Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone: Take Two

by MysticSong1978

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot switch and any original characters I may add in as I deem necessary. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling. Should any other literary references be used, they will be so noted at that point.

Dialogue is in double quotes ("") and Thoughts are in single quotes ('').


Slytherin easily trounced Hufflepuff at Quidditch. Hufflepuffs were loyal and kind, but so rarely did one surface with a competitive streak that their House team rarely came out on top. Unlike the other Houses, though, they seemed content in merely playing a good, clean game, and did not seem overly disappointed at their loss.

Although Severus appeared annoyed at having to referee the match, he had actually volunteered to do so, to keep a closer eye on Harry during the game in case Quirrell should try something designed to unseat the boy – or worse.

Harry, to everyone's amazement, caught the snitch in under a minute of it being released, bringing Slytherin an easy victory.

Draco gave Harry a high-five after the team backed off a bit. Draco was soon joined by Pansy, Blaise, Ron, Hermione, and Neville, who raced Harry off the pitch back into the castle, celebratory behaviour in full swing. The professors seemed nonplussed as they watched this new, larger group of Gryffindor-Slytherin friends take off. Albus grinned wholeheartedly in delight, nearly blinding his colleagues with the glow in his eyes.

Severus shook his head, watching the friends with a bemused look. One that promptly turned to a frown when out of the corner of his eye he caught Quirrell heading off to the Forbidden Forest. Severus swiftly remounted his broom and followed suit.

Later that night, Harry knocked on the door to Professor Snape's private chambers.

"Enter."

Harry slowly pushed open the door and peered inside. "Sir? May I speak with you a moment, please?"

Severus nodded; eyes still on the paper he was marking. "Sit, Harry. What is it?"

Harry shut the door behind him and sat where Severus had indicated.

"One of the reasons I worked to catch the snitch so quickly today was because I could feel Quirrell watching me and it made my scar hurt. I didn't know if he was up to something or not, and I did not wish to experience a flight like I did during my first game."

Severus looked up at his student. "That is why I refereed, today, Harry. To protect you. I knew it would be easier if I was I the air than in the stands."

Harry nodded sagely. "We missed you at the celebration, tonight, sir."

Severus smirked. A thoughtful comment – phrased in such a manner to politely needle information out of someone. Harry made a fine Slytherin. James would be so . . . 'No, Severus, don't go there.'

"I noticed Quirrell heading out to the Forbidden Forest, so I followed and threatened him." Severus paused. "I can sense the Dark Lord all around him, but it is very faint. I cannot place him, but I sense great danger. Do not let yourself be caught alone with him, Harry."

Harry was taken aback by the stark severity of his professor's tone, but he smiled and promised to be careful.

"You must be more than just careful, Mr. Potter. Your very life may depend upon it."

Hermione, however, as well as Pansy and Draco, had more on their minds than what Quirrell may or may not be doing. Although they were certainly all concerned for Harry, it was difficult for eleven-year-olds to keep a non-physical worry at the forefront of their minds when exams were looming. Hermione had started drawing up revision tables for the upcoming exams, colour-coding all her notes – as well as rewriting many of them – and egging Ron and Neville to do the same. Blaise and Harry shrugged and went along with the Slytherin versions of Hermione's charts, knowing it was easier in the long run to just give in, and besides, they wanted to do as well as they could.

As they sat in the library one day, Ron groaned, "Mione! The exams are ages and ages away. What are you getting so riled up for this early? Besides, you already know everything."

Hermione blushed at the unintended compliment, but still went after Ron like a dog worrying a bone. "Are you mad? They start in ten weeks! That's like a second if you're Nicolas Flame!"

"But we're not six hundred years old," Ron reminded her.

Hermione sniffed. "They are very important, Ron, we have to pass to get into second year!"

"I know Mione. I do have older brothers, remember?"

Unfortunately for Ron, the teachers were evidently thinking along the same lines. They piled on tons of homework. Ron complained bitterly to Harry the next time they had a spot of free time about how Hermione spent all their evenings reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood or practicing wand movements. "Bet your evenings are more fun," said Ron.

Harry smirked. "Oh, yes, Ron, we have extra lessons from the older Slytherins in potions, charms, and DADA every evening. Especially DADA since Quirrell is such a joke." He paused. "It's not really that bad. You do want to get into second year, don't you?"

Ron just groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"I'll never remember all this," Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing his quill down and looking longingly out of the library window. It was the first really nice day they had had in months.

Harry, who was looking up 'Dittany' in One Thousand Herbs and Fungi, didn't look up until he heard Draco say, "Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?"

Hagrid scuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.

"Jus lookin'," he sad, in a shifty voice that got the entire group's interest at once. "An' what're you lot up ter?" He looked suddenly suspicious. "Yer not still lookin' fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?"

"Oh, we found out who he is ages ago," said Ron impressively. "And we know what that dog's guarding, it's a Phil—"

"Shhh!" Hagrid looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. "Don' go shoutin' about it, what's the matter with yeh?"

"There are few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact," said Harry, "about what's guarding it apart from Fluffy –"

"SHHHHH! said Hagrid again, much more forcefully. "Listen – come an' see me later, I'm not promising' I'll tell yeh anythin', mind, but don' go rabbitin' about it in here, students aren' s'pposed to know. They'll think I've told yeh—"

"See you later, then," said Blaise.

Hagrid shuffled off.

"What was he hiding behind his back?" wondered Pansy thoughtfully.

"Do you think it has to do with the Stone?" mused Hermione.

Pansy looked thoughtful. "No offense, but from what you all have told us, and from our meetings with Hagrid since we all joined forces, he doesn't seem the sort to be looking things up in the library. It doesn't seem like he has much to do with the Stone itself, beyond lending Fluffy to Professor Dumbledore anyhow."

Ron got a little flustered at this, but Neville shushed him. It was obvious that Pansy had not meant anything bad by what she said; Ron would just have to learn that the Slytherins were usually not . . . tactful.

Draco nodded in agreement, and standing, slipped over to the section Hagrid had vacated. A hiss of in-drawn breath got Harry's attention. He went to check what Draco had found. The two boys stared at each other in despair.

"He couldn't really be . . ."

"He could. He'd love to have one. He told me so."

"But his house . . . and it is illegal."

"Care to tell us what you found, boys?" called Blaise from his spot at the table.

Draco popped back around the shelves, a number of books in hand. He dropped them unceremoniously on the table.

Hermione turned one towards her. "From Egg to Inferno: A Dragon Keeper's Guide?"

Harry nodded. "He told me he's always wanted one for a pet."

"But where would he even get an egg," asked Ron. "It's against our laws. Has been since 1709, everyone knows."

"Even folks in Knockturn Alley would be hard pressed trying to sell dragon eggs," mused Draco.

"And Hagrid couldn't possibly raise one. They can't be tamed. You should see some of the burns Charlie has from his work."

"Are there actually wild dragons in Britain?" wondered Harry.

"Of course," continued Ron. "Common Welsh Green and Hebridean Blacks. The Ministry of Magic has a quite a job hushing them up, I'll tell you. They are constantly placing spells on Muggles who have spotted them."

"So what on earth is Hagrid up to?" wondered Neville.

When they went to visit Hagrid later that day, they were surprised to see all the curtains closed.

Hagrid called out, "Who is it?" before letting them inside. He shut the door quickly behind them.

It was stiflingly hot inside. It was quite a warm day out, yet Hagrid had a blazing fire going. Hagrid made them tea and offered sandwiches; the latter of which they refused.

"So . . . yeh wanted to ask me somthin'?"

"Yes," said Harry firmly. "We were wondering if you could tell us what is guarding the Stone apart from Fluffy."

Hagrid scowled at them. "O' course I can't," he said. "Number one, I don' know myself. Number two, yeh know too much already, so I wouldn't tell yeh if I could. That Stone's here fer a good reason, Harry. It was almost stolen outta Gringotts – I s'ppose yeh've worked that out an' all. Beats me how yeh even knew about Fluffy."

"Oh, come on, Hagrid, you might not want to tell us, but you do know. You know everything that goes on around here," said Blaise in a warm, flattering voice that made Hagrid blush slightly. "We only wondered who had done the guarding, really," he went on. "We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you that is."

Hagrid's chest swelled at these last words. The six friends beamed at Blaise for his well-worked adulation of the Gamekeeper.

"Well, I don' suppose it would hurt ter tell yeh that. Albus borrowed Fluffy from me and then some o' the teachers helped out too. With Enchantments and such, yeh know. Professors Sprout, Flitwick, McGonagall, Quirrell, Dumbledore, and Snape." He beamed proudly at them for having remembered everyone.

The seven students looked at each other with worried expressions. It did not sit well with any of them that Quirrell was on the list, but it was pointless to discuss their fear with Hagrid who was prone to openly, foolishly even, trust anyone with "Hogwarts Professor" attached to his or her name. Perhaps it was time for a new discussion.

"Hagrid," cooed Hermione, "why were you reading books on dragon care today?"

"And can we open a window? It's boiling in here," complained Draco, wiping perspiration from his face.

"Can't, Draco, sorry," muttered Hagrid. Draco noticed him glance at the fire. The others looked too.

"Hagrid, what is that?" But Ron knew. In the very heart of the fire was a big, black egg.

"Ah," said Hagrid, fiddling nervously with his beard. "That's er . . ."

"Where did you get it, Hagrid," questioned Ron, crouching over the fire to get a closer look. "It must have cost you a fortune."

"Won it," said Hagrid cheerfully. "Las' night. Was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."

"But what are you going to do with it when it hatches?" said Hermione, a frown furrowing her face.

"Raise it, o' course, Hermione," beamed Hagrid, "jus' like it wer me own baby. Gots to feed it loads different though."

Hermione shook her head.

"I've been doing reading, not jus' wha' I had in the library, but a pile o' other books. I know I've got me a Norwegian Ridgeback. They're rare, them."

He looked rather pleased with himself, but the seven friends did not.

"Hagrid, you live in a wooden house!" exclaimed Pansy.

But Hagrid wasn't listening. He was humming to himself as he stoked the fire.

So now they had something else to worry about; Hagrid's illegal dragon and what would happen if he got caught, the Philosopher's Stone, and exams.

Depending to which of the seven others talked to would have brought varying responses to the order in which they were worried about said events, but they weren't really things they could tell anyone about, so it simply appeared for all purposes that Hermione, Pansy, Blaise, Draco, Harry, Neville, and even Ron, were all very, very stressed about their impending end-of-year examinations.

One day at breakfast, Hedwig dropped a note into Harry's lap that simply read, "It's hatching."

Harry swallowed nervously and passed the note to Draco, who showed it to Pansy and Blaise. The four of them looked at each other, wide-eyed and in one smooth move, stood and made their way over to the Gryffindor table.

Unfriendly eyes from the table they departed from followed their movement as they signaled their Gryffindor counterparts and slipped into the hallway.

Huddled in an alcove, Draco revealed the note. Hermione, Ron and Neville eyed it and each other with something akin to fear in their eyes. "Nothing good will come of this," mused Neville, "mark my words."

Harry nodded. "Neville is right. I can feel it. But . . . we need to visit Hagrid and see what is happening and help him if we can."

Hermione looked torn between wanting to see a dragon born and how much trouble they could get into if they were caught. Not that they would be in trouble for visiting Hagrid, but they all obviously knew it was wrong not to have informed anyone what he was up to. At the look on her friends' faces, however, she gave in and allowed herself to be pulled along down the hill to Hagrid's hut.

None of them noticed the person following them.

When the bell sounded, signaling the morning's break from classes, the friends met each other near the Herbology gardens where Ron, Hermione, and Neville had their morning lesson.

Hagrid greeted them, cheeks flushed, his excitement obvious.

"It's nearly out!" He ushered them inside.

The egg was lying on the table, the previously smooth surface mottled with creases and cracks where the baby had been studiously working to break through.

They gathered around the table, waiting with bated breath.

All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Harry thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella that someone had tossed aside. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body and it had a long snout with wide nostrils, stubs or horns, and bulging orange eyes. Blaise thought it looked like a poor kid who had grown up too fast and hadn't yet become accustomed to his new frame.

Hagrid had no such thoughts. "Isn' he beautiful?"

It sneezed and a few sparks shot out its snout.

Hagrid leaned over to stroke the dragon's head. The dragon snapped at his fingers with wicked looking fangs.

"Bless him, look, he knows his mummy!"

Draco and Harry just looked at each other.

"Hagrid," said Hermione, "just how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow?"

Hagrid was about to answer when the colour suddenly drained from his face. He leapt to his feet and dashed to the window.

"What's the matter?"

"Some fool kid was lookin' through the gap in the curtains – they're headin' back to the school."

Harry bolted to the door and looked out. There was no mistaking Bulstrode as she waddled back to the castle as fast as her stout legs could go.

The worst female in Slytherin had seen the dragon.

Something about the smile on Bulstrode's face during the next week made the friends very nervous. The spent most of their free time with Hagrid, trying to reason with him. Hagrid had an argument for everything they suggested.

Harry suddenly turned to Ron. "Charlie!"

Ron patted Harry on the head like he was a lost puppy. "No, Harry, I'm Ron, remember?"

Harry shook Ron off with a look of exasperation. "I know that. I meant maybe Charlie could help us out."

They looked at Hagrid. Hagrid sighed but in the end agreed to allow Charlie to take little Norbert, as Hagrid had taken to calling him, away to the dragon community that he worked in.

The following week dragged by slowly. Wednesday night found Harry in his common room with Draco long after everyone else had gone to bed. The clock had just chimed midnight when a knock sounded at the door. Harry leapt from his seat and yanked the door open to find no one on the other side. He reached out a hand and touched his Invisibility cloak. "Ron?" he whispered.

Ron's hand appeared from under the cloak, a letter clutched in it. Harry took it. "I've already shared with Hermione. We couldn't find Neville anywhere." I've got to go. I'll get your cloak to you tomorrow. Harry nodded and gently shut the door. He turned to Draco and waved the letter at him.

"Let's see what Charlie had to say."

Dear Ron,

How are you? Thanks for the letter – I'd be glad to take the dragon, but it won't be easy getting him here. I think the best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit next week. They mustn't be seen with an illegal dragon, though.

Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away while it is still dark.

Send me an answer as soon as possible.

Love, Charlie.

Harry looked at Draco. "I think the cloak is big enough to cover two of us and Norbert. The question is who would be the best to deal with this situation?"

Draco thought for a moment. "You should go. It is your cloak and all, you lucky sod."

Harry poked him.

"And . . . maybe Blaise. He's stronger than he looks. About your size too, so the cloak wouldn't be so hard to manage."

Harry nodded; glad the decision was made by someone else and was glad to see the end of this particular fiasco coming to a close.

That decided, Harry and Draco gathered up their notes and books and headed to their room. The note from Charlie slipped, unnoticed, from their arms and fluttered to the floor. Once the door to the boys' hall slid shut, Millicent Bulstrode slipped from her hiding place in the shadows and eagerly grabbed the letter from the stone floor.

A cruel smirk graced her lips when she read what it said.


They would have felt sorry for Hagrid when the time came for him to say goodbye to Norbert if they hadn't been so worried about actually getting rid of the dragon, which wasn't so small anymore. Frankly, Draco thought Hagrid was very lucky that his house was (mostly) still intact.

Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready to go.

"He's got lots o' rats an' some brandy fer the journey. An' I've packed his teddy bear so he won' get lonely."

From inside the crate came a loud ripping noise. Apparently, Norbert had decided to eat the bear.

Hagrid sobbed as Harry and Blaise struggled out the door with the crate, trying to keep the Cloak in place.

How they managed to get back in the castle and all the way up the tower would remain a mystery to them.

A sudden movement in front of them nearly made them drop Norbert.

A lamp flared.

Professor McGonagall, in a tartan dressing-gown and a hairnet, had Bulstrode by the ear.

"Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how dare you-"

"You don't understand, Professor, Harry Potter is coming – he's got a dragon!"

"Utter rubbish. How dare you tell me such lies? Come on – I'm taking you to see Professor Snape."

Harry and Blaise winced but remained silent.

About ten minutes later, four broomsticks appeared out of the gloomy night sky and headed for the tower they were in.

Charlie's friends were a cheery lot. They showed Harry and Blaise the harness they had worked out so they could suspend Norbert between them. Harry had to admit it was very clever.

They helped buckle Norbert in, shook hands, thanked them profusely, and then they were gone.

Breathing a deep sigh of relief, Blaise and Harry made their way back down the tower steps. Their hearts light now that Norbert was gone.

Unfortunately they ran into Filch at the bottom of the steps.

"Well, well, well," he whispered evilly, "we are in trouble."

They'd left the Cloak at the top of the tower.


Updated 31 January 2017