Chapter Three

Dear Mom and Dad,

Hogwarts is amazing. I know I have already told you that, but I have to say it again. Every day I find something new and more fascinating than the last.

I had my first flying lesson. Can you believe there are all different types of brooms to ride on? It's kind of like how cars are for non-magic people. People like to brag about what type they own and how fast they can go. I didn't like it. I tried to prepare myself for the adventure of it. I read three books to try and get some pointers, but they weren't any help. I think I prefer to just keep my feet on the ground.

Today we learned a new charm. It allows you to make objects fly. Professor Flitwick had us each practice using feathers, he put us into pairs. My partner wasn't saying the spell right, so I tried to help him. But at the end of the day he got the hang of the spell and now he can perform it as well.

I wanted to tell you I made some friends. These past few weeks have been hard. This whole thing is so new and different from everything that I've known before and I don't think I could keep up with it all on my own. I'm looking forward to what the future might bring.

I hope this letter finds you both well. Tell me everything that's going on at home.

Love,

Hermione

After the incident with the troll, Hermione found Harry and Ron were more amenable toward her. She now spent a lot of her evenings in the common room with them. Harry and Ron had filled her in about the Gringotts robbery and their suspicions about Professor Snape.

Hermione agreed that Professor Snape was a bit different, and his teaching methods might be unconventional, but the idea that he might be a bad guy was absurd, he was a teacher.

Gryffindor's first Quidditch match of the season was fast approaching. They were set to play Slytherin, which according to Harry caused him extra stress. Oliver Wood, the team's captain, had them practicing hard every night. Hermione tried to help by lending him Quidditch Through The Ages and aiding him with his homework assignments. She wouldn't do the work for him, but there was no harm in checking over his essays.

With Harry spending his free time at practice, Hermione spent her spare time in the library. Most nights she was alone, and while she wondered where Draco was, she tried not to dwell on it too much. In fact, she hadn't seen him all week, which was why she was a bit surprised when she heard his voice.

"You haven't finished your homework yet?" Draco snickered teasingly. Pulling out the chair across from her. "I finished mine ages ago." Hermione didn't doubt that. Draco was intelligent. He was probably the only other first year who knew as much as Hermione did.

"Of course, I have. Harry's been so busy with practice, I said I'd look over his essays."

"Right. Potter the seeker." He said in a bitter tone. "Youngest player in a century." He then said in a mocking tone.

"Are you jealous, Draco?" She said with a slight smirk on her face.

"No, Granger. I just don't get why everyone thinks he's so great." There was almost a slight hint of exasperation to his voice. As if this wasn't the first time he had confessed this.

"Are you going to the match?" She asked.

"I wouldn't miss seeing Gryffindor lose." That pompous smile he wore a lot crept back on to his face.

"I'll never understand boys and Quidditch. It's just a game. What does it matter who wins and who loses?" She asked

"That's the point Hermione. It's the thrill of not knowing who is going to win. It's rooting for your friend's success. It's training hard, with everything you've got and hoping it's enough. It may be just game, but it's a lot more than that too."

"If you say so."

It was late into the evening when Madame Pince came over and told the two she was closing the library. They quietly packed up their things and left. They walked along the corridor in silence without encountering any other students. They came to a fork in the hallways.

"Well Gryffindor is this way." Hermione said pointing up a staircase.

"Slytherin is this way." He said, pointing in a different direction.

They stood there in silence for a moment before they could hear the clatter of someone coming near them, muttering. "He's crazy. Can't feel my toes. He's lucky we didn't all freeze to death."

"Hey Harry." Hermione said

Harry was coming up the opposite stairs that lead to the Great Hall, still in his uniform, broom in hand. He looked up when he heard the voice.

"Oh, hey Hermione." Then he looked at Draco with a sneer, "Malfoy."

The three stood at the crossroads, Harry and Draco staring daggers at each other. Hermione could almost feel the tension in the air. It weighed on her like one of her heaviest books.

"We should be getting to our common rooms. We don't want to be out past our curfew."

"Yeah. Great idea Hermione. Let's go." Harry said as he made his way to the bottom of the stair case. Pausing before going up, waiting for Hermione.

Draco turned and began walking to his dorm. He called over his shoulder, "See you at the match, Granger." Then he turned to Harry. "Potter."

Harry and Hermione waited a moment before going up the stairs. "What's going on with you and Malfoy." Harry asked.

"I enjoy his company."

"You spend time with him?"

"He spends time in the library. I spend time in the library." Hermione said evasively.

"I don't like him."

"You don't have to." She replied curtly.

Harry paused a moment. He seemed to be thinking over what he wanted to say. He opened his mouth and then closed it. Shook his head, deciding to keep his thoughts to himself.

They reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. Harry said the password and the portrait swung forward. Ron was sitting in a chair in the common area, an island in a sea of papers. He looked up at them and called them over to him.

"Oi, how'd practice go?"

Hermione sat on the sofa next to them, pulling out her papers. She read over Harry's paper once more, making a few edits before handing it back to him.

"I've made a few notes. If you fix those you should be good."

"Thanks a lot. This really helps." He began making the edits she had suggested, while Ron looked at her with a desperate, pathetic, expression.

"Give it here." She said, holding out her hand.

"Thanks Hermione. You're a real life saver." He rushed out passing over his papers.

"Mm hmm."

She sat back on the sofa and began making edits.

The morning of the Quidditch match Hermione, Harry and Ron were sitting in the Great Hall having breakfast. Or at least, Hermione and Ron were having breakfast. Harry was staring at his plate of food, looking like he was on the verge of throwing up.

"Go on Harry, have a bit of toast. You'll need your strength today."

"Ron's right you know. You'll feel better if you eat something."

Hermione hated seeing her friend like this. Her friend. It was just one more reason she didn't understand sports. How can something that makes you feel so awful be so great? But I guess she supposed it was how she felt about exams. She'd study hard all year long, be extremely nervous just before, and then feel gratified when she'd get her results.

It wasn't long before a sick looking Harry left them to join his team before the match. Ron and Hermione followed shortly after and were joined by an excited looking Neville.

The stands were crowded. Students were wearing their house colors. Cheers and yells echoed throughout the grounds. Even Hagrid, the gamekeeper and a friend to Harry, Ron and Hermione, came to watch the match. Everything was going great for Harry. It even seemed as if he was about to catch the snitch when his broom started acting funny. It zoomed through the air, bucking and jerking as if trying to throw Harry from it. It was obviously jinxed, and Hermione and Ron had to do something about it.

When Hermione determined it was Snape who was using the Dark Magic required to curse the broom, she decided she could stop him. She had read all about jinxes. She fought her way over to the stands where all the professors were sitting. She knew from reading that he was required to keep eye contact, so all she had to do was distract him. To do that she used the bluebell flames spell to set Snape's robes on fire, breaking his eye contact, and ensuring Harry didn't fall off his broom.

In the end Harry caught the snitch. Well really, he almost swallowed it. Gryffindor was awarded 150 points, and ultimately won the match. Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to Hagrid's hut for some tea. It was there Ron and Hermione told Harry what had happened.

"He knows I know he was trying to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween." Said Harry to a disbelieving Hagrid.

"Who told you about Fluffy?" Hagrid said indignantly.

"Fluffy?"

"Yeah. He's mine. I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the . . ." But Hagrid had stopped himself revealing any more information. Even though the trio tried to convince him to keep talking. They tried to tell him that Snape was the one who jinxed Harry's broom, but he wouldn't listen. He just gave the three a warning.

"Now, listen to me, all three of you. You're meddling in things that don't concern you. It's dangerous. Forget about Fluffy. And forget what it's guarding, that is between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel."

"Who is Nicholas Flamel?" Asked Harry.

"I shouldn't have said that." Said Hagrid, looking angry with himself for letting even that small bit of information slip out.

After their tea the trio left Hagrid's hut all thinking the same thing.

"We need to find out who Nicholas Flamel is." Said Hermione. "We find out who he is and what he's guarding shouldn't be hard to figure out from there."

Finding out who Nicholas Flamel was though, was not as easy as she had thought. For someone who spent most of her time in the library, the very notion that there was information she couldn't track down was exasperating. Even with Ron and Harry investigating with her in the library, they couldn't find anything. November passed and still they had not found any information.

Draco had come in a few times, but when he saw who Hermione was with, didn't bother to stick around. Hermione wished he would, she didn't understand why they just couldn't get along. Boys.

The holiday break was fast approaching. Harry would not be returning to Privet Drive for Christmas, and Ron was staying at Hogwarts as well. Hermione would be going home to spend time with her parents. She suggested to Harry and Ron that they keep searching for clues to who Nicholas Flamel is.

On the train back to Platform 9 ¾ Hermione left Neville in the compartment to buy some sweets from the trolley. Her parents were dentists after all and discouraged sugary sweets. Hermione, however, had a fondness for Cauldron Cakes. She gave the witch some money and was about to head back to her compartment when Draco stepped beside her.

"Cauldron Cakes? I would have guessed Pumpkin Pasties. I'm more of a Bertie Botts fan myself."

"Eww. Not me. I don't fancy getting a bogey flavored one."

"But that's the risk, Granger."

"One I'd rather not take. Do you have any plans for over the holidays?" Hermione asked.

"My parents host a party every year on Christmas Eve. Some of the other Slytherins will be there. It's usually pretty dull. What about you?"

"Not really. I mean I'll probably do what we've always done during the holidays. Decorate our tree. Drink hot cocoa. Maybe go ice skating or something at the pond by my house. Things like that."

"Well I better get back. Crabbe and Goyle are probably wondering where I am. Happy Christmas, Hermione."

"Happy Christmas, Draco." She replied and then watched as he walked away from her towards his compartment.

Platform 9 ¾ was busy when they arrived. She watched as Neville was met by an elderly witch, obviously his grandmother. Draco was greeted by a slender witch that had to be his mother. Hermione gathered her things and went through the barrier to find her parents.

Just as Hermione had always done, the Grangers spent the holidays singing carols, decorating the tree, and ice skating. She spent a lot of time telling her parents all about her new school and her new friends. Hermione loved Hogwarts. Given the chance, she wouldn't change her choice to attend, but she couldn't deny the fact that she missed her parents.

On Christmas morning they sat together and opened presents. In the afternoon they attended a performance of The Nutcracker. One of Hermione's favorites. It was later in the evening when Hermione went up to her room for the night. It took her a moment to notice an owl perched outside her window, obviously waiting for her.

It had to be news from Harry and Ron. She had told them to owl her the moment they found out who Nicholas Flamel was. This was it! They were so close to solving the mystery. She rushed over to the window and lifted it open.

There was a note tied to the owl's leg, but there was also a parcel. She took the items into her hands and crossed the room to her bed. She placed the parcel down and opened the note.

Hermione,

Just in case what you bought on the train wasn't enough to get you through the holidays. I hope you are enjoying your Christmas. See you back at Hogwarts.

Draco

P.S. The party was extremely dull, just like I said it would be.

She looked down at the parcel. She smiled to herself before opening it. Inside were a dozen Cauldron Cakes.