Kailor: Prefects can give or take points, sparingly and only for good reason. They cannot, however, hand out detentions.

Thank you all for the reviews! Thanks again to AP Mom and Chantilly's Mom! ...Apparently I'm a bit of a hit with the mothers out there... Note to self: Make friends with Stacey...

Harry spent the next few days visiting Hagrid, watching the map, and hanging out near the lake with his friends. The little spot where the trees met the lake became their unofficial meeting spot. The days when Penny joined them, they did homework and chatted about random things, afraid to tell her about the three-headed dog or Quirrel's odd behavior. The boys and Ven managed to convince Penny to conjure two large wooden posts in the deeper part of the shallows, so they could joust each other. Two people would stand on the posts, armed with a long, thin staff each, and try to knock the other off.

It was here, after classes had ended and Penny had gone to a Prefect meeting, they had gathered by the water and Ron said something that caught Harry's attention. "-it's nearly as weird as Gringotts being robbed back in July."

"Wait, what?" He said, glancing at the redhead. He paid for his moment of distraction as Ven's staff swept his legs out from under him and he tumbled into the lake. She smirked and leaned on her staff, watching him flounder. When he surfaced, spitting water and nursing his stinging calf, he said, "What about Gringotts?"

Ron blinked, leaning back against his normal tree. "I was just saying that it's weird. This whole third floor corridor business and Quirrel faking a fear of the dark and Gringotts being robbed. Add in Hagrid's newest pet and this is the oddest collection of happenings ever."

"The wizarding bank in Diagon Alley?" Hermione said, looking up from the book in her lap. "I thought that place was impossible to rob. I've even read that multiple places."

"It's supposed to be," Harry said. "Da always said the goblins are never to be messed with. Did they catch the robber? Or did they find the bits of him left when the goblins were done?"

"Neither," Ron said. "That's what makes it so odd. They never caught the bloke."

"What did he get?" Padma asked. She adjusted the school bag she'd been dozing on so she could look at Ron. Neville stopped tying flowers together in a crown to listen.

"Nothing. They said the vault they broke into had been emptied a day before."

"That is really weird." Harry waded to the shore, trying to dry his glasses. "Poor robber is smart enough to get in and out, but gets nothing."

Ron laughed. "Yeah, well I give him props. I woulda been caught soon as I walked in. Mum would have killed me before the Ministry could arrest me, mind you."

Padma shrugged. "Same here. Even if I had gotten away, I wouldn't have known where to go. I probably would have gone home and Mum would have turned me in!"

"Eh, I'd go to either Dunglass Island or Brother Isle," Ven said. "Both are uninhabited and isolated. Brother Isle has an old lighthouse and Dunglass is the site of an Iron Age fort. So that's somewhere to live. Both near water, so I could fish for food while I'm hiding out. Dunglass is also surrounded by forest, so I could hunt. People rarely visit either place. Perfect hideouts." It took her a moment to realize everyone was staring at her. "What? I'm no Ravenclaw, but I know things."

"But why do you know those things?" Ron said. "Have you plotted robbing Gringotts before?"

"You insult me. My criminal aspirations are much bigger than that."

When the group split to return to the castle for dinner, Harry stayed behind with Ven, wringing out his clothes. His sister stretched out in the grass, her arms crossed over her stomach. "Harry, I'm a little worried."

"About what?"

"Snape." She sighed. "Whatever that dog is guarding is probably not a secret from the teachers. We know that. And I know we're suspicious of Quirrel because he faked being too scared to walk me to Gryffindor, but Snape... The other week...when he was limping...I smelled blood every time I was near him. He was seriously injured. What else could have hurt him that bad?"

Harry sat beside her, running his hands through his hair. "I thought the same thing. He was limping after Halloween night, when we fought the troll. Do you think...maybe Fluffy?"

"I don't know," she shook her head. "If we're right though, and he did get bit by Fluffy, what was he doing there that night? I thought all the teachers went to the dungeons to find the troll."

"Not all of them," Harry said, his eyes widening. "Quirrel was still in the Great Hall. Remember? He passed out. What if-"

"He woke up?" Ven sat up, excitement pouring off of her. "And he went to the third floor-"

"But Snape went too-"

"Which would mean-"

"We're not the only ones suspicious of Quirrel. But why?" They fell silent. Harry sighed. "We have no proof of any of this. We're just guessing wildly."

Ven shrugged, falling back to the grass. "Of course, Snape could be in cahoots with him. Maybe he and Quirrel are trying to get whatever the dog is guarding."

Harry thought about that for a minute, watching the lake ripple in the afternoon breeze. "I don't think so. I trust Snape. I don't trust Quirrel. Why would he fake what he did to go check on the dog? If he was expected to keep an eye on that corridor, why didn't he just walk you to Gryffindor, then go back and check? It was too random. Like he thought he had to go right then while nobody else was around."

Ven waved a hand, obviously out of ideas. Harry plopped down beside her, crossing his ankles and staring up at the tree line. They fell into a companionable silence. He dozed off and on, the heat of the day getting to him. Ven seemed to be asleep, except she was constantly twisting the Lachlan ring on her finger. They stayed that way until the sun started to dip towards the horizon. He lifted his head, ready to tell Ven that they should go soon, and saw the strangest thing.

On the other side of the lake, moving quickly in the fading light, was a dark figure in a turban. He was hurrying towards the forest, glancing around. Harry turned to point him out to Ven, but she was already watching as Professor Quirrel slipped into the trees. Without a word to each other, they rose and followed.

When they reached the spot where Quirrel had disappeared, they slowed, treading carefully through the underbrush. As the trees grew thicker, closer together, and darker, Harry heard voices ahead. He glanced at Ven and she pointed up. He nodded. The two of them seized the lowest branches they could and clambered up the trees. In his mind, he made a note to thank their father for all the climbing training they'd done. Once he was high enough that branches began to entwine to create the patchy canopy of leaves, he made his way over to the next tree. Then the next.

Soon the voices were nearly right below him and he looked around for Ven. Her eyes peered back at him from the tree beside his. He signed, Lower. Quiet. Trying to make as little noise as possible, he lowered himself a few branches until he could make out a small clearing below. He stretched himself out along the branch, moving a smaller branch aside. A little to his left, Quirrel was standing with his back to a tree. The stuttering professor was finding it especially hard to speak tonight and Harry didn't blame him. The way Snape was towering over him was something Harry hoped never to have to deal with.

"S-S-Severus, I-"

"Quiet," Snape hissed. Just like a student when faced with the dark Potions master, Quirrel snapped his mouth shut. "I know you're up to something, Quirrel. What were you doing near the third floor on Halloween? Surely the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor-" he sneered the word, "-should have been helping handle the troll?"

"I-I was j-j-j-just-"

"Have no doubt, I will find out what you are up to. Should you be attempting to steal the-"

But Quirrel shook his head vehemently. "No, S-Severus, I w-w-would nev-ver!"

"Do not lie to me," Snape spat. "We will speak again. Do not forget that I am watching you." And Snape turned on his heel and swept away. Quirrel remained for a few moments, clutching his heart.

Harry and Ven crept back through the trees until the sunlight began to filter through again. They dropped to the forest floor and hurried back to the castle, bursting to tell their friends what they had overheard.

XXXXXXX

At dinner Harry and Ven split up, holding quick whispered conversations with each of the others that knew about Fluffy. Harry had just finished telling Padma and Hermione what had happened when an owl landed before him, a small note tied to its leg. It was unusual to get mail at dinnertime, so Harry was already on the alert as he unrolled the bit of parchment.

It's hatching, it said in a scrawl that made even his handwriting look good. He crumpled it immediately before anyone else could read it.

"Everything okay?" Penny asked, eyeing the parchment in his fist.

"Brilliant. Peachy. Jolly good. Pass the pudding?"

Hermione frowned at him across the table. He signalled that he would tell her later.

Ven caught his eye from the Gryffindor table and he signed, Talk after dinner?

She gave a jerk of her head and he went back to his food.

XXXXXXX

When Ven met him at the doors of the Great Hall, he reached out and grabbed Ron's robes as well. They, along with Hermione and Padma, slowed so that they were the last of the large group leaving. Harry quickly passed the parchment around, then gave it to Hermione. With a flick of her wand and a whispered command, the parchment caught fire and was gone a moment later. Harry ducked through the crowd until he was at the very edge, closest to the doors to the grounds. Following his lead, the other four moved with him into the night.

Harry set off at a run, afraid someone would look out a window and see them. He resisted the urge to look back over his shoulder, instead making sure he didn't trip over a rock and eat grass.

At Hagrid's cabin, he slid to a halt, knocking on the door.

A moment later Hagrid's bushy head appeared in the crack of the door, then he opened it fully, letting them in. "All of yeh came? It's late! Yeh'll get in trouble!"

"We'll be fine," Harry said. "We've got ways to get back to our dorms."

"Couldn't miss this," Ron said, pulling up a seat to the table. The egg was laid in the center, quivering occasionally. "My brother, Charlie, he said dragons are gorgeous when they're born."

While the others settled around the table, Harry quickly checked the Marauder's Map in the corner, making sure they weren't followed. He found himself not quite surprised to see a small dot labeled Draco Malfoy moving towards them slowly. "Hell, Malfoy followed us. He must have seen us ducking out the door."

"Language," Hermione admonished him. Hagrid looked like he was about to ask what the map was. Beside him, Padma and Ron looked at Ven.

His sister blinked. "Oh, just 'cause I fake confessed to the slimeball I get volunteered to handle him? Ugh, fine." She stalked to the door, scowling. "Make sure all the curtains are pulled. I'll go get rid of our guest."

Harry and Hermione checked each window, making certain no one could see into the cottage. They had just settled back at the table when the door opened and Ven ducked back in. "If he knows what's good for him, we're safe. Is he still heading back to the school?"

Harry checked the map and nodded.

"Wha's that yeh got there, Harry?" Hagrid leaned towards it and Harry quickly folded it shut. The giant man actually looked a little hurt.

"Uh, sorry, Hagrid. It's just that it isn't mine. I'm just borrowing it. Not my secret to tell, you know."

Hagrid nodded. "I get that. Oh, look. It's happenin'."

A tiny spiderweb of cracks had appeared on the egg's surface. Harry leaned closer, holding his breath. All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped onto the table. It wasn't exactly pretty; Harry thought it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. Its spiny wings were huge compared to its skinny jet body, it had a long snout with wide nostrils, stubby beginnings of horns and bulging, orange eyes. It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.

"Oh, isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid cooed.

Harry thought that was a strong word, but decided not to say so.

"That's a Norwegian Ridgeback!" Ron said, jaw hanging. "They're rare, they are."

"How do you know that?" Padma said, raising an eyebrow at the Gryffindor.

"I know things!"

"But why do you know those things?" Ven mocked, winking at him. "Anyways, we better head back to the castle. I threatened Malfoy pretty good, but I'm not sure my threats will carry him all the way back to the dungeons with the rest of the snakes."

XXXXXXX

As Christmas drew closer, Harry found himself writing home furiously, trying to get his parents to go shopping for presents for his friends, watching Quirrel closely, and helping with Norbert, the dragon. They had set up a routine of going down to Hagrid's hut to help him every night. By unanimous vote, they decided that Hagrid keeping their secret had earned him their friendship. Which was a big reason they stayed to help, because Norbert was growing by the day and getting more vicious as he did.

Snape ignored Quirrel most of the time when they were near each other, but Harry saw the Potions master eyeing the younger man over dinner a few times. In Harry's mind, the conversation in the woods had only solidified his theory: Snape was suspicious of Quirrel too. Ron, however, was on the opposite side of that arguement. He didn't much like either professor and was convinced Snape was also after whatever the dog was guarding, but worried Quirrel may beat him to it.

The girls were a mixed bag. Ven said Ron had a good theory, but was inclined to agree with her twin. Padma saw Harry's side of things, but wasn't able to believe that Quirrel, of all people, could pull off a theft from Fluffy. Hermione wasn't sure either way. It seemed to be against her very nature to believe any professor could be plotting something so sinister.

This did not stop her from her research, however, and one breakfast a few weeks before Christmas, it paid off.

Harry was sitting beside Penny, laughing as his sister and Padma tried to explain a Muggle book they'd read called "Where's Waldo?" to Ron. He was stumped as to why anyone cared where Waldo was.

Hermione showed up late, throwing herself into the seat beside Harry. She slapped a large book onto the counter and he noticed it wasn't the same one she'd been carefully studying the last month. "I've found him!"

"Waldo?" Ron asked stupidly. Ven nearly choked to death on her waffles. Padma pounded her on the back.

"Who?" Hermione said.

"That's what I've been asking!"

"Anyways," Hermione said, ignoring Ron. "I've found him! I've found Flamel!"

Harry glanced at Penny. She had turned and was talking to a third year at the Hufflepuff table. He turned back to Hermione, leaning close. "Who is he, then?"

"He's an alchemist, of course. Here, look." She flipped the book open. "That book I've been reading? It talks about him, but not what he's most famous for! It referenced this book and luckily, I found it in the library. Read here." She didn't give him a chance to read. "'Nicolas Flamel was a well-known alchemist and only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone, a legendary substance with incredible powers. It can turn any metal into gold and can become a potion called 'The Elixir of Life'. It will grant the drinker immortality, saving them even from the very brink of death.'"

"Sorcerer's Stone?" Harry whispered, staring at the brunette Ravenclaw.

"Yes," Hermione said, her eyes bright. "That's what Fluffy's guarding. It's got to be."

"Well, no wonder Quirrel's after it," Ron muttered. "I'm about to go steal the bloody thing."

Kailor: And I end this chapter here! I know this one's shorter than the rest, but for good reason. We jump right into the fray in the next chap! As always, thank you for reading. Dunglass Island and Brother Isle are REAL places! Wonderfully gorgeous spots in Scotland. If you're ever in the neighborhood, make sure to pop by! Reviews appreciated!