A/N: Portions of this come from Chapter 13 of The Philosopher's Stone, though perhaps somewhat out of order. The snippet pertaining Nicolas Flamel's contributions to the Stone are taken verbatim from the book, so I suppose this is as good of a time as any to re-iterate that I do NOT own the rights to Harry Potter. I will not make a single galleon, sickle, or knut from this piece.
Also, 'Skol' is a common Norwegian-American exclamation, similar to "Hurrah".
That evening, Kellen sat with his Slytherin friends Daphne, Pansy, and Tracey.
"Oh, hey Kellen!" Daphne said with a broad smile. "Fancy seeing you here today! How are you?"
Kellen shrugged. "Honestly, I've been better."
"I noticed you aren't quite yourself today, you seem a little, I dunno, depressed," added Pansy.
Kellen nodded. "Yeah, you can say that."
"You haven't talked to Hermione much today," Tracey said. "I'd imagine that has something to do with it?"
"Yeah, we had a bit of an argument last night. It was over something dumb, really, and we barely said anything to each other all day. I really, really miss her," Kellen said, sniffling slightly.
Daphne smiled. "Hey, in more positive news, I saw that you and Malfoy were civil to each other in Potions. He and Ron had to be physically separated when they partnered up…"
"Yeah, he wasn't awful today, which was surprising. I kind of reached out to find out what makes him tick… he definitely has an arrogant façade, but deep down there's a very frightened little boy," Kellen replied. "I asked him point-blank if he was going to Durmstrang next term, and he confirmed that he was. And he said that the prospect of transferring scares him to his core because he's leaving everything he knows behind."
"It's a lot more austere than Hogwarts is, that's for sure," Pansy said. "But Draco isn't nearly as tough as he thinks he is. He definitely has the arrogant façade down, and you're right - he is definitely scared."
"I was thinking the same," admitted Kellen. "I was hoping that if we're going to be partnered up, I might as well treat him, well not necessarily like a friend, but at least as an equal, you know? I wanted to let him know that I was never out to get him. I've accepted that there's no chance of us becoming chummy, but after today, I think there's some sort of truce between us, a bit of mutual respect if you will."
After dinner, Kellen embraced his Slytherin friends. "Thanks for letting me spend some time with you this evening. It was great catching up," Kellen said gratefully. "Just by being there for me, you're helping more than you realize."
"It's our pleasure, Kellen," replied Daphne. She smiled sweetly. "Good luck with Hermione. I know she can't stay upset with you forever. You mean too much to her."
"Thanks," sighed Kellen. "I'm just giving her space for now, the ball's in her court now."
"I suppose that's all you can do," Tracey said. "I guess we'll see you tomorrow then."
Kellen quietly went upstairs to his dormitory to study after dinner, then sat down on his four-poster and started reading Star Wars: Heir to the Empire, one of the gifts his parents sent him for Christmas.
At around nine thirty, Harry and Ron entered the room. They both waved hello to Kellen, who returned the gesture.
"Oh, Kellen, I almost forgot, I have something here for you." He dug into his bag and produced a small envelope.
"What's this for?" Kellen asked.
"I don't know," shrugged Harry. "Hermione told Ron and me to give it to you."
"Oh, okay. Thanks," Kellen murmured as he carefully opened the envelope. He instantly recognized the tender loopy quill ink as Hermione's handwriting:
"Kellen,
I'm so sorry about what happened last night. I feel positively awful for treating you the way I did, you deserved better than that. I'm also sorry you avoided me all day. You're my best friend, Kellen. I really, really miss you.
Don't worry about that certain item we discussed last night – I've already explained it to Harry and Ron and I think it's safe to say we're all on the same page. I still would like to find out more about our friend N.F. if you're still on board with that, but I'm positive that both the book I found and the information you provided on R.B. have proven to be most invaluable. We wouldn't have gotten this far without you.
If you're still upset with me, I understand, but if you want to talk, I'll be waiting in the common room until lights out. I would love nothing more than to spend even just a few precious minutes with you because I really don't want to go to bed upset for the second night in a row – upset with myself more than anything.
Love,
Hermione
Your Little Witch"
"Tempus," Kellen said as he flicked his wand. The time given was 9:45, so he had just enough time to go to the common room and make up with Hermione. He closed his science fiction novel, and made his way back to the common room, where true to her word, Hermione waited for him.
"Hi, Hermione," Kellen said softly.
"Hiya, Kellen," Hermione replied with a smile. "I missed you."
"I missed you too," Kellen said. "I'm sorry we didn't talk much today… I didn't think you wanted much to do with me." He returned the smile. "I'm glad you waited up for me. I didn't think I could handle this two nights in a row."
"I couldn't either," admitted Hermione. "It was bad enough last night… I cried my eyes out."
"May I tell you something, Hermione?" Kellen said softly. "Maybe now isn't the best time, but I don't know when else to say it."
"What's up, Kellen?" Hermione asked.
"I remember right before Halloween you told me that you were starting to fall in love with me, and I noticed how painful it was for you to admit that, but you knew the feelings were real anyway? Well… I'm falling in love with you as well. I don't know how to deal with those feelings, but they're definitely there."
Hermione swept Kellen up in a wild hug, her frizzy chestnut hair flopping in a hundred different directions.
"Oh, I heard from Harry and Ron that you're filling in as Seeker this Saturday against Hufflepuff," she said. "That's a really, really big deal. It's been several generations since a firstie played Seeker – that's what Ron said, at least. I have a feeling you're going to do really, really well." She planted a wet smooch on his forehead.
"Thanks, Hermione," murmured Kellen. "I'm not going to lie, I'm really nervous. This is going to be my first game and I don't want to be a pariah should I muck it up."
"Kellen," Hermione replied. "There isn't a more popular student in all of Hogwarts than you. It's your first game – even if Gryffindor loses, they're still going to love you. Just relax, and play your game." She smiled radiantly. "You're going to catch that snitch – I know it."
That Saturday, Kellen got into his quidditch robes and joined his teammates at the quidditch pitch. Oliver beamed at Kellen. "This is a big day for you, Kellen. This is your time to shine. I know you're nervous because Snape's going to be officiating, but don't let that get to you. Just go out there, and keep those peepers of yours on that Golden Snitch. I don't want this game to drag because the longer we stay out there, the more opportunity Snape has to screw us over. I saw what you could do at practice a few months ago. You're a more than capable Seeker. Just keep whizzing around the stadium until you see a little golden egg, and snatch it!"
"You got it, Oliver," chuckled Kellen. "If only it were that easy."
"Kellen," Oliver said. "You can make it look that easy. Now, get going and show all of Hogwarts what you're made of!"
Meanwhile, fans were packing the stands. Ron, Harry, and Hermione were decked in Gryffindor red and gold, ready to cheer Kellen and Gryffindor on to victory.
Snape stood in the middle of the pitch, with an unusually large scowl on his face, even by his standards. He had a rolled-up rug under one arm, and a whistle in his free hand.
"Crikey, didn't Snape volunteer to officiate this match?" Ron asked. "He sure looks like he doesn't want to be here." He snapped his telescope to get a closer look at Snape. "Is he really officiating on a… flying carpet? What a maroon!"
"And he'll probably make it where Gryffindor doesn't want to be here either," mused Hermione.
"Who cares, let's just hope Kellen catches the snitch quickly and we can go home before anyone gets hurt," Harry replied.
"Hey, Professor Dumbledore's in the stands," Ron said, pointing at the silver-bearded headmaster on the opposite side of the grandstand. "Maybe that's a good thing, so maybe Snape will have no choice to but to call a fair game."
"I hope you're right, Ronald," Hermione sighed.
"It's started!" exclaimed Harry excitedly, and pointed to Kellen as he started looping around the pitch, searching for the Golden Snitch.
A couple of minutes in, Fred Weasley whacked a Bludger too close to Snape's shoulder for comfort, so he awarded Hufflepuff a penalty shot.
It wasn't long before Hufflepuff had a 40-10 advantage over Gryffindor, but Kellen caught sight of the Golden Snitch from behind one of the goal hoops. He chased the little golden ball to and fro – going from one end of the pitch to the under, and back around again, then underneath Snape's magic carpet, nearly causing him to fall off, before Kellen caught up to the golden ball and snatched it right in front of Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they were seated very close to the field.
In less than ten minutes, it was all over. Gryffindor had won with a score of 170-50.
"That's game!" Oliver crowed triumphantly. The stadium had erupted into thunderous cheers.
Fred and George heartily chanted "We got Grimseth, we got Grimseth!" Oliver clapped Kellen on the shoulder heartily in a gesture of congratulations. Chasers Alicia Spinett, Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson embraced Kellen warmly.
Snape shot Kellen a sharp look, then shook his head in disgust. "Gryffindor fool," he muttered under his breath.
Without even stopping to change into regular clothes, Kellen decided to give Hermione a break by visiting the library himself to find out something about Nicolas Flamel as that had been on his mind for the past couple of days. He scoured the library to find something that maybe Hermione had either missed, or may have simply been unavailable when she was searching.
"A-ha," he murmured to himself as he found a book of interest: Magical Marvels of the Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and Sixteenth Centuries. He wasn't sure what Flamel's era was, but this sounded like a good place to start, he surmised.
He found a table in a secluded corner and sped-read through the pages, hoping to find something of interest.
About halfway through the tome, he found something that caught his eye:
"The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a 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.
There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but only the Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight)."
"Skol!" Kellen exclaimed excitedly, but turned to look to make sure he didn't disturb anyone. "I've got to tell Hermione!"
He figured it would be easier to just write down the pertinent information rather than to lug around an entire book, so he wrote it as legibly as he could for Hermione's sake and put the book back on the shelf.
When he returned to the common room, he was greeted by dozens of ebullient Gryffindors, who couldn't wait to congratulate the makeshift Seeker that just beat Hufflepuff that afternoon.
Hermione wrapped her arms around Kellen in a wild hug and planted probably four or five smooches all over his face. "Congratulations, Kellen!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Harry, Ron, and I all saw you make that awesome catch!" Kellen's cheeks turned a bright pink in embarrassment.
"Way to go, mate!" Ron said as he shook Kellen's hand. "Game was over in just over eight minutes. Not bad for an emergency seeker!"
"You were brilliant today, Kellen," Harry added. "I'm really proud of you."
Kellen grinned from ear to ear. "Thanks, guys. I still can't believe I caught it… it was so, well, surreal!" He nodded toward Hermione, still grinning broadly. "Hey, I have something I want you to take a look at. I copied this down at the library. I think you'll find it quite enlightening." He opened his bag and gave Hermione the parchment.
She read the notes Kellen took, and nodded approvingly. "When you take your time, your handwriting's actually pretty good," she said with a smile. "And yes, this is exactly what I was hoping to find. Out of curiosity, what book did you get that out of?"
"It's a rather large volume called Magical Marvels of the Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and Sixteenth Centuries," Kellen replied. "I know you're usually really thorough with your research, so I'm guessing that it was already in use when you were there last time. It should still be there, if you want to read it yourself."
"That's the book I was hoping to read, actually," Hermione said. "But you're right, it was unavailable that day, but I'm glad you had better luck today. I may have a look later." She gave him another peck on the cheek. "And thank you for giving me a break, Kellen. I know you're tired from studying all week, and I know you're tired from quidditch practice and the game, but I really, really appreciate you helping out with this."