It was still dark and everybody else was still sleeping, but Harry was desperate. He clutched at the mirror Sirius had given him. "Sirius," he whispered shakily, "Sirius Black." Sirius' tired face appeared in the mirror and Harry could tell he was trying to hide his annoyance at being woken.

"Wha?"

"Sirius, I need to talk." Sirius looked at Harry's panicked eyes and white face and woke up as fast as he could. Blinking, he said,

"What is it Harry?"

"I found this … mirror, except it wasn't …" Sirius stayed silent, knowing that Harry needed to tell him in his own time. "It showed me mum and dad and you and Remus. Except you were different, happier. Healthy. Like all the bad things had never happened. It showed me my family, basically. It showed them how they should be, and I … I became a little … obsessed with it, until Dumbledore found me and told me what it was. The Mirror of Erised, apparently. It shows you your deepest desire. I just … I just," Harry sighed, "I can't explain how powerful it was, seeing them, and you two, all there, smiling at me. Like a … I just miss them, Sirius. I wish we could be a proper family."

"I know Harry," Sirius said softly, "I know. I miss them too, every day, but you've still got us and we've got you. And that's going to have to do. And us three, we're not such a bad family, are we?" Harry smiled. He was beginning to feel slightly better.

"No. No we're not." Sirius made a move like he was going to hug Harry, then sighed.

"It's cruel, it's sad and it's not fair. Not a day goes by when I don't miss your dad, and your mum, even, but we've got to learn to make do with what we've got and be happy. And that isn't easy, but we've got each other."

Harry couldn't shake off his experience with the Mirror instantly, but he knew both Sirius and Dumbledore were right and by Halloween morning, as he was woken by the delicious smell of baking pumpkin, he was feeling vaguely normal again. Ron had noticed that something was wrong with Harry, but to Harry's infinite relief he had realized that Harry didn't want to talk about it and left him alone. That morning however, Ron had obviously noticed that he was starting to feel better and gave him a small, quiet smile. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that they were ready to start making objects fly. Harry grinned, remembering Remus' lessons and feeling that this might be one of those rare times that he mastered something faster than Hermione. Ron caught his eye and grinned as well, remembering the train journey when Harry had successfully levitated Malfoy. Flitwick put them into pairs to practice. Harry's partner was Seamus, who Harry got on with, but Ron's partner was Hermione. It was difficult to tell which of them was angrier about it.

Harry levitated the feather fairly easily, much to Seamus' annoyance, and Professor Flitwick's delight, earning him five points for Gryffindor. On the next table Ron was getting angry with his lack of success and Hermione looked annoyed that someone had levitated a feather before her, "Wingardium Leviosa!" Ron shouted.

"You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap,

"You do it then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled. Hermione gave Ron a superior look, flicked her wand and said,

"Wingardium Leviosa." Their feather rose four feet into the air and Hermione looked supremely pleased with herself.Ron didn't talk for the rest of the lesson and was in a very bad mood by the end of the class.

Hermione pushed her way through the crowded corridor, going over the Charms class in her mind. She really felt she ought to have done better than Harry Potter, mastered the Charm faster. Second place wasn't good enough and, to add insult to injury, Harry hadn't even really worked at it. Perhaps he had been taught at home. She was trying to work out what she had got wrong when she overheard Ron Weasley talking. "It's no wonder no one can stand Hermione," he was telling Harry, "she's a nightmare, honestly." The words hit Hermione. She had been called names before of course, teased because she was clever, but in that moment she realized that, even in this new, magical world she would never be accepted. Hermione was startled to find she was crying and began to run to the girls' toilets furiously wiping her face as she went.

Hermione didn't think she had ever cried so much in her life. She had even missed class and Hermione didn't think she had ever done that before. Breathing deeply Hermione calmed herself down as she decided that she really couldn't miss the feast. Then she saw the troll and (to her great embarrassment, later) she screamed.

Sirius stared at the letter from Hogwarts, which was half reluctantly admiring and half very definitely disapproving, which told them that Harry and a friend had taken on a troll and saved another First Year. "Remus," he called, "did we ever take on a full grown mountain troll in our first year, and win?"

"I don't think we ever took on a full-grown mountain troll. I remember a baby cave troll in our third year though," they both grinned at the memory and Sirius handed Remus the letter. Remus read it and snorted and Sirius mock sighed,

"That boy's going to out do us by far, Moony. We're done for." Remus slung his arm around Sirius,

"Yeah, but it'll be fun to watch." He said and Sirius laughed.

Dear Harry,

How are you doing in classes? When you're not taking on full-grown mountain trolls of course. I should have also mentioned that, as well as Potions, I have no idea about History of Magic, so you can't ask me for help with that. We, like you, used History of Magic to catch up on much needed sleep after our numerous nighttime wanderings.

As for the DADA question (which I am good at) 'Finite Incantatem' is a simple counter – curse that will undo the effects of most simple curses. Hope that helps.

Moony

Dear Moony,

Thanks, it did help. As for History of Magic we've just made friends with the one person who can stay awake and even manage to take notes during History of Magic – her name's Hermione (she's the one we saved from the troll).

Harry

Dear Harry,

Congratulations on making friends with the right people (I'm joking, of course. I'm sure she's a great friend for better reasons than she helps you in class and with homework). There's nothing quite like a friendship forged by a fight with a full-grown mountain troll anyway.

Moony

P.S. Canis says he's proud of you for the whole troll thing.

Mrs Weasley was rather less pleased than Sirius and Remus that her son had fought a troll, but even she had to admit that it was an impressive feat, especially for a First Year. "Ginny," she said wearily, "promise me you won't do anything idiotic like wrestle a troll when you go to Hogwarts. You just have a nice quiet time and get decent grades,"

"Promise." Ginny replied. "What've Fred and George done now?"

"It's Ron actually." Ginny dropped her toast.

"Ron?"

As they approached November the weather started to turn very cold as the Quidditch season approached. Harry was beginning to feel nervous; on Saturday he would be playing his first match against Slytherin. As always, House rivalries between the Slytherin and Gryffindor were intense and fights were starting to break out, something that Fred and George told him was completely normal but didn't help with his nerves.

Severus Snape dragged his leg irritably. The saliva from the three-headed dog was preventing Madam Pomfrey from healing his bite instantly and so his leg was still bloody and mangled. Still, at least he had managed to stop Quirrell, as Professor Dumbledore had asked. He limped across the yard when he saw three students staring at him. Feeling vindictive, he limped over and looked for a reason to tell them off.

"What's that you've got there, Potter?" Potter showed him a library book and Snape thought quickly. "Library books are not to be taken outside the school," he said, "give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor." Feeling slightly better, Snape limped away.

It was only later, when Snape was bandaging his leg, that he regretted taking the book. "Blasted thing," he said to Filch about the three-headed dog. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?" Then Snape noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Potter was trying to shut the door as quietly as possible.

"POTTER!" Potter gulped and his voice shook.

"I just wondered if I could have my book back?" Potter said apologetically,

"GET OUT! OUT!" Potter fled and Snape slammed the door behind him. It wasn't very long before both Ron and Harry were convinced that Snape was after whatever the dog was guarding. Hermione remained skeptical.

Professor McGonagall watched her nervous young Seeker refuse to eat, wishing he would just eat something. He needed his strength. It was his first Quidditch match today and he was obviously terrified. She half wanted to march over to the Gryffindor table and force him to eat something when he finally managed to shovel some bacon into his mouth. Despite her Seeker's nerves, however, she was hopeful; for the first time in years she thought they had a chance of actually winning. She was pleased to note that Severus Snape looked mildly apprehensive, as if realising that in this match Slytherin wasn't guaranteed a victory. McGonagall saw Dumbledore raise his glass just slightly to her and she gave a small smile. As technically neutral as he may be as Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore was still a Gryffindor at heart.

All Harry's nerves melted away as he started to fly, gliding over the game and searching for the snitch. Flying just came naturally to him and it was impossible to feel nervous when he was high in the sky with the wind rushing through his hair. Angelina scored and Harry did a couple of loop-the-loops to let out his feelings.

Snape watched the game with his lip curled. It didn't help that Potter was obviously a decent player, reminding Snape all too much of James Potter, and just when Snape was thinking that the boy wasn't so bad. Then Potter's broom gave a sudden lurch and Snape unconsciously straightened slightly, worried about the boy he both hated and liked, the boy he had sworn to protect. Then it happened again, it was like the broom was trying to buck him off, but that was impossible. Snape had a terrible feeling that he knew what was happening. He whipped out his wand and began muttering counter-curses under his breath, and managed to ease the curse on the broom slightly, but still Potter's broom tried to shake him off until he was hanging on by only one hand. By now the whole of the school had noticed what was happening but Snape didn't notice them. He was focusing completely on Potter. Focusing completely, that was, until his cloak was set on fire and he was knocked over. Quirrell, or whoever was cursing Harry's broom, but it was most likely Quirrell, especially if he was working for the Dark Lord, as Dumbledore suspected, must have been knocked over as well as Potter managed to clamber back onto his broom.

It was, Snape mused later, exceptionally annoying that Gryffindor had won the match since it was he, Head of Slytherin, who had saved their Seeker's life. It was even more annoying since he couldn't take credit, both because Dumbledore thought it would be unwise if anyone else knew that someone was after the stone (or even that the stone was being hidden in Hogwarts) and his own insufferable pride wouldn't allow him to admit it.

Harry wondered whether to write to Sirius and Remus about what had happened at the match and his suspicions about Snape but decided not to almost immediately. For one they had no actual proof that Snape was after whatever was being guarded or that it was him who had made his broom try to shake him off, and Harry didn't like to think Snape tried to kill him. In a strange way, Harry liked the bad tempered Potions Master. Also if he wrote to Sirius and Remus, Sirius would come marching into Hogwarts without thinking and attack Snape, then Sirius would go back to Azkaban and Harry didn't think either him or Moony could stand it if they lost Padfoot, or lost him again in Moony's case.

Hagrid shook his head as he watched Harry, Ron and Hermione walk away from his hut. It was ridiculous of them to suspect Professor Snape of attacking Harry and trying to steal whatever Professor Dumbledore was guarding. Dumbledore trusted Snape and Hagrid trusted Dumbledore's judgment even more than he trusted his own. His only worry was that he had given Harry, Ron and Hermione even more information by telling them Nicolas Flamel's name. Hagrid liked those three more than all the other kids, but he knew what they were like. They liked 'investigating' things and Hagrid knew it would only get them into trouble, especially since they somehow knew about Fluffy (and what was wrong with the name Fluffy anyway?). Hagrid shook his head and told himself not to worry; it wasn't like three inexperienced First Years could do anything anyway, no matter how much they wanted to.