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Dumbledore had convinced Jane not to go looking for the Mirror of Erised again and for the rest of the Christmas holidays the Invisibility Cloak stayed folded at the bottom of her trunk.

Jane wished she could forget what she'd seen in the Mirror as easily, but she couldn't. Jane started having nightmares. Over and over again she dreamed about her parents disappearing in a flash of green light while a high voice cackled with laughter.

"You see, Dumbledore was right, that mirror could drive you mad," said Ron, when Jane told her about these dreams.

Jack, who came back the day before term started, took a similiar view of things. Hewas torn between curiosity about what they could do with the cloak, jealousy over the fact that he wasn't here and had missed out on things, excitement at the idea of Jane being out of bed, roaming the school three nights in a row ("If Filch had caught you!") disappointment that she hadn't at least found out who Nicolas Flamel was, and horror over the fact she had seen her parents in the mirror and had been effected so badly by it.

They had given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a library book, even though Jane was still sure she'd read the name somewhere, and Jack had been unable to ask his parents about Flamel during the chaos that had been his christmas.

("Next year I'm staying here, I don't care what they say I'm not putting up with that bloody lot again", "Speical school…..of course we can't tell them what Hogwarts actually is…but special school every treated me as if I was three" "then there were the usual rows, and Uncle Colin got absolutely sloshed as usual, and then Aunt Polly decided to light the christmas pudding on fire and accidentally set fire to her hair…it's not funny")

Once the holidays had finished the trio still spent every spare minute they had in the library but instead of looking for information about Flamel they were looking uo information to help them with their homework. Jane had even less time than the other two, because Quidditch practice had also started again. Wood was working the team harder than ever. Even the endless rain that had replaced the snow couldn't dampen his spirits. The Weasleys complained that Wood was becoming a fanatic, but Jane was secretly on Wood's side. If they won their next match, against Hufflepuff, they would overtake Slytherin in the House Championship for the first time in seven years. Quite apart from wanting to win, Jane found that she had fewer nightmares when she was tired out after training.

Then, during one particularly wet and muddy practice session, Wood gave the team a bit of bad news. He'd just got very angry with the Weasleys, who kept dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms.

"Will you stop messing around!' he yelled. 'That's exactly the sort of thing that'll lose us the match! Snape's refereeing this time, and he'll be looking for any excuse to knock points off

Gryffindor!"

George Weasley really did fall off his broom at these words.

"Snape's refereeing?" he spluttered through a mouthful of mud. "When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin."

The rest of the team landed next to George to complain, too.

"It's not my fault," said Wood. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us."

Which was all very well, thought Jane, but she had another reason for not wanting Snape near her while she was playing Quidditch …

The rest of the team hung back to talk to each other as usual at the end of practice, but Jane headed straight back to the Gryffindor common room, where she found Ron and Jack playing chess. Chess was the only thing Jack didn't seem to have a natural talent for, something Harry and Ron thought was very good for him.

"Don't talk to me for a moment," said Ron when Jane sat down next to him. "I need to concen–" He caught sight of Jane's face. "What's the matter with you? You look terrible."

Speaking quietly so that no one else would hear, Jane told the other two about Snape's sudden, sinister desire to be a Quidditch referee.

"Don't play," said Jack at once.

"Say you're ill," said Ron.

"Pretend to break your leg," Jack suggested.

"Really break your leg," said Ron.

"I can't," said Jane. 'There isn't a reserve Seeker. If I back out, Gryffindor can't play at all."

At that moment Neville 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. He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor Tower.

Everyone fell about laughing except Hermione Bishop, who leapt up faster than anyone else, and performed the counter-curse. Neville's legs sprang apart and he got to his feet, trembling.

"What happened?" Jane asked him as she jumped up and bgan leading over to sit with her, Ron and Jack and away from Hermione who was fussing like a mother hen and ranting baout bullying and demanding Neville go to Professor Dumbleodre at once.

"Malfoy," said Neville shakily. "I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practise that on."

'Go to Professor Dumbledore or even McGonagall!' Hermione Bishop ordered Neville. "Report him!"

Neville shook his head.

"I don't want more trouble," he mumbled.

"Besides reporting Malfoy to the teachers won't make things better, it will only make it worse" Jack told her sharply, "I know that for a fact" he added looking down. Hermione tutted and flounced off.

"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.

"Neville Ron didn't mean it like that. You are brave enough to be in Gryffindor the hat wouldn't have put you in here unless you were truely a Gryffindor" said Jack kindly

"You just need to rember that you're worth twelve of Malfoy, like Jack said the Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin." Jane said reasuringly as she felt in the pocket of her robes and pulled out the last bit of Mrs Weasleys homemade fudge. As she did so a small bundle chocolate frog cards, from the collection ron had given her fell out on the floor. She had been sorting through the cards and removing any duplicates. She gave the fudge to Neville, who looked as though he might cry, and bent down to collect the fallen cards.

"Thank you" said Neville his lips twitched in a weak smile as he unwrapped the fudge. "I think I'll go to bed … see you guys later"

As Neville walked away Jane looked at the Famous Wizard card she had just collected from under her chair, it was 'Dumbledore. Janee gasped. she stared at the back of the card. Then she lept to her feet, her head colliding painfully with the table, ignodring the searing pain she looked at Ron and Jack

."I've found him!" She whispered. "I've found Flamel! I told you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here – listen to this: 'Professor 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'!"

Jack slapped a hand to his forehead with such severity that Ron and Jane thought he was going to knock himself out.

"Of course" he groaned "I should have rememebred, mam was going on about him for weeks during the summer holidays" I should have realised. I didn't think. Merlin I am an idiot at times"

"What?" asked Jne

"Nicolas Flamel," Jack graoned " mam was researching him for he rpaper on alchemy. He's the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!" Jack told them.

"The what?" said Jane and Ron.

"The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The Stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal. There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently believed to be in existence was suposidly created by Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist, six hundred years ago" said Jack in a tone that made it perfectly clear he was reciting his mother's research paper word for word.

"So the stone is real and that's what the dogs guarding" said Ron still trying to work out what was going on,

"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!" Jane said as she put the pieces together in her mind

"A stone that makes gold and stops you ever dying!" said Jack. "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 some years old, is he?"

Next morning in Defence Against the Dark Arts, while copying down different ways of treating werewolf bites, Jane, Ron and Jack were still discussing what they'd do with a Philosopher's Stone if they had one. It wasn't until Ron said he'd buy his own

Quidditch team that Jane remembered about Snape and the coming match.

"I'm going to play," she told Ron and Jack. "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 pitch," said Jack

As the match drew nearer, however, Jane became more and more nervous, whatever she told Ron and Jack. The rest of the team weren't too calm, either. The idea of overtaking

Slytherin in the House Championship was wonderful, no one had done it for nearly seven years, but would they be allowed to, with such a biased referee?

Jane didn't know whether she was imagining it or not, but she seemed to keep running into Snape wherever she went. At times, she even wondered whether Snape was following her, trying to catch her on her own. Potions lessons were turning into a sort of weekly torture, Snape was so horrible to Jane.

Could Snape

possibly know they'd found out about the Philosopher's Stone? Jane didn't see how he could – yet she sometimes had the horrible feeling that Snape could read minds.

Jane knew, when they wished her good luck outside the changing rooms next afternoon, that Ron and Jack were wondering whether they'd ever see her alive again. This wasn't

what you'd call comforting.

Jane hardly heard a word of Wood's pep talk as she pulled on her Quidditch uniform and picked up her, now thoroughly checked and safety assured, Nimbus Two Thousand.

Ron and Jack, meanwhile, had found a place in the stands next to Neville, who couldn't understand why they looked so grim and worried, or why they had both brought their wands to the match.

Little did Jane know that Ron and Jack had been secretly practising the Leg-Locker Curse.

They'd got the idea from Malfoy using it on Neville, and were ready to use it on Snape if he showed any sign of wanting to hurt Jane.

"Now, don't forget, it's Locomotor Mortis," Jack muttered as Ron slipped his wand up his sleeve.

"I know," Ron snapped. "I know your worried, I am too but will you please stop repeating instructions, you're driving me bloody insane"

Back in the changing room, Wood had taken Jane aside.

"Don't want to pressure you, Potter, but if we ever need an early capture of the Snitch it's now. Finish the game before Snape can favour Hufflepuff too much."

"The whole school's out there!" said Fred Weasley, peering out of the door. "Even – blimey – Dumbledore's come to watch!"

Jane's heart did a somersault.

"Dumbledore?" he said, dashing to the door to make sure. Fred was right. There was no mistaking that silver beard. Jane could have laughed out loud with relief. She was safe.

There was simply no way that Snape would dare to try and hurt her if Dumbledore was watching.

Perhaps that was why Snape was looking so angry as the teams marched on to the pitch, something that Ron noticed, too.

"I've never seen Snape look so mean," he told Jack. 'Look – they're off. Ouch!" Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head.

It was Malfoy.

"Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there."

Malfoy grinned broadly at Crabbe and Goyle.

"Wonder how long Potter's going to stay on her broom this time? Anyone want a bet? What about you, Weasley?"

Ron didn't answer; Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley had hit a Bludger at him.

Jack, who was balling up his fists to stop himself from hitting Malfoy, was looking fixedly at Jane, who was circling the game like a hawk, looking for the Snitch.

"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money – you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains."

Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Malfoy.

"I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy," he stammered.

Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle howled with laughter, but Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said,

"You tell him, Neville."

"Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something."

Ron's nerves were already stretched to breaking point with anxiety about Jane.

"I'm warning you, Malfoy – one more word –"

"Ron!" said Jack suddenly. "JANE –!"

"What? Where?"

Jane had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Jack and Ron stood up, their eyes following Jane as she streaked towards the ground like a bullet.

"You're in luck, Weasley, Potter's obviously spotted some money on the ground!" said Malfoy.

Ron snapped. Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Ron was on top of him, wrestling him to the ground. Neville hesitated, then clambered over the back of his seat to help. Jack too turned away from the match to help in the scuffle.

"Come on, Jane, come on" screamed the crowd, leaping on to their seats to watch as Jane sped straight at Snape.

Hermione Bishop, who had been sat in the row infront of Ron and Jack, didn't even notice

Malfoy and Ron rolling around under her seat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that was Neville and Crabbe, or the grunts and groans and the sound of fists hitting flesh that came from Jack and Goyle.

Up in the air, Snape turned on his broomstick just in time to see something scarlet shoot past him, missing him by inches – next second, Jane had pulled out of the dive, her arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in her hand.

The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly.

"The game's over! We've won!"

"We've Won, We've Won"

"We've won! Gryffindor are in the lead!'" shrieked Hermione, dancing up and down on her seat and hugging Parvati Patil in the row in front.

Jane jumped off her broom, a foot from the ground. She couldn't believe it. She'd done it – the game was over; it had barely lasted five minutes. As Gryffindors came spilling on to the pitch, he saw Snape land nearby, white-faced and tight-lipped – then Jane felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up into Dumbledore's smiling face.

"Well done," said Dumbledore quietly, so that only Jane could hear. "Nice to see you haven't been brooding about that mirror … been keeping busy … excellent …' really excellent, you're parents would be so proud of you"

Dumbledore smiled at Jane and gave her shoulder a reasuring squeeze before walking away, leaving Jane to celebrate with her teammates. As she was hoisted into the air and onto the Weasley twins shoulders, Jane saw Snape spit bitterly on the ground.

Jane left the changing room alone some time later, to take her Nimbus Two Thousand back to the broomshed. Jane couldn't ever remember feeling happier. She'd really done something to be proud of now – no one could say she was just a famous name any more.

The evening air had never smelled so sweet. Jane walked over the damp grass, reliving the last hour in her head, which was a happy blur: Gryffindors running to lift her on to their

Shoulders; after she had been let down from her perch on the Weasley twins.

Ron and Jack in the distance, jumping up and down, Ron cheering through a heavy nosebleed, and Jack smiling with a cut lip.

Jane had reached the shed. She leant against the wooden door and looked up at Hogwarts, with its windows glowing red in the setting sun. Gryffindor in the lead. She'd done it, she'd shown Snape … And speaking of Snape …

A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible towards the Forbidden Forest Jane's victory faded from her mind as she watched. She recognised the figure's prowling walk. Snape, sneaking into the Forest while everyone else was at dinner – what was going on?

Jane jumped back on her Nimbus Two Thousand and took off. Gliding silently over the castle she saw Snape enter the Forest at a run. Jane followed. The trees were so thick she couldn't see where Snape had gone. She flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until she heard voices. Then she glided towards them and landed

noiselessly in a towering beech tree. She climbed carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to her broomstick, trying to see through the leaves.

Below, in a shadowy clearing, stood Snape, but he wasn't alone. Quirrell was there, too. Jane couldn't make out the look on his face, but he was stuttering worse than ever. Jane

strained to catch what they were saying.

"… d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus …"

"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," said Snape, his voice icy. "Students aren't supposed to know about the Philosopher's Stone, after all."

Jane leant forward. Quirrell was mumbling something. Snape interrupted him.

"Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"

"B-b-but Severus, I –"

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," said Snape, taking a step towards him.

"I-I don't know what you –"

"You know perfectly well what I mean."

An owl hooted loudly and Jane nearly fell out of the tree. She steadied herself in time to hear Snape say,

"– your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting."

"B-but I d-d-don't –"

"Very well," Snape cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie." He threw his cloak over his head and strode out of the clearing. It was almost dark now, but Jane could see Quirrell,

standing quite still as though he was petrified.

"Jane, where have you been?" Jack asked as Jane stumbled into the common room, the party was already in full swing.

"We won! You won! We won!" shouted Ron, thumping Jane on the back. "And I gave Malfoy a black eye and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed! Well at least he did after Goyle pushed Jack straight into the first rom, right on top of Hermione and Parvati. Poor Neville he's still out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right – talk about showing Slytherin! Everyone was going to wait for you but Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens and well"

"Never mind that now," said Jane breathlessly. "Let's go up to you're room for a moment you wait 'til you hear this …"

Once they were in the dorm they shut the door behind themselves, and then quickly and quietly Jane told them what she'd seen and heard.

"So we were right, it is the Philosopher's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy – and he said something about Quirrell's"

"hocus-pocus" – I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell which Snape needs to break through –"

"So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?' said Ron in a groan

"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Jack.