nothing, I repeat nothing, gives a student the right to walk about the school at night." She lectured them. Andi looked down feeling like a little kid caught in the cookie jar. "Therefore, as punishment for your actions, 50 points will be taken." This shocked the four.
"50?!" Harry repeated.
"Each." McGonagall clarified. The four wore horrified expressions. "And to ensure it doesn't happen again, all five of you will receive detention." That made Draco lose his smile real fast.
"Excuse me, Professor," he began politely walking forwards, "perhaps I heard you wrong. I thought you said the five of us."
"No, you heard me correctly, Mr. Malfoy." McGonagall nodded. "You see, honorable as your intentions were, you too were out of bed after hours." She explained. Andi noticed Harry smiling and couldn't let out a small one herself at the fact that Malfoy wouldn't weasel his way out of this. "You will join your classmates in detention. Malfoy looked over at the four disappointed as they showed small smiles.
(Detention Night)
Filch led the five students out of the castle across the grounds complaining as they tromped on.
"A pity they let the old punishments die." He mused. "Was a time detention found you hanging by your thumbs in the dungeons. God, I miss the screaming." Andi looked horrified.
'EW! This takes corporal punishment to medieval times.' She thought. Filch led them over to Hagrid's hut who opened the door carrying a lantern with Fang following.
"You'll be serving detention with Hagrid tonight." Filch informed them. "He's got a little job to do inside the Dark Forest." He stopped and presented them to the down and out groundskeeper. Andi felt sympathy wash through her as she felt his sadness. "A sorry lot, this, Hagrid." Hagrid merely took a deep breath and did not say a word. "Oh, good God, you're not still on about that bloody dragon, are you?" Hagrid picked up his crossbow and finally faced them.
"Norbert's gone." He told the four Gryffindors. "Dumbledore sent him off to Romania to live in a colony."
"Well that's good, isn't it?" Hermione asked trying to offer some comfort. "He'll be with his own kind."
"Yeah, but what if he don't like Romania?" Hagrid asked. "What if the other dragons are mean to him? He's a baby after all."
"Oh, for God's sakes, pull yourself together mate." Filch ordered not having any of it. "You're going into the Forest, after all. Got to have your wits about you."
"The Forest?" Draco repeated shocked. "I thought that was a joke. We can't go in there." Filch turned his head to look at the blonde. "Students aren't allowed. And there are…" He trailed off as the sound of something howling reached their ears. "…werewolves."
"Oh, there's more than werewolves in those trees. You can be sure of that." He told them.
"Why am I suddenly getting the feeling that you hate kids?" Andi asked. Filch didn't answer the question.
"Nighty-night." He told them walking back towards the castle.
"Right. Let's go." Hagrid ordered leading them into the forest. They walked into the darkened woods and Andi felt a child in the air as she looked around. If she ever painted this moment it wouldn't be a happy picture. Hagrid stopped them after a while and crouched down dipping his hand in a dark silver colored liquid. Andi paled.
"Hagrid, what is that?" Harry asked.
"Please don't let it be what I think it is." Andi added.
"What we're here for." Hagrid answered. "See that?" He asked them lifting silver covered fingertips. "That's unicorn blood, that is. I found one dead a few weeks ago. Now, this one's been hurt bad by something." A beat of silence followed and Andi felt sad for the poor creature.
'Why would anyone want to kill such a beautiful unicorn?'
"So, it's our job to go and find the poor beast." He informed them. "Ron, Hermione, you'll come with me."
"Okay." Ron agreed frightened.
"And Harry, Andi, you'll go with Malfoy." Harry and Andi exchanged a glance but nodded all the same.
"Okay." Malfoy agreed. "Then I get Fang."
"Fine." Hagrid agreed. "Just so you know, he's a bloody coward." Draco's face fell as they looked to the whining dog who turned to look at them. As they separated Andi walked on the other side while Draco held the lantern.
"Just wait till my father hears about this." He complained. "This is servant's stuff." Andi rolled her eyes.
"If we didn't know better Draco," Harry told the blonde, "I'd say you were scared."
"I'm not scared, Potter." Draco shot back. Suddenly they heard a sound. "Did you hear that?"
"Probably just the wind." Andi commented continuing walking with her two companions following.
"Come on, Fang." Harry called the dog over to them.
"Scared!" Draco scoffed. They trailed deeper into the forest with Fang now leading the way. Suddenly the stopped in his tracks and began to growl.
"What is it, Fang?" Harry asked. But Draco caught sight of it as well and looked shocked. Andi and Harry followed his line of sight and Andi felt her blood run cold. A dark figure was hunched over a unicorn's dead body and looked like it was sucking its blood. Andi heard Harry gasp in pain and looked to see him holding his forehead. The figure looked up and growled at them. Draco screamed and took off with Fang. Both were left standing looked back on the figure as it glided towards them like it was flying. Both backed and Andi threw her hand out sending a strong telekinetic blast at the figure. It was halted for a moment but then continued. As both backed up they tripped over tree roots. Andi threw up her force field to shield them but the figure advanced until it came right in front of it. Andi gasped as she felt waves of pure evil and darkness from it, it was unlike anything she ever felt before. She reached out and grabbed Harry's arm in a deathlike grip and both ducked their heads not wanting to watch what would most likely be their inevitable deaths. Suddenly the figure looked up backing away and the two heard the sound of hoof beats. Both raised their heads as someone jumped over them, when they landed Andi automatically knew what it was.
"A centaur." She breathed. The centaur reared its front legs scaring the figure back into the mist. Harry stood up and turned to assit her. Once upright she lowered her force field as their savior approached.
"Harry Potter," he told them, "you and your friend must leave. You are known to many creatures here. The Forest is not safe at this time. Especially for you."
"What was that thing you saved us from?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, it was horrible." Andi added. "I've never felt anything so evil."
"A monstrous creature." The centaur answered. "It is a terrible crime to slay a unicorn." He said gesturing to said poor creature. "Drinking the blood of a unicorn will keep you alive even if you are an inch from death. But at a terrible price. For you have slain something so pure that from the moment the blood touches your lips, you will have a half-life. A cursed life."
"But who would choose such a life?" Harry asked.
"Can you think of no one?" The centaur asked. Andi looked to Harry for an explanation.
"Do you mean to say that that thing that killed the unicorn, that was drinking its blood, that was Voldemort?"
"Oh my God." Andi gasped feeling sick. The centaur leaned in so they could all be face to face.
"Do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment, Mr. Potter and friend?" He asked. Andi and Harry shared a glance both coming to the same realization.
"The Sorcerer's Stone." Both answered in shock. Hagrid and the others appeared with Fang barking at them.
"Harry, Andi!" Hermione called relieved.
"Hello there, Firenze." Hagrid greeted the centaur. "See you've meet our young Mr. Potter and Ms. Warren-Halliwell. You two all right there?" Both nodded.
"Harry Potter and… Andi Warren-Halliwell," Firenze addressed them, "this is where I leave you. You're safe now. Good luck." He told them before leaving. They all looked towards the dead unicorn.
(Back at the Gryffindor Common Room)
"You mean, You-Know-Who is out there right now in the Forest?" Hermione asked. Andi nodded from her placed on the floor in front of the couch with her knees drawn to her chest and arms wrapped around them resting the side of her head on her arms.
"Yeah, that's what we said in a nutshell."
"But he's weak." Harry added. "He's living off the unicorns." He explained. "Don't you see? We 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 come back." Harry finished sitting down in the arm chair.
"But if he comes back you don't think he'll try to kill you, do you?" Andi took advantage of her position and drove her elbow into Ron's shin. "Ow! Andi!"
"Way to make the man feel better, Ron." She snapped tilting her head up to look at him. "Honestly you have no tact."
"I think if he'd had the chance he might have tried to kill me tonight." Harry admitted.
"And to think I've been worried about my Potions final." Ron commented. Andi hit her forehead against her hands.
"Hang on a minute." Hermione jumped in. "We're forgetting one thing. Who's the one wizard Voldemort always feared?" The other three exchanged glances. "Dumbledore. As long as Dumbledore is around, Harry, you're safe. As long as Dumbledore is around, you can't be touched." Harry gave her a smile and nodded.
"Why do I get the feeling you suddenly jinxed us?" Andi asked hesitantly.
Well... You know what to do, leave a review and tell me what you think.
Suggestions are also always welcomed.
Hopefully in the next few weeks I can get the next chapter up which will be Hogwarts second demon attack and the real test for Andi and her friends to prove themselves.