CHAPTER 8:
In the holidays, both Ron's and Harry's efforts were in vain. Neither of them could find information about Flamel and about what he was famous for. After the holidays, they both confronted Neville and Hermione, who replied negatively as well. The only positive thing that had happened is Harry was able to explore and gain access to all the founders' personal rooms except for Gryffindor's and had also gained the trust and a familiar bond with the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets.
He found out that the snake's name was Sesha, a male and the last of the ancient Basilisks. He learnt a lot from Sesha, taking advantage of his vast knowledge about magic and how it functions. He gained knowledge so great that anyone (cough 'Dumbledore and Voldemort' cough) would kill him and anyone to know about it, the prophecy be damned.
After the holidays were over the quartet gathered in the common room and went over their investigations on Flamel and his supposed invention. They were all disappointed for having come up empty in their research. The months of January and February also passed with neither of them being able to learn anything useful about Nicholas Flamel. It was only in March that they came to know who Flamel was and why was his invention so important.
They finally found out that the hidden object in the third floor is the Philosopher's Stone.
Hermione had showed the three boys the book about Nicholas Flamel and his achievement of creating the first real Philosopher's Stone. When Harry remembered about it, he smacked his head continuously against his mindscape wall for quite some time. He had indeed researched a bit about the stone and it's abilities due to his teachers (the founders) and his mother prodding him to do so, considering his interest in Alchemy. Unfortunately, he had managed to learn very little about it considering the low number of alchemy practitioners as well as the founders' lack of knowledge on the subject due to it being invented after their time.
Having learned some useful information about the Philosopher's stone, the Quartet decided to watch the entrance to catch the intruder who was after the Philosopher's Stone. Meanwhile, they were called upon by Hagrid to have a snack at his hut. Finding it to be pretty relaxing for the first time, all of them had unanimously agreed to go there again.
After they had gone to Hagrid's, they had conversed with him about school and the workload during which Ron's voice was most prominent. All of them had a good laugh off at his jab of 'work' while Hermione was berated him but one could see an upward twitch in her lips.
Just then, Harry observed that there was an egg in the cauldron where the fire was burning.
"Um Hagrid, is there any reason that there is an egg boiling in the cauldron and is close to cracking?" asked Harry
"Blimey, I thought that there was sufficien' time but it's hatchin already." spoke Hagrid in a tone of shock. Carefully, he took out the egg and laid it upon his table. After some time, the shell had cracked open completely and a dragon was out.
"Blimey, Hagrid. That is a dragon and not a normal one as well. It's a Norwegian Ridgeback which is one of the rarest types as well. Where did you get it?" asked Ron
"I got 'im from the Hog's head. A bloke was tryin' to bargain it and I was havin' a good drink at that moment. Couldn't let go of the little fella and won the egg fair an' square. I always wanted to grow a dragon. Misunderstood creatures they are, dragons. I'll call him Norbert." answered Hagrid in a motherly tone when the dragon started to move around.
"Yes Hagrid, we understand you and your love for strange things, but Hagrid, you should know that owning dragons without a permit is a crime. If anyone found out about it, you might be put in Azkaban. It happened to one of my brother's friends." spoke Ron
"Also, how would you hide it here. I've read that dragons grow very fast and he/she might outgrow your house in a matter of months, considering that your house still stands by then." spoke Hermione eyeing the wooden walls of Hagrid's house.
Just then, Norbert the dragon belched a mouthful of flames which singed a part of Hagrid's beard. It also led to Neville moving away from the dragon in a hysteric manner fearing that he'd be the next target.
"But what can I do? I jus' can't leave this guy alone. He's jus' hatched and I don't know anyone who knows about dragons to hand this baby over to him." spoke Hagrid sadly.
"You can contact Charlie ya know. He works at a dragon reserve and he can take care of Norbert." Ron spoke out
"It's a wonderful idea Hagrid. Maybe we can do that and you might even visit him from time to time." spoke out Harry after contemplating the statement. Hermione and Neville acknowledged the statement as well.
"Alrigh' then, maybe it's for the best. Ron, could ya contact him about this?" spoke Hagrid somewhat sceptically.
"Sure, we will let you know of it when he is ready to pick up then." spoke Ron enthusiastically. And from then, the conversation had shifted to how to hide the dragon until Charlie arrives.
Unknown to the members inside the hut, there was one person who had witnessed and heard their gossip about the dragon. He had always been humiliated by the four Gryffindors one way or another and he wanted them to lose face for that. Forming an idea on how to spill this to any professor and get them punished, he slunk back to the castle under the cover of shadows. He entered the Slytherin common room with a glint in his eyes heading straight to his bed.
No one would underestimate Draco Malfoy after this. He would show that he is the King of Slytherin and Hogwarts and no one would ever challenge him.
Draco's plan was simple. He would rat the Gryffindors out when the dragon was being exchanged and take down their reputation as students dealing with dark objects. The loss of their house points and everything returning back to normal was just an amazing side-benefit.
All the traditions of purebloods and the Slytherin house were going down the drain as they were seen interacting with the filthy mudbloods and blood traitors who call themselves Gryffindors. He should correct it for the benefit of the purebloods. Or there would be no one left to carry on the noble goals and ambitions of Salazar Slytherin. (Salazar would have smacked your ass repeatedly had he heard this stupid stuff you know?) Once his plan came to fruition, they would see the error of their ways and return to normal, shunning the corrupted ones like Potter forever.
But Draco had not factored in a single variable which might be a hindrance to his plan. The variable known as Harry James Potter.
Draco had thought that no one was observing him and he was true in thinking that way. No normal wizard or witch had observed him, but Harry Potter, well he was no normal wizard.
One power of Godric Gryffindor was magical awareness and his ability to see or sense magic. He could even hide his magic and appear to be a squib for magic detectors or exaggerate his magical strength to make his enemies cower before him. It was one of his family's secret magical abilities and it could be used by any person if they know the process. All the founders had used this for their daily lives since the moment Godric taught this skill to them as an act of good will.
It gave more power to the user and this ability also saved Godric loads of times from either Salazar's pranking sprees or one of his mortal enemies from killing him.
Though it would suffice to say that both Rowena and Helga gave Salazar an earful for his mischief while Gryffindor would go into hiding until both the women have calmed down from witnessing their antics.
Though this family art was lost, Harry gained it when all knowledge of the founders has merged into his brain. He had committed several magical signatures to his mind and in that way had found Draco's magical signature lingering behind him when he entered Hagrid's hut. When he left, Harry left explicit instructions to Hogwarts to spy on the blond and warn Harry about anything that would incriminate him.
Draco had collected information on how and when they were meeting. Ron was hurt because the dragon had bit him while being fed and had gone to the hospital wing to be treated. Such incidents were noted and their records were taken by Malfoy so he could show it to a professor. The Gryffindors also sent word to Charlie about the dragon and were waiting for his reply. Even that message was copied down by Draco for additional proof. But he didn't notice that his 'proofs' were vanishing and letters were being erased as soon as he put them in his bag.
Charlie had agreed for taking the dragon and had asked them to meet at the astronomy tower. There they would take the dragon to safekeeping. Draco was beyond himself. He was so in joy and in thought about busting them in the act while he had pocketed the letter that he hadn't observed that the message was being erased and some people in the portraits were running around frantically.
The day came, when Hagrid's dragon was to be handed over to Charlie and his friends, Draco tried to drag McGonagall to show proof. But unbeknownst to him, the meeting time and place were changed and the dragon was no longer at Hogwarts. The exchange had happened during the Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw Quidditch match which had occurred a week ago and all messages Harry had left had perfectly misguided Draco.
McGonagall was bemused at Draco's attempts to show that some of her lions were involved in smuggling of a dragon. He had searched every nook and corner for their hiding place and insisted that they are waiting for someone to arrive. When he showed her some blank parchment in which the message was supposedly written and some hospital records which were empty in an attempt to convince her, she lost her temper.
Being out of curfew by itself was a big mistake but Draco had tried to incriminate her house as well when no one was present. It finally caused her to snap due to interruption of her sleep and dragging her out which made her already foul mood fouler. Not listening to Malfoy's complaints or protests, she docked a hundred and fifty points from Slytherin for trying to frame an innocent party and breaking curfew while trying to intrude into another student's life and snooping around the hospital wing unnecessarily in addition to issuing a month's worth of detentions in Hagrid's care.
Harry had laughed his ass off upon seeing Malfoy's bewildered expression in the lounge. If this incident of Malfoy costing Slytherin 150 house points was true, then the so-called protector of pure-bloods had successfully alienated himself from the rest of his house.
Just as Harry had predicted, the next day at breakfast, everyone observed the points deduction and the Slytherins were seen giving Malfoy the cold shoulder and were trying to not interact with him. Even Crabbe and Goyle seperated from him and were seen sitting with Theodore Nott. Malfoy himself was fuming and glaring very intensely at Harry and his friends.
After breakfast, as all the students were hurrying towards their classes, the quartet were stopped by the disgraced 'prince of Slytherin' who blocked their way and started ranting.
"Oy Potter, how did you do it? Whatever, don't tell me. Bet you liked it, didn't you? Saved your friends and yourself this time. All right. But the next time, you will know to fear me and the name of Malfoy."
"Malfoy, I will start fearing you if you kill Dumbledore or turn into a Psychopath, which is not occurring in this lifetime. So, scoot over to the corner and be a good boy. If you are good, you might get treats as well." spoke Harry to which both Ron and Neville laughed outright while Hermione was trying to rein in her own.
"You will get yours Potter." said Malfoy before storming off into the classroom cursing angrily.
"Well, that was enlightening." spoke Harry which broke their restraint and all the 4 Gryffindors began laughing their asses off. After they had had their fill and calmed themselves, they entered the classroom where Flitwick was already pairing them about for the day's class. There Hermione had asked Harry a question that has been plaguing her.
"Harry, what did Malfoy mean by how did you do it? What was he talking about?"
Harry answered her questions with a straight face,
"I don't know what you mean, Hermione."
The exams were over and everyone was relaxing and winding down for the leaving feast to occur. But a Quartet of Gryffindors were still vigilant.
Harry Potter, in particular was very winded up. He was sitting in the lounge with Snape, taking index of the rare items present there when he heard from the portraits that Hagrid and Malfoy had encountered a person feasting on a Unicorn's blood by killing it. Killing one by itself is a great sin but drinking the blood of a unicorn would damn the person. The moment the blood touches their lips, they would live a cursed half-life.
Harry had known about the purity of Unicorns and killing them to be a great sin. Salazar and Rowena themselves had saved one from death and it had protected them until their lives ended. They gave them a familiar bond as well as free objects like their hairs and horns when they are discarded.
One who could kill such pure creatures without feeling remorse, just to drink its blood was pure evil. For all he knew, only a few people or dark lords match the criteria and only one of them i.e only Voldemort was still alive and kicking, only because of his horcruxes.
He himself also ventured into the forbidden forest when he encountered the centaurs. They acknowledged him as an heir and promised to provide him full support if it was necessary while warning him that the time for war is near by quoting that 'Mars is bright tonight' and a darkness is clinging around Hogwarts. Needless to say, it only strengthened his beliefs that voldemort is near and should be eliminated (or atleast banished from Hogwarts) for now.
So he theorized that Voldemort had somehow bypassed the wards and was now possessing Quirrel. He might have to check the wards and wardstone of Hogwarts itself after sometime and also modify Snape's dark mark as well. Between the tensions about the Philosopher's stone and how to bypass its defences and Wood's insane training regimen, he didn't have the time to go and collect the diadem horcrux to give it to the goblins. He figured that he would have to grab it the next year.
As he was contemplating his plans into next year and how he can find the other horcruxes, he saw that someone was entering the third floor while somehow breaking the protection charms that he placed on the floor. Immediately, he ran into the common room and gathered Ron, Neville and Hermione and explained that someone was out to steal the stone to which they got worried since both McGonagall and Dumbledore were not in school. So, all of them decided to save the stone themselves.
When Harry observed Dumbledore's protections for the stone, he thought that they are pretty pathetic. Having a Cerberus standing guard was good. But other traps like the Devil's Snare, fighting with a gigantic chess set and the troll standing guard were pretty amateur. Any experienced and clever wizard could figure out their weakness and utterly destroy them. The parts where keys having wings and hellfire, protecting the stone were good except for the fact that their solutions like keeping a broom to fly and take the key and the possibility of one being able to pass through the hellfire after solving a riddle and using some potions, made those protection system pretty much vulnerable and pretty much useless.
Harry and his friends somehow bypassed some of the traps while narrowly escaping some. Fluffy was already asleep when they entered the room and Neville set fire to the Devil's Snare. Harry used the broom to fly and gain the key to the next door but he cheated because he wandlessly summoned the key in mid-air. The troll was already unconscious when they passed by it and they thanked the gods above for making it easier to pass. No one of them wanted to face another troll for the time being.
When they reached the chess set, Harry tried to argue that they could just bypass it by going through the side or simply fly above but Ron was steadfast in playing the game and the other 3 had no choice but to oblige proving Harry's theory that wizards and witches lacked the ability to think logically.
During the middle of the game, Neville and Ron got hurt but they successfully checkmated the opposite king. Leaving them both there, Harry and Hermione went to the next room while urging them to stay still until any one of them or the teachers returned.
When they reached the next room, they were greeted with flames spread on the walls and 7 bottles with liquids lying on a table in front of them with a poem pinned beside the table:
"Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,
One among us seven will let you move ahead,
Another will transport the drinker back instead,
Two among our number hold only nettle wine,
Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here for evermore,
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide
You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;
Second, different are those who stand at either end,
But if you would move onwards neither is your friend;
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,
Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight."
(Potion riddle from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)
After finding out the correct potion bottle, both of them were bemused that the potion was sufficient for only one person to pass. Harry somehow convinced Hermione to return with the injured Ron and Neville and get help from the other teachers while he'd hold off the intruder. Hermione at first refused to budge but eventually gave in. Wishing him luck, she went back to get help while Harry went to the next room after consuming the shockingly sweet potion to meet his prophesied enemy again.
Harry's first visual on entering the room was a giant, ornate mirror hanging at one side of the wall and Quirrel/Quirrelmort staring into it. Suddenly, Harry found himself tied up by an incarceous charm
"Beautiful thing, magic isn't it?".
"Yes, but your delusions about it are false." spoke Harry while trying to break free
"Ah, Harry Potter. So weak yet so powerful. I see that you've changed. What brings you to me and my lord's presence?" spoke Quirrel
"Just one thing, stopping you from gaining the stone." Harry's said with a snarl as he continued struggling to set himself free.
"Harry, Harry. You are really naive. You should know that the Dark Lord would not stop at anything to achieve his goal."
"Let me speak to him" sounded the raspy voice of Voldemort. Harry had an urge to shiver but suppressed it while using his wandless magic to tear open the bonds
"Master, you are too weak. Let me handle him."
"Silence, you fool. Let me do the talking." spoke the voice again.
Then Quirrel started to unwrap the turban when Harry was greeted by a grotesque sight. Quirrel's head was lacking hair and was sporting a very much lively face of Voldemort. His eyes were as red as blood and his nose already looking like snake slits.
"Do you see boy, my pathetic state? Because of you, I, the great Lord Voldemort reduced to a mere parasite. But no worries. After I gain the Philosopher's Stone, I will once again regain my body." rasped out the snake faced 50-year-old man.
"Join me boy. I will ensure that your mother, father and your family return to you. We can rule the world together."
"Thanks, but no thanks. I would rather die than joining you." spoke Harry confidently
"Very well then. Kill him Quirrel."
"As you wish my lord." spoke Quirrel advancing towards Harry to kill him. Harry, at that very moment broke out of the incarceous and accidentally touched Quirrelmort's hand which started to disintegrate, making Quirrel howl in pain.
Harry then remembered about his mother's protection and used his limbs to remain in contact with Quirrelmort who had to suffer the the pain of a thousand Cruciatus curses acting on his body. Quirrel soon perished after a minor struggle, not possessing enough strength to repel Harry, Voldemort's soul flew away through the protective flame circle while Harry had almost collapsed from magical exhaustion. If he still had those magical blocks, he surely would have reached near death state.
Dragging himself near the mirror, he recognised it to be the Mirror of Erised. Since he didn't wish for the stone, due to the enchantment Dumbledore placed on the mirror, the stone appeared in Harry's pocket to which he was shocked but it wore off. Hiding the original stone into his cloak which he carried everywhere with him, he searched the room. There, he found an ordinary stone, roughly the same size. Transfiguring it to look like the Sorcerer's stone, he put it near the surface of the mirror, which promptly absorbed it. Then, he relaxed and allowed himself to slip into blissful unconsciousness.
A/N: I had not elaborated more about Sesha the Basilisk and his meeting with Harry because I intend to post a One-Shot on how they met. I intend to post it after second year or after this story is completed.