Disclaimer's in the prologue.
Lars never again went to see that mirror, despite his deep longing to see a complete family, of him, Harry and their parents, Lily and James, together. The holidays went by smoothly from there. For the sake of the holidays, in the spirit of peace, merriness and gift giving, and of course his pleading, Harry refrained from insulting Ron at every go.
"Few more minutes and the new year is here isn't it brother?" Lars said, glancing every time at an hourglass in their dormitory, waiting for the year to end.
"I don't know why you insisted on staying up just for this," Harry said, apparently in annoyance. Lars insisted that they stay up for tonight just to wait for the year to end, because it had been quite a tradition to him ever since his older twin left.
"What does your friend do during new year's eve?" he asked. He had heard from Hermione that muggles have this firework displays after the new year's countdown.
"Philip?" Lars nodded. Harry yawned before giving him an answer. "A feast on midnight of the 31st called Media Noche, but less people compared to Christmas, and fireworks display, and also some games."
"That's wicked. Wish we had one here," he mused out loud. "It sounds like fun, with all the fireworks and games. Fred and George make good fireworks, though they always get in trouble with Mrs. Weasley for that."
"It sounds noisy not fun." Harry countered. He rolled his eyes at his older twin who clearly has an aversion to any type of noise.
"Not with the fireworks that has like big, BANG, BANG, BANG, sounds, just the, you know, beautiful lightings."
"Then next time spend your holidays around many muggles, why don't you?" Harry sarcastically said.
"That's brilliant!" he exclaimed at the thought. "Next time you should lemme go with you to the muggle world. I'm sure Theodore would also."
"What -" Harry wasn't able to finish his question when he shushed him and muttering from sixty.
"Five...four...three...two...ONE!" he exclaimed, a bit loudly that Ron rolled in his sleep, nearly off the bed "HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
"Yeah, yeah, Happy New Year, may I go to sleep now?" Harry said abruptly.
"Fine, fine..."
The day after the New Year's day, the students went back from their holidays. Harry was met by an endless thanking by Theo as soon as he stepped inside their bedroom after the Christmas Holidays. Theo was really, really, really pleased with his present, a custom made pen with the name 'Theo Nott' etched on it.
The Quiditch season is coming and again, just like a few months prior, majority of the students were excited at the upcoming Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff match. As to what he had heard from Theo, the students, who were well aware that they are twins, had bets on who's the better seeker between the two of them, and him, being the one who caught the snitch first, was obviously hailed as the better one and, as it turned out, more people placed bets for Lars, which wasn't quite a surprise, everybody would give their vote to the hero of course.
"You alright?" he asked his younger twin after the Quiditch practice of the Gryffindor which he always watch though, contrary to erroneous belief, he doesn't watch to spy on the team, only to watch over his twin.
"Oliver's gone barmy." Lars said gloomily. "I mean like really crazy, crazier than before! He's all obsessed with winning this game since...well we lost to yours... I mean...brother...it's getting way too far, he wakes us up very, very early in the morning to practice, before sunshine!"
"Apart from me who's apathetic about the house cup, who wouldn't want to win the cup?"
"I want to win, especially because of my bet with Theodore and all...but brother, believe me you'll go berserk if Oliver's your team captain!" Lars stopped for a moment to catch his breath. "Come to think of it, I never even see you practice for your games."
"I practice, every Sunday morning." he informed his twin. "Marcus has me catching that flying golf ball." Every Sunday, even though he really doesn't want to, he practices Quiditch with Marcus. The older boy will release the snitch then he will proceed to catch it. They'll practice for two hours and see if there is an improvement on how fast he catches the snitch at every go.
"Is it before sunrise too?" Lars asked lazily. "Such a hustle waking up before dawn."
"Whether or not the practice is before sunrise, I always wake up at that time." He informed his brother. He had gotten used to waking up early in the morning to make his time worthwhile. He'll either read or do his homework, read some more or write in his journal.
"You're jokin' me right?" his twin replied incredulously. "I wouldn't even wake up before sunrise if I don't have to do something or someone telling me to wake up."
"It gives me more time." He merely replied as they entered the Great Hall.
Harry noticed that 'know-it-all' Granger was looking glum while Weasley was looking triumphant and between them a chessboard. His guess is the 'know-it-all' must have lost a game to Weasley and being the 'know-it-all' that she is, she can't accept being defeated.
According to Lars, it was quite a shock to her that she was only second to Harry when they never saw him participating or talking much in class. As far as he is concerned the standing's not that important whether he be first or not. As long as he's not last, he'd be completely fine with that.
"You and your cards." Granger said to Lars and Weasley, glancing above the book that she started to read after Lars and Weasley started playing with their frog cards. "The exams are approaching and you're playing cards." Even if the others don't, he liked Granger's work ethic, always preparing for something.
"Hermione the exams are WEEKS away." Weasley said, trust him to go procrastinate and forget to do it later on.
"Exactly. The exams are still weeks away and you should start preparing for it."
"You just said it, Hermione, still weeks away, meaning we still have a lot of time to study. We will study but not right now." Lars said, continuing his game with Weasley. The red-headed weasel is really a bad influence to Lars when it comes to study habits in Harry's opinion.
"And besides Hermione we already were studying...for a bit..." Weasley added the last part quietly.
Granger raised an eyebrow then bossily asked "Really? What are the ingredients for a forgetfulness potion?"
"Ehm... I forgot." Weasley said causing the others to snicker.
"Two drops of Lethe River water, two Valerian Sprigs, two measures of standard ingredient and four mistletoe berries." he recited from memory.
"See...Harry knows it, because he'd been studying." Granger told them and both Lars and Weasley groaned, she asked another question "Boilcure?"
"Dried nettles, six snake fangs, four horned slugs and two porcupine quills."
"Hermione..." Weasley said her name in exasperation, "of course he knows that...he's the greasy git's bloody assistant and first in our year remember?" Weasley reminded her in annoyance and Granger seemed like she doesn't need remembering that she's not the first in class.
"Weasley, not being in the honour roll is no excuse for not knowing the ingredients." he said to the red-head in a reprimanding tone. "Given that your brewing is completely atrocious, that doesn't mean you shouldn't know the ingredients of the potion. Brewing the potion is different from knowing its ingredients."
"Oh bugger off you two...seriously you two need to seriously lighten up and get away from your books." Lars said.
"Your twin heard that from me many times." said Theo's voice from behind then proceeded to sit with them on the Gryfindor table. "Can I join you?" Lars nodded and now the three of them are playing exploding snap with their frog cards.
"Nott, what are the ingredients of the forgetfulness potion?" Weasley suddenly asked.
Theo was blinking like an idiot before frowning and answering. "I don't know, why're you asking me?"
"See Hermione even people in the honour roll like Nott here doesn't study all the time." Theo was also on the honour roll, third in their year. First was him, second was Granger, fourth was Malfoy and the rest were students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff that he cares not remembering the names.
"I think I'd go barmy if I spend all my time studying," Theo said. "I cannot stand that, that'd be really, really dull." Lars and Weasley, without a doubt, agree with him.
"What happened to you!?" Weasley blurted out, questioning Neville who went in the Great Hall while hopping up and down with his legs looking like it was glued together.
"Malfoy," Neville replied, trying to maintain his balance. Malfoy again, Harry thought sourly. That stupid pureblood clearly has nothing better to do than terrorize people.
"Mate, you have got to start standing up to ferret face..." Theo said right before saying "Hey my turn Weasley."
"Can anyone do the counter curse please?" Neville said pleadingly to them. Seamus Finnigan stood up with his wand drawn and offered to do the counter curse, an offer which Neville vehemently refused saying that he doesn't want his kneecap on fire. Finnigan was insulted and walked out but nobody took him seriously.
"I found him!" Weasley suddenly exclaimed. "Nicolas Flamel." Lars grabbed the frog card that Weasley was holding and his eyes widened at what he read. They showed it to Granger who seemed excited then the three of them rushed out of the Great Hall leaving Theo, who exclaimed "Hey we're still playin'!", and Neville who was still hopping.
"What is up with those three?" Theo asked curiously, gathering the cards again.
"Hey mates a little help here?" Neville called for their attention again. The Longbottom scion was close to falling off.
"Finite Incantatem," Harry casted the counter curse and Neville thanked him.
"Neville, try standing up to ferret face will you?" Theo advised. "He won't keep on picking on you if you fight back."
"Easier said than done." Neville replied sadly. "How can I stand up to Malfoy? I'm almost a squib!" Neville, without a doubt, was truly miserable in his state, always being ridiculed by the Potions Master did not help that. Maybe Harry should ask the Professor if he can lay off Neville for a bit, yelling and yelling on Neville will not help his Potions work anyway.
"Come on Neville, don't be like that, you wouldn't be here in Hogwarts if you're almost a squib," Theo said encouragingly, surprising the other Gryffindors "Besides, I heard that you're brilliant in Herbology, you should try having someone spike ferret face's food with poisonous plants and all that."
Neville laughed nervously, that certainly cheered up the lion. "Thanks for the idea, erm..."
"You can call me Theo."
"Right Theo, but I d-don't want to get in trouble."
"Just ask me, it'd be my utmost pleasure to help."
"Tell a teacher or the Golden Trio or even me if Malfoy picks on you again." Theo said kindly before they both left the Great Hall to go where the Golden Trio ran off to.
"Where're you going?" Theo asked him.
"To the library, I need to know what those three are up to." He replied. He wouldn't have cared what those three are up to but since they mentioned someone he knows well, now he's interested.
"Wait up!" Theo said, "How are you even sure that they're in the library."
Harry stopped walking and wondered that for a moment too before concluding that it was just a gut feeling but he answered to Theo "I don't know."
"Why are you looking for Nicolas Flamel?" The Golden trio were obviously startled by his sudden question.
The three sputtered their excuses to him like he was some teacher catching his students in the verge of mischief making.
"I- what're we talking about?" Lars tried to avoid his question.
"We were talking about why you three are looking for Nicolas Flamel." Theo said in a matter of fact tone and the Golden Trio knew there was no way that they are going to dodge the Slytherin duo anytime soon.
"Follow me." Harry said in a voice that dared the Golden Trio not to follow. He gave his brother a look that is clearly giving off a warning of to not even think about being intransigent so as to force their way out.
"Now Lawrence." Lars just sighed and nodded at him and had Granger return the book that they were reading earlier.
Harry led the trio near an almost empty corridor just near the library where only a few students were there, minding their own business. But just a precaution in case someone eavesdrop on them, he and Theo simultaneously cast a silencing charm, the more the caster stronger it will be.
"Alright why are you researching for Nicolas Flamel?" Harry asked them again.
"We don't need to tell you anything!" Weasley hissed.
"You will answer my question," he said threateningly. "If not, then I'll just use other ways to get my answer, say a truth potion?"
"They don't teach truth serums to first years." Weasley said. It seems like Weasley is the only one who wanted to outright tell him, in a way, to sod off. "You can't possibly brew that."
"Wanna bet?" Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Theo's response. "I can guarantee you that he can brew one." Nevertheless it might help with his bluff. He was, after all, not sure if he can actually brew a truth potion as he had never tried it before.
"Fine, fine, we'll tell," Lars conceded.
"But Lars!" Weasley protested, "He's a snake!"
"And he's Lars' brother." Granger answered for Lars. "There is something hidden beyond the trap door inside the forbidden third floor corridor," She said. So they know about the dog then.
"Fluffy is the creature guarding it,"
"Excuse me? Who?" Theo said at hearing the word. "Don't tell me that that is the Cerberus' name." Harry looked pointedly at Theo. He wasn't planning on letting them know this early that they also know about that corridor.
The Golden Trio looked at each other.
"You know about the third floor?" Lars asked and "Obviously" was his sarcastic reply.
"We...stumbled in it one time...well we know that something is hidden there but we don't know what, I mean I'm interested in knowing but Harry here doesn't want to, says it's not our business, though I agree that it isn't, I still want to find out about it." Theo said then added "He actually wasn't interested about what you're doing it was only when you mentioned Nicolas Flamel..." For a Slytherin, Theo definitely, definitely says too much.
"We can talk about what interests me later now carry on with your story." Harry said impatiently.
"Well where were we...yes, see that thing that Flamel created is hidden in that trapdoor...the -"
"Philosopher's stone..." Theo interrupted with excitement. Granger became annoyed and snapped at Theo. "Well Theodore Nott if you already know then just shut up. Harry doesn't know yet so let me bloody finish what I have to say!" Theo pursed his lips then nodded obediently.
"Now the Philosopher's Stone is hidden there and S- someone is trying to steal it." Harry noticed that she was about to slip a name.
"You don't need to tell us who you're suspecting," Theo said to the trio. Harry had no doubt Theo would know who, and Harry does too, the person that they are suspecting is obvious.
"It's Professor Snape." The Golden Trio denied it the first time but admitted it anyway.
"Harry I don't know how you can trust that man," Lars said in all honesty. "He tried to kill me, according to Hermione and Ron that is, during the Quiditch match. He even let loose that troll on Halloween!"
"He did neither." Theo said defensively.
"Let me guess," Harry started. "The moment you saw his broom moving oddly the first thing you did was look at Professor Snape that you didn't even see if anybody else was doing the same thing that he was doing."
Granger looked sheepish for a moment.
"We should have looked at others, we could have seen if somebody was also muttering something!" She said regretfully.
"You could have seen it, and there was no other, that binoculars can see more than one people from afar and Snape's the only one you saw muttering something and looking straight at Lars." Weasley said, very adamant that Professor Snape is the would-be thief.
"Cognitive blindness, Ronald," Granger said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world when it's not. "We were very sure that it was Professor Snape that we weren't expecting someone else, so we couldn't have noticed."
"Truth is not always appearance Weasley, the sooner you get it to your head, the better." he said in his best 'you are a moron' voice. "Since when have you known about Nicolas Flamel?"
"We know the name, Hagrid accidentally let it slip." The man let nearly everything accidentally slip, he's trustworthy but he always says things that he shouldn't have. "That was after the game in November, we know about the stone...well just this day."
"It took you two months to find out who Nicolas Flamel is?" he asked incredulously, "Even muggles would know who he is." Utterly ridiculous. A mere muggle would have known about Nicholas Flamel quicker.
"How would muggles know about him?" Weasley asked curiously. "They're not supposed to know about the Wizarding world."
"Chemistry," he replied. "In the History of Chemistry, there is the Alchemical period, and like Paracelsus, Flamel was mentioned as one whose life goal was to create the stone."
"The historians don't really believe it though." he added. "As far as the record go, Nicholas Flamel is only a book keeper."
"What is Chemistry?" Granger answered Weasley's question with a lot of information that Weasley did not understand so instead she said that it was like the muggle counterpart of their Potions class.
"If Snape didn't do it, then who did?" Lars asked them, seemingly being open-minded about the thought that it was not Snape but somebody else.
"It was Quirrell." Theo said outright.
"Quirrell? Are you kidding me? That man's afraid of his own shadow even more afraid of Snape!" Harry had expected that much reaction from Lars. If Quirrell is not all he seems to be, just like what Theo astutely theorized, then Harry had to commend the man, he's a great actor worthy of an Academy Award to pull such stunt without anyone suspecting him.
Theo then explained to the trio his thoughts on Quirrell, the twitching, feigning faint, the stutter, etc. unfortunately, only Granger seemed to agree that Theo's ideas have merits.
"That can't be possible," Lars said. "During the holidays I saw Snape threatening..." Lars trailed off, probably realizing he was saying too much but Harry gave his brother a look that ordered him to continue. "When I sneaked out during the holidays I saw Snape pinning Quirrell to the wall, the man seemed scared to death mate, then the greasy git is going on about where Quirrell's loyalties lie and his hocus pocus and things like that." Well, Harry thought that seemed a bit suspicious on the Potions Master's part.
"Maybe he knew that Quirrell wants the stone and is trying to stop him." Theo voiced out.
"Maybe, maybe not." Lars said, less suspicious on Snape. Harry can't say the same for Weasley who looked adamant that it really was Professor Snape.
"I got my questions answered, we should go now." Harry said as he and Theo cancel the silencing charm around them.
"Just an advice," Harry said before they went their separate ways along the grand staircases, "don't go prying in about that corridor again. None of us five should even be aware about what's in there."
"Alright Harold Evandrus, spill." Theo said the moment they entered their room.
"Excuse me?"
"You're not interested in knowing what's in that trapdoor and then those three just say the Alchemist's name and you go on and follow them."
Harry looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow. "I think you already know why Theodore," he said pointedly. "I'm not unobservant enough not to notice that somebody turned the pages of my notebook."
The notebook that he was talking about was the raggedy one that he received during Christmas, the one with the initials A. NF which meant Alchemist Nicolas Flamel, it was a notebook filled with notes about the Magnum Opus of Alchemy.
"Sorry if I took a look at it without you knowing, I was just curious why you would keep that ancient looking notebook," Theo said with a frown.
"I didn't mention it to anybody I promise," said Theo, raising a hand, "I don't even understand those runes except on what those runes are for."
Harry looked at Theo like he was scanning his whole being before sighing. "At least you didn't take it or told anybody about it. Nic will kill me if I lose that book."
Theo blinked "Nic?" his friend repeated with a laugh. "You call the greatest alchemist of all time, 'Nic'?"
"He doesn't want me to call him Sir, it makes him feel old, strange though as that might sound." Harry answered with a slight frown. "Nicolas, its three syllables long and Nelle uses it when screaming at him. And Mr. Flamel, because he doesn't want to."
"He's old, he's like nearly seven centuries isn't he?" Harry nodded. "Who's Nelle?"
"His wife," he said. "Mrs. Perenelle Flamel."
"You actually know them?" Theo asked. "I mean know, know them."
"I call them by their nicknames don't I?" he inquired rhetorically. "He taught me, for some time."
"Were they the one who took you in when you ran away?"
"No." he shook his head negatively. "He started teaching me when I was 7 and until, well until I went back to England for school this year."
"I thought they live in France, the books says they're from France."
"They used to live in France up until the late fifteenth century, now they live somewhere else in Europe, I can't tell, I'm not supposed to."
"You said you were in America before you went back." Theo said with a confused look on his face.
"I was in America, but I always use the International Floo Network every time I need to go to their place."
"International Floo Network?" Theo repeated. "If you used that regularly the people who were searching for you should've found you, everyone who uses the International Network are recorded, they should've found paper trails of you...you mean you were already Evandrus before you left."
"Yes." answered Harry. "To be honest, I actually have no idea how I can prevent myself from being the ministry's ward...good thing I wasn't registered in the muggle world and my Father did what he did."
"What do you mean?"
Harry sat on the bed, loosening his tie. "During the time that I was away, I went to Gringott's, there I found out, after a few...ehm...negotiations that my Father disowned me when I was just about two. I think sometime after Lars defeated 'You-Know-Who'...he paid the goblins of course to be very discreet about it...even the Headmaster wasn't informed about it."
"That prick!" Theo exclaimed angrily. "Well where do you live now?"
"Somewhere." Harry replied blandly. Theo knew that that meant Harry doesn't want to say anything about where he lives.
"Right. Somewhere over the rainbow then?" Theo added cheerfully.