NORBERT AND THE PHILOSOPHER STONE

Christmas passed by swiftly. When Draco came back, Alex gifted him a silver bracelet. He pretended not to like it that much, but he wore it from then on and he never took it off. The same way, Alex never took the necklace off.

Before they noticed, spring arrived, and with it, the exams. Alex spent a lot of time studying, she wanted to nail all of the exams. She studied with Hermione at the library, helped Neville at the great hall and studied with Draco in the Slytherin common room. He was a brilliant student as well, not like his lackeys. Crabbe and Goyle hardly had anything in their brains.

As for the investigation about Nicholas Flamel, they had found nothing yet. Harry had sneaked into the restricted section, but he had found nothing.

It was morning, and most first years were at the great hall, studying for their exams and finishing homework. Alex was sitting next to Hermione, who looked pissed at Ron, since he wasn't studying.

- Look at you playing with your cards. Pathetic! We've got final exams coming up soon.

- I'm ready! Ask me any question.

- All right, what are the three most crucial ingredients in a Forgetfulness Potion? - asked Alex. Both girls looked at Ron.

- …I forgot.

- And what, may I ask, do you plan to do if this comes up in the final exam? - Hermione seemed more worried about Ron's exam than him.

- Copy off one of you? - he said looking at both of them.

- No, you won't! - Hermione said as Alex laughed about it - Besides, according to Professor McGonagall, we're to be given special quills bewitched with an anti-cheating spell.

- That's insulting! It's as if they don't trust us!

- Well, clearly, they shouldn't trust you, Ron - said Alex with a grin on her face.

At that moment, Neville showed up hopping into the Great Hall with his legs stuck together as the other students laughed at him.

- Leg-Locker Curse?

- How did that happen to you, Neville? - Alex wondered.

- Malfoy. - Harry was right. Probably Draco's doing. Neville approached them amidst laughter from the other students.

- You have got to start standing up to people, Neville. – Ron said.

- How? I can barely stand at all!

- I'm sorry, Neville, I'll talk with him… - Alex felt somehow responsible for whatever Draco did to her friends.

- I'll do the counter-curse! – Seamus said, jumping up with his wand ready.

- No, that's all I need…you to set my bloody kneecaps on fire! – Neville looked done, and people started laughing at his words.

- I don't appreciate the insinuation, Longbottom. Besides, if anyone cares to notice, my eyebrows have completely grown back! – with that, Seamus turned around and started walking away angrily.

- I found him! – Harry screamed, handing Ron a Chocolate Frog card of Dumbledore. Ron started reading.

- "Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the Dark Wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for his discovery of the 12 uses of Dragon Blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner Nicolas Flamel!"

- Wait! Nicholas Flamel? – Alex almost jumped from her sit.

- Follow me! – said Hermione. The four of them got up and started walking away.

- Hey, wait, where are you going? What about the counter-curse?! – Neville said right before he toppled over backwards. Alex stopped, turned around and helped him.

- Hold still. – Alex got her wand out, and pointing at Neville's leg, she recited the counter-curse. – Locomotor vita.

With that, Alex turned around and kept following the trio, while Neville was able to get up with his legs functioning in a normal way. Alex, Ron and Harry headed to the library, following Hermione. Hermione showed up with a huge book and thumped it onto the table where they were sitting.

- I had you looking in the wrong section! How could I be so stupid? I checked this out a few weeks ago for a bit of light reading.

- This is light? – wondered Ron, looking at Hermione with a weird look.

- Of course! Here it is! – Hermione started reading - "Nicholas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone!".

- The what? – both Harry and Ron asked.

- Honestly, don't you two read? "The Philosopher's Stone is a legendary substance with astonishing powers. It will turn any metal into pure gold and produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal." – Alex kept on reading.

- Immortal?

- It means you'll never die, Ron – Alex looked at Ron, clearly mocking him.

- I know what it means!

- "The only stone currently in existence belongs to Mister Nicholas Flamel, the noted alchemist, who last year celebrated his 665th birthday!" – Hermione finished reading.

- That's what Fluffy's guarding on the 3rd floor. That's what's under the trapdoor…the Philosopher's Stone! – Harry said with enthusiasm. The four of them looked at each other in concern.

They knew they had to talk with Hagrid about it. According to the Gryffindors, Snape wanted to steal the Philosopher's Stone, and he needed to be stopped. When night time arrived, the four of them headed towards Hagrid's hut. They knocked on the door and Hagrid opened it from the inside.

- Hagrid! – Harry said.

- Oh, hello. Sorry, don't wish to be rude, but I'm in no fit state to entertain today. – he was wearing an apron and oven mitts. He started closing the door.

- We know about the Philosopher's Stone! – the four kids screamed at once.

- Oh. – Hagrid opened the door once again. They all came into his hut.

- We think Snape's trying to steal it. – Harry started.

- Snape? Blimey, Harry, you're not still on about him, are you?

- Hagrid, we know he's after the Stone. We just don't know why.

- Snape is one of the teachers protecting the Stone! He's not about to steal it!

- What?

- You heard. Right. Come on, now, I'm a bit preoccupied today.

- Wait a minute. One of the teachers?

- Of course! There are other things defending the Stone, aren't there? Spells, enchantments. – Hermione said sitting in a large chair.

- That's right. Waste of bloody time, if you ask me. Ain't no one going to get past Fluffy. Hehe, not a soul knows how. Except for me and Dumbledore. - Hagrid's face turned sombre - I shouldn't have told you that. I shouldn't have told you that. Oh! – a cauldron over a fire began to rattle. Hagrid hurried over and grabbed something from the inside. - Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! – he placed it on the table. It was some kind of egg

- Uh, Hagrid, what exactly is that? – Alex wondered.

- That? It's a…it's um…

- I know what that is! – Ron said - But Hagrid, how did you get one?

- I won it. Off a stranger I met down at a pub. Seemed quite glad to get rid of it, as a matter of fact. – suddenly, the egg rattled and cracked open as pieces flew off. A small baby dragon emerged from it.

- Is that…a dragon? – Hermione's face was pale.

- That's not just a dragon. That's a Norwegian Ridgeback! My brother Charlie works with these in Romania.

- Isn't he beautiful? Oh. Bless him, look. He knows his mummy. Hehe. Hallo, Norbert.

- Norbert? – asked Harry.

- Yeah, well, he's got to have a name, doesn't he? – Alex and Ron laughed. - Don't you, Norbert? – Norbert backed away and blasted a small fireball into Hagrid's beard. - Oh! Oooh, ooh, ooh, well…he'll have to be trained up a bit, of course. – just as Hagrid was patting out the smoulder on his beard, he saw someone on the window - Who's that? – they all looked at the window.

- Draco… – Alex sighed.

- Malfoy? Oh, dear. – Hagrid looked worried.