Part Twelve

Term started up again and the four spent the ten minutes between classes skimming through books in the library for Nicolas Flamel. Harry had less time than the rest of them because he had Quidditch practice.

Before his next practice Harry asked Erin if she would watch his practice, he was nervous and even though it hadn't stopped raining for a fortnight she agreed.

Erin sat in the stands with an umbrella opened above her and she was wearing her coat and her rain poncho. Fred and George were behaving particularly childish just because the girl was there. They were dive-bombing each other and pretending to fall off their brooms. Oliver was particularly mad at them. "Will you stop messing around?" He yelled at them. "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 really did fall off his broom at this. "Snape's refereeing?" He had a mouth full of mud. "When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin."

Everyone landed and was complaining very loudly. Harry wasn't though, he looked white and like he might pass out. "That's not my fault," Oliver said. "We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn't got an excuse to pick on us."

Practice was over and Erin headed to the locker room door to wait for Harry to come out. He was out much sooner than she expected. The girl held the umbrella over both of them as he talked. "I can't play, Erin! What if Snape does something again?"

"I don't know. But, Harry, I can promise you that I will do my best to help you if he does try anything."

Harry smiled. "Thanks, but what can you do against a teacher?"

"You'd be surprised." She said. "I might just have a few surprises up my sleeve."

They made it back to the Gryffindor Common Room and found Hermione and Ron playing Chess. Something Hermione was horrible at.

"Don't talk to me for a minute." Ron said. "I need to concen—" He glanced at Harry and stopped mid-sentence. "What's the matter with you? You look terrible!"

"Snape is refereeing the next Quidditch game." Erin said in a low voice so only Harry, Ron and Hermione could hear her.

"Don't play." Hermione said at once.

"Say you're ill." Ron jumped in.

"Pretend to break your leg." Erin snorted, but Hermione was in earnest.

"Really break your leg!" Ron threw in.

"Ron!" Erin said.

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

There was a crash and they all turned to see Neville hopping into the room. They recognized that he had been the unhappy recipient of the Leg-Locker Curse. Erin sighed and rolled her eyes. "If that idiot does one more thing I swear I am going perform the 'Curse of the Bogies' on him."

Ron and Harry looked at her surprised. "Malfoy should watch out."

Most everyone was laughing but Hermione just drew her wand and performed the counter-curse. Neville got to his feet a little shakily. "What happened?" Hermione asked.

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

"Of all the stupid jerks!" Erin spat out. "He takes the cake!"

"Go to Professor McGonagall." Hermione said. "Report him!"

"I don't want anymore trouble." He said.

"Neville!" Erin spoke so sharply he looked almost scared. "If you don't stand up to him he will walk all over you! You are too good for that!"

"There's no reason to tell me I'm not brave enough for Gryffindor, Malfoy's done that already." Neville choked out.

"I never said you weren't good enough. The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor! The Sorting Hat does not choose idly. You are worth twelve Malfoy's, Neville." Erin looked at him like he was crazy for not knowing that.

Harry pulled a Chocolate Frog out of his pocket. "Here, you need this."

Neville gave a weak smile as he unwrapped the frog. "Thanks, Harry, Erin…I think I'll go to bed…D'you want the card, you collect them, don't you?"

Neville went through the door to the boys' dormitory and Harry looked at the card. "Dumbledore again," he said, "He was the first one I ever—" Harry gasped and then looked up at the others. "I've found him!" he 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: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindewald in 1945, for the discover of the twelve used of dragon's blood, and his work an alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'!"

Hermione jumped to her feet. "Stay here!" She said and ran up to our dormitory. Erin shrugged when Harry and Ron looked at her. Hermione returned a moment later with an enormous old book. "I never thought to look in here! I got this out weeks ago for a bit of light reading!"

"This is light?" Ron asked. He got a dirty look from Hermione.

"Of course! Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone!"

Erin gasped, but Harry and Ron only said, "The what?" in unison.

"Honestly, don't you two read?" She asked. I had to agree with her on that one. "The Sorcerer's Stone is a stone of 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—"

"Immortal?" Ron asked.

"It means you'll never die." Hermione said.

"I know what it means." Ron argued. Erin slapped a hand over his mouth.

"The only stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist who just celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday." Hermione looked up. "That's what Fluffy's guarding on the third floor, that's what Snape is trying to steal."

Gryffindor was playing Hufflepuff to overtake Slytherin in the House Championship, something no one had done in a good many years. Erin walked Harry to the locker room door and gave him a kiss for good luck. "Thanks, I'll need it." He said. He went in and Erin turned to see Fred and George who were standing there grinning with their cheeks out pointing to them. Erin sighed and laughed at the same time. She kissed their cheeks and went to sit with Ron and Hermione in the stands. Ron and Hermione had their wands, but Erin didn't pay much attention as She settled down next to Neville. He smiled and the girl smiled back.

"I've never seen Snape look so mean," Ron said to them. "Look—they're off. Ouch!"

Erin turned to see why Ron had cried out. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were sitting in the row behind them. "Oh, sorry, Weasley, didn't see you there."

The girl rolled my eyes. "Stupid idiot." she murmured.

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

Erin whirled around. "Who wants to bet how long Malfoy is going to be sitting here and not being thrown onto the pitch? Anyone?"

Malfoy glared at her and she turned back to the game. Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George had hit a Bludger at him. Erin rolled my eyes. Harry was up high circling the pitch and watching out for the Snitch. "You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" Malfoy said loudly a few minutes later when 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 Weasley's, who've got no money—you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains."

Neville turned in his seat. "I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy!"

Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle howled with laughter. Ron, still looking at the game said, "You tell him, Neville."

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

Ron growled and Erin said, "I'm warning you, Malfoy—one more word—"

"Erin, Ron!" Hermione exclaimed loudly. "Harry—"

"What?" Ron said.

"Where?" Erin said at the same moment.

Harry had gone into a sudden dive and he was going toward the ground like a bullet. "You're in luck, Weasley, Potter's obviously spotted some money on the ground!" Malfoy guffawed.

"That's it!" Erin yelled and dived, but Ron got to Malfoy first, the girl settled for beating the crap out of Crabbe. Then Neville was in the fray taking on Goyle.

"Come on, Harry!" Hermione screamed a minute later she was shrieking. "Ron? Erin? Where are you? The game's over! Harry's won! We've won! Gryffindors in the lead!" There was a pause. "ERIN? RON? NEVILLE?" Hermione had seen them. "ERIN! RON! NEVILLE!"

Neville and Crabbe were out cold by this time and Erin was beating up on Goyle. Ron and Malfoy were still going at it. Erin landed a perfect punch right in Goyle's face and then another on his chest. He was trying to defend himself but it didn't do much good, all those years of moving heavy furniture and lugging things up and down stairs had created wiry muscles and fast reflexes. Hey, you can't have something fall on your foot and you have to watch out for people. Also Erin was a girl, but neither Crabbe nor Goyle would ever make that mistake again. Neither so it seemed would Malfoy.

Some Gryffindor seventh years, when they saw some teachers coming to see what was going on, pulled the four of them apart. Hermione, Ron and Erin made it back to the Gryffindor Common Room after seeing about Neville. Harry came in a while later. Erin was still dirt streaked and had a bruise on one cheek, but she was grinning. Harry stopped when he saw Erin and Ron. "What have you two been doing?" He asked.

Erin giggled and Ron gave a shout of triumph. "We won! You won! We won!" He cheered. "I gave Malfoy a black eye! Erin took on Crabbe; he's still out cold. Neville took on Goyle, by himself! He's still out cold too, but then Erin took on Goyle! Madam Pomfrey says he has a slight concussion and Erin broke his nose too!"

Harry laughed. "I guess everyone had good luck today. Did Madam Pomfrey check that bruise?" He asked the girl.

"Yeah, she says it's nothing serious. I'm fine and the bruise bears witness to my beating up Crabbe and Goyle. I was aiming for Malfoy, but Ron got there first." Erin and Ron high-fived each other, they made a pretty good team.

"I didn't even see what they were doing." Hermione said. "I was too busy watching the game. Then all of a sudden you got the Snitch and Erin, Ron and Neville were rolling around under the bench with Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle."

"Don't say that too loudly." Erin grinned. "Or people will be thinking some bad things about me." They all started laughing at that.